Lisa Eesa

New blog... yeah, another one :)

2012-01-18T12:16:00.002-07:00

I'm doing my cupcake experiment again this year. I decided that since there will be a new recipe every week I would just make a cupcake blog like the hundreds of other cupcake lovers out there. If you want to check it out, go to and you can keep up with all the new flavors!

On a side note, I will be posting pictures soon from my photo-a-day project. I just haven't downloaded any yet :)

New Year's Reso.... ah forget it! Ha ha!

2012-01-04T14:11:00.002-07:00

I had made a resolution last year to post once a week. Obviously, that didn't happen! It's been since our last Body Jam launch that I wrote on my blog and it's just about launch time AGAIN! I'm using the crazy energy we had last time to kick this one up, too. Hopefully it will be just as insane as the last!

One thing I really, really hope to finish this year is the photo-a-day project. My aunt did it last year and, yep, she has 365 photos to remember 2011 by! Since this is a leap year, I'll be getting 366 photos for 2012. I for sure want to finish this thing no matter what! I've taken my pictures every day, just have posted them anywhere yet. It's very possible I'll make a collage each week and post it on my blog. I'm not going to say I'll post once a week. That way, if I happen to skip here and there I won't feel super guilty.

So many things are coming this year! My second marathon - which inevitably means my second cupcake project (hint, hint, flavor ideas NEEDED), my 5th Canyonlands Half Marathon, hopefully my first half marathon in another state, the possibility of moving yet again to who knows where, starting out the year with a super cute boyfriend (ah, I finally said it...), photographing my first wedding with an international groom, and many changes I'm sure are coming!

That's it for right now, I guess. I'll keep ya posted ha ha!

My First Launch!

2011-10-20T10:20:00.007-06:00

Last week we launched the newest release of Body Jam...

I'm not gonna lie, I was so nervous about this launch because it was my first official launch as the Jam Coach. Our downtown club TOTALLY pulled it out and we had over 80 participants! The dance floor was so crowded it was almost hard for people to even move! We had such a blast!

This is just part of the amazing group we had! There was so much energy in that room... it was the most amazing feeling in the WORLD!

Layton was definitely not as full, but we still had a fantastic time. We had a couple Jam sistas that I was so excited to have there!

These girls are so fantastic!

I seriously could not have asked for a better launch or a better team... Sherry and Dev, I LOVE YOU GUYS!!!

Why I run

2011-09-29T14:32:00.005-06:00

I've gotten out of habit, and that's a terrible thing. I loved how I felt when I was training for the marathon and running 5 days a week. I have a race in just a few more weeks, so I've been a little better this week with getting up and going, but I know I could be better. I just need to remember the reasons WHY I run, so here goes nothin' :)

First and foremost, I love the way I feel when I'm running consistently. It seems a little strange, but I have more energy and I feel great about myself. When I'm running, I can walk up the 4 flights of stairs at work and not get too winded, which I think is a very good thing. Really, I just feel fantastic physically and I'm looking for that feeling again... cuz, you know, I've lost that lovin' feelin'.

Second, it gives me a sense of accomplishment. When I complete a full week of training without missing a single day, I truly feel like I've done something to push myself in the right direction. It's almost like if I can do that, I can do so many other things that seem a little impossible.

Third, and maybe my favorite reason of why I run, is this...

and this...

and so many others that I haven't even tried yet! I'm still working on cupcake recipes, and the only time I let myself eat them is after a big race. With that said...

Let me grab my running shoes... I want a CUPCAKE!

The music made me do it...

2011-09-20T12:20:00.004-06:00

It's been a slow and kinda boring past couple of weeks, but I promised I'd post this week and I try really, really hard to keep my promises. Let's just ignore the fact that I wanted to post every week and start fresh, shall we?

Since coming home from California, it's been back to business. I finally got to meet the cutest little baby in the entire world (who was born my first day in Cali) and it was the highlight of my week! He is just the sweetest little boy and I wish I could see him more often than I get to. But, thanks to the new season of Biggest Loser starting tonight (WOO HOO!!!) I will get to see him every Tuesday night!

Probably not the greatest picture, but you can still see how handsome this little guy is!

The week after getting home from California was actually a full work week, which, after working 3 or 4 day weeks and then being on vacation for a week, was pretty brutal. Good thing it only lasted a week, right? The next week was my birthday, so I took a day off to celebrate! It started with good run at the gym then to the SL temple (my first trip down there) with my good friend, Rino. It was such an awesome experience! When we got back, I got a much needed pedicure from another awesome friend... thanks, Mary! After the pedicure, I needed to get some shopping done for the par-tay! Rino met me at the Latin market and about $50 later we had enough carne asada to feed an army. Actually, I still have a ton left in the freezer, so if anyone has a hankering for delicious beef or pork, you know who to call. After the market, I headed to my parents' house and made red velvet cupcakes... for someone who loves baking as much as I do, why wouldn't I make my own cupcakes on my birthday?!

People came to party around 7:30 and we ate, talked, danced, smacked around a pinata, roasted pineapple, and watched a movie for the rest of the night. It was actually pretty fantastic! I'll post pictures when I can get to them...

The birthday weekend continued with a foto frenzy day (pictures to follow SOON) and a baseball game with few good friends. Another fantastic day of celebrating.

Sunday, I had a second birthday dinner with my parents, Amber, and my cute grandpa with delicious food and chocolate covered cinnamon bears :) I decided for some reason that my birthday was lasting all weekend long, so I fell off the wagon a little bit, but it's a time for celebrating, right?

Monday I gathered some friends, my parents, and my sister with her girls and went to the river! I had only gotten to raft once this season (so sad) and I requested that, if the river was high enough, we make a Labor Day trip. It was a little chilly, but overall a fantastic river trip. I especially enjoyed the part where I hit a wall of water on Big Kahuna... OH YEAH!

Since the celebrating has come to a close, I've just been working and working. I guess things have been a little more exciting than I thought. A friend of mine from the gym who works for the Job Corps. in Clearfield asked me to help her group of kids participate in the Let's Move, America campaign. Every night this week I get to go hang with these kids and teach them the Beyonce "Move Your Body" dance. Last night was kind of fantastic, so here's hoping the rest of the week goes just as well!

Oh, and I get to Jam in O-town with the Jamily tonight... can't get any better than that! I guess that must explain the title of this post :)

A little get-away... to DISNEYLAND!!!

2011-08-23T09:34:00.013-06:00

The last couple weeks have been sort of fabulous. The 12th and 13th of this month I was lucky enough to run the Epic Cache-Teton relay with my oldest brother and sister. I ran last year with my bro and it was so much fun and I'm so happy I could do it again this year.
Because I had run the Ogden Marathon in May, our team captain decided to give me the second hardest leg in the whole race. I was seriously intimidated, especially when I saw the first hill I had to climb. This picture is right after I finished my first leg.

I can't decide if I'm sucking in air or water. Either way, it was so HARD! I got sick on my second leg with about 2 miles left, but I made up for it by helping out other people on our team. This is one of my favorite pictures from the relay, even if I am in my shorty shorts...

Our team finished in just over 31 hours. A little slower than last year, but it was still EPIC! Go Vilage Idiots!

The day after the relay, I decided to celebrate with a little trip to DISNEYLAND! I went with a few friends from the ward and ended up with more friends than when we left! There were a few (ok, a lot more than a few) issues along the way, but the whole week was pretty much a blast. This pretty much sums up every moment of the trip.

Oh, how I heart this picture! I was lucky enough to see a good friend who lives in California as well and spend time with her cute little family.

The best part...? Spending time with them at the BEACH! Every time I go to the beach, it reminds me of how much I would love to live in California.
The only bad part for me really was having to spend time with someone I wasn't really ready to spend time with just yet. Still, I wouldn't trade that week for anything in the world. It was so, so nice to get away from everything for a while and just have some FUN!
Here are a few more photos... just to make you a little jealous :)

Just the girls!

At the Chinese Theater in Hollywood... my hand fit with Marilyn Monroe!

Such a fun group!

Oh, I was so excited to see Woody and Jessie... Toy Story is one of my FAVS!

We got to stop at the Shelby Museum in North Vegas and I was oh so happy... never mind the fact that we were stuck there for about 5 hours... that's a whole other story.
Needless to say, I did not like coming back to work yesterday. DISNEYLAND!!!

Tears

2011-07-27T12:36:00.003-06:00

I wanted to post once a week... really I did. I had every intention of writing at least once a week about everything that was going on. Honestly, I don't know what happened to that, but I'll try to catch up quickly.

I don't remember ever posting about the Gold's Gym Employee Challenge, but I won. All that torture of no sugar totally paid off and I am now the proud owner of an iPad 2! Since the challenge ended and the marathon came and went, I've fallen off the wagon a bit (or a lot). I decided today that it ends and I get back on track. I get tired of hearing people complain about their weight, so I'm going to end that right there.

I've gotten quite a few photo sessions lately, and I absolutely love it! Honestly, if I could quit my day job and do photos full-time, I would in a heart beat. Maybe someday...

Last weekend, I actually started a Photo Frenzy - something I'll do once a month where I spend an entire afternoon doing session after session for anyone who wants to come. I only had two appointments last weekend, but it turned out perfectly. Here is one of my favorites from the second session.

