Hallelujah!

So, the semester is FINALLY over and I feel so free! It's been really nice not having homework to worry about, just getting up and going to work every day. It's kind of terrible because my internship has me working in a completely different department where I'm not learning anything but at least they are paying me the money they promised very soon. That means I get to quit my job and just do school full time for my last semester! I'm so excited! not that working at the restaurant has been absolutely terrible, I did meet a lot of really nice people and made some good friends, but this is just something that will be very good for me to do. I'll have all the time I need to get my school work done. I will hopefully be working as a staff writer for the school's newspaper and that will give me money up front. The advisor for the paper actually asked me to apply for the job! I didn't think I was that good at writing stories... cool! And I told her I would be interested in taking photographs for the paper as well, which would be really awesome to have more of my photos published! I also got a call from the class director at Gold's gym. She wants to put me through their training program to be a body jam instructor! Things just work out so well sometimes! And, this way I'll have a lot more free time to do photography, which is what I really want to do full time someday if I ever get the chance.

Anyway, I hadn't posted for a while, so that's what everyone gets! I added a couple of photos from a trip I took a while ago to Bridal Veil and Stewart Falls just for the fun of it. Let me know what you think! There are six total, the rest will be on the side of my blog.

I just love the clouds in this picture... that's why I took it.
This is because of my obsession with water and its movement. This photo doesn't fit with my original series, but I still like it :)
Also, check out Stewart Falls Hike, Alone, Fall Grove, and Fall Morning

Sick :(

I've been sick for the last... oh... week I guess. It came on very slowly, stuffy nose, headaches, then the full-blown cold. I haven't been this sick in a very long time... the kind of sick where you don't want to even get out of bed, you don't want to move at all, you don't sleep much at night either. I just want to stay in my pajamas all day and not do a single thing. It's really hard right now, being the very end of the semester and the weekend of the Institute Christmas show and all. I tried to sing my small group song last night at dress rehearsal... it was so sad! Hardly anything came out of my mouth and what did actually come out was less than appealing.
I just decided to write about it because, well, I'm home in the middle of the afternoon and I haven't posted for a little bit. For those of you who are sick as well, I sympathize. For those of you who aren't... I'm totally jealous!

Free food, drag queens, and TWILIGHT!!!

Last saturday night was pretty much great. I thought I would embelish a little on my previous post. Chef had told me once that he would make me the best dinner I've even had. I decided to take him up on that offer. He told me to bring my boyfriend along (ha!) and when I told him I didn't have one, he told me to bring Amber... I think he has a crush on her. Anyway, we went to the restaurant for dinner at 7. It was pretty much amazing! We took pictures of the food with Amber's camera because I didn't have mine with me. When she reads this, I'm sure she'll remember that she was going to send them to me :)
After we finished dinner, we still had a good hour before the movie started so we just hung around the hotel. It was very... interesting. The drag queen convention was being held there, and they were doing a fashion show that night. It was incredibly hilarious and disturbing at the same time. They were everywhere... including in the women's bathroom. Yeah... that was awkward. Anyway, we watched the fashion show for a bit and then headed over to meet Lisa and Tiffany for TWILIGHT!!! The second time seeing it was just as good, if not better, than the first. I was so excited to see it again! It was good to finally hang out with Tiffany and Lisa, too. We totally had a blast and loved the movie, obviously!

My computer is being stupid right now, so I'll have to add pictures later. We were all decked out in our Twilight gear, including me in a shirt my sister-in-law gave me because she won it and didn't want it. Thanks, Ann!

Twilight...

Ok, it's been over a week since the premier, and I'm just now posting with pictures. We didn't get tickets to the midnight showing because all 5 theaters were sold out by the time we went to get our tickets a week and a half before. We decided to go at the next opportunity, which was at 2:40 in the morning. We were so excited about it that the time didn't even matter! Amber stayed over at my house because we went star gazing with the ward. We woke up at 1 in the morning, went to Denny's, and then went to the movie. It was so much fun and the movie was SO amazing... as you can tell from the number of times I've seen it already!

We weren't even that tired, at least I wasn't. I got home from the movie at about 5 a.m. and I couldn't get back to sleep right away. That day at school, I was in my pajama and I was a little sleepy, but it was totally worth it!

I'm excited to see the movie again this weekend... :)

Aw Yeah!

