Last First Kiss

This morning, while I was running, Last Kiss by Taylor Swift came onto my ipod. I have mixed feelings about this song, but we won't go into that right now :)  Look it up. You probably won't love it, but you probably won't hate it. It is Taylor Swift after all.

Anyways, it got me thinking about first kisses. A quote from the movie Hitch came to mind. "Eight out of ten women believe that the first kiss will tell them everything they need to know about the relationship." I'm sure that that statistic was probably made up for the sake of the movie, but I decided that I am probably not one of those eight women. A whole relationship based on one (very potentially awkward) kiss? I don't think so.

QuickSideNote:  I do however love to hear stories of couples first kisses. It's one of my favorite questions to ask aside from, "What is your absolute favorite thing about him/her?" I've heard some pretty gosh darn adorable answers. Claire can testify of this.

Anyways.....

I remembered a time when my dear friend and roommate Emily got engaged, about a year ago. At that time I had just gotten out of a relationship and was back in the dating world, starting from scratch. I remember being so envious of the fact that Emily had gotten her last first kiss. Never again would she be on a date with a boy wondering whether or not they were going to try and kiss her goodnight. Never again would she be in that awkward situation, waiting for an even more awkward kiss. Awwww how fortunate for her. The idea of a last first kiss just sounded so.... blissful to me. Still does.


Ok, so those of you who made it down to the end of this post, congratulations. You have succeeded in my study.  Normally, I probably wouldn't blog about something like kissing,  but this was purely for the research' sake.  Allow me to explain.


Being at BYU-I, all we ever talk about is dating and relationships and what not right? Ok maybe that's not ALL we talk about, but for the most part. It's even integrated into our homework and assignments. So we're doing a little experiment to see if people are more apt to read something about relationships/dating/romance etc. vs a normal blog post. For those of you who are blogger-literate, you know that you have a stats tool on here. This shows you how many people view each of your posts each day/week/month etc. So we'll compare the stats and voila, our research will be complete.

So in the meantime, try not to judge me for writing a post of this sort, it probably won't happen again. Well... maybe. We'll see about when I get my last first kiss. That might just be something to blog about... but probably not :)

Up... Down. Up.... Down. Up.... Down.

Confession.

I have a passion for push-ups.

And I'm not talking about these tasty little treats.

I'm talking about the up-down exercise we've been doing since elementary school.
Please allow me to share with you why I love them so much.

Last semester I had a roommate who was way into them. Her mom (who has had 9 children) can do 30 man push-ups without stopping. THIRTY! That right there was all the inspiration I needed. So I got down on my hands and knees and pathetically pushed out one... ok like half of one. It was hard! But from then on I decided that I was going to be able to top Mrs. Laufenburg and get up to at least 35 push-ups.

Also, check this out. A push-up works the following parts of your body.
1. Chest
2. Hands, forearms, biceps, triceps
3. Shoulders, traps, upper back, lower back
4. Abs
5. Glutes
6. Hamstrings, quads, calf, feet
7. Your heart muscle gets stronger and your mind get more 'clear', too

Wait, there's more. You can do push-ups anywhere, anytime, by yourself, or with others. You don't have to go to the gym. You don't have to go outside. You don't need other people. You don't need any equipment. You can do as many or as few as you'd like.

The more you practice them, the more you'll be able to do. It's so exciting when you can get more and more reps in each set.

So here's your golden opportunity. Like they say in the movies, "Drop and give me twenty!" Or ten. Or five. Get down there and do one for goodness sakes. Just try it out and keep it up!

This is my niece Molly. Check out that perfect form!

The Bike Story

So here's the thing... I love my bike. Love it. I'm so happy with this little beauty and here's why.

I didn't plan on having a bike up at school with me. Yeah it would have been nice, but I didn't have one and didn't want to spend the money on one. So I drove up to school without. I was only in Rexburg for two days before this picture perfect pink bike made it's way to my doorstep. I can't remember where I was or what I was doing, but I met a nice boy named Brandon who said, "Hey, I have a bike you might like. Want me to bring it by?"

Day 2 of college and a boy is offering me a free bike? How could I not love this place! So of course I said yes and later that day, this happened:

I knew I was getting a bike, but I had no idea that it would be this stinking cute! It was brand new and pink and just adorable... not to mention free! I actually didn't use it a whole lot that semester, or the next. However, come spring, I was cruising on that thing everywhere! Here are some memories with my bike :)

So I can't figure out how to flip the pictures the right way... so this mess'll have to do for now :)  These were all taken last spring. Holly and Hannah came up for a visit and took a spin on it. The next couple of pictures are from when I needed to replace my tire and Fongo (the kind gentleman you see pictured) was trying to woo my roommate Shae by helping me out with my bike. What a nice guy! After he helped me fix it and sent me happily away on my bike, I gave Shae  the go-ahead to fall in love with this boy cause he was a lifesaver. And guess what, they're happily married now! I like to think that my bike as well as myself had something to do with that.

