Do You Kung Fu?

I have to say that I love my job...today was had a huge celebration in honor of the movie "Kung Fu Panda 2" coming out. There were people dressed up like Po, the main character from the movie that went around and gave hugs and met the kids all day. And a local group from St. George of kids came and performed Karate! I don't think a lot of people have work days like this :) But it makes it really fun...there is always something new coming out at the theater, and always something fun going on!.

I love it when my boss Brandi brings her daughter Akayleia with her to work...I love playing with her! We go to McDonalds on break together and eat Happy Meals lol sometimes it is nice to be around kids because they make you forget about the worries of being an adult. Kaylei is just like that! All we do is giggle and have fun. Here she is laughing at Po for crying after she pretended to punch him! HAHAHA! Until next time, Manda

New Friends, New Hair...Changes, Changes

I am so excited about the way everything has been going lately :) While I am sad that two of my besties moved away, I did meet some fun new friends that I really clicked with. I've been having a lot of fun playing with Cole and Jake lately :) They are really easy to talk to and total sweethearts, and I love the random adventures we have and how much we laugh when we play together!




You gotta love summertime...this is the only time of year where I can be "wild and crazy" (but not too much!) and stay out waayyy late since I don't have to get up early early for school. I love having that freedom...even though I get pretty freakin tired when I finally do have to wake up. Last week I was running on 10 hours of sleep stretched out over 3 days...it really sucked. It was worth all the memories we made tho...and like I said in my last post, it was a good send off for Casey and Dillinger (who I miss like crazy, even though they have been gone only 4 days :( )



Me and Cole





Me and Jake



In other recent news, my undercover lover (and the best damn student that has only been in hair school for one month I know) blessed my life today by cutting my hair for free.

Honestly, I hadn't been able to afford a haircut since January! Money has been so tight lately. No fashionista likes admitting that, but its the truth here...I was one broke girl. Still kind of am :)

But Kohlby James...you kick ass. Enough said! I can't believe my hair looks as amazing as it does and you have been in school since April 19th...it like defies the laws of physics...I don't understand. He seriously is a genius! (See above pics for photos of the new 'do!)

I'm trying a sassy new asymmetrical cut for fun, and he added blonde in it so that it would be a fun fresh start for Summer :) I was nervous about how short it was at first, but I am getting used to it and am getting a lot of compliments.

Love you Kohlbs! We had a fun night out of it too...dying hair, eating pizza and watching "Funny Girl" with Tyler too :) I love laughing with my friends...we have too much fun!

Love Always,
Manda

The Last Days...

Two of my very best friends are leaving me!! I am so so sad.

Casey and Dillinger, I wouldn't trade all of the fun we have had for anything in the world. I love hanging out with you guys and all of our fun inside jokes...I know you guys will have fun in Salt Lake City and that we will still visit each other all the time and have our adventures, just not as often. 

Before my boys left, we deemed the time we spent together "The Last Days" hahaha only appropriate since the world is supposed to actually end on May 21st...I guess we will find out if that actually happens LOL!

Last night (on the actual, real "last night" we got to spend together) Dillinger wrote this:

"Open your eyes and take the time to realize what life really is. Appreciate the things that mean most to you and don't take them for granted. Real loving people are hard to come across. Let down your walls, cross boundaries that you normally wouldn't. Give it your all and love just as much as you'd like to be loved. When you discover someone that's real, loving, and caring they'll grow with you. You might not know at first, but you'll come to realize that they're in you're life for a reason. I believe that when souls become intertwined fates begin to seal, and because of the unconditional love that real people have for one another, their souls will continue to grow, experience, and live life together. You get what you give, that much is true."

I cried when I read this. I think it is so profound and beautiful. A lot of people who don't really know Dillinger often times label him. They think of him as shallow or a bitch, but he really is such a loving and caring person. I haven't met many people like him in my life. He stands up for himself and what he believes in and is never afraid to say what he thinks, but he really is a good person.

Casey is really unique and special too, very funny and fun to be around. He is very giving, he would do anything for his friends. For my birthday he gave me a cellphone! Brand new, never used EnV touch...just because he knew how much it would mean to me. And their were times that Casey knew I couldn't afford something and he would help me pay for it, like when we went to see Ke$ha for my birthday, or times we went out to eat or chipped in for "party supplies" hahaha. I really do love them both and will think about them all the time.

