Day 8-Fav places you've traveled to

So I havnt traveled very far out of the country. But I have been to Hawaii when I was younger which was amazing. I've been almost all over the west coast. I'm just going to focus on 2 of my most recent vacations. I went to Ensenada Mexico over Thanksgiving break. It was beautiful, the shopping was great, the people were so fun, and delicious food.

Another of my favorite places I recently visited, was Santa Fe, New Mexico. I adored this town. Its rich in culture, art, and really cool architecture. My favorite thing was all the art museums! I went to  the Ansel Adams/Georgia O'Keeffe gallery, and fell even more in love with the area. There was a fun little area where some local native Americans set up shops selling beautiful turquoise jewelry and of course I couldn't help myself. This was also my most spur of the moment trip, I've ever had. I bought a plane ticket a week before new years and left 2 days later. It was my last time I got to visit my dear friend Wendy before she got herself all married up.  I wasn't able to get a many pictures of me  but here's an idea of what the place looks like.

Lastly my 2 favorite places that I have visited multiple times- that I would be incredibly happy to live in one day...
-Monterrey California...Its closer to Northern CA and wonderful.My dad had business trips here every year, and we kids got to go with him. It is a beautiful little beach town, that has places selling clam chowder as you walk along, and the sound of seals barking fills the air. I was able to drive through this last summer and fell in love with the town all over again.

-Oceanside, CA. This is about an hour and a half away from my house, and I got to spend multiple summers spending it down there with my best friend Amber Iloilo. Her grandparents had a condo down there and let us come. This town is where I felt myself grow up. The beach is quiet (which is rare for beaches in Socal), the town is quiet, and is a perfect town for those who just want to relax at a warm beach (Nocal beaches arent as warm).

I'm just a California girl through and through and will probably always love this area more than anywhere else :)

Why the Inland Empire is amazing...

So I grew up in the area in Southern California known as the Inland Empire, and am now back after my time in college. So lots of time this area gets a bad rap from people who talk about smog, crime, blah blah blah, but I love it its my home. And theres plenty of beautiful and wonderful things to do. There's lots right outside of the I.E. that is more famous (Disneyland- 30 min from my home in Orange County, Hollywood, LA, San Diego etc)But theres tons of amazing and really cool things to do right here in the I.E. So begins my favorite things list...
 -When the rest of the U.S. is freezing is when it is green as green can be here and its 80+ degrees outside.
-Mount Rubidoux- This is a nice little hike in Riverside that produces an amazing view. There's a big cross on top and the view at night of the city is aaamazing.

-Lake Arrowhead- I did some work up here one summer and got to look out on the lake all day and was able to get a dark dark tan. Its beautiful, right by the lake theres this quaint little shopping town (My fav is the candy shop that sells the most amazing carmel apples.

-Mission Inn-This is California/Spanish style architecture at its best. The Christmas light festival every year is something me and my family never miss.

 

 

-Big Bear Mountain- So the Inland Empire is typically thought of as hooot. Which it generally is, but the San Bernardino mountain areas are considered part of the Inland Empire. And they can get lots of snow in the winter. In the summer they are beautiful- and even though there have been some wild fires the last 10 years or so that have made parts of our mountains not as picturesque there still is a lot to offer. I spent summers up in these mountains for girls camp and loved it.  And Big Bear offers some amazing snow for anyone who wants to snow board or ski.

-Palm Trees and Orange Trees EVERYWHERE. This area started out as orange groves , the city I grew up in (Rialto) was entirely orange groves for its early years. And it wouldnt be Southern California without Palm trees lining the streets.

-Lastly I would be ultra lame if I didn't point out the sunsets. So this may sound rediculous but growing up in Rialto which even I consider ghetto (but I love it, who doesn't need a little ghetto in them? I'm telling you I would not be as good of a dancer, or so comfortable in multiple situations if I hadn't grown up here) I dreamed of going somewhere amazing. Until I moved away and came back and realized that this area is amazing. A little smog makes for crazy colored sunsets. This picture was taken minutes from the house I grew up in, and I love it.

I could go on for a long time, lets just say I love this area. and hope to one day buy myself a cute little craftsman and or Spanish style home somewhere in Riverside. I love it hope I represented it well

Day 7-Your dream wedding

So I kinda didn't really want to do this day of the 30 day blog challenge because I feel silly letting people know that I've actually thought about... a lot haha, I'm a LDS girl who went to BYU-I do . Anyway first of all my dream wedding will be in the temple. This is what I"ve been dreaming of all my life. I don't really mind what temple (as long as its not Provo!) but I loooove the San Diego temple

 

But I also love my home temple the Redlands CA temple. Its beautiful and its where my sister was married along with countless friends. 