Drowned Desert Rats

After a grueling game of  8-on-8 wallyball for FHE tonight, Claire, Hannah and I decided to go on a run. It was a lovely night and I hadn't done any cardio for the day, so I was down. I knew it wouldn't be easy though because those Salmon sisters are beasts when it comes to sports or fitness.

(I don't like calling them beasts, because when they run they're more gazelle like than boar-ish, but beast implies that they can go and go and go and not even be phased)

So off we went, starting at the bottom of temple hill. We ran all the way up to the temple, down along campus, to Walgreens and then took a left and kept on running until we ran out of Rexburg. We ran for about an hour. We got back to our apartments and walked a couple laps around the apartment complex to cool down. As we were walking, Claire made mention that we looked like a bunch of drowned rats. I can't think of a better mental picture for us. When we started running it was sprinkling outside and the rain only picked up as we ran. Before I knew it, this desert rat was running through Rexburg in the pouring rain.

(Ok, maybe not pouring by Seattle's definition, but definitely pouring in Moapa terms)

Our hair had been slicked down and frizzed out with the rain, our make-up was running down our faces and our clothes and shoes were wet. Underneath all that we were sweaty and smelled like....roses.  I'm sure we were quite a sight to see.

No this isn't us after our run, but these are the lovely ladies in today's story :)

Yet, tonight as we gathered for apartment prayer and took turns saying our favorite parts of the day. All three of us agreed that that run was by far the favorite part of the day. Unfortunately (or perhaps fortunately) I don't have a picture of us after the run to show you, but I can guarantee that if I did we'd all have giant smiles on our faces despite our drowned rat appearances. That endorphin thing that I've learned about all these years is pretty legit. I'm a believer. I was so proud of myself for finishing that run. I was so happy to be with Claire and Hannah. I'm not a fan of the rain, but in that hour, I absolutely loved it. Mostly, I was in awe of my body.

I had the pleasure of going to the Bodies exhibit in Idaho Falls on Saturday. It's an exhibit full of human bodies... dead ones, but real ones. Wierd? Yes. Gross? Kind of. Fascinating? For sure. They show the different systems in the body and how they all work together. It was incredible. As I was running, I kept thinking about all the different things my body was doing right at that moment. My heart, my lungs, my legs, my hips, my...spleen? Just everything all working together to keep moving me forward!

"The human body is a marvelous manifestation of the Divine Creator’s art, worthy of our deepest gratitude." -Russell M.Nelson

Deep gratitude for that marvelous manifestation of God's art is definitely what I felt tonight.

God is Close to the Broken Hearted

I had the pleasure of attending a Paul Cardall concert last Friday. Let's just say it was amazing! If you haven't heard of him or don't know his story... this is a good place to start. Or just take a listen to the following masterpiece and fall in love. 

 He was born with essentially half of a heart and has struggled with that his entire life. He has a pretty cool story. While he was playing last night, there was a slide show in the back ground that had pictures or quotes on it. Lot's of them were about the heart, or hearts in general. One that stuck out to me was, "God is close to the brokenhearted."  I also liked this one by JFK, "We need men who can dream of things that never were and ask "why not?"
Claire and I ran over to a friends house the other day and on their door was a sign that said, "Why not?" I really liked that and decided to add it to my list of mottos.

Love, Noelle

The Incredible Edible Egg

PEOPLE, PEOPLE! 

I feel like I have the greatest piece of knowledge and I can't go another day without sharing this with the world... or at least my six followers :) Here we go:

MAY is National EGG MONTH

If you've ever lived with me, and even if you haven't, you should know that I love, love, love eggs.  So I am so incredibly happy that May is national egg month. You can guarantee that I have faithfully and joyfully celebrated this holiday every single day this month! I have eaten eggs in some form everyday :)

Lately, my favorite way of consuming this proteiny goodness is the following:
Scramble two eggs with lots of pepper. Throw some cubed ham in there and then transfer the mixture to a twenty-second-microwaved tortilla. Throw some salsa or  fresh tomatoes on there and eat while smiling super big and constantly saying, "I am so satisfied with my life right now."

MMMMM I actually just finished one. Here's my other favorite way of eating my eggs:

Egg in a Frame: Cooked just like this. yum yum yum.