Right before they left, we met some new friends too, Jake and Cole. I've actually "known" Jake for years (we went to high school together and ran in the same circle of friends) but never met his boyfriend Cole until now. They are both so sweet and genuine. We met them on Sunday...we literally went over to their house every night for 5 days straight! Lol. We stayed up until 5 in the morning just talking and laughing, enjoying all of our time together while we still could. I think now having Cole and Jake in my life will make it a little bit easier since they remind me a lot of Casey and Dillinger, and we are already getting to be such close friends in a short period of time. Both of them are amazing, I am excited for the next chapters in all of our lives.

Love Always,

Manda

Being Your Best You

Weirdly enough, sometimes my own life seems to revolve around other people.

Not that there is anything wrong with being a caring, loving person: sometimes I just take it too far. I worry about my friends and family all the time, and actually put their needs before my own sometimes. But I am starting to learn a lot of important lessons about how to live a happy, healthy existence.

I think that balance and boundaries are important for everything. If you don't do enough of something, you will likely miss out and regret it. Yet if you do too much of something, you will overdo it and take away the special importance of it.

I also think that in order to be truly happy, you have to put yourself and what you want above other people. Being who you really are, no holds barred is an amazing and freeing experience. It wasn't until I let go of what other people thought of me, and quit caring about what other people think until I truly became comfortable in my own skin.

I used to worry SO much in high school about what other people thought about me, but now I know that I am who I am and that is never going to change. People can either accept it or walk away. I'm the best version of myself I can be, and thats all anyone can ask. I have so many goals and dreams I want to make happen, and I really want to make a difference in the world. I want to have many friends and a large family, and surroud myself with people who love me no matter what. I can't wait for whatever the future is going to bring me, I really think it is going to be amazing. As long as you work hard and have fun (good attitudes are key) you can make anything you want to happen.

I challenge all of you to do something you never thought you could. And times will be tough along the way, but never listen to the negativity: I think half the time it stems from jealousy. I can't control others, so why would I let them stop me from gaining what I want?

I know I kinda jumped on the bandwagon late (since her show is ending in like 2 weeks!) But I just started watching Oprah and her behind the scenes show, and I admire her so much. Even though people think she can be mean at times (her supposed feud with Whoopi Goldberg, or Iyala Vansandt...or even when she called out James Frey for fictionalizing parts of his memoir!) she always stands up for herself yet truly wants to help people. And she is really, truly FUNNY. (see photo on right...lol) But seriously, she owns who she is! She is AMAZING.

I'm imperfect, but splendidly so...and I really love all of you out there!

Love Always,
Manda

The Dixie Awards

One of the most exciting nights of my life just got over...i'm still living in the moment, and there is the biggest smile on my face as I write this post. I still can't believe it actually happened! And I can't wait to tell you all about it.

The Dixie Awards is an annual tradition at Dixie State College, and I never knew how much of a big deal it was until I was nominated. I was so excited! I invited all of my family to come support me,  but to be honest I never expected to win in a million years. I thought it would be fun to dress up and root for the other candidates, so I was in (We all know...I live for that stuff hahaha!)

Me and Greg after we won! Greg won "Most School Spirit" :) We were so excited!

They had a really beautiful reception beforehand, with catered desserts and it was nice to have time to visit with the other nominees. I had a lot of friends who were nominated as well, so I wanted to be sure to wish everyone luck before our big moment!  Me, my friend Greg and my friend Jonny (all from Ambassadors) joked about how Ambassadors never win anything, so we were just really excited to be there...Greg always makes me laugh so hard! He definitely made me less nervous beforehand, and my family adored him!
When it finally was time for my category, I was so nervous. I really had not prepared for winning whatsoever, so if they did actually call my name what the hell was I gonna say?! Oh well...thats not gonna happen anyway! I thought. I remember rolling my eyes and joking to my mom about it as they were reading the nominees' names. I whispered the name of the boy who I thought was gonna win...but they actually said AMANDA JACOBS! And so many people clapped, I was stunned. I could hear Greg screaming from somewhere in the auditorium LOL I will never forget that. And some lady in front of me turned around and was like "Thats you!" and I was actually shaking! I said I thought Dixie is the best place to go to school and I love everyone I know from there. And, the good news is Jonny AND Greg won their awards as well! Ambassadors are cursed no more...we lifted it! Iwas so honored to win the "Heart of Dixie" Award, and that everyone I love was there to support me.

Love Always,
Manda



Me and The Dixie Sun Staff...I was so proud we were all nominated, and I wish that the newspaper won. Rhiannon was also nominated for Best Teacher and I was very disappointed that she didn't win. She is my favorite teacher because of how dedicated and wonderful she truly is to all of her students.



Best Friends Birthday Bash



Me trying to look like a bad ass...with Maria and Chris



When you are best friends with someone for 7 years, their birthday is quite an event in your life. I consider my own birthday a holiday, so why not my closest confidants as well?