 

Also in my temple marriage I'm hoping my grandpa will still be capable of doing the sealing. He is currently a sealer in the Fresno temple, and he got permission to come and do my sisters sealing down in the Redland's temple.  This would put so much more meaning to it.

As for my reception.....

I love the outdoors so its only fitting that my reception is outside

I couldnt reallly find a dress I was in love with but I do like this one, but with non-see through lace, and then more poofyness at the bottom.

Anyway that's all for now! When I am actually getting married I will look up tons of pictures to post...

 

New Career??Special Education???

So as many of you know I have been working with autistic kids as an ABA behavior interventionist. I never intended when I went to school to end up working with kiddos with developmental delays. I majored in social work and always thought I might end up doing mental health, or in a high school working with juveniles or something like that. When I ended up getting this job right out of college, I almost didn't take it. I had never worked closely with an autistic child and was scared out of my mind. Well I have fallen in love with it and with the kids I work with. I have felt the spirit so strongly working with the autistic populations. Seriously these kids are changing my life and the  pure light of Christ is so evident in them. Of course its difficult sometimes but I feel so ridiculously happy when they accomplish just the smallest thing. Or when they give me a hug, or give me high fives when we get to do something they like to do, or even just singing nursery rhymes with them. So this leads me to something I've been heavily considering the last month or so. I've been seriously thinking about going into special education and becoming a special ed teacher. I  feel so much joy with these kids and never thought I would love it so much. So even though my applications are in for graduate school to get into the Masters of Social work programs I may end up having to apply to masters of Special education programs. So I have a lot of decisions to make in the next few months. I was also just offered a job working with autistic kids somewhere else using some different programs then the place I'm at now and I'd be making more money. I'd be making enough money to buy a house, but if I'm going to be starting graduate school this June or August then it wouldn't make sense to switch jobs. Anyway I don't know, but I love my life and I'm excited for whats to come. Any opinions on this???

Day 6-A picture of something that makes you happy

So this picture makes me happy for multiple reasons. That's me in the white tutu, that's my younger sister on the floor, and that's my dad laying on the ground. This just reminds me that even when I was little I still had the same spirit and gusto as I do now, which makes me want to let it out, even though its kinda crazy. My dad laying on the floor is completely typical, but what really makes me happy is his mismatched striped shorts and shirt- because that's so him (he's color blind, a civil engineer, and a complete mans man- not the making of someone who cares about fashion). And lastly this picture makes me happy because it was taken in my old family room at the house I grew up in and lived in until I was 18. The family room (the room I was in) was perfect for practicing my sisters and I's dance and gymnastic routines. We had our balance beam set up in there for as long as I can remember and our mom hated it but we would run, dismount and then land our flips on the couch on the far end of the room. It was awesome. I just love this picture makes me reminisce I guess.

Day 5-Your siblings

My siblings! I love them and when we all get together we are loud and ridiculous. I'll start with my my older sister Ashley Marie Jones. She got married 7 years ago now and has 3 crazy kids, ages 6, 4 and 3. Ashley did gymnastics all growing up and then went on to coach. She majored in Kinesiology  at Cal State San Bernardino and then later at Southern Utah University. She still is super fit and has all her kids involved in sports. She is the most patient and calmest of all me and my siblings and nothing phases her. Seriously she is the most chill person and I practically never see her stressed out or ultra annoyed. She's smart, witty and I love all her kids.

 

My brother Shane Rutherford Bradshaw is next!

Shane is 25 I think and is a computer nerd. He's ultra smart and recently bought a house and has the cutest black lab dog. He got his masters in something to do with computers and works at a school district now. He's really sarcastic but really funny. He loves to bbq and make us yummy food whenever he comes and visits. When he was younger he did basketball, baseball, karate I think my mom even had him in gymnastics when he was little.

My little Sis Taylor! She does everything. Se did gymnastics when she was younger and now in her senior year of high school she's a cheerleader, in asb and doing track. She's getting sooo old! And it really weirds me out that shes about to go to college. We looked exactly the same when we were younger, and now we mostly just have the same face. When were together we are redicuously loud and usually end up yelling but not in a fighting way just in a were talking way.

I love this pic of taylor!

 

Some of us all together!! 

 

Me and tay together

Valentines day-LOVE????