Here's the thing. There are only 11 days left of national egg month. For quite some time I've been wanting to cook and eat eggs in every and any way possible. Fried, scrambled, boiled, poached, deviled, benedict, omelet... ok I need 4 more ways to cook/eat eggs, :) help me out? 

Meet The Roommates: Spring 2011

Hannah, Claire, Me, Steve, Joanie and Andrea

 So this is my sixth semester. My sixth semester at BYU-I. My sixth semester at Royal Crest. And my sixth semester of roommates. (Wow that makes me sound so incredibly old). After six semesters I'm proud to say that I've gotten pretty good at picking out some keepers as roommates. This semester is no exception. We are seriously having so much fun together. Our apartment stays fairly clean, contention free and always hopping with friends and visitors. I'm sure I'll mention them oft throughout the semester so now you have a visual to refer to.

However, we have an unusual situation in our apt this semester, Steve is only staying with us first block (she's leaving for an Boy Scout camp internship in just two weeks) We'll be incredibly sad to see her go :(

KERIIIII. Who loves that face? I love that face!

To fill her spot in the apartment, Miss Keri Rich will be rejoining us. She spent the first block studying in Europe. How cultured!

There you have it, the Spring 2011 Apt 214 girls. I think they're pretty great.

So Long Sweets

It's finally happened ladies and gentleman. I have done something that I have never, ever ventured out to do. I have vowed to give up all desserts for one week! I know, I know, one week, sounds like nothing right? Hear me out ok?
Sweets are everywhere up here. Everywhere! Especially since I'm involved in several different organizations in which we have meetings quite often. There are ALWAYS desserts at these meetings. Good ones too. Also, I live in an apartment complex with 300+ young adult women who are faithfully working on becoming the best future homemakers that they possibly can, especially when it comes to filling up the cookie jar. Sunday afternoons are the worst. EVERYONE bakes. My apartment is right in the exact center of the entire complex. Dead center. And I swear that every lovely aroma within one square mile of my apartment wafts it's way right into our apartment.

Just last week my neighbors (well my two-doors-down neighbors) baked up these lovelies and brought me some!

Also, this past Monday night we went to the Herbert's for FHE and Sister Herbert spoiled us with Jello Cake, Peach Torte, and a Chocolate Vanilla Pudding Deliciousness something. I had all three :) And was SO sick afterwards, but oh so happy. But that made me realize that I needed to exercise a bit more self control.
Anyways, Claire, Andrea, Kim and I are doing this together. No desserts for one week. Then I think I'm going to go get me a pie shake from Sammy's, cause I'm IN LOVE with those, and then start back up on our dessert free life for perhaps another two weeks. And then three weeks etc. etc.

This is my only exception. If I get offered one of these bad boys while on my dessert fast, there's no stopping me!

We'll be sugar-free in no time! Wish us luck!

Claire, Cider and Celebrations!!

One day last semester, Claire brought home a little bottle of sparkling cider. She put it under her bed and told me that when we had something really good to celebrate, we would run back to our bedroom, grab the bottle, open it up and celebrate like crazy with our sparkling cider.  This was at a time when we were both single and jobless, so at least in my mind, some possible celebratory moments would be that of acquiring a job, or a boyfriend .... something a long those lines. Well since that time, neither of us got a job. We both however were in steady relationships, yet even in that process we never once broke out the celebratory cider.

In that time, where we seemed to have had nothing great enough to celebrate, Claire came across a second bottle of cider. So now we had two, and we knew that when we did have something to celebrate, it had to be good. So the bottles sat in our room. And sat. And sat. And sat. For a really long time. Until....

Wahoo for sparkling cider and $1.50 D.I. MuMu's :)

Last Sunday, Claire and I celebrated. We broke out the bottles, opened them up, and each guzzled down our own as we laughed and cried and talked the night away on Claire's bed.

Probably not the most flattering pictures, but since I had them, I figured they should go up.

What did we finally decide was worth our celebration you ask? Well, we were both still jobless. Neither of us were still in a relationship, and nothing really new and exciting was going on in our lives. But we celebrated anyways.
At first it was kind of depressing as we thought about how we had nothing to celebrate. However, as I sat in my room with my Claire I felt so grateful to have such a fabulous girl for a roommate. That right there was worth celebrating, and things only went up from there. I realized how silly I was being for thinking that I had nothing to be happy about. I have SO much to be happy and grateful for. And SO much to celebrate. I once read This Post  where I found the suggestion to make a list of ten things you're grateful for on days where things aren't going so well, or anyday for that matter.