What an incredible week it's been! First of all... I finally got to see Twilight! I will admit, I was a little nervous about the movie with the people they chose for the characters and whatnot but I actually LOVE it! I went with a few friends, a lot from my old job and a few from choir. We didn't get tickets for the midnight showing, so we went at 2:40 the same morning. We woke up at 1, went to "breakfast" at Denny's and then went to the movie. It was so intense I couldn't have even thought of sleeping through it! You better believe I was exhausted the next day though...
Saturday was very busy. I fixed breakfast for enrichment, went to the high school play with my nieces and nephews, went to the second half of Weber's football game (which they sadly lost so we had to share the Big Sky title), studied for a little bit, and went to see Twilight... again. Tiffany couldn't go with us friday morning so we took her saturday night and we were joined by the other Lisa as well. Of course, it was amazing again and we loved every minute!
Sunday was awesome. I started the temple prep class even though things worked out the way they did. I figure I can still prepare myself, right? After church I went with my parent and Amber out to Mike and Amy's to have dinner for Amy's birthday. It was SO good and I totally stuffed myself... huge mistake because after that I went to a pie night with Amber for her family and friends. I got to see my good friend Beth and stuff myself even more with pie!
Monday morning (very early) I took a test and have since found out that I scored higher than everyone else I've talked to. That was a total miracle! Later I found out that I got a B on my research paper which had made me so cranky and depressed for a long time I was just so happy when it was done! After school, I played intern for a few hours and then went to work. That whole situation is a story in itself and I won't bore you with the details other than Jacque is a witch.
Anyway, I found out after I got there that my shift ended at 8:30 instead of 11. So... what did I do? I saw Twilight again... of course! My mom didn't know about the third time, but I suppose she'll know soon after I publish this :)
Today was pretty awesome, too. I talked to my AV teacher and she convinced me to take an advanced audio/visual class next semester in which I'll learn how to make movies and such. I'm really excited about the class, but even more excited that she asked me to do it! I also got to go to choir today, which is getting to be more of a blessing than I had anticipated for this semester. After choir I went to my newspaper writing class where my professor offered me a staff writing position next semester... and they'll pay me! They'll also pay me to take photos, I just need to figure out which I would rather do. How awesome though! And, my advisor helped me figure out how I can graduate in the Spring, so of course I'm stoked about that!
Wow... I'm seriously blessed. I hope things work out the way I have been figuring them to, but I know whatever happens, it's for the best. I can't wait to see what happens next!

P.S. I finally got to go to Body Jam tonight at my gym! I've missed it the last month or so and it was awesome to go. The instructor told me about auditions to be a Body Jam instructor... I'm so there!

Ugh...

I'm not sure if I've used that title already or not, but it seemed fitting for the moment. It is, indeed, 10 minutes to 2 in the morning. I've just finished a research paper and a newspaper article for school. I have to get up in 5 hours to get ready for school. I'm extremely exhausted and very much emotional right now. Just thought I would let everyone know why there hasn't been much activity on my blogs as of late. Once the semester ends, there will be more added to both of my blogs.

Isn't that how it always is?

When the semester ends...

Doing what I love

The last couple of weeks have been kind of hard. I get frustrated with school and work (although, it's not NEARLY as bad as it was at my old job) and I just keep thinking that if I push through until May I'll be just fine. It's times like this morning that help push me to just get done so I can do what I love more often.

This morning I went to the Gateway to take bridal pictures for a friend of mine. I took her engagement pictures a few weeks ago (they can be viewed on my other blog) and I absolutely loved working on them! I think of the whole wedding series pictures, bridals are my favorite. I just like spending time with the bride and letting her do her own thing. I learned a lot this morning from her videographer because I had never done pictures at the Gateway before and it was a lot of fun! A little cold (probably a lot cold if you ask her) but very much worth it! The pictures (what I've seen of them so far) are very beautiful.

Days like today keep me motivated to finish school so I can take photographs full time and actually LOVE what I do for a living. I look forward to that day with a lot of hope.

P.S. Isn't she gorgeous!?!

More Work... (cuz that's all I do these days...)

Saturday night of course I was working. It was pretty ok, it's just kind of hard the nights when the restaurant is really slow. At least I get to work with fun people, although our lifestyles are... well... 100% different. Still, we do have fun like when we decorated for Halloween. We've decided for Thanksgiving we're going to make a thankful wall where people can write anything they're thankful for. We've done it in my friends house before and it was really cool. We also like to have fun with the chefs, especially when we're bored. Saturday night was one of those nights. We always ask them to make us good food, although half the time we are messin' with them because they aren't supposed to. I did make one of them a root beer float (his weakness) and this is what I got in return...

Isn't it awesome?! It was so yummy, too. Mmmmm... of course I shared, but it pretty much was the best part of the night as you can see :)

Love Story...

A week ago I got to take my niece, Alexis, to the temple with me. I had to run some errands afterward, and then I wanted to go to the football game and had to leave that early to take some engagement pictures (some of which you can see on my other blog). I ended up just taking her with me everywhere and we had some fun.

On the way down to the Bountiful Temple to take the pictures, she came up with a love story for me...

Sometime within the next three months, the President of the United States is going to have a wedding in his family, his daughter I think. They are going to search for a photographer everywhere, and they'll see my website and decide I'm so amazing they just have to hire me. I'll go to... North Carolina I think it was... to take the pictures. While I'm there, I'll get so completely lost I can't even find the wedding. I'll be walking down the street, looking for someone who looks remotely decent to ask them for directions. A few feet away, I'll see this very attractive guy who I'll know right away he is an RM and decide that's who I should ask for directions. He'll take me where I need to go, wait for me to finish working, and we'll spend every other minute I'm in the state together. He'll come to Utah after I buy my house in Plain City, we'll get married and live happily ever after... aw!