The end of June I had the opportunity to go to an IT conference in Philadelphia with a couple of co-workers. We had a pretty good time... even though we didn't get to go to a Phillies game. We visited a good portion of the tourist sights, went on a ghost tour of the city, and ate AMAZING Philly Cheesesteaks from the original cheesesteak restaurant. YUM!

Since I started going to the ward that I actually live in, I've met some pretty awesome people. Honestly, it's a little hard for me to make friends. I'm really kind of shy, believe it or not. Anyway, I was lucky enough to meet amazing people, including one amazing guy... long story short, my first official heart break commenced. I'll say this much, I can now say I actually know what it feels like. I'd never cared so much for someone before and it hurts. And so begins the process of mending...

I still have amazing friends and incredible parents who are there to help me get back on track. I seriously don't know what I'd do if I didn't have them :)

On a happier note... exciting news! Our Body Jam coach is moving to Chicago. Ok, that's not so exciting for us, but Nikki is stoked. I've been asked to take her place as the new coach. WHOA BABY!!! Really, I'm a little terrified. She has some big, flashy shoes to fill. But I'm so, so excited for this opportunity! Last night, we had a final Jam-fest with her and the O-town Jamily before she leaves and it was so incredible! Music was played, tears were shed, and sweat was dripped on the dance floor... and I loved every minute of it. I'm so lucky to have one thing where it doesn't matter how hurt or sad I feel, how awful my day or week has been, I can go for just one hour and be free and let everything go.

love

Oops... I did it again!

2011-06-23T12:22:00.005-06:00

Typing that, the Brittney Spears song started running through my head. Some things just happen!

I will be posting results of the Gold's Gym Employee Challenge soon, but I wanted to at least try to get caught up with posting! I feel like it's been so long and my blog has been neglected... poor baby!

A couple weeks ago, it was Amber's birthday. I just have to say, it is so great to finally have best friends (ahem) that actually care about me and don't ALWAYS think of just themselves. Anyway, Amber is one of these friends and so I wanted to try and make her birthday as awesome as possible.

During the cupcake experiment, her absolute favorite was the cherry turnover cupcake, so making a GIANT cherry turnover cupcake for her birthday was a no-brainer. I made it the night before, hoping it would be completely awesome... but it turned out like this

Ugh... oh well. She still ate it and loved it and that's all that matters, right? Anyway, her birthday started off with a hair appointment, so naturally she wanted new pictures to show off her new do. We snatched Tiffany, grabbed some Jamba Juice (yes, I finally had a Jamba Juice this year) and went to a park for a quick photo shoot. I think this is my favorite from the afternoon!

Aren't we so adorable? Just kidding... but it's kinda true :) That night a bunch of people got together for a Bee's game just for her birthday and aside from it being a really, REALLY long game it was so much fun! We went to the Pie for dinner after at Amber's request.

What a great night :) it was just so much fun to be with a bunch of friends. I definitely think it is necessary to do this again very, very soon!

Aw, DANG!

2011-06-08T10:26:00.003-06:00

So... I missed last week! I was focused completely on my trip to Arizona and totally forgot to blog! Oops. I'll make up for it, I promise.

The week before last week I pretty much just took as a recovery from the marathon. I did a few classes (even a couple extra) and barely ran at all. I really, really need to get back into training for the half marathon in July! I have to finish in under two hours! We'll see what happens.

I need to get something out. It turns out, adding sugar back into my diet has NOT been a good thing! My "free" days I go absolutely crazy and, honestly, the sugar makes me so cranky. Last Wednesday, I gave myself a free day and did pretty well while I was at work. When I got home, however, I found the mini eggs, frosting, cupcake and Reese's in the freezer as well as the cinnamon bears in the cupboard... and a shared Blondie at Applebee's. Ugh. I was so, so cranky from the sugar! It doesn't make me happy. It makes me upset. The same thing happened Sunday at my brother's house in Arizona when I overloaded on delicious cake, peach cobbler, ice cream and cookies. They were fantastic, don't get me wrong. But I just got so mad at myself for not having will power to slow down.

So, my new goal is to leave the "free day" for only special occasions and no more than once a week. Hopefully I'll be able to control my sugar eating! On the way to Arizona I read Bob Harper's book Are You Ready! and it was fantastic. It was all about loving yourself and respecting your body enough to carefully consider everything that goes in it. I'm already to the point where I need to review the first section of the book, but, I highly recommend it!

That's it for now... I will, very soon, post about the trip AND the amazing new toy I recently acquired :)

Ogden Marathon 2011

2011-05-25T14:42:00.007-06:00

So, here it is FOUR FULL DAYS after one of the biggest events of my LIFE and I haven't even blogged about it yet! Well, that changes now...

Last Saturday, May 21st, I had the amazing opportunity to run the Ogden Marathon. I had trained for this race for so long I could hardly believe the time had come! Serious preparation (other than training) began Friday morning.

I woke up seriously early after a short yet wonderful night sleep to run a quick two miles and get to work by 6:30. I only worked three relaxed hours and headed for an awesome temple trip with one of my best friends. As soon as our work was done there, we headed to Salt Lake so I could get a photo printed for my parents. Next, I stopped at my apartment to pack (this is when the nerves started) for the next 24 hours. Tiffany headed home and I visited Amber at work because she said she had something for me... a card with cute little kittens and a long note. I won't go into details, but it was very sweet and very motivating. Because I was able to eat white bread last week, I went to Texas Roadhouse to get a dozen rolls because I had been craving them for weeks! Um... delicious! Next stop was my parents' house to bake amazing hot chocolate cupcakes that I would be able to enjoy the next day. I went to my niece and nephews' singing group program and to dinner with my parents, then back to their house for serious sleep.

Four a.m. came SO quickly and I was feeling really jittery. I grabbed two more TR rolls with a little peanut butter and a banana and headed out the door with my dad, who was kind enough to wake up before the sun to take me to the bus. I got very lucky and ran into a group of girls from the gym as soon as I got there, so I rode on the bus with them and sat next to a really cute girl who was also running the marathon for the first time. We rode for what felt like an eternity to the starting point of the race and waited in the mud for the run to begin. A long, long time after (ok, so it was only about an hour and 45 min) we started lining up. At this point I was just ready for the race to begin! The gun went off (I think, I didn't actually hear it) and off we went.

I ran into a few people I knew on the course, but for the most part ran alone. It was so nice! I would pass a mile and notice how quickly the time was moving. I felt pretty good the most of the time, pulling out the Tylenol at mile 13, again at mile 21, and Clif Shot Bloks at mile 22. As I pulled out of the canyon and approached the beginning of mile 24, my friend Sherry who I teach Body Jam with was there cheering me on... and I lost it. I cried for a minute and then got a major burst of energy that carried me through til I saw the finish line. It was insane! It seemed like hundreds of people - including some of my friends and family - were there screaming for all the runners. After 26 miles, I still had enough energy left to sprint for the finish line. The end was amazing. My clock time was just a few seconds after four hours and my chip time was 3:57:06. I was pretty stoked about that!

My biggest supporters through this whole process were my parents... and you can bet I almost lost it again when I saw them right before I finished. Any time I freaked or thought about quitting, they would kindly remind me that I was totally capable of pulling this off!

I was also lucky enough to have a fantastic group of great friends waiting for me. I know a couple of them were only there for the cupcakes (ahem, Trent, ahem) but, still, it was awesome they were there! I admit, a few tears were shed when I met Amber after crossing, but we had previously warned each other that would happen, so it wasn't a big surprise.

Let's not forget one of the main perks that drove me through the last 7 miles or so...

SUGAR!!! And it was oh so good! My cupcakes were delicious, both the hot chocolate and key lime pie flavors I sampled. The cinnamon bears (which was the FIRST treat I ate) were divine. And the Cadbury Mini Eggs... YUM O! And the real reason I ran and finished, and why I will probably run this race again next year...

The AMAZING feeling I had when this medal was placed around my neck...

Love...

Apparently I was tired!

2011-05-17T14:09:00.002-06:00

Since I moved into my own apartment, my mom texts me every night to make sure I'm home and safe. It's really kind of awesome that she cares enough to make sure someone didn't get me. I'm usually pretty good at texting back to let her know I'm ok. If I'm not home yet for some reason, I just let her know when I am, although sometimes I forget. Last Saturday night was just such an occasion.

I had a few different parties I was going to, and I didn't get home until later. She had sent me a message while I was at my last stop, and I told her I would let her know when I was home and all locked up. Unfortunately, I was completely exhausted when I finally made it home that I went right to bed without even thinking about it. I got a text around one in the morning asking if I was home yet. Apparently I was super exhausted and texting in my sleep because my reply was this:

Home locked sleeping and HOPPING

Yes, I actually spelled out HOPPING in all capital letters. I honestly don't know what I was thinking. It may have had something to do with my dream, although I honestly can't remember. The closest thing I can come up with is that I was sleeping with both windows open because my air conditioner is broken and it got really cold that night. I may have meant to say I was FREEZING, but I can't be sure. I'm surprised I made the effort to put all caps in the text. It was seriously weird. She replied asking what I meant, but I didn't respond. I was sleeping. The next morning she asked if I was hopping on one foot or two... that completely made my morning.

I guess I'll never know! Here's to happy HOPPING!

Holy cow!