So one of my friends told me to write about what my deal is with commitment as in with relationships. So I figured it worked perfectly now because Valentines day is in a few days. First of all I love love, I really do, and I spent seriously almost all of my college years in one really serious relationship or another. So I'm no stranger to having pretty committed relationships. In the last 3 and a half  years I have had 5 serious boyfriends tell me they wanted to marry me all of them perfectly wonderful guys, and I'm a 21 year old Mormon girl who thinks marriage would be a great thing, so why am I still single? Well there was one of those boyfriends that I actually really thought for a long time that I should marry. But even with him eventually the "there's something wrong with this even though I dont know what it is so I have to get out" feeling came. Now I've had the horrible sick to my stomach panic when I've thought about marrying guys before, with him that sick to my stomach feeling came and then it was became even worse when I thought about not being with him. But as most things in my life go, Heavenly Father has later showed me why I couldn't marry him. Its strange people tend to think that people who have a fear of commitment have experienced lots of people breaking up with them and things like that. . I haven't had that but know what pain from relationships feels like. I don't like it and am at peace that its just not my time yet.. And it wont be until I can actually not be afraid of letting them see all of me and look me in the eyes and not look away. I love love but think about a lot more things when it comes to marrying someone besides just if I love them. I think that when making a decision about eternity, you cant just jump into it willy nilly, and even if you feel so good about who that person is now, you have to listen to the spirit because you never know who that person might become. I don't want to have to go through the pain or anything similar to what happened earlier last year, I don't want anymore hearts to be broken. So until I meet the guy that I don't get the sinking feeling with then I'm just going to keep making myself the person I want to be for the guy I'll be with forever. :) I'm not afraid of commitment just have experienced lots of love in my life and I refuse to settle for something less then amazing- because I know that that's out there for me.

Now heres some things I think of when I think of love and what it means to me...

San Diego LDS Temple

 My Beautiful nieces and nephews!!

I have lots of opinions and I date guys who are just as strong willed as me so my relationships tend to be kinda like the relationship in the The Notebook. Ridiculous I know.

 

 Thinking maybe I need to get a tumblr account

Day 4-Your parents

So I'm not exactly doing this 30 day challenge consistently but there will be 30 blog entries on 30 different days by the time I done with it :).
 So my parents are amazing. They met up in Provo while going to school. They dated for two weeks over spring break and then got engaged, which sounds crazy! But it totally worked for them.  They are perfect for each other and complement each other so well. They are both redicuously smart and soo funny. My house is never boring and we laugh a  lot.  So my dad I've mentioned him before, but he is great. He loves to ride bikes, play basketball, work in the yard, fix/rebuild cars and serve in the church. He has been involved in scouts forever and he has such a good heart. He loves animals and especially dogs

This is him and his old dog back in the early 80s ( I just love old pictures)
My dad is the type that everyone wishes thier dad was like. He's so patient I seriously have rarely ever seen him loose his temper and when he does its kinda entertaining because he's still smiling . He's a Civil Engineer and loves it He's been with the same company for 25 years I think it was. Before that he worked at a nuclear power plant in Georgia and somewhere in San Francisco doing civil engineer stuff.  He's one of those types who is amazing at balancing his  time, and his money. He's the best provider and manages to have time for everything he wants to do in his life.  His mom was a had her doctorate in physchology and his dad worked at a steel place- which I'm pretty sure the complete opposite of his parents jobs  lead my dad to be the well rounded person he is.

This is him with his bike riding group ( on far right) after their death valley ride I think.

My mom is extremly talented and has done a lot with her life. She got her associates in travel agency ( I think thats what it was called) when she went to college before her and my dad got married. And then she went back to school later on in life and got her bachelors in Liberal Arts and then gained her teaching credentials to teach elementary age kids. She was the best teacher to me and my siblings She would spend hours working on homework with us and was always heavily involved in our education. She inspired the love of reading that we all have and is always reading a book. Shes the type that knows every answer on jeopardy and wheel of fortune, she's full of random knowledge and its awesome. She did beauty pageants when she was younger, got perfect grades, sang in madrigals and anywhere else people had her sing, she did acting, pretty much anything. Her mom was worked in fashion, doing seamstress work and designing things at a local clothing store which is why my mom has always been a fashionable person I'm pretty sure. My grandpa was in the air force in the my moms younger years and then worked as a recruiter and for California Edison (power company), which meant they always got have the cool new things first like the thing we call a microwave( my mom would tell us how exciting it was when they got one and her friends would come over and watch it with amazment, same goes for the trash compactor).