I thought it was just so funny I had to share it with everyone... what an imagination that child has! You can also see pictures I took of her on my other blog so check it out for goodness sake!

Fun at Work

The other night at the restaurant (the night my parents came in to let me serve them for a change) Becca and I found a string of leftover tickets in the kitchen. We decided to use them to write "Happy Halloween" and decorate our server station. Well, one thing led to another and we started making spider webs with spiders and ghosts. We were going to make a haunted house, but it actually picked up in the restaurant so we never got to it...
I got to work tonight, and there was a skeleton, a black cat, and various other things people had added to our wall-o-fun! It was so awesome!
We also have a pumpkin contest for the whole hotel and every department gets to enter a pumpkin. Well, Kurt forgot that we needed to do one and that they are due tomorrow, so he put me and Becca in charge of it. Becca decided to do the kitchen's pumpkin with a picture of "Ratatoulle" on it. It looks so cool (what I've seen of it anyway). I got to do the pumpkin for the restaurant... We decided on a ghost for the front... and the restaurant logo on the back. It's totally wicked awesome!!! This is the kitchen pumpkin Becca did and it turned out really cool, too!

We are already starting to come up with ideas to decorate for Thanksgiving :)

Unsure

I think everyone has times when they just feel kind of lonely... the last week or so has been that way for me.
It's true, I see my friends almost every day (especially Amber... sheesh!) but for some reason I feel like there isn't much effort in talking to me. I feel like my best friends aren't my best friends, more like acquaintances.
I have noticed that this does just happen to me every now and then. I feel lonely even though I am surrounded by people. I fell loved by my Father in Heaven and my family but that's about it. That isn't a bad thing at all, I know I get a lot more than a lot of people do... but I just can't shake the feeling of loneliness.
I know it's all in my head (at least I hope it is) and this too shall pass. I'm thinking this is why I haven't posted in a while because a lot has happened since I last blogged. I'm actually liking my serving job a lot more than I thought I would. I am learning to appreciate my internship more and have been assured that it will get more exciting soon. School is going better, I don't loathe going EVERY day. I am struggling with being healthy, and I don't like it one bit. I am so used to being a person with a lot of will power and for some reason that is all gone down the drain (this is also a contributor to my unsure state).
Another thing that has brought me a little discomfort is an experience I recently had...
Not many people know (in fact, just two or three) that I was preparing myself to go through the temple some time next spring. I didn't tell anyone because I thought it was something I wanted and I felt it was right even though I knew it wouldn't be for a while. I decided to talk with my bishop about it before I told everyone about my plan. I discussed it with him and, because he hasn't been a bishop very long, he didn't know what the procedure was for a young woman who wanted to receive her endowment without preparing for a mission or marriage. He told me he would talk to the stake president about it the next week and he would let me know what steps I should take. Turns out, it is not advised unless you are getting married, going on a mission or in your LATE 20s... none of which I am. I suppose it just isn't the right time, but it's still a little heart-breaking. In fact, the day I found out I cried all through the last hour of church. It is something I need to accept and move past, and hopefully I will grow from the experience.

Thanks for reading!

Just an Update...

It's late (or actually early) but I thought I would write a very quick update.

Things are going well I think. I'm finally feeling like I'm doing ok with school, work is good, and my internship is, well, exactly how it sounds. I did get to go to a gala for Operation Kids saturday night with my boss and it was really kind of fun. I got all dressed up, ate free food (a lot of which I couldn't actually eat because it was seafood), got my picture taken with Jim Brickman, John Walsh, and the guy from 24 and the All State commercials, and listened to Collin Ray perform for a while. After that I got to hang out with my cool cousin Preston and a couple of friends at a haunted house in SL. Sunday was busy but a good day I guess because it was sunday and church pretty much rocks.

Oh, one more thing to add... friday night I had to work (yawn) and it was really slow for a friday. However, I did have a family with two little girls come in for dinner. The left me a $40 tip for their $66 check. Holy moly! I went back to the server station and cried because of their generosity. It was a great night.

Now I'm exhausted from doing homework and working all night so that's about it. Later!

P.S. Check out http://www.wsusignpost.com on the October 13th issue :) I have another article printed!!!

It Works!!!