2011-05-13T11:41:00.003-06:00

So... anyone remember when this chain was over 100 links long?? It is now EIGHT LINKS LONG!!! I can't believe the marathon is next week. The last few months have flown by. I still freak out for a few minutes here and there, but I definitely feel like I can do this. I'm so excited for this race... so excited to accomplish something that I've been training so long for! And mostly, excited to have a little sugar back in my life!

I feel so blessed to have come this far. I've heard of so many people that who have been training and have recently gotten injured and can't run. I've had no major problems (knock on wood) and I will be able to run. Now, just watch, with it being Friday the 13th something terrible is going to happen and I won't be able to race!

While teaching RPM last night, I realized it was my last RPM class before the race. I seriously can't believe it's here! I'm excited, just in case you haven't gotten that message just yet :)

Here's to running, feeling nervous excitement, and SUGAR COOKIES!!!

P.S. If anyone has marathon tips, any pointers are welcome.

Almost TWO WEEKS!!

2011-05-05T11:14:00.003-06:00

If there's one food I love most over all other foods, it's cinnamon bears. I love the texture, the size, the hot deliciousness of each little bear! I love to grab a handful of them, eat the bodies (to determine which one is the HOTTEST) and save the heads for last... That may be a little morbid - although not as morbid as biting off their cute little heads first - but that's how I eat them. These little treats are the reason for my post today. As I searched online for a picture (courtesy of designmom.com) I kept getting more and more excited for May 21st.

Last weekend, I tried my third 20 mile run with a running group from the gym. We actually went to the marathon course and were going to run the first 20 miles of it. However, eating foods I'm not used to the night before, starting the run at 4:45 in the morning, trying to keep up with their 7:40 min/mile pace, and not stopping as often as I'm used to for water and "going" made me severely sick. After 10 miles, I got paralyzing pains in my stomach and I had to stop. This psyched me out completely. I started disregarding all the training I've done, the 20 mile runs I HAVE made, everything. I started telling myself I couldn't do this. I know it's all in my head, but I am the kind of person that can convince myself of something very easily, good or bad.

Thinking and thinking today, I have come to one conclusion. I HAVE to run this marathon... for more reasons than just accomplishing what I have been training for. Last week, my mom posted on my Facebook wall that she and my dad will have a surprise (non-food related) waiting for me at the finish line. As much as I hate that she told me THREE WEEKS EARLY because I can't stand anticipation, I like that I have another motivation. I also told myself that I cannot have sugary treats - cinnamon bears included - until the race (very food related). I have been thinking and probably dreaming about cinnamon bears for the last week. The closer the race gets, the harder it is to resist sugar. But, I honestly can't WAIT until I can have my cinnamon bears back!

Two weeks from Saturday...

Sunshine, please?!

2011-04-26T12:29:00.006-06:00

I just have to say, I typed in three different titles to this post, only to find that one after the other I had already used on my blog. I decided on this because, well, I'm in desperate need of sun. The rain and snow (yes, snow at the end of April) are making me even more depressed since it should be closer to summer weather than winter!

Anyway, it's been a very interesting weekend. Friday night was, of course, cupcake night. I was super excited for this particular flavor... RED HOTS! The recipe looked easy enough, except for the fact that there is no way possible to crush Red Hots. The cupcakes themselves came out ok, a little dry (and a few a little burned), and the Red Hot syrup smelled absolutely amazing! My close friends and family know how much I love cinnamon flavored ANYTHING and smelling the syrup made me a little crazy. Anyway, the frosting called for some of the syrup and crushed Red Hots. I couldn't for the life of my figure out how to crush them, so ended up using extra syrup to try and make it more cinnamon-esque, leaving no syrup to spread on the top of the cupcakes before frosting. My niece helped me, and she said they were ok in the end, so I guess it was worth it. Other critics were pleased as well. I'll admit, I was so excited about this flavor that I sneaked one for myself and put it in the freezer amongst all the other treats I'm saving.

Saturday was pretty great. I finally got a pump class in after a week of launches and then Jammed out at a club in Bountiful to help with their launch. Later that afternoon I had a wicked awesome photo shoot (of me this time) with a really great friend who helped me with my diet during the competition at the gym. She's pretty much a photo rock star, and we both think we should go into business together :) After that, delicious Cadbury Mini Egg cookies at my parents' house (pictured here courtesy of OurBestBites.com) and bed...

Sunday we heard all from our bishopric because there will be major changes coming this week. I'll be going to the ward I'm actually assigned to, which is kinda of bitter sweet.

Last night, we had our final ward activity. It was really fun and I had a blast hanging out with the ward peeps. I hadn't been to an activity for a long time, I've been missing out! Last week a bunch of them helped me move apartments and I love them so much for that!

Anyway, that's pretty much it. Except for the rain... and snow... I'm just done! One more 20 mile run this weekend, which it had better be sunny for, and then the training starts winding down. Just over three weeks left! I can SO do this... maybe :) the cookies next to me smell pretty amazing!

Oh baby!!!

2011-04-20T11:33:00.002-06:00

Just a quick post for this week only because I can't think of what else to write about right now... I'll put up more exciting news as soon as I receive some things :) not that it's more exciting than this, just an addition!

I received a text last night that my sister-in-law was dilated to a 6 and in the hospital. This morning, we got a message that the baby girl was born at 12:05 this morning and weighed 9 lbs 13 oz! I only got a quick picture, but she looks perfect! I'm so excited she's finally here, I just wish I were in Arizona to meet her!

Another exciting tid bit, I finally got to move to a new apartment. The people above me were so noisy every night and wouldn't respond to letters and calls from the front office. I was told the eviction process is just getting started, but it can take up to 12 weeks, so they offered to move me to a third floor apartment with no moving charges. AWESOME! It was kind of crappy timing with launch and everything and I didn't know how I was going to get everything moved. The complex called Monday and told me I needed to get everything finished or they would have to start charging me for two apartments. That night, so many people from my ward showed up and helped me move everything and even cleaned my old apartment! I almost started crying, I was so overwhelmed by their kindness. They are AMAZING!

So now, when I go to sleep at 9 or 9:30 I can actually GO to sleep and get some rest! Love it :)

Ummmm...

2011-04-13T08:40:00.001-06:00

Bought a bag of Reese's Peanut Butter Mini Eggs last night... just sayin'!

They're in my freezer until... :) LOVE EASTER!

Losing it...

2011-04-11T15:43:00.007-06:00

Ok, if anyone is actually reading this (I'm hoping!) I really, really could use some help...

I am now officially less than six weeks away from the Ogden Marathon (aka Sugar Day) and I'm very quickly losing motivation. I've come to really loathe training. I hate waking up early just to go run and I just feel tired all the time. I'm starting to think that it's totally not worth the stress. Do I really need to run a marathon? I'm completely questioning it now.

Along the same lines, was it really smart to voluntarily give up sugar until the marathon is over? Every week gets harder and harder... sometimes I just want a cookie! It's weird, but baking cupcakes every week (which is actually really fun usually) doesn't make me want sugar so much, but seeing cookies and other treats everywhere really makes me want to break. Sunday, I brought home some cookies from my mom to give to a girl in my ward, and I seriously thought about eating one.

I know that I've been working hard and I've come so far (101 days and 20 miles to be exact) that if I quit now I would just be angry with myself for not seeing it through.

If anyone out there can lend some support, I would really appreciate it! There could even be some cupcakes in it for you ;)

Side note (as there usually is with every post): The Gold's Gym Employee Challenge ended last week. I weighed in on Friday to find out that I'm neck and neck with the girl who was in the lead. Haven't found out who won yet, but the anticipation is KILLING me! After I weighed in, I lost all motivation for sticking to a diet, so I need to get back on track to not gain it all back. That's part of the help I need, I guess.

Comments are welcome and appreciated!

10 years ago...

2011-03-29T07:37:00.004-06:00

Ten years ago today, my granpa Arrington died. He was such an amazing grandpa and one of the best examples of a man I have ever known. He always treated my grandma with the most respect and taught his son and grandsons how to treat women as well.

I learned so much from him. I remember how patriotic he was. He was in the Army for I don't know how long. He was stationed in California when he married my grandma and I'm pretty sure he was away when my dad was born. I can remember him teaching my older brothers and cousins how to properly retire an American flag.

Growing up, he and my grandma would take us out for our birthdays to go shopping and go to lunch. I looked forward to this every year! I loved spending time with them, even when he would get caught up talking to someone he knew (which happened everywhere we went) for 20 minutes or so.

Most of all, I loved how he loved his family and especially my grandma. I've been thinking about this a lot lately. It seems there are NO decent guys left in this world that are up to his standard. I've met a few guys recently that don't have the greatest intentions when it comes to girls and, remembering my grandpa, I know I (and all the cute girls I know) deserve so much better than that.

I've been lucky enough in my life to be blessed with amazing examples of wonderful relationships. Both sets of grandparents were (or are) incredible, and they taught my parents well, too. I have the most exemplary family in the whole world and I can only hope that I end up as happy as they are...

Miss you, grandpa...

Finally... a GREAT March Moab Trip!

2011-03-23T08:54:00.003-06:00

After last year's March Moab trip disaster (and yes, it was probably the worst Moab trip EVER), I was determined to make this year's trip a good one. The hard part was I waited so long to book my hotel that we ended up having to stay in Price and drive to Moab the day of the race. Usually, we just camp in town, but I originally thought I was going alone and didn't think it'd be safe to camp by myself. So I chose Price and booked it.