Mom singing

Swimsuit competition Mom on left, at Ms. Kings County

My parents at my sisters wedding in 2003.

Right after they got engaged, my mom is the best laugher and my dad still kinda looks like a Beatles reject.

Wedding day! At the Salt Lake City temple in Utah.

Day 3-Your idea of a perfect first date

Oh man I have been on so many first dates and definetly have opinions on this. So my best first dates I've ever been on all developed into relationships. What did all my top  first dates have in common? Well for the most part with the exception of one of my favorites it involved being active and doing things outside. For me it really just has to be different, plus for some reason being active outside gets me, I just love it and for me going on a hike or something similar makes the perfect first date. So heres examples of what my most serious relationships first dates were like ( I have never dated a guy that I didnt love the first date).
-this first date was awesome: With my most recent serious boyfriend our first date consisted of going out and digging a cave out of the side of a huuuge snow bank in Rexburg. Then after we got ourselves warm and then went to a buffet. Ok all parts of this date were perfect. Digging out the snow gave us time to chat and get to know eachother and just have fun together. And I just love buffets.
-Once me and this guy went to a place called the Mission Inn (its an  old spanish mission in Riverside, CA) to look at the lights. We ended up running aroudn all throughout the huge mission. We danced, we ran up and down the old staircases, and then later went and ding dong ditched someone in the ward dropping off cookies. It was sooo much fun, and it was random and there wasnt pressure to it. We just kinda ran around town and I loved it.
-Another first date that I really loved was a double date and we went out to this place called the "crack" just outside of Rexburg its basically a crack in between two high cliffs. We shot guns (even though I'm not really pro gun, this was fun because we were just shooting targets) then the boys built a bonfire and we roasted hot dogs, made smores and all sung as my date played guitar. It was great, original and just relaxed.
- Ok so this one was a blind date, and normally I dont agree to such things but my best friend vanessa was very pursuasive. So the guy calls me before the date asks me what my favorite desert is (brownies) and then asked me what my top 3 ice creams were. So then the night of our date comes, we went out dancing and then  after played games and he scooped me up all 3 flavors of ice cream. The next day he left flowers on my doorstep with a card just saying that he had an amazing time the night before and that he couldnt stop thinking about me.. He was cute we dated 7 months. He was my first love. Things like that just get me (only if I like them if I dont I think they are creepy).
- Ok for my last favorite first date I'll mention, this was another guy I dated for a really long time. For our first date we went and grabbed mcflurries, then went out mudding to the internment camp outside of Rexburg and the haunted swings. Well we actually didnt intend to go mudding but it was rexburg in the spring so of course it was muddy. The car was completly covered. We ended up washing the car together and were just running all around town the whole night.


OK so I gave all these examples to show that I just love fun dates. Going out to a nice dinner is not my thing. I looove doing fun crazy random things. I like there to just be spontaneity and to just do something and be with someone who knows how to just be fun. I hate when dates are stiff. Plus outdoors dates are so much better because then I dont feel as much pressure to look nice. :) I love dates really I do.

Day 2-Meaning behind your blog name- Prone to Wander

So my actual web address comes from my most favorite and one of the most powerful songs of all time. (My dear friend Emily actually just did a blog entry about it the other day- sorry em!) Come thou Fount gives me chills and makes me cry almost everytime I hear it. I know I'm a cry baby but its powerful. I am prone to wander, all the lyrics sum up what I feel on a constant basis and what I want to tell my Heavenly Father. Here are the lyrics...

1.     Come, thou Fount of every blessing, 
 tune my heart to sing thy grace; 
 streams of mercy, never ceasing, 
 call for songs of loudest praise. 
 Teach me some melodious sonnet, 
 sung by flaming tongues above. 
 Praise the mount! I'm fixed upon it, 
 mount of thy redeeming love. 

2. Here I raise mine Ebenezer; 
 hither by thy help I'm come; 
 and I hope, by thy good pleasure, 
 safely to arrive at home. 
 Jesus sought me when a stranger, 
 wandering from the fold of God; 
 he, to rescue me from danger, 
 interposed his precious blood. 

3. O to grace how great a debtor 
 daily I'm constrained to be! 
 Let thy goodness, like a fetter, 
 bind my wandering heart to thee. 
 Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it, 
 prone to leave the God I love; 
 here's my heart, O take and seal it, 
 seal it for thy courts above. 

And here it is sung and it will give you goosebumps everytime.