Just a quick little story to build some trust in prayer... if you don't wanna read about it, stop reading!
Yesterday, I had an article due for the school newspaper. Monday I was freaking out because I hadn't gotten a call back from one of my sources and I hadn't gotten a hold of another one. In the morning, I was totally praying that I would find time to get everything done and that I would get in contact with everyone I needed to in order to finish my school work.
I went to my 11 o'clock class still wondering when I was going to find the time to make my phone calls. The teacher came in and announced that our class was going to get out half an hour early because she had to go to a funeral. I know that her relative didn't depart from us just so I could finish my article (thank heavens, cuz I don't want to be responsible for hurting someone!) but I do know that my prayers were answered and I was taken care of...
Man, it was ama-za-zing so I thought I'd share! Thanks for reading :)

Conference Weekend

I thought I would write a little bit about this weekend because it's been kinda fun! Yesterday General Conference started and the talks were really, really awesome. It's amazing how much we can still learn and how, if we have our hearts and minds open with questions, we can get answers. The amazing-ness of Conference just had to be interupted with work :( but it was alright. The restaurant wasn't busy AT ALL and the only reason I had three tables was because Amber brought Lisa and Tiffany for dinner and later Mary brought Sarah in for soup and dessert. It was really fun and relaxed... and I really hope they don't mind that I wasn't as 'professional' as I should have been. I only had one other lady all night and she was really nice.
After we closed early because of the lack of guests, I came home and met Amber, Lisa and Mary. We stayed up late doing facials and pedicures and watching a chick flick... ok, so the only one who actually stayed up for the whole movie was Mary, but we started it at 2 in the morning!
This morning I woke up a little early and made belgian waffles for everyone... from scratch! They were pretty ok, the raspberry peach sauce that my mom made for the top was really good and then we topped them off with whipped cream... YUM! They were really good if I do say so myself. Everyone stayed for the first session, but Mary and Lisa left right after. Amber and I went for a 3 mile walk along the canal road to burn off some of our large breakfast and after that we went to my grandpa's house for the last session of Conference. It was and amazing Conference and a really good weekend!

Lindsay's Wedding

I've decided to put off my homework for a little bit and post about Lindsay's wedding... that was a week and a half ago! I flew down thursday night, the 18th and didn't hit any monsoons! I got there when I was supposed to, so the trip got off to a great start. Friday we went to the stake center and set up all the tables and center pieces and everything so all we would have to do on the wedding day was fill the cylinders with blue gel. After the decorating was done we picked up the flowers (after massive confusion from the florist), took them back to the house, and left for San Diego! We stopped on the way to get frozen drinks from Starbucks... I got my favorite frozen hot chocolate, Collette got a vanilla drink, Lindsay got a toffee one, and Anthony got the same thing as me. Thank heavens they make yummy-ness without the coffee in it! We got to the hotel around 6 or 7 (I honestly don't remember) and went to Denny's for dinner. The rest of the night was spent hanging out in the rooms and by the hot tub. I didn't even think about packing a swim suit because I was basically just going for the wedding so we just stuck our feet in the tub. The next morning we went to the temple and waited for the cute couple to come out. They were so obviously happy it was amazing. We took pictures for a while and then, while they were changing inside, Collette, Jonathan and I wrote all over the car with window chalk. One regret is not getting any pictures of this! We also tried to stick oreos on the car, but it was so hot that they melted and slid right off. We drove the two hours back to Chino and started the blue gel. It was really hard to work with and Collette got blue dye all over her hands. Once everything was set up the reception started. It was a little awkward because everyone I knew was standing in the greeting line and I just kind of roamed around... but it was still fun meeting new people. Then we had the ring ceremony and dinner. After cutting the cake, tossing the bouquet (which I caught, thank you!) and the garter we pretty much just danced and had fun the rest of the night. It didn't take long to clean up and Lindsay and Anthony left in a limo for their honeymoon. Sunday one of the groomsmen was kind enough to take me to the singles' ward and then Lindsay's mom took me to the airport to come home. All in all it was a really good trip and very worth it to be there for Lindsay's wedding! I hope to return to San Diego very, very soon :)

Great Friends

Ok, it's been a while since I've posted and I know I have a lot to post about and I'll get to Lindsay's wedding and my new job really soon! But there's something I have to write about first because it's just too awesome...
Yesterday was probably the worst day in a long time. I was dreading going to school (I know I usually do, but yesterday was especially bad) and I really didn't want to go to work at AFCU either. Sometimes I just don't see the rewards for any of my work so it's very hard for me to get motivated. I just kept telling myself if I just made it through school and the internship yesterday I would have the rest of the night to relax and have fun with my friends, right? WRONG!!! I got home from AFCU around 3:45, sat down and started my homework. Ok, so I couldn't really focus so I did some other things around the house. Anyway, around 4:45 I got a call from my boss at the restaurant. The conversation went something to this effect...

"Hello?"
"Hey, where are you?"
"Home, why?"
"Why aren't you at work?"
"Cuz I don't work today, I work tomorrow."
"No, you work today... at 4."
"Are you serious?!"
"Yeah..."
"I'll be there in 15 minutes."