Anyway, those of you who know me well know I LOVE going to Moab! Especially for the Half Marathon every March. I was super excited this year because I've been training for the race for so long. I invited my old roommate and good friend Amber (funny, huh) to come along because she'd never seen me race and she's training for the Legacy Midnight Half Marathon in July. She was excited to get away for the weekend and I was DEFINITELY ready to go after my trip to Indiana.

We left as soon as Amber was off work on Friday and headed to Price. We had our awesome Moab jams playing the whole way down. We got to Price, checked into the hotel and went to Subway for dinner. Not exactly my first choice for a pre-race dinner, but nothing else sounded good to either of us. We hit up the Price Walmart for a few things we had forgotten and a couple movies and went back to go to bed.

We both woke up about 4:45 Saturday morning so we could leave by 5 and get to Moab by 7 for my packet pickup. Despite the fact that no human being should be up that early, it was a pretty good drive. We got to Moab, picked up my packet, and went to the finish line area. Amber waited in the bus line with me and got pictures like a proud mom. We met a cute girl named Jennie who I sat by on the bus and ran the first few miles with. She was really talkative and friendly and made the first bit of the race fun. After a while, though, I lost her and didn't even see her at the end.

The race itself was kinda tough. There was a strong head wind the entire time that made me have tears streaming down my face the first 5 miles. It was still a great race though! I had a goal to get in under 1:50 and my official chip time was 1:47:01. YAYAH! I was mucho excited!

After the race, we hung around the expo for, oh, 5 minutes because there wasn't much that was interesting there. We headed to main street for a little shopping where a guy complained about how close I parked to him, then up to Arches National Park for a little (and I mean very little) hiking. We spent most of the time in the car looking around which was fine. I don't know that my legs could have handled a hike to Delicate Arch this year. Then, we went back to the park and took a nap in the car because we were both so exhausted. After dinner at Zax (apparently my restaurant of choice for Moab, although next time I think I'll go elsewhere) we headed back to Price for the night. Being so tired, we went to bed pretty quickly.

We woke up a little later Sunday morning and started home. It was a really short, but really fun trip with a great run! I'm planning on going back sometime this year and hopefully staying a little longer. Thanks to Amber for being a good sport and coming along!

That said... bring on the Ogden Marathon!

Please help!

2011-03-22T14:15:00.003-06:00

I've been wracking my brain to come up with cupcake flavors to bake for friends and family to find the best flavor to make for myself when I can have sugar again...

Side note: It's been 80 days without sugar. I go crazy sometimes, and other days I'm totally fine. Only a little over 60 days to go.

Anyway, I actually came up with SIXTEEN different cupcake flavors, but I only have NINE baking weeks left! I can't double up cupcake flavors, I really don't have time for that. So, if you would, PLEASE, vote for which cupcake flavors most intrigue you! The top five I'm making regardless, so there's really no need to vote for them. I just want to post them because they sound delicious and I smile every time I say (or write) them :)

Give me your top three, and (if I end up making those flavors) I will bring you one! But I really, really could use your help...

...if you're reading.

Cherry Turnover
Cheesecake
Raspberry Truffle
Cinnamon Fire
Hot Chocolate
Orange Creamsicle
Pumpkin Pie
Lemon Cream
Mint Chocolate Chip
Banana Chocolate
Peaches & Cream
Key Lime Pie
Golden Oreo
Strawberries & Cream
Coconut Cream
Chocolate Cover Cinnamon Bear (no idea how this would work, just curious)

Thanks!

GOOOOOOOAAAALLL!!!!!!!!

2011-03-16T09:51:00.002-06:00

Last weekend was absolutely terrible... well, at least Sunday was. My sister and her husband went to Las Vegas to watch some college ball and had to miss their oldest daughter going to her first prom. I told my sister I would help out, fix Lex's hair, get her ready, be there when her date picked her up, etc. It was actually really fun! I made cupcakes with the other kids (chocolate peanut butter, YUM!) while she was on her day date and then went to work as soon as she got home. She looked beautiful! I'll post pictures as soon as I get them done.

That night, my parents decided to take the other kids out to dinner since Lex got to go out and have fun. We all went to Golden Corral... I think this is where the problem started. I had a huge salad, lots of chicken, a couple wheat rolls, and veggies. I was super full, not hungry at all for the rest of the night. I waited til Lex got home from her date and went to sleep. Sunday morning I woke up and had egg beaters for breakfast (another contributor), dropped the kids off at church, and went home. As soon as I got home, I started feeling a little... ok... a LOT yucky. I tried to take a nap before I had to get up for church, but I was very, VERY nauseated and spent a good portion of the morning in the bathroom. Needless to say, I wasn't going to church. I was sick all day Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday morning.

I was worried I had food poisoning, so I worked four hours Monday morning, taught an RPM class at noon (which was probably a really bad idea) and went to the doctor. They did blood tests, gave me a liter of fluid with an IV because I was dehydrated, and sent me home. I stayed at my parents house for a few hours then went back to my apartment. I was so sick that night that it took a couple hours to get to sleep. I went to work yesterday until we got our paychecks, then went home to get packed for my trip.

Last night, I was feeling a lot better and had no trouble getting to sleep. I was able to wake up this morning and get a nice six mile run in before I left for Indiana.

Anyway, all this sickness and loss of appetite got me down to my goal weight! It was a very unhealthy way to get there (not recommended at all), and I'll probably gain a few pounds back now that I'm eating fairly regularly, but it was exciting to get there at least! I still have 26 days before the challenge ends, so now my goal is to keep up with my weight and build more muscle. That'll start as soon as I get back from the race this weekend. I'm totally ready to KICK SOME TRASH!!!

Meet Me Halfway

2011-03-10T10:54:00.002-07:00

This week has gone by very quickly! Even though it's already Thursday, it's still been long, if that makes any sense at all. I had no idea what to post about this week and then I realized a very important event is coming up...

Saturday, March 12th, marks the HALF WAY POINT of my sugar fast! I know I obsess about it a bit (obsess being a kind way to put it) but I can't believe I've actually made it half way through! I still have bad days, days when I really, really want to break and eat just a cookie or something, but I've made it this far there's NO WAY I'm breaking now!

Next week should be pretty exciting. I get to go to a partner conference out of state and give a presentation on our product for work. My very first presentation session EVER and I'm going all by myself. (insert Pull-Ups theme song "I'm a big girl now" here)

The day I get back from Indiana, I leave to go to Moab for my 5th Canyonlands Half Marathon. I'm so anxious for this race, I can't even describe it! I'm racing against the same coworker I beat last year and I really hope I can beat him again. I've been training really well because of the marathon in May, so I think I can do it. Really, I just want to get in under an hour and 50 minutes. We'll see what happens. Aside from that, my old roommate is coming with me. I didn't want to go alone, so I thought I'd bring her along since she's never seen me race and wanted to go on a road trip. It should be a pretty fun weekend IF I don't die.

Last side note: IT'S SUNNY OUTSIDE!!!

Quick one!

2011-03-04T13:43:00.003-07:00

This will be a relatively quick post because, well, I'm only at work another hour and a half or so. This week has been VERY busy at work, making what feels like hundreds of phone calls and preparing for my presentation in a couple of weeks.

I had an "oh, crap!" moment earlier this week when I found a marathon training schedule to follow online and found out that I was FOUR MILES behind where I should be. I needed to do 17 miles on my long run this week, not just 13. So, this morning I went to the gym and ran 17 miles on a treadmill. Needless to say, everything on my inside wants to be on my outside and I walk like I'm 80 years old... I've never run that far before in my life and I can definitely tell. We'll see how next week's run goes!

Other than that, pretty mellow week. Cupcakes this afternoon after work!

Mmmmm....

2011-02-25T11:49:00.005-07:00

Totally just realized I hadn't posted this week and I definitely want to keep up with this! This post is all about CUPCAKES!!!

So last week whilest I was running on the treadmill at the gym (ugh) I was watching the Food Network. I know what you're thinking, that's TORTURE! Usually I watch a game on ESPN because that is something I can watch without having to listen to it. That way, I'm entertained and keeping my mind off the actual running and I can listen to my own music. Well, there weren't any games on and I got into watching an Ultimate Cake Challenge. I freely admit I LOVE watching cake challenges! Anyway, the challenge ended and I was still runnin'. The next show to come on was Throw Down with Bobby Flay. He had searched the country for the best mini cupcakes which he found at BigManBakes in L.A. I was totally hooked! I had to keep running until I saw how the challenge ended which was probably good. Anyway, I decided I wanted to try my hand at baking cupcakes! I created s'mores cupcakes for my nephew's baptism last week and the family seemed to like them.

So here's what's going down. I still have 85 sugar free days left. However, when this challenge is over, I would like to indulge in a little cupcake action. To ensure I don't go overboard by trying a bunch of different flavors of cupcakes, I'm going to be baking one new flavor each week for my family and friends. When the time comes, I will make the favorite, share most of them, and enjoy ONE for myself.

Last week: S'mores cupcakes
This week: Red Velvet

At work, we came up with some flavors that sound absolutely delicious like Lemon Vanilla, Raspberry Truffle, Chocolate Peanut Butter, etc. If ANYONE has any cupcake flavor suggestions, LET ME KNOW! I'd love to try to make them!

Why I'm Crazy

2011-02-17T09:05:00.004-07:00

Ok, I might be going overboard with posting so much lately, but something was brought to my attention Wednesday night...

