832 Lancaster Way SE

David and my parents are now living in Palmer, Alaska, while my dad works in Anchorage. Our house is for sale and I am sad to think this will no longer be my refuge to come back to. It's silly how sentimental I am over a dang house!

So here it is, and why I love it:

The house "stager" made everything look really neutral (and boring) so it appeals to a greater audience. So it definitely does not have the same life to it but the pictures are still nice.

I was usually in the room on the top left. The walls of that room have changed as much as I have! They have been painted red, yellow, green, blue, purple (and back to boring old taupe) thanks to me! I had a hammock that hung from the ceiling, a wall plastered with pictures/posters of Aerosmith, friends, magazine ads, shoe calendars, drawings, and of course Jesus himself.

When I see my parents room I picture my Dad at the bedside, on his knees in prayer. I see myself cuddling with my mom, which has been and always will be the solution to life's struggles.

The room below makes me think of:
-Wonderful home teachers - Art Vikari, Tim Matthews, Grandpa Hoffman and more.
-Jana Bell's secret toy cupboard used to win the hearts of adorable children
-Games with the Cluffs- when my dad did a somersault, reenacting a post-touchdown celebration.
-Christmas Eve - my dad reading scriptures and meant to say "and the angel said, HAIL!" (with emphasis), and it sounded like "HELL!" ...caused excessive, inappropriate giggling.
-New Years Eve Parties
-My mom reading Parade magazine on Sunday afternoons

Mom's cute dishes, Christmas caramels, Amanda's ice cream, and Dad's famous chocolate chip cookies.
Dancing in the kitchen circle

The Treehouse my Dad rebuilt:
-Slumber Parties, Falling asleep to Remember the Titans
-Getting in trouble for laughing too loud with friends in the wee hours of the night
-Bonfires (in the fire pit, not in the tree house) - end of the school year parties, burning school papers, birthdays
-Neighbors and kids in awe of our awesome rope swing. My cousin Scott Savage climbed way up a tree and out onto a branch to make the swing when he lived with us one summer. A few girls had the privilege of watching my mother fly off the rope swing into the stinging nettle... TWICE :)Her favorite wrist-watch still resides there.


Dinners on the Deck:
My favorite is eating summer meals on the deck that I helped build and later refinish. Seattle's lush greenery mixed with Daurell Bell's hard work creates the picture perfect yard. Perfect for party-hosting too! (I sound like a commercial...)

Amelia cleaning and organizing, shooting hoops out front with David, always having an extra person living with us, Amanda nannying the funny neighbors- the Hines. Sledding on our big driveway, sneaking Mom's dipping chocolate, "we need to talk" fights in the den: if the door is closed, I wouldn't go in there!, and my favorite was how BEAUTIFUL the house always was at Christmas. Lots of lights and decor :)

I know I have been blessed to grow up in such a beautiful home/area with happy memories so hopefully I can just be grateful for what I've had instead of sad it will no longer be ours. Time to make a new home.

My mom was going through old things and found some accessories that belonged to my Great Grandma O. Clip on earrings, frilly apron, and sassy glasses - this was my attire while cooking dinner. I was just waiting to hear "honey I'm home!" The rope thing around my neck is a pair of retro suspenders! Must have been my Grandpas?

I'm a college graduate! I now have a Bachelor's degree in Health Science with an emphasis in Public Health. I finished my internship and my last class online so I went back to Rexburg to do the cap and gown thing. I'm glad I decided to "walk" and
do the whole hoop-lah. (BYU-Idaho President Kim B. Clark, left, and Elder Paul K. Sybrowsky, right)
The actual ceremony where you sit and listen is kind of a snore-fest but the little moment where they read "Robin Lesa Bell" was satisfying and my favorite was being there with all my classmates.
There was group of us that had a lot of classes together and became study-buddies over the last year of taking the upper division credits together. You get to know each other well when you see each other all day everyday - weird! It was fabulous to reunite and talk about how much we loved or hated certain classes, awesome & awkward professors, and the funny tidbits in-between.
Everyone asks, "So what's next?"
Here's my set in stone plan that will probably change because everything does: I'm registered to start a phlebotomy course, (the person who draws your blood, NOT lebotomy- the brain scrambling) Sept 2 in Clearfield so I will move in with my cousin Monica in Ogden(who came home from her mission yesterday! - finally!) while I get certified as a phlebotomist. Then I'll get a job wherever, maybe in Utah if I enjoy living there... Being a phlebotomist will give me good experience and add to the million hours of experience I need for PA school. (Physician's Assistant - NOT Parking Attendant) I plan to be loaded so you'll want to stay friends with me. I like to party.