Basically I was changing into my work clothes as I talked to him, totally freaking out! On my way to work I called Amber in tears telling her that I couldn't go to family home evening anymore (which I'm TOTALLY bummed about) and I couldn't go to the gym either. Then, at work I accidentally ate some fries that had fish shtuff on them so I started getting itchy and Amber had to bring me some benadryl. It was not a good night.
You may be asking why I'm writing about this, and it's not to make anyone depressed. It's to show everyone that I have wicked awesome friends! Amber thought I got off work at 11 since the restaurant closed at 10. Well, the restaurant closes at 11 now and I had to stay til midnight. But... my awesome friends came to the restaurant around 10:30 and brought me flowers! How sweet is that?! And then they stayed and had some soup and dessert which gave me something to do for a little bit to take my mind off how stressed the day had been. So, pretty much I'm just saying they are the greatest. And if you girls read this... thanks so much!

P.S. Today is much, much better ;)

Quirks

The Rules:
Link the Person who Tagged you.
Mention rules on your blog.
Tell about 6 quirks of yours.
Tag 6 fellow bloggers to do the same.
Leave a comment to let them know.

1. Growing up, I refused to try new foods. If I had never had it before, it contained something I thought I didn't like, or it just looked weird, I wouldn't eat it. I never ate spaghetti with my family because I didn't like tomatoes... I would eat Spaghetti-O's instead (don't ask, I don't get it either). Then, one day, I was eating a rice bowl that had green and red peppers in it. I didn't like them at all, but as I tried to pick them out I realized there were too many so I just ate them. I now love them... and I try to give new foods a chance.

2. I also have a candy quirk... my absolute FAVORITE candy is cinnamon bears (hence the nickname from my grandpa) and when I eat them, I always eat the body first and leave the head for last. In doing this, I figure out which one was the hottest and eat that head very last.

3. This one may be annoying to other people, or maybe no one has ever noticed. My favorite number is 8, so when I tap my feet or strum my fingers, I do it in sets of 8 and I can't stop until I've completed all 8. I actually think that's an OCD thing.

4. I usually would rather be somewhere else. I don't know what it is but I'm never really content with my location. For example, earlier today I was in California hanging out with Lindsay's family and meeting new people in her singles' ward, and all I could think about was the fact that I just wanted to be home. Now that I'm home, I kinda want to go back to Chino. I think that actually has something to do with the fact that I start work tomorrow and I still want to be on vacation.

5. I wear a ring on my left hand ring finger. I got this ring in Moab right before my grandma died and it is just comforting to me. People have told me that it's weird because I'm not married (Lindsay made me switch it to my other hand for her wedding because it bugs her) but I don't know, I just wear it there to remind me of her I guess. Maybe that's why I don't date!

6. I get on major health kicks (I actually plan on starting again tomorrow, the wedding threw me out of the healthy wheel for a bit) and I have a very... slim diet. I don't really have time to cook anything while I'm out at school and work, and I refuse to pay tons of money for greasy food so I usually just have a fiber bar or something for lunch and that's it. It helps with the calorie count, though!

I now tag Joann, Crash, Amber, Mom, Amy (ha!), and Annica.

This Week

This is going to be short and sweet because, well, I have to pack before I can go to bed! This week has been pretty fun :) monday I saw that my first ever real news article was published in the school paper! I think you can look it up if you just google WSU Signpost or something to that effect. It was an article on the top three reality shows on campus... pretty exciting! Yesterday, Amber and I went to a Body Jam class at the gym. It's just like it sounds... totally awesome! It's upbeat and fun and dancing and just plain awesome! Or wicked awesome if you prefer, which I probably do. We found out that they have the same class at another gym on wednesday nights so we went tonight, too. I didn't do as well, I think I'm just tired. Then, afterward, we went to hear my friend Greg play at an open mic night so I could interview him after for my next article. And tomorrow I leave for California!!! I'm so excited to see my Lindsay and to be there for her wedding. I know I can't actually see her get married which kinda stinks but I'm proud of her for making it through her long engagement! She is showing me what I have to look forward to and I'm so glad she made the decisions she did. She is really a great example :) Well, I guess that should be it since I have a lot to do still and only 40 minutes before I force myself to go to bed. Chow!