I have been acting so CRAZY lately! I've been crying almost every day about things that shouldn't really matter (like the fact that I didn't get anything for the dumbest holiday of the year) and I snap at the most insignificant comments and actions. It's been totally insane. Wednesday night, Mike came and taught Body Jam with me because Nikki had a birthday dinner. We had a blast and talked a little bit after. He started explaining to me about hormone levels, chemical imbalances, etc. that happen when you put your body on a strict diet... DING! DING! DING!

I've been going nuts and now I finally have an answer about WHY I've been so crazy! Now I just have to figure out how to deal with it. Any suggestions are welcome!

Only Wednesday...

2011-02-16T09:10:00.002-07:00

This week has been super rough. Besides the fact that Monday was the only holiday I actually loathe and I spent it pretty much alone with very little contact from anyone else, it's been a tough time for my family, too.

Saturday I was making heart cookies with my mom. This has been a tradition for years, but this year was especially difficult considering the challenge I gave myself. Anyway, while we were baking and decorating away, my mom got a phone call from someone at the funeral my grandpa had gone to. He had backed up against an unlatched door thinking it was a wall and fell down 8 or 10 stairs. My mom left me to keep frosting cookies and was headed up with my brother to go get my grandpa, but my uncle called and said that he was already in the area. He and his wife took grandpa back to his house, but my parents thought it would be a good idea if they went to the doctor. The x-rays weren't clear enough because he had arthritis in his neck, so they took him in an ambulance to the hospital. There they found out that he had a clean break through his neck.

I went and visited him Sunday after Sacrament Meeting and he seemed to be doing pretty well. He was in some pain and was really hungry because they hadn't yet brought the food he'd ordered 45 minutes before I got there. It finally came, so I left and let him eat. I have to admit, it was really hard to see my cute grandpa like that. Just before my other grandpa died, I visited him in the hospital and only lasted about five minutes before I lost it and had to leave the room.

Because the fracture was unstable and unable to heal on its own, grandpa had surgery this morning. I haven't heard anything yet, but I'm very anxious. I know he's in good health and we have no reason to be nervous, but it's still a little scary.

This is makes me further realize how awesome the plan of happiness is. No matter how this turns out, we will all be taken care of, and I find a great deal of comfort in this. Not to say I haven't been bawling my eyes out the last few days (for more reasons than just this) but I know my Heavenly Father cares for me and my family.

Inspirational

2011-02-11T13:59:00.004-07:00

Wednesday night was a tough night for me. I was asked to sub a cycling class right before Body Jam. I was very hesitant, but I figured since a had a team teacher for Jam I would be ok, so I took it. Right before cycling, the other girl called and told me she was sick and wouldn't be able to help me for the second class. I was physically exhausted already, and hearing that I had to teach two classes back to back on my own almost put me in tears.

I made it through RPM pretty well, grabbed a low-cal FRS drink, a banana, and started Jam. Wasn't sure if I was going to make it, but I had a couple people who were brand new that had talked to me before class and were both excited, so I kept the energy up as much as I could. Other people in the class helped out a lot, too!

Anyway, after the class, one of the girls that was brand new asked me to show her one of the moves she hadn't gotten the hang of. We ended up talking for about half an hour about her "weight loss journey," where she started, what her goals are, how she's doing it. She has an amazing story, and she's done it all on her own. She figured out her nutrition, what works for her. She's found workouts online that she can do in the gym. She just recently started going to group fitness classes which is where I met her the first time, and the second when she came to Jam. She mentioned how much fun she had in class and it totally made my night. Just talking with her has pushed me and helped continue my own progress. She's promised she'll be back every week, and I hope she is! Seeing and talking with her is going to help me immensely with my own goal! I can't wait until we have both reached what we are hoping for!

Office F-U-N

2011-02-09T11:27:00.007-07:00

That's right, sometimes I CAN have fun in the office! People at work (for the most part) have been very supportive of my "sugar fast". They all know and understand what I'm doing and why I'm doing it. They even humor me when I ask them to eat cinnamon lips in front of me so I can live vicariously through them... torture, I know, but it makes me feel a little better.

The other day, one of the other girls at work brought in some festive (for yucky Valentine's Day) paper and a paper cutter so we could make a chain for the number of days I have left to go without sugar. The chain will last until the day of the Ogden Marathon. On this day, I have decided that I will have three things waiting at the finish line: a bag of cinnamon bears, a bag of Cadbury Mini Eggs, and my Valentine's cookie from my mom. I can hardly WAIT until that day... which is still 102 days away!

Anyway, for our paper chain ritual, every morning we loudly play a "sugar" or "reducing chain links" song, cut off a link of the chain, and have a party for the 4 or 5 minutes. It's actually hilarious. The first song we chose for the month of February was requested by one of the guys in our office... "Take It Off" by Ke$ha. Other songs for future months include:

"Sugar" by Flo Rida
"Sugar" by The JaneDear Girls
"Pour Some Sugar on Me" by Def Leppard
"The Final Countdown" by Europe (for the last few weeks, woot woot!)

We started this morning (even though Shea isn't here to sing his song) and jammed out while I cut the first link. Even though the chain is SUPER long, it was kind of fun! Still, I'm looking forward to the day that chain as just a few links left!

P.S. 102 days with just a few songs... suggestions are welcome!

Fun End!

2011-02-04T07:25:00.002-07:00

This week has been a little crazy, trying to keep up with the changes at work. This post will be fairly short because of lack of time. Not having a specific manager, I've been getting tasks from three different people which has kept me busy and made the week go by fast, but a little stressful at the same time.

Tuesday this week I was able to teach Jam up in O-town again which is always a blast. Nikki was going to help me in Layton again this week, but she tried out for "So You Think You Can Dance" that morning and didn't make it back in time because.... she got a call back! Hence the reason today is going to be fun! I'm only working a partial day because I get to go down and watch her dance for the judges and hopefully make it to Vegas!

Not a ton of details, but I'll let everyone know how this thing turns out! Watching people dance all day... my kind of start to the weekend!

What a week...

2011-01-28T08:08:00.003-07:00

I've been unintentionally avoiding blogging this week, but needed to get it done this morning seeing how it is my last opportunity with a computer that has the internet. It's been such a long, rough week that I can hardly believe I made it through.

Last Friday, my manager (the only good manager I've ever had) informed me and my coworkers that he is leaving the company. Today is actually his last day. I was completely shocked and kind of devastated. Working for him the last year or so has been a great experience. He was so willing to help me learn, pushed me to do things that would help me grow, was always praising and thankful when I did something well. When I found out he was leaving, I was freaked out. I didn't (and really, I still don't) know who my new manager will be. It could turn out fairly good, or really, really bad. All weekend I couldn't help but just burst out into tears at random moments. Don't get me wrong, I'm happy for my old manager. He has a fantastic opportunity and I'm glad he took it. But not knowing where my job sits is very unsettling. Being in the dark has always been hard for me.

Monday night, I had to sub in O-town so I drove up to my parents' house after so I wouldn't be alone that night. I honestly don't remember the drive from the gym to their house because I was so upset. I talked with my parents for a while, got a blessing from my dad, and seemed to feel a little better. I was still on edge, but I didn't feel like crying. After I got home that night, my old roommate came over and we talked for a while. I'm so lucky to have support for times like this!

The rest of the week has just been kind of a blur. I'm hoping that by Monday, I'll know where I stand with my job and I'll be able to make the right decisions concerning the situation. For now, I'm glad this week is over and I can take some stress relief time this weekend... hopefully!

You've Got to Show Me JAM!!!

2011-01-20T08:43:00.008-07:00

I know I've already posted this week, but something so fantastic happened I just had to write about it. It's even a kind of fix to my earlier post...

I've been teaching Body Jam for almost exactly two years now. I was completely in love at first. It was so awesome to get up there week after week and dance with some of the most awesome and inspiring people I've ever met. Over the last couple of months, between getting my RPM certification, my own RPM class and losing my Jam partner to a very, very sweet cause, I was getting less passionate about Jam. My class moved to a new time which seems to pick up for a while but then started slowing down again. Numbers kept dropping and I was getting extremely frustrated and tired. This week totally reopened my eyes to why I actually do what I do and why I love it so much.

Every three months we release new music and new moves to every program. RPM was a blast last week and is still a lot of fun. But Tuesday night this week was almost a brand new experience. We launched Jam in O-town and, with over 50 people in the class, totally rocked it! I honestly don't think I've personally taught better than I did that night. It felt so amazing and to see that many people just letting go and having a fantastic time made me realize why I push myself so much. Teaching with Mike and Nikki (and missing Sherry, who was in the class with her baby bump) was completely incredible. I had so much fun, but it made me very nervous for Wednesday night, my class. Our numbers don't even come close to competing with Ogden, and I was worried our launch there was going to be a bust with maybe 10 or 12 people.

As the starting time got closer, more people I had never seen before kept showing up. We only had about 4 or 5 regulars, but we had 29 PEOPLE show up for our launch. Compared to over 50, it doesn't seem like much, but it's a smaller club and that is more than I've ever seen in my class! The energy from everyone participating was absolutely perfect. The three of us had a blast teaching, again, and it was the best time I've had in a very, very long time.