One of my favorite pictures, ever. We all look so happy.



All kidding aside, we decided to have a bash in honor of Chris turning 22 tonight. It was a "Sexy Costume Party" and I was, for once, at a loss for fashion. I didn't have anything to wear. I had to recycle the outfit I wore to Ke$ha's concert...i added a little twist to it of course to make it new, but the whole night everyone was asking me what I was dressed as and I just kind of would laugh and say "Gaga-esque." She is my top bitch, after all!



Me. Jen. Chris and Sara...friends for years!



The night was quite fun...I have to admit that dancing with my friends is one of my top favorite things to do. I also love the fact that we stay up way, way too late. Strolling in at 4 a.m. is a summer time trend for me...I need to catch up on my beauty rest soon though, or i'm going to have to attend rehab for "exhaustion" like all the hot celebs....hahahaha.



Me and Brady...love the face.



Mother Nature and The Mother Monster! hahaha



I have to say, I was disappointed more people didn't dress up! But the ones that did were quite cute. Maria dressed like Mother Nature, it was probably my favorite of the night! And Casey was dressed like Ken (as in, Barbie and Ken) and Dillinger was a Chippendale (glam rock style, of course.)

I love my friends...we are crazy.

Love Always,

Manda

Lets run from here and have ourselves a GETAWAY

 Yep, we love our hot sunnies, mexican food to die for, drinking fun (free) cocktails and gambling. Perfect getaway in Mesquite. We are obsessed with the Wizard of Oz slot machines...Chris only broke even, but I won (I have a really lucky streak whenever I gamble!) It was only $20, but hey, I'm not complaining! I love the fact that St. George has a lot of fun things to do that are near by. Mesquite is close and perfect for a day trip. Plus Salt Lake City and Vegas are close too, so you have so many options! Gotta love it...

I love spending best friend days with Chris too. We always just laugh the entire time. I love riding in the car for our road trips, blasting music and trying to figure out where the hell we are going! LOL. And we always gossip and have fun. You would think after being best friends for 7 years with someone you would run out of stuff to talk about...but that is never the case with Me and Chris!

We sat next to these people who just kept winning...it was driving us NUTS! We called them Winnie and Winifred Winnington. And everytime we heard that music that lets you know you scored big, we would look at each other and fake cry or make faces hahaha. Damn people. But it was a perfect day!

Love Always,
Manda

The REAL Easter, Family Style

Happy Easter! Seriously, who could ask for cuter cousins? I absolutely adore Sophie and Willy. They can make me smile when I'm sad and forget all my problems. So of course it was the perfect Easter treat to go visit my family. I love getting away for the day and sleeping over at Jen's house in Cedar City.

I haven't got to color easter eggs since I was like 12! So after a ten year  break I got back in the game hahaha. As you can see from me and Sophie's creations, we are quite the talented family. We were laughing so hard when Willy dropped the egg he was eating into the dye. He was like a mad scientist, creating all these crazy color combonations for his eggs!  I wish I had thought to take pictures.

Me and Jen stayed up all night making their baskets, drinking Margaritas and watching Lady Gaga videos :) It was so much fun. Even though me and Jen are about 13 years apart, I have always felt really close to her. She has a lot of the same hobbies/interests as me, all the girly girl stuff like interior design, party planning etc. It's really fun to talk about that stuff. She is much more than just a cousin to me! I always say if I had a sister it would be Jen. Plus she gives really good advice and has a lot of life experience also, which is great when you need someone to talk to who won't ever judge you. That is what family is for :)

But the best part was definitely waking up Easter morning and watching the kids open their baskets. They loved their toys and ate way too much chocolate,  and I was dying when Willy grabbed his butt and was dancing around saying  "Booty booty boooooty"  He is only 4! How does he know what that is yet?! I told him he should name his stuffed lamb he got for easter that and he totally did hahaha. You gotta love little kids that brighten your day!

Happy easter, everyone! Hope you had a fun one. Love Always, Manda

Nope, not chicken pox....its easterinfluenza!

The Dixie Sun: A Tribute

This year has been a really fun one, and unfortunately is drawing to a close. Last year around this time I made a goal that I would try to take new opportunities as often as I can.  I remember when I heard about writing for The Dixie Sun that I was excited and quickly made an appointment to see the advisor, Rhiannon Bent. I hit it if well with her and through that meeting we decided that being on the staff would be a good fit. All summer I was dying of excitement! I literally could not wait to get my start as a reporter. We had a conference at the end of the summer to get started, and I instantly was hooked.