The Weekend

This weekend was actually a lot of fun! On friday I was done with school and everything by noon, so Amber and I went to the gym for a little bit before I headed up to the valley.
My parent's ward has a Relief Society retreat every September and I usually go with them. My mom told me this year it was the 12th and 13th and it just happened to be a weekend when I didn't have training or anything! So I got to go up friday night with my mom. I took my sleeping stuff just in case, but I didn't know if I was for sure staying the night or not. We learned how to make rolls, ate some really good soup (I tried three different kinds) and had a woman come and talk to us about different things to do with your family. I got some really, really good ideas for when I have a family of my own :) and then we just played games for the rest of the night. I'll have pictures when I get them from Johnine :) I got to spend some time with these awesome women who I don't see much anymore because I'm in the singles' ward and it was tons of fun. I also got some REALLY good ideas for games to play at my Original Game Night for enrichment, whenever that actually happens. One involves m&ms, straws, cups, dice and sucking... it was so much fun! The other involved peanuts, yarn and a pan lid... so funny! The whole night was loud and crazy and I loved it! We didn't go to bed until around midnight, and I stayed up a little later because the noises in the old cabin freaked me out. The next morning we got up too early, had yummy breakfast, learned different ways to journal (yes, I talked about my "online journal" experience with my blog and how AWESOME blogs are!) and then we had the home-wrecking olympics. My mom and I had to leave early so she could make brownies and I could go to the gym. I met Amber and Lisa there and we had an awesome workout. I totally ran a 5k on the treadmill, which wasn't too difficult, and lifted weights and worked on our abs and stuff. Definitely a good workout! Then Lisa and I got ready and went to my ward tailgate party before the WSU Homecoming football game. I was going to go there, run down to my family tri-fecta activity and then go back up to the football game. When Lisa saw that they were eating hot dogs, she decided to come with me. We drove to see the fam, ate dinner, chatted a bit, and made it back to see WSU cream Dixie 44 to 7. Hallelujah! We're actually winning games! Then we went to see Iron Man at the dollar theater which was really awesome. I'm totally buying that when it comes out on DVD if I have enough money from my minimum wage job :) Then today I went to see my friend Spencer give his "I'm leaving on a mission" talk and then went to my ward to hear the same type of talk from Clint. Then I got to spend tonight at home with my family... aw! It was such a good weekend and I'm so excited to go to California this next weekend! Good times!!!

25...

It's been a while since I've posted so I thought I would take a minute or two and post something now.
I turned 25 a week ago (I know, I'm old) and since I don't really have anything in particular to write about I'm going to make a list of 25 things I've done in the last few months!
1. I recently started my last YEAR of school :)
2. I quit a job that I had been working at for almost 6 years :) :) :)
3. I got an internship where I only have to work 8 hours a week and I really like it!
4. I helped put together a girls' camp for my singles ward relief society which turned out really nice.
5. This one gets a picture... I hiked to the Timpanogos Caves with a few friends and it pretty much rocked!
6. I only got to raft with my family once this year which is disappointing but that one time was tons of fun :)
7. I recently (as in last night) wrote my first news article for a 'real paper' but I don't know if it will be published...
8. I got on a new health kick and started running again... I've already run twice this week... wahoo!
9. I found a new love for grapes! They are tasty and convenient :)
10. I became friends with another Lisa and she's way cool ha ha ha
11. I visited one of my best friends in California and booked a flight to visit her again next week for her wedding :)
12. I finally went dancing with a couple of friends and I realized I'm too old for Top 40 Night...
13. I've made some wicked awesome birthday cakes in recent months for some friends in my ward
14. I received Best In Show in the Advanced Amateur division in the county fair with my little girl on the beach photo.
15. I tried out for American Idol which was the lamest thing I think I've ever done, but I met Justin Guarini :)
16. I am trying my hand in serving in a new restaurant when it finally opens! I've been through training for it though...
17. I learned how to make authentic Italian spaghetti a couple months ago... don't ask me to make it now though, I honestly don't remember!
18. I had my iPod stolen and I got a new one for my birthday and I listen to it all the time!
19. I refused to pay money to park on campus so I found a street off campus to park on and then I walk 15 minutes to my classes but I'm grateful for the extra exercise.
20. I took adorable cheerleading pictures of my niece... and I have to share my favorite :)
To see all 10 check out my photo blog!
21. I've updated my website... although I haven't exactly published it yet. But you can look it up again in the next month or so.
22. I found a new favorite restaurant... it's called Pelton's and it's attached to the new Bingham's bike shop in Ogden.
23. I went to a few concerts in the last couple months... and realized I'm probably too old for them too... at least the rock concerts...
24. I rejoined my old choir, but only two days a week. It's ok with the director so it's ok with me :) I've missed my friends...
25. I finished the Book of Mormon for the third time the night before my birthday and had my testimony confirmed :)

That's it for now! I'll probably be writing more often once I figure out my schedule so feel free to leave comments because I love them!

Goodbye Elections!