I got home and had a quick text chat with Nik about how we can pull out it in Layton every week and I seriously broke down crying. It felt so good to be back in my zone and love every second of it! I seriously never want this feeling to end! So here's the JAM message...

love...

Cabin Fever!

2011-01-18T08:38:00.003-07:00

I decided I moved into my own place at the wrong time of year. Don't get me wrong, I love my apartment. However, with the weather turning bitter (and I mean bitter) cold outside I'm forced to stay in a lot. For a while I was catching up on photo editing and enjoying the time alone. Now I'm all caught up (pictures from Europe coming soon) and I really have nothing to occupy my time.

Last night was pretty great. I got to spend some time with an old roommate who I hadn't really seen or talked to much since I moved out. I love that I'm getting to be with my friends again... hoping to keep up the trend this weekend!

I guess all I'm pretty much saying is I can't WAIT for winter to be over so I can spend more time outside. I'm excited to go running, hang out on my little deck, just be outside without being super cold! BRING ON THE WARM WEATHER! Please :)

Challenge!

2011-01-13T12:04:00.002-07:00

Well, the work week is almost over which means my opportunity to keep up my "resolution" would be greatly reduced. I thought I'd write about the freaky dream I had last night that woke me up around 1:30 this morning, but even I've had enough of my dreams! So I want to let you know about my challenge. Telling people will make it easier to keep up with since I'll be accountable!

This last Monday marked the beginning of the Gold's Gym Challenge in our area. A 90 day competition to see who can lose the highest percentage body weight. The competition is usually just for members, but this year they are offering a separate competition for employees. The prizes aren't as huge, but it should still be a good opportunity. I'm not really even expecting to win anything, just in it for the hopeful self-improvement.

As of Jan. 1st, I was not allowing myself to eat processed sugar. My desserts consisted of a piece of fruit. I'm keeping that up at least until the contest is ended (more than likely until my marathon in May) and hopefully that will add to the progress. It's SO HARD when I visit my parents' house on Sundays and smell the homemade goodness that comes from the oven, but I've resisted so far! We'll see how that goes :)

I'm also changing my routine at the gym. I had gotten too used to my classes and I wasn't seeing any changes. The only classes that will remain the same are the ones I teach. Otherwise, I'll be switching it up! And I'll be adding running in, too, since I need to be training! As soon as I get my new running shoes I'll be on the treadmill.

That's pretty much it. I feel like if people know what I need to be doing, I'll be more likely to keep up with it. If anyone reading this wants to ask me questions during this challenge, please do! Ask me about progress, good days, bad days, slip ups, anything! The more I have to answer, the better I'll do.

Thanks for reading!

Orange Fizziness

2011-01-06T10:21:00.005-07:00

I know a lot of people make "New Year's Resolutions" around this time... I for one hate that phrase. I would rather make short term goals and hit them. HOWEVER, one goal I do have for this WHOLE YEAR is to make at least one blog post per week. This being the first full week of the year, I'm starting now!

I previously blogged about the weird dreams I have when I take Emergen-C before bed. I have now determined that it is not only this health related product, but Alka-Seltzer Plus Cold (orange flavor) that produces this outcome as well. I have had a sinus infection since Saturday (not long enough for antibiotics, sadly) so I've been taking all kinds of decongestants and whatnot. My favorite discovery so far has been the new orange fizz. The dosage states that a person can take this product every 4 hours. If I followed that, I would never be conscious. It knocks me out for a full 8 hours, meaning I sleep through my alarm if I don't take it early enough in the evening (late for work TWICE this week).

Last night, I had one of the strangest dreams and I'm convinced it's a result of my medication. I dreamed that I was in a field with praying mantises all around me. Not really a big deal, right? Except, in my dream, these little insects had two spiked forelegs (which they actually do) that were used to dig into people, transfer poison into our blood, and kill us (which they DO NOT do - to my knowledge). One mantis got its spikes into me, but I got them out in just enough time to not be killed. I finally escaped the field and went to my sister's house where her kids were OBSESSED with lizards. I found it strange, but figured "kids, they have weird obsessions". By the end of my dream, after I had unconsciously turned off my alarm, my sister and her husband were starting to turn INTO lizards. This finally freaked me out enough to wake me up...

On a side note, I do have other goals, one of which I have enlisted the help of a friend for. Here's hoping success is in the near future! Let me know if you see any changes :)

Another side note... I changed the name of my business AND my business blog. If you'd like to see it (I'm trying to not make it easily accessible to a few certain people) let me know and I'll give you the address!

Happiness...

2010-12-23T08:59:00.003-07:00

In high school, we sang the song from You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown called Happiness. It's such a sweet song and I kinda had it running through my mind the other day.

I'm pretty sure it's because of the time of year, but this whole week I haven't been able to stop SMILING! I've decided that I'm loving life right now. I have a good job that pays the bills, two other jobs that I love and get to do often, an amazing family, and a few really great friends. I love this season, because it helps me reflect on what is great about my life. I've had so many amazing opportunities this year and it's incredible. I am one lucky girl :) that's it!

On another note... I wish we had snow for Christmas. The end.

Thinking out loud...

2010-12-15T08:47:00.003-07:00

I just needed to post about a couple things I've been thinking about lately.

Recently, a friend of mine lost someone very close to her. I have been thinking about this friend ever since and get tears in my eyes every time I do. She is such a sweet person and completely selfless and nice to everyone. I love her so much and hate that she has to go through this tragedy. On the same note, this has made me so much more aware of how grateful I am for my family and the amazing people they are. They are wonderful examples and best of all, we love each other so much and we are so close. It almost makes me hurt even more for my friend because I don't know how I would cope losing any member of my family. I'm sitting here crying just thinking about it! I hope that in the coming days my friend knows how much I love her. She probably won't even read this (not many people do, I suspect) but at least someone out there will know how I'm feeling.

This also makes me grateful to know that IF something like this were to happen in my family, I at least have the knowledge that it wouldn't be the end. I'm not usually one to broadcast my beliefs on the internet (although I probably should be) but I do know that when this life is all over I will be with my family again. It might hurt for a little while, but we'll all be together eventually, and I find a great deal of comfort in that. I honestly can't imagine eternity without my amazing family.

Thinking out loud complete... for now.

List of 99

2010-12-08T09:26:00.003-07:00

It's been a very, VERY long time since I've blogged, but I'm thinking it's something I want to start up again. In the mean time, here's a list I stole from my friend's blog. 99 things, and italicized are the things I've done. I was kind of surprised by how many there are!

1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon (MAY 2011!!!)
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person (I think)
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied (it happened once...)
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job - For the record, I was rehired three days later... it's a long story.
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person (again, I'm pretty sure I did, but I was too young to remember)
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating?
88. Had the chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit - Coming soon...
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee

So... tired...

2009-12-28T07:29:00.003-07:00

I went over to my tan truck to get my bag out and there were two guys leaning against the truck smoking. Fabulous I though to myself. I unlocked the truck, grabbed my bag, locked it back up and started to walk away. "Do you think you could, um, not smoke leaning against my truck?" I said as I turned to face the two guys. "No, I don't think we can do that," the blond one said.
"Seriously, get away from my car."
"Seriously, get over it."
This infuriated me. I must have been having a bad day, and this confrontation made me snap. I grabbed my phone out of my pocket and started to dial 9-1-1, but the blond smoker had his phone out too while the brunette just stood there.
"I'd like to report a small child choking," the creep said as I heard the dispatcher from my phone ask for the emergency information.
"The guy I'm standing next to is reporting a small child choking, and he's lying. He's also threatening me," I told the woman I was talking to, although I had a feeling she wasn't going to be any help.
As I tried to explain my situation, the blond guy jumped into a white minivan (which I could only guess was his mother's) and started to speed toward me. I jumped out of the way, and he sped out of the parking lot with his friend in a blue minivan following close behind him.
Even with the two of them gone, I still didn't feel right about the situation. Uneasily, I went to my first class.
Class hadn't started yet, but spectators who had seen the incident in the parking lot were wildly talking about what they had just seen. A friend of mine came over, put his arm around me, and kissed me on the top of my head.
"That was kinda freaky," he said as he picked up the bag he had set down a moment ago. "Guess what, though. I'm recording in your booth today."
Honestly, I had no idea what he was talking about and I was a little distracted, so all I could mutter back was, "cool."
He left, and everyone in my class took their seats, avoiding the desks close to me. I should have known this was a sign of what was to come, but I thought nothing of it.
Just after class had started, I saw a dog sitting just outside the open door, staring at me.
The dog seemed massive, a rottweiler doberman pincher mix, foaming at the mouth. I hadn't noticed a dog with the two men in the parking lot, but I was sure it belonged to them.
Everyone else in the room looked to see what I was staring at just as the dog started moving closer to me.
"Just talk to it, try to calm it down," my brother said quietly over the hushed crowd and dog's growls.
"Lucy, it's ok. You don't need to hurt anyone," I said to the beast. I don't know how I knew the dog's name, it just came to me.
As she inched closer, scowling, I laid my hand on her head to try and calm her. As I did this, I noticed the two men had slit her throat. It was a clean cut, and she wasn't bleeding. I knew they had done this as a message to me. If she couldn't finish me off, they would come back and do the job themselves.
Lucy kept eyeing me, intent do to what she was sent here to do. I put both hands on her head behind her ears to try and show her I didn't want to hurt her, hoping she would return the favor.
I could see she wasn't going to give up on her mission, so I carefully placed my leg in a position that when she lunged for me I could knock her away. I was sure she wouldn't be a match for me from this position. I've been going to the gym so much lately, and my legs are really strong I thought to myself.
Without much time to react, Lucy jumped toward me, teeth bared. I placed my foot in the hollow of her stomach, and her face fell just short of mine. She was so close at this point I could see directly into the hole in her neck. Her vocal chords vibrated as she whimpered from my blow.
It was then I remembered the others in the room. Why aren't they coming to help me?
As I stared at the dog, wondering when she would regain her strength to strike again, my brother ran over and poured hot liquid down her throat through the open hole.
"This will put her to sleep," he said as he held up a box of Theraflu.
I thought it was strange, but the dog started to doze so I was thankful... very, very thankful.
Just before the dog fell asleep she looked inside of her and said,"I'm sorry, my babies."
I looked into the body of the now lifeless dog and watched as three puppies whimpered and died.
It was horrible that such a creature and her little babies had to die, but I was very relieved. I had survived the attack, for now. I knew the men from the parking lot would find out I was still alive and finish the job the dog was sent to do. But, for now, I was safe.