This year ended up going better than I could have ever expected. I started out writing one story per issue (which comes out weekly) and found that Lifestyles and A&E (arts and entertainment) were my favorite sections to write in, but I tried out each section as much as possible (even Sports!)


 I had some really challenging assignments, including a story called "True life: I'm a Polygamist" where I had to interview former members of the religion, which was a somewhat uncomfortable task. I remember that one girl I interviewed seemed upset at some of my questions, but I just tried to remain professional and apologetic about the awkward subject matter. But the article turned out to be quite the success. I will post that, along with some of my other favorites as links at the bottom for you all to read!


Something I was really proud of was writing some of the student profiles for the A&E section. Our advisor Rhiannon and the A&E editor Matty both had really complimentary things to say about my writing and said that profiles were my niche! Then I started writing these all the time. Lifestyles had to be my favorite though, since I could write about My favorite thing: fashion. One story I wrote even got a record for the website. My Valentine Budget ideas article got over 1,000 hits in a three week period!


I have to admit though, my favorite part had to be writing for the opinion section. Another article I wrote that I was really proud of was about minding your business. I used to live with two gay roommates, and some of the questions I got were completely out of line at times. I was shocked that people would say or think those things! If anyone were to ask that of their friends with straight roommates people would be appalled. And, of course, my column happens to also appear in the opinion section!


At the beginning of spring semester,  our resident advice girl, Kate, got married and left the staff, so I got the opportunity to morph "Dear Kate" into "Ask Amanda." It has been my favorite thing of the whole year! I loved answering letters for students and giving out my pearls of wisdom :) I have been through a lot so anything I can do to help others or share my experiences makes me feel like it was worth it in the end.


As the year is coming an end, I just wanted to reminisce a little bit about The Dixie Sun...the staff is amazing. One of my favorite memories of college will always be working in the newsroom on stories and having all these friends and people around to distract me and make me laugh! It made the heavy work load a lot easier. I have made so many friends and met all kinds of interesting people through this experience. I was honored at the end of the year when I was approached by Rhiannon and was offered a Staff Writer scholarship for next year! My hard work paid off, I was so proud of myself for getting out of my comfort zone. Most of my writing has been creative and story format, but now I know I can do both and still make it work. I would like to share some of my writing with all of you! These are the links of some of my favorite stories of the semester:

My headshot

Ask Amanda:
January 25: http://www.dixiesunlink.com/opinion/ask-amanda-breaking-up-a-painful-burden-1.1916365
February 16: http://www.dixiesunlink.com/opinion/ask-amanda-be-honest-when-breaking-bad-news-1.1999051
March 1: http://www.dixiesunlink.com/opinion/ask-amanda-don-t-get-stuck-in-the-friend-zone-1.2037200
March 23: http://www.dixiesunlink.com/opinion/ask-amanda-don-t-be-the-martyr-in-your-relationship-1.2119838
April 6:http://www.dixiesunlink.com/opinion/ask-amanda-old-friend-might-warrant-dismissal-1.2142933
April 20: http://www.dixiesunlink.com/opinion/ask-amanda-living-stress-free-gets-tough-during-finals-1.2184496



My Opinion Pieces:
Apologies: http://www.dixiesunlink.com/opinion/say-sorry-when-you-mean-it-not-in-every-case-1.1716059
Mind Your Business: http://www.dixiesunlink.com/opinion/rid-negative-with-positive-1.1813447


Lifestyles:
-Awkward Family Photos:http://www.dixiesunlink.com/lifestyles/awkward-family-photos-something-to-avoid-1.2206964
-Bieber Fever: http://www.dixiesunlink.com/lifestyles/bieber-fever-spreads-to-girls-on-dsc-campus-1.2082457
-True Life: Polygamy
http://www.dixiesunlink.com/lifestyles/true-life-experience-polygamy-1.1812528
-Best and Worst As Seen on TV Products:
http://www.dixiesunlink.com/lifestyles/students-talk-best-worst-as-seen-on-tv-products-1.2142324
-Fashion Articles:
Fall: http://www.dixiesunlink.com/lifestyles/crisp-weather-calls-fashionistas-to-fall-1.1597182
Spring: http://www.dixiesunlink.com/lifestyles/mod-boho-fashion-trends-bloom-in-time-for-spring-1.2118705
A&E Student Profiles:
Kirstin Hoyt:   http://www.dixiesunlink.com/a-e/kirstin-hoyt-an-asset-to-dsc-music-department-1.1778832
Lindsey Cordell:   http://www.dixiesunlink.com/a-e/broadway-hopeful-lindsay-cordell-graces-dixie-state-college-1.1823071
Angie Watts:  http://www.dixiesunlink.com/a-e/watts-burns-bright-at-dixie-state-college-1.1715152


Thanks for reading!
Love Always,
Manda

What an Eggciting Day...