So here's my ten for today.
1. The sun. I saw it today. I basked in it today. It made me happy today.
2. My aerobics class. I seriously can't get enough of it.
3. Brandon Michael Rust. He sent me a new battery for my laptop and now it can actually be portable, wahoo!
4. Daniel and Travis Rust. I'm really, really grateful to have brothers up here at school with me. REALLY grateful.
5. My health. I am blessed.
6. My calling. It has been the highlight of my semester. I love the things I have learned and experience because of it.
7. Water Bottles. I just bought one, and I totally wouldn't ever drink water if I didn't have it handy. It keeps me hydrated.
8. FAFSA. Enough said.
9. Tennis. My front yard consists of nothing but tennis courts. Gonzaga!
10. Push ups. I just think it's a fabulous exercise. And it's exciting when you can get your numbers up!

And pretty much life is just way too good to me, but I like it that way :)

O’er Moor and Fen, O’er Crag and Torrent, Till

Listen to this as you read :)


Hymn 97. Lead Kindly Light


I'm afraid I have never really appreciated this song until just recently. In my mind it was just that one hymn that had a bunch of funny one syllable words. Moor. Fen. Crag. What is this?
Recently, I have come to absolutely love this hymn and the message it contains. The third verse still kind of throws me off with it's funny words. One day I'll take the time to study those out and appreciate them. But not today, because today I am in love with the first two verses.

Lead, kindly Light, amid th'encircling gloom,
Lead Thou me on;
The night is dark, and I am far from home;
Lead Thou me on.
Keep Thou my feet; I do not ask to see
The distant scene one step enough for me.

  I was not ever thus, nor prayed that Thou
Shouldst lead me on;
I loved to choose and see my path; but now
Lead Thou me on.
I loved the garish day, and spite of fears,
Pride ruled my will: Remember not past years. 

I certainly am one who loves "to choose and see my path". I like to be in control, 

I like to make the calls. However, I am learning more and more each day that all 

I can do is keep moving forward one step and a time and trust that the Lord will 

"keep my feet" and lead me on. 

Girls Just Wanna Have Fun??

I was more interested in my homework, but the 80's ladies found me and attacked.

Kim Pett; hairstylist and proud of it!

Impressed?

All I can say, is that I am extremely grateful to be living in the decade that I do, fashion-wise at least. I couldn't have handled this EVERYDAY. Definite new-found respect for my elders. We did get half off at Twizl Berry for our efforts! It was worth it.

Picture Memories from Winter 2011

Winter 2011 was one of a kind. I was off-track and loved every minute of it. Here's why (:

We never got a roommate picture with all of us, but this comes close. I had fabulous roommates this semester! Pictured: Janessa, Leslie, Erica (Leslie's sister who was just visiting for the weekend) Me and Claire. Not pictured is Jen, whom we also love greatly!

 This was my second date of the semester and my first with Michael. It was also my first group date with a sibling in the same group, Trav let me come :) Anyways, it was a success!

 Sledding has absolutely become one of my passions. I LOVED it when we'd go as a group of friends. SO much fun.

 This was towards the beginning of the semester. Travis and his roommates and a few other friends came over and discovered my mom's homemade hats and scarves. So we modeled them of course!

 Homestead Adventures. These people have changed my life. There will be an entire blog post dedicated to each one of them in the future I'm sure. Here we have Doralie and Aldean.

 The group with Ila wearing the new bow we gave her.

 National Chili day! We became rather fond of celebrating silly national holidays.

 Sign Language to Katy Perry's "Firework" Nothing Better.

 National Potatoe Chip and National Pie day. Homemade Pistachio, yuuuuummm!

 As an SBOD member, I got one of these plastic reusable to go boxes to test out for the semester. Many a wonderful picnics were brought to us via this lovely little box.

 I gave my very first haircut. It turned out pretty well too!

Ma and Pops came up to visit.We all went to Savior of the World and then out to Craigo's

Needless to say, I was pretty satisfied with my semester. Wouldn't change a thing!

Jumping For Joy

My senior year of high school was quite possibly one of the greatest times of my life. It seems like everyday I would come home from work or school or a friends house and just wonder how I got so lucky.  I loved my teachers, I loved my friends, I loved my car, I loved my job, I loved my bedroom, I loved myself, I loved everything about everything.  Reminds me of this girl. Life was good. I felt on top of the world.

It seemed like no matter where I was, what I was doing, or who I was with,  I always felt like jumping for joy. So I did.

 Again..

 And Again...

 And Again...

 And Again...

Get the Picture? :)


It seemed like life couldn't get any better. High school was amazing.
BUT...
I can't even begin to explain how much greater life has been since that time. I love being in college. I love being at BYU-Idaho. I love my roommates. I love my friends. I love not having a car. I love everything about life. It seems like it couldn't possibly get better. 

BUT...
I know it will :) So until then, and even then, I'll keep jumping for joy.