This is the dream that woke me up just after 4 this morning after having gone to bed around 12:30. I was so freaked, I couldn't get back to sleep. Let's hope there isn't a sequel and I can get some restful sleep tonight!

So... it's been a while :)

2009-11-25T15:09:00.003-07:00

Ok, so it's been since the end of September since I blogged last... oops! I told myself that once I graduated and had more time I would blog more but that hasn't happened. I'm redeeming myself now!

After I graduated in May I couldn't find a job to save my soul! I looked all the time, but never got anywhere. My sister, Joann, and her family lived with us for a while during the summer while they hunted for a new house, so my life wasn't totally boring. I did have a photo job here and there, too, which I loved. Those jobs definitely save me as far as money goes! You can see most of the pictures on my other blog, stare at them, gawk over them, fall in love with them, etc. :) just kidding...

In August, I was getting really fed up with not having employment. I had an interview with Sherwood Hills in the Sardine Canyon, but nothing ever came of that. I'm really happy that I didn't get that job, though. It wouldn't have been a good job for me. In the middle of August, when Sherry and I were on our way up to Boise to see Gandalf (YAYAH!) I got two, got that, TWO calls for two different interviews the next day. I went to my first interview with GroupLink and felt really good about it. The interview went really well and it just felt like a good environment. The second interview, which I had to race to get to, was for a chiropractic office. It was a group interview and really not a great position. I kept praying that I would get the job at GroupLink, and about a week later they called and offered me the position! I was so, so, SO happy! I was literally jumping up and down for hours! I couldn't start until after I came back from Phoenix for Dan and Dalena's open house, so my official first day was August 31st.

I've been working as a technical writer for almost three months. The people I work with are great... mostly guys which accounts for considerably less drama - not no drama, but less. My desk is next to a huge window which looks out at the Bountiful temple and it's beautiful! After six months, I'll have benefits including health insurance so that's awesome, too.

Working in Bountiful has been good but the commute is really crappy. I'm looking into moving to the Layton/Kaysville area with an awesome girl from my ward. She works further south, as well, and it would be great for both of us.

I'm really super excited (if you can't tell) about all these changes. This weekend I'm going to brave the Black Friday crowds and see if I can't get some awesome deals on necessities for my new place (whenever it presents itself). CAN'T WAIT!!!

Crazy

2009-09-28T19:49:00.004-06:00

So, just a quick story...
Today, for lunch, a co-worker and I went to the local Albertson's to get something quick for lunch and so I could get some water. Our water cooler is starting to taste nasty and I really needed the good stuff, but that's beside the point. We were walking out of the store when a guy sitting in his car yelled to us about all the stuff we had. After we set our loads in the car, he yelled to us to come over. I didn't dare, but Jay walked right over. The guy started talking about how Albertson's was recently bought out by another chain and the name would change soon. Then he started talking about another store that was in the same situation just down the road. He was telling us about how "NiQuil in the regular stores is like nine bucks, but right now you can get it there for a buck-fifty, and that's great cuz I got this cold I'm tryin' to get rid of..." Wow, then he asked how long we had been married... uh, seeing as how I just met the guy a month ago, it couldn't have been long! He told us that we should go over to that other store and get some "high-end perfume... you know, the stuff that's normally sixty bucks... you can get it there for about $10." Jay kept telling him that we just worked together, but he was pretty adamant in telling us about these great deals. Finally, we told him we had to get back to the office (yeah, office... I'll write that up later). The whole way back, Jay was making fun of him. It was hilarious. People can be so nuts!

It's about time!

2009-08-25T22:57:00.002-06:00

I had a light bulb go on today... I realized that the reason I haven't posted for a while (other than my exciting trip to Boise) because I felt like since I didn't have a job I didn't have anything worth writing about. Since I graduated I've done nothing but Body Jam, take a few pictures, and look for a job. I was getting so irritated from not having any interest or interviews from anyone that it was affecting my whole life. I've been really frustrated for a really long time and every little thing that went wrong just added fuel to the fire. A little while ago, I finally got an interview with a resort in Sardine Canyon, but after the interview I didn't hear anything back from them... not even a phone call or email saying they "went another way"! I was a little bummed because that had been my only interview since graduation.
Last week, after the Gandalf Extravaganza, I had a really great interview with a technical support company called Group Link based in Bountiful. Everything went really well and they seemed pretty impressed with my resume. Yesterday, I got a call from them asking for some references and examples of my writing and other projects from school. I sent them this morning and got a job offer from them this afternoon!
Seriously, I have been praying so hard for so long that I would find a JOB, any job! And now I've found one that will actually utilize what I learned in school and that will allow me to grow in my abilities. It's so amazing how things can come out of nowhere. I have until Friday to accept the offer and I'm still praying that all the kinks can get worked out so I can become part of the team and FINALLY have a job... and a way to pay the bills!
Thanks to everyone that has supported me and prayed for me these past few months. It's definitely paid off!!!

AWESOME!!!

2009-08-19T22:28:00.003-06:00

Ok, I know it's been pretty much FOREVER since I've posted, ever after I promised to update on what's been going on. I'm just at the point in my life right now where every day is the same. I've graduated which is pretty exciting. It would be more exciting if I could find a job. However, not having a job has allowed me to do some pretty AWESOME things, one in particular that I will be writing about in this post.
I have been teaching Body Jam since January and I absolutely love it! Going to the gym gives me something to look forward to every day when nothing else is going on. I love getting each new release, working my booty off to learn it, and teaching it to the people who actually COME to my class. The feeling I get when I'm teaching is amazing. I love hearing people let go and get crazy because I know they are having as much fun as I am AND getting a wicked awesome workout.
Last week was kinda rough. I had had a rotten day to begin with, but then when I went to my Jam class, not one person showed up. It is so frustrating when I drive all the way to Layton for nothing. I was very upset. But yesterday, that all changed.
Part of why I love Jam so much is because of the creators who love it possibly more than I do. Yesterday, around 10 in the morning Sherry (my teaching partner) and I drove four hours to Boise, ID. There is a reason for this insanity, I assure you. Last year, the Boise Gold's gym participated in a program called "Dance 4 Life" where they raised money for AIDS awareness (I think). They won the competition... and their prize was to have the Director and Choreographer of Body Jam come teach a master class at their gym.
As soon as we heard about his visit, we made plans to attend the class. The drive was totally worth it! We got there early, ate a small dinner, went to the gym, got ready, and waited for about an hour for the class to start.
As soon as Gandalf entered the room, the energy was completely different! We were so stoked and so excited! He started teaching the class (with his awesome New Zealand accent) and it was amazing. The microphone went out about half way through the class, but he still did an amazing job. The routine was off the hook and, even though I was dying, I had a BLAST! Afterward, he stuck around for pictures and Sherry and I got to get a picture with him and just the two of us.

I don't know how to put it so everyone will understand how huge this was for us! I guess you could say it's like a starving, aspiring singer meeting their favorite singer in person. It was so... AWESOME! I have been giddy ever since, and you can probably see why. He was really cool, too. We got to talk to him a bit after all the picture-takin'. He told us about his cute wife (who is also an instructor) and their new cute little baby. It was so cool to see how down to earth he is.
After the class, we went and changed and drove home that night (I had to get back for an interview in the morning) but we were so wired that the natural high kept us up and safe. It was a totally AWESOME day!!! Thanks to Sherry for telling me about it and going up with me!
AWESOME!!!!!

P.S. My class tonight had about 26 people... it ROCKED!

It's been a while!

2009-05-25T12:51:00.002-06:00

I realize it has been a very, very long time since I last posted and a lot has happened in my life since then. I'm not going to go into details right now. I'll most likely do each event in it's own detailed post (hopefully with pictures!) and catch up that way. Just be aware that very soon, in the near future, everyone will know where I've been the last couple of months!

Tagged by... Me!

2009-03-16T22:30:00.001-06:00

I just visited my friend's website, and she had this fabulous "tag" on her blog. I love it because it is a "tag yourself if you want to be tagged" so no pressure for anyone who doesn't want to do it!! How great is that?!So here are the rules: The first five people to respond to this post will get something made by me! My choice. For you. This offer does have some restrictions and limitations:

1- I make no guarantees that you will like what I make!
2- What I create will be just for you.
3- It'll be done this year.
4- You have no clue what it's going to be.