Sorry for the pun, but I couldn't resist hahaha. But seriously, Sunday was such a wonderful celebration! Alot of the Dixie Sun Staff was able to get together at the park for a fun dinner. My friend Alyssa is so cute, she planned the whole thing and even cooked a ham for us! We feasted on that and some of my favorite desserts...cupcakes and creme brulee! Yum. And the best part is, Alyssa even planned an egg hunt for us all to do, it made me feel like a kid again. I got 12 eggs :) I wasn't completely desperate to win though, so I avoided the ones she planted on the roof! hahahaha

Short and Sweet post today I guess! the REAL easter is on Sunday, and I am getting very excited for it! Love Always, Manda

The End of an Era

It is the end of an era, everyone. My time being an Ambassador for Dixie State College is drawing to a close...I am excited for everything the future holds, but I am also nostaligic (already!) about all the fun I have had the past four years. These pictures are from our last Ambassador Banquet...I cried! They gave me a Dixie State blanket and wished me well, thanking me for all of my service. It was a wonderful night laughing with friends :) We had a fiesta catered by Cafe Rio...there were even churros!

They always call us "The Crazies" (we do have some pretty wild
personalities, all unique in their own way!)

Me and J-Brack...I love him! Once I was having a really bad day
and he wrote me a list of ten reasons why he loves me. He is an
amazing friend :) We always sing "Afternoon Delight" hahaha

But back to Ambassadors as a whole. The main thing I gained out of my experience as an Ambassador was confidence. I have always been a confident girl, but Ambassadors really showed me that I could learn to succeed, all by myself. You have to be your own motivation in life, but this becomes especially prominent in college. No one is going to sit down and babysit you and make sure that your work gets done: but they still will sit by your side and cheer for you to succeed. It took me awhile to find it within myself, but I learned that I can do anything I set my mind to...I'm a pretty independent woman now! And I have this organization to thank for it.



Jonny is one of my favorite people, period.
One of a kind guy! So genuine, nice and funny.
He does the best impressions!

The other thing I think that helped me a lot was the communication aspect of Ambassadors. I learned how to be a better public speaker, writer, and even friend or mediator by being a true "part" of being involved on campus. For those of you who don't know what an Ambassador is (or does!) it is a group on campus dedicated to showing incoming freshman (or students in general) the true college experience.

 There are also a lot of really funny memories that I will never forget..like the time I crashed the golf cart and mashed it in between a wall and the car port (sorry Brandon...hahaha!) And all our parties (we called them "Sanity") but most of all, the Merry Mocktail party (pictured above) I planned our own glamourous cocktail hour! And our murder mystery party when I was "Baroness" Ravioli. My son got murdered! I can't find pics for that one. But I also loved our Homecoming festivities each year, like Rock the Mall and making our float! Look for me as a pirate below haha ;)



I met some of my best friends, Morgan and Jeff, because of being an Ambassador. And I helped a lot of students get scholarships and figure out what they want to do with their lives, all while getting free school and having a blast making friends and memories. I'll never forget it :) Ambassadors, this one is for you.

Love Always, Manda

Wedding fever!

No, I'm not getting married everyone...but I have caught wedding fever! Lately I am obsessed with shows about wedding planning. It all started with "Bridalplasty." That show is so addicting. Then "Shedding for the Wedding." Now, my newest favorite:

I am always trying to find new things to get interested in and this is my newest hobby! I think i'm going to find some fun books on wedding and party planning because it seems like so much fun. Tori Spelling is so chic and plans the CUTEST things. One couple wanted to have a "pug" theme in their wedding since they both owned dogs named Gus. Tori was worried about how to make the idea look glam and not tacky, but she did an amazing job:

                         

I thought it was done in a very tasteful way. One of my other favorite things to check out is my dear friend Julie Hinton's business (and blog!), Middle Aisle. I continually troll the site for all kinds of inspiration. Very unique ideas and gorgeous decor. I want to use her whenever I find my special guy someday...very far in the future! hahaha :) This is so adorable...check out all the pictures from this reception: http://www.flourishgallery.com/blog/brad-and-rachelle-wedding-reception/

And Check out this cute spread she is planning for a wedding coming up in May here:

http://middleaisle.blogspot.com/2011/04/pride-and-prejudice-garden-wedding.html

Love Always,

Manda