Well today was officially my last day as an employee in the Elections department. To be quite honest, I'm a little... ECSTATIC! Holy cow it really does feel like a huge weight has been lifted off my shoulders. I have been working there just short of 6 years, which is actually quite long for a temporary job to get me through school.
I finally decided that working full time and going to school part time wasn't going to help me much, especially in an office that I hated going to every day. I turned in my letter of resignation three weeks ago and it wasn't very, um, real I guess. I don't think it actually hit me until today when I started cleaning up my desk area. I took pictures down from the wall, cleared up all the papers, filled out my last time card, and let out a big sigh. Here is all that was left...Everyone kept asking me, "are you a little sad to be leaving?" I'm not necessarily sad to be leaving. Actually, it really is a big relief. It IS kind of scary, however, because I've been so secure in that lifestyle for so long. Now, I've been training to be a server at a new restaurant and I start my internship with America First on my birthday! But I am really nervous for such a big change. I never really saw myself working anywhere else beside the election office because I was comfortable there. I knew exactly what I was doing and what needed to happen. Now, I don't have a clue about what is going to happen anywhere! It's really, really scary but I know I'll get through the next 8 months and I'll finally graduate.
But for now, here are a few pictures to help you see a little bit (not too much, security issues) about my life in elections.
One of my little jobs was to change the calenders every month. I kind of took this one on myself... okay, so I wouldn't let anyone else touch them because their handwriting didn't match mine! I'm a tad obsessive compulsive in that respect.
This is our one way sign and part of Terry's Mountain Dew can/bottle collection. The cans and bottles line most of the partition wall, I forget where we got the sign.
This is Scott and Dave working at their computers... Scott is trying his hand at my street segmenting job. He actually did really well and only asked a few questions. I could tell he was just as nervous as I was when the other Dave left me there to do it all on my own.
This is my computer with my award-winning photo on the screen. I was going to take it off and just leave a standard picture on the screen for the next person to use it, but for some reason I just couldn't take my photo off the computer! It was the weirdest thing!
Scott waited for me to get off so I didn't have to walk out of the building for the last time as an employee all by myself. I'm such a dork, but I made him take a picture with my just outside the employee entrance. Actually, Scott is one the of the people in the office I really got along with. He kept me from going insane a few times, probably more than a few. He's really cool.
All in all, I am going to miss MOST everybody from the office. It is really weird leaving... really weird. All I can do now is hope and pray that everything with my new jobs will go well and I will get through to graduation. I did get a blessing from my dad and two brothers-in-law last Sunday that helped a lot with all my fears. I know I can do this because everyone has faith in me. Uh, oh... tears... of joy!

Crud!

I started school again today, not a big deal. Everything is pretty much the same as it was before. I don't love school but I don't hate it either...except for one part... BOOKS!!!
One of my books, just one, costs $122 and the others are not far behind at $98 and $87. Holy smokes!!! How am I supposed to pay for them!?!? I just paid my first tuition installment which drained my account and I don't get paid until thursday! How do I buy my books and start the homework I am supposed to have finished for wedensday? Argh...
I really, really think that I should write a textbook someday. I could charge an arm and a leg and students would HAVE to pay it because it will be required for their course. I'll be so filthy rich I won't know what to do with all that money!

Other than that, school's going to be great!

Ah...

I'm really, really bored at work today (only 6 more days... wahoo!) so I thought since I haven't posted in a while I'd blog about something I'm actually going to miss when I leave this job... Taco Day!
Every wednesday I go meet Rex for 2 or $1 tacos on Washington. We both work close so we get together to enjoy the wonderfully inexpensive meal. I have mentioned eating at the taco stands to other friends who work in the vicinity, but they don't seem to be interested. I could be wrong, but the "no thanks, that's disgusting" comments make me think they find something wrong with the yummy tacos! Ok, I was skeptical at first as well. I used to go with a coworker so I could get out of the office for a little bit and one day he asked me to try one, so I did! They really are quite tasty! When Rex told me he went every wednesday, I jumped at the chance for amazing tacos, good company, and getting out of the office for an hour. It really is something I'm going to miss. My iron stomach is going to become weak again, but I guess it's just something I'll have to deal with when I leave the county!

P.S. Sorry if that was a little scatter-brained... and that the picture has nothing to do with the post... all I can really think about right now is the fact that in a week and a half I won't be here anymore!

It's About Time...

I finally did it! After almost six years working for the election office, I turned in my letter of resignation! I was shaking the whole time and I really felt like I was going to be sick but I made it through the meeting. My boss was very understanding. He told me it was really difficult timing, but if he were put in the same position he would do the same thing.
I will be taking 18 credit hours at school fall semester and 15 in the spring. I start my internship with America First in September and I'm really excited about that. I'll also be working (hopefully) as a server in my friend's restuarant a couple nights a week so I can make enough money to pay my bills and possibly my last two semesters of school.
I'm really nervous about leaving, I've been here for almost six years and the change came very suddenly and is really scary. But, I really feel like it is a good time to move on despite the fact that it's right before a Presidential Election. I'm very unsure about everything right now, but I am trusting that I will be taken care of :)
Thanks, mom and dad, for supporting me in this decision and helping through it!

And now I'm crying... dang it!

Best of Show

I have entered a few pictures in the Weber County and Utah State Fairs the past few years. At the State Fair, I hadn't won anything until I won a second place (I think) last year with a prize of $10!
This year, for the WC Fair I entered three of my favorite photos, two that other people chose and one that apparently only I was partial to. Well...
I received the Best of Show award in the Advanced Amateur Division with this photograph! I was so excited, I was screaming and giggling and making a complete fool of myself... did I care? Not one little bit! Although, I'm totally sure that I embarrassed Shina, Tyler, and Kurt especially who were with me when I made the discovery last night! I am truly sorry about that, but if you three were really embarrassed by that, you probably shouldn't be friends with me because I tend to react that way often :) Anyway, it was a very exciting moment for me and I am very much looking forward to trying to out-do myself in the future! Yee haw!!!!

Holy Cow!!!