The main title of my blog mostly just comes from how I feel about the last few years of my life :)

Day 1- recent picture, 15 interesting facts

15 Interesting Facts
1. I have had glasses since the first grade and got contacts in the 7th grade.
2. I almost always sleep with my windows partially open even when its freezing just because I like breathing fresh air.
3. Amazing paintings make me cry.
4. I dont really like huge parties I would much rather just hang out with some close friends.
5. I think its really weird when guys wear skinny jeans or care more about clothes than I do seriously it wierds me out when you spend 100 dollars on a pair of jeans.The same goes for messenger bags on guys.
6. I want to marry a sexy black man, or a Hispanic man who can sing and dance or really any dark man... that is all.
7. Once this last summer I dyed my hair 4 times in 2 weeks.
8. I love old stuff. I like antique furniture, old books, old lady cardigans, cameo jewelery, old lace, old art, old diaries.
9. I love the color yellow. It makes me happy, wearing it makes me happy, I just painted my walls yellow I just think its wonderful.
10. I dance in random places. Not just little dancing full out dancing.
11. I dont have as much fun hanging out with normal people.
12. I loooooovee camping and hiking. One of the best semesters I had at school was when I went camping almost every weekend it was great, and hiking by myself is one of my favorite things.
13. I go by myself and do yoga or read outdoors. There was this spot a little outside Rexburg that I'd always ride my bike to, sometimes I would even just nap there.
14. I dream of owning a craftsman style home.

15. I'm obsessed with books, instead of spending too much on clothes like most girls I prefer to spend it on books.

Recent picture- today

30 Day Blog Challenge (I stole this idea from Deborah)

 So since I have a hard time thinking of blog entries I'm going to be doing this 30 day blog challenge!
Day 1-Introduce, recent picture, 15 interesting facts
Day 2-Meaning behind your blog name
Day 3-Your idea of a perfect first date
Day 4-Your parents
Day 5-Your siblings
Day 6-A picture of something that makes you happy
Day 7-Your dream wedding
Day 8-A place you've traveled to
Day 9-A picture of your friends
Day 10-Something you're afraid of
Day 11-Favorite tv shows
Day 12-What you believe
Day 13-Goals
Day 14-A picture you love
Day 15-Something you can't leave the house with out
Day 16-A picture of you from last year and how you've changed since then
Day 17-Something you're looking forward to
Day 18-Something you regret
Day 19-Something you miss
Day 20-Nicknames
Day 21-Your love life
Day 22-Favorite city
Day 23-Favorite vacation
Day 24-Something you've learned
Day 25-A photo of something that means a lot to you
Day 26-Picture of your family
Day 27-Pets
Day 28-Something that stresses you out
Day 29-3 Wishes
Day 30-a picture of you today and 3 good things that have happened to you today

I LOVE.....

Watching this video reminds me that I have so much to be greatful for. I have had more joy in a weeks time than a lot of people have been able to have in a lifetime. I think of all the people who have had such hard things in thier life like this woman, yet thhey still have stronger faith and hope than I do. Today I am greatful for...
-My autistic clients- they show me Christs hand in my life everyday, and show me what real love and joy is.
-Today I got to see Ambers newborn. Me and Amber have been best friends since birth (we were born 2 days apart) Seeing her new baby boy gave me so much joy and showed me what I can have one day- and how beautiful families are. I am greatful for Amber and her husband and especially for Logan at this time. Being able to hold a newborn humbles you and you automatically can feel connected to something far greater than yourself.

-The stars, I guess lately I just have been in need of things that help me realize I'm part of something so much bigger than me. Thats why I must press forward, because even though I am small compared to the countless stars, I can still be part of a constellation :)
- My Dad. I asked my dad for a blessing this week, I really needed it and I'm just constantly amazed at my dads faith, stamina, and just how great he is. I am undeserving and he is the greatest man I have ever known, and I wish I could have half as good of a soul as him one day. Although he has given me unrealistic expectations when it comes to men because I doubt I'll ever find one to marry that measures up to my dad.

My dad is smart, he does more than anyone asks of him in the church, he's the most patient person I know, hes hilarious, amazing with kids, he does 100 mile bike rides in Death Valley for fun even though he only is able to use some of his lungs (that he messed up from some odd disease he got from building an add on to our house), he has 2 masters degrees, everyone who has ever worked for him loves his guts, he has managed to be scout master for probably 100's of boys, He payed for my education one of the greatest gifts I could have ever asked for, he gets my oil changed, can fix anything, and he showed me how to live my life in the best way possible. I love him, you know you wish your dad was as cool as mine.