I'm a little overdue for my recap of Winter Semester in Idaho but here goes. I lived at The Colonial House again for my last semester on campus. (This post probably isn't that cool to anyone except me... like usual! but oh well! Its kind of like a journal entry for me so its worth it)
Roommates: L to R: Me, Rebekah, Catherine, Kelsey
Kelsey Johnson was my room-rommate. (Denver CO - Social work Major) She was the very first person I met as a freshman and we lived together before she went on her mission to the Philippines. Kelsey never sleeps, is always laughing and I've realized there is nobody in the universe like her. She's quirky yet quality!
Rebekah Zarkou (Boise - Interior Design Major) and Catherine Bird (Thousand Oaks - {Psychology Major) - previous roommates whom I adore, couldn't have asked for better friends.
Kelsey Robey (Exercise Phys Major)and Michelle Campbell (Public Health Major), both from Bellevue. They were new to our apartment. Kelsey was engaged all semester so we saw a lot of her man Zach and Michelle was dating a kid too. Very compassionate girls, always ready with a compliment, hopefully in an Asian accent if you're lucky. :) They wanted to set me up with different guys and they asked "Do you care if we've both kissed him?" haha!
Classes I took: Health Program Planning and Implementation, Epidemiology, Drugs of Use and Abuse, Environmental Health, and First Aid... I think that's it?
I didn't take many pictures this semester but here's a few.

Lunch at Great Harvest (personal favorite) with my Health Science study buddies, Erin Wade and Eric Nielson.

Quick trip to Jackson for a hockey game on my birthday.

Lincoln Reed, Danny Jackson and Marc Lefevre have become close friends through ups and downs but mostly lots of tears of pain cuz I can't breathe I'm laughing so hard. The day I was leaving they brought me flowers and chocolate. My 2 favorite things. So thoughtful. I mean really... who does that?
After finals wrapped up, I said my many goodbyes, cleaned out my apartment, loaded up the old Jeep with everything I own, and pulled out of town. Oh how emotional I was! I've always been grateful for BYU-Idaho but I was officially leaving the best thing that ever happened to me. I'll be back to Rexburg the end of July to officially graduate once my internship and online class are completed. And then... on to the next... whatever that is!

I spent June 1st-8th in Maui with my mother Jana Bell, my sister Amanda and a good friend Lindsey Glauser. Oh it was FABULOUS! Aderder (Amanda) took some pretty sick pictures on her phone.


Lindsey and I took surfing lessons and then we went again the next day. Loved it! Here we are riding the same board!

Right before the "That can't be real" sunset

Loved the Luau on the beach @ the Marriott

Luau boys!

For Amanda's Birthday we went to Kimo's in Lahaina. I had coconut crusted swordfish!! YUM!


One of the many waterfalls along the Road to Hana.
I attempted studying on the beach but my notecards blew away into the ocean. These are a few Amanda recovered. That was my final attempt. For some reason I just didn't want to memorize nasty reproductive infections while Lindsey was next to me browsing through this month's InStyle.
Lindsey and I chattin it up.

My Mudder in the shade

Sunscreened Forehead

Happiness:


Those are just a few out of the hundreds of photos we took. Oh I'm ready to go back!!!

I just came home from a week in Hawaii and I'm having trouble being back... I have to study and take my Pathophysiology Test which is always a beast and now this beast is about to own me after a week of basically zero studying. I just have to be grateful I got to go at all. I miss Hawaii. I miss living there and how simple life is on the island. Shorts and a T, flip-flops, no make up, the warm sun, easily entertained by just being outside, people are generally very friendly... I was always healthy with out really trying. Walking everywhere, swimming, boogie boarding, hiking, living on fresh fruit etc., which in turn makes me feel better about myself all around. I'm trying to rearrange my life right now so that I can move back there. My family is moving to Alaska and I have to be an adult soon. UGH. I know what I want to do but I also know that I'm only happy when I'm doing what the Lord wants me to do. Dangit.

For my mom's birthday I got her tickets to Mary Poppins! I took my little envelope of garage sale cash and walked up to the box office after work. I had told her to clear her schedule and I surprised her that morning with the tickets. I'm so the favorite child.

The Rexburg Temple is my favorite! I watched the construction of the building, ushered during the open house, attended the dedication broadcast and gained a testimony of temples while in it! Here I am with Rebekah, Catherine and Kelsey on a a usual Rexburg evening - windy with a pretty sunset. (Oh how I will miss the love and laughter of these beautiful girls!) I'm grateful to have had the temple so close the last few years.

My beautiful roommate Catherine Bird:



She's a fabulous friend to me!

I watched The Sound of Music today! I've always loved the movie and we all know Julie Andrews is stellar.
When I went on the European Humanities Tour with BYU-Idaho, we went to Salzburg and saw some of the places it was filmed. Oh man I was a giddy little girl! Let's remaniss...



Do-Re-Mi :)