Ok, so it's been going on for the last year and a half or so... I'm sure everyone goes through something like this at least once in their life, but I like to think this is an EXTREME case... My boss is a MORON!!! It's usually just little things here and there, but I guess you could say I've put up with so much that I've snapped! Every year, I mean EVERY year, our department has a booth at the county fair to generate some interest in voting and being poll workers on election day. It has been a huge success in the past and we actually get a lot of help. This year, being as big as it is, we need a lot more workers than we've used in the last few elections, so the help we would get from the fair would have been very helpful. Of course, in order to get a booth at the fair, you have to request a few months in advance and follow up... you guessed it! She 'forgot' to request a booth until, oh, FOUR DAYS before the fair started! Holy smokes... I'm so frustrated! This was supposed to be my last big fun thing to do with this job before I FINALLY left at the end of the month. Yeesh... I don't think I can even convey the frustration I feel toward this joke of an office. It's all so ridiculous and I'm so excited to finally move on. I've decided that I'm not going to feel bad about leaving, not one little bit! No person should have to feel this way when it comes to such a huge part of their life... working 8-9 hours every day. I'm going to work in my internship, finish school, and say good riddance to this office! ONLY 16 MORE DAYS! HOLY COW!!!

AI Reject!

Ok, ok, so I gave in and decided to try out for American Idol in SLC yesterday. I thought it would be a really fun experience even though I wasn't expecting to make it past the first round. Sam and I drove to the Energy Solutions Arena at 5:30 Monday morning to get me registered. I thought we would fight traffic and then, after getting there, fight the crowd to get in and get back home around 10. We got to the arena around 7:30 (I thought they didn't open til 8, but I guess it was 5) and there was NOBODY there. There were a few people walking away, but no one else at the registration tables. So it took all of 2 minutes and I was ready!
Yesterday we left around quarter after 4 and arrived just after 5. We waited on the sidewalk outside the former Delta Center until 8:30 with all the other thousands of people, read, talked, listened to other people being interviewed by news stations. It wasn't as... exciting... as I thought it would be.

I did, however, get my picture taken with Justin Guarini, runner up from season one. We got to the entrance and they were taking all our food away! Sam had a giant purse full of food, so she proceeded to empty a few things out in front of the security guy and, after only pulling out about 1/3 of our stash, grabbed her bag and walked in while he inspected my bag. Nice... so then we sang as a group and screamed for the cameras and everything and cheered for Ryan Seacrest. After all that hype, it was very boring. We all had to be quiet because they were auditioning down on the floor. I saw a few friends from choir and such there who were also auditioning. Tiffany's brother, Tyson, was there with his friend, but they were way, way ahead of me. I started texting him and he informed me that his belt had broken. Ha! I told him that the strap on my purse could be taken off and could be adjusted, so I took it over for him to try. It worked perfectly, and while we were over there the girl in front of him said she had an extra ticket in that section and gave it to me. So instead of waiting until 7ish to audition, I went around 2. I went, I sang, I left. That was about it. On the way home, a radio station asked for auditioners to call in and tell about the experience. I called in, and they asked me to sing for them. They played the clip right after the song was finished so at least I got to sing on the radio! Cool... overall, it wasn't terribly exciting, but better than being at work I guess :)

Pioneer Day

Ok, one more quick one before bed... only because I want to get caught up on my pictures!
Of course, as everyone knows, Thursday was Pioneer Day in Utah. Holiday means no work so already the day had a fabulous start! We went to the parade where my dad was announcing, as usual. Then we came home to relax for a little bit. It wasn't long before I was off again though, running around. I went to visit my friend, Shantae, and her cute baby girl. She was really bored because her husband DID have to work and I hadn't seen the baby yet so I took advantage of the free time. After that I ran over to David's Bridal to get fitted for my wedding dress... just kidding. I had a piece of my brides maid dress waiting for me that I had to pick up. We won't get into how that situation is "fitting." (Ugh)
After my Layton stops, I went to my sister's house. I had mentioned going on a hike that day (for the health promotion program at work, and it just sounded like a good idea) and my sister said she wanted to go. I picked up Shron and London (London was the only that helped mow the lawn, so she was the only one that could come) and we headed to Waterfall Canyon... with our three water bottles.
Here's a tip... don't go hiking on the hottest day of the year in the middle of the afternoon with only one small water bottle per person... it's not a good situation. We still had fun, or at least I did. Here are a few pictures, this is what happens when you give your camera to someone else...














Later that night we had a cook out with some of the family at our house. I miss the good ol' days when we would all get together at Grandma's and have a big bbq, and this was a little taste of the golden days.











I was hoping to get to the rodeo this year but sadly, never did. I WILL go next year, even if I have to go by myself! Instead, I stayed home and finished and delivered some pre-wedding pictures.


I hope they don't mind me posting one of my favorites!















This was the message I got from the bride later that night...
"Lisa, these pictures are so much more and better than I could have ever imagined! Seriously, I'm gonna cry! Thank you so much! I love them more than you will ever know!"

All in all it was a really good day!