The catch is that you must repost this on your blog and offer the same to the first 5 people who do the same on your blog. The first 5 people to do so and leave a comment telling me they did win a FAB-U-LOUS homemade gift by me! Oh, and be sure to post a picture of what you win when you get it!!!So there you have it! If you want me to make something for you...hmm, what could it be? A new toilet paper dispenser? just leave me a message.

My Family

2009-02-24T21:18:00.002-07:00

I very much appreciate my parents for teaching me to be a good person (don't laugh, mom). I was brought up to know that I should do all I can to help someone when they really need me. I have always tried to really help as much as I can when one of my friends or family members is in a bind. There may have been times when I couldn't help out, but I do when I can.
As much as I appreciate the way I was brought up, it severely screwed me up...
As much as we may try to help, we should refrain because most of the time, those you are helping wouldn't do the same in return. If we help someone by picking them up if they are stranded or trying to make them happy when they are sad or chewing out a guy when he's hurt our best friend... none of that matters when we need the help.
Don't get me wrong, I know there are a few exceptions to everything. There are a few people who are willing to help... my parents for example (hence the way I learned to help friends). However, when I am in desperate need of doing something, a certification video for example, the people I try to help blow me off.
Now, I know I'm very frustrated right now and I know I will most likely feel at least a little different in the morning, but if I didn't at least write how I'm feeling I would probably explode as I try to sleep tonight.
For those of you who are and have been willing to help me, I am very grateful and I will always be there for you when you need me.
For those of you who choose frivolous activities with others when I really need you... well, I may not be available if you call.
When I have a family of my own, I may just teach my kids to count on themselves and no one else. That way they won't get disappointed as much!

ALL CLEAR!!!

2009-02-17T21:59:00.001-07:00

No, I'm not talking about the snow (obviously) or my face (tragically) or guys, although I do have a date on friday :)

I'm talking about GRADUATION!!! About a week and a half ago I had a meeting with my Comm advisor just after I paid $30 for my graduation application. She put the notes in my file that, barring any incompletes I may get from my classes this semester, my major is all clear for a graduation on May 1st! This did not mean I was ready by any means... I won't be "ready" until I know I've passed all my classes. However, I met with my minor advisor today and, save an incomplete from my independent study this semester, I will be TOTALLY set to graduate! I'm so overly excited about this, as anyone who has attended college for more than 4 years would know! Yes, I'm only getting a Bachelor's degree and I've been at the school for 7 years. That is completely beside the point.
The fact is, I am FINALLY graduating and it feels AMA-ZA-ZING!!! I am completely stoked and can't wait until that day actually comes! But, until then, I will keep doing what I need to do to get there.
Hallelujah!!!

Catching up...

2009-02-01T22:24:00.011-07:00

It's been way, way, WAY too long since I've blogged and I feel really bad about that. I was actually going to try and be really good this year and, well, January flew by with only one post... so I blew it. But I can always start now, right?
So much has happened since Jan. 4th... I started my (hopefully) very last semester of school FOREVER! I still can't believe I've been there for so long and it's going to be over in about three months. Things are going really well, I guess. I procrastinate A LOT but I just get in moods when I really don't want to do school work. In fact, I have to wake up really early tomorrow so I can write a storyboard for a music video that's due tomorrow. I'll hopefully get it done before 7:30ish so I can go to the gym and get a run in.
I've been slacking a lot there, too. I'm all signed up to run the Ogden half marathon in May and I'm only at 3 miles consistently. I might be able to do more, but when I do go running I only have time to run 3 miles. I am teaching Body Jam tuesdays and thursday, so that's giving me a little extra cardio exercise, plus I practice almost every day. I have to make a video of my class to send to the corporate Les Mills so I can be certified which means I will be able to teach Jam in any facility that is licensed for it. I'm really stoked, but really nervous. I plan on making a few different videos so I can send the absolute best I have! That's about the extent of my physical activity which needs to change if I going to contribute anything to the family weight loss challenge. I'm not doing so well with any sort of diet... I blow it about every three days or so. I'm going to reach my goals if it kills me, so I'll keep working at it.
I am still in choir this semester, my very last one. I was going to not go back, but when I found out that within my 18 credit hours I still somehow had 11 free every day, that was a sign that I needed to be there. So far this year, we gotten to sing for the Prophet (way cool), and member of the 70 and one ward. A week from today, we'll sing for two more wards. It really is fun, and I am actually making more friends this semester, although for some reason I'm losing some, too. Just a side note... boys are stupid.
Anyway, one more thing that has changed this year is my social life. Surprisingly, quitting my job didn't give me as much free time as I'd hoped. I can't even imagine how much more exhausted and burnt out I would be if I were still working. Anyway, a few friends and I started having date nights about every other week. The first was kind of a bust, not exactly what we had planned but still kinda fun. I was a little preoccupied because it was during my BJ training and I had a routine to learn that night after everyone left, but it turned out ok in the end. The second one, just about a week ago, was actually really fun. I took an old friend who I hadn't seen in a while and all six of us had a lot of fun just playing games. This weekend, we're going to do pretty much the same thing, only we are all going to make dinner together. It should be pretty fun... I hope!
Last, but not least, I just wanted to post some pictures. They are all pretty old, but I don't remember writing about any of them, so I thought I'd make this very LONG post a little more interesting (because that's what pictures do... make things more interesting). ENJOY!!!
This is from when my ward went to Temple Square at Christmas time... a little old but it's such a generic picture, I had to share mine!
Ha this is a present my sister's family gave my dad for his birthday. It's for when we go camping so everyone can find our spot!
This is my super cute Bo Man playing with his new toy on Christmas. He didn't really know how to use it, he was just trying to copy his older cousins :)
Oh yeah! We painted my room... It's not exactly put together yet, so there will be a whole story later when it is... hopefully BEFORE the end of the semester!
This is from our first date night... my date Jonathan and the other Lisa.
This is from a LONG time ago. I stole Alexis and took her to do baptisms and to get ice cream. We went to the WSU football game afterward, then to take some engagement pictures, and then to dinner at Rumbi Island Grill where I think they gave me fish instead of chicken because I started getting itchy. Gross! P.S. the guy behind us is my date this friday...
This precious photo is from yesterday :) Amber came up after work because we were having a girls' night and she came early to help me practice BJ. I didn't want to jam right after I ate so while we waited, she "watched" t.v. with dad. They were both asleep after about 20 minutes and I had to take a picture. Tender!
Ok, that's all :)

Nervousness

2009-01-04T22:27:00.002-07:00

Tomorrow I start my last semester of school... my very last forever. Of course I'm excited to be finishing up. Getting through school has been really, really hard for me, though. I've never really liked school, except for the occasional classes that I'm passionate about. But this semester is a little different. I will be taking 18 credit hours, plus two Institute classes, equalling seven classes and an internship. Luckily, I saved enough money last semester that I don't have to work, which is a great blessing! I quit my job (another, more thorough post about that after my last day...) but I will get to do a couple weddings during the semester, which I absolutely love! I will also get to teach a class at my gym, which will only be maybe one day a week.
This whole experience will be so different, and I'm very nervous. I haven't been jobless in six and a half years, and that scares me a little bit. I'm praying that no major expenses come up within the next four months and that I will be able to make it through.
Another thing that makes me nervous (now please, don't laugh) is a few of my friends and I have decided that we want to have date nights at least twice a month. I haven't been on a date since I started working my job last August. So pathetic, I know, but there just isn't much time when you work nights! Now that that job is over with (or will be on tuesday) I will have a lot more time to spend with family and friends and meeting new people.

Lots of changes, lots of drama (in my eyes) and a lot of unknown... but hopefully a lot of good will come out of the next few months!

P.S. If anyone has ideas on FREE dates (seeing as how my funds are pretty much non existent) I would be very grateful for input!

Hallelujah!

2008-12-12T23:19:00.005-07:00

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 :(

2008-12-05T12:21:00.002-07:00

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!!!

2008-11-30T18:51:00.005-07:00

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...

2008-11-30T18:40:00.006-07:00

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!

2008-11-25T23:13:00.004-07:00

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...

2008-11-19T01:52:00.005-07:00

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

2008-11-15T11:43:00.006-07:00

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...)

2008-11-10T23:03:00.006-07:00

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...

2008-11-09T22:40:00.003-07:00

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

2008-10-29T01:02:00.009-06:00

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

2008-10-27T22:55:00.003-06:00

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...

2008-10-14T00:14:00.006-06:00

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!!!

2008-10-08T22:25:00.003-06:00

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

2008-10-05T18:01:00.007-06:00

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

2008-10-01T22:44:00.005-06:00

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

2008-09-30T14:54:00.006-06:00

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

2008-09-21T22:39:00.003-06:00

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

2008-09-17T23:16:00.003-06:00

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

2008-09-14T20:54:00.007-06:00

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...

2008-09-09T22:09:00.008-06:00

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!

2008-08-29T22:46:00.005-06:00

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!

2008-08-25T12:45:00.003-06:00

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...

2008-08-20T13:07:00.004-06:00

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...

2008-08-11T11:05:00.002-06:00

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

2008-08-10T17:18:00.005-06:00

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!!!

2008-08-06T08:53:00.003-06:00

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!

2008-07-30T23:00:00.003-06:00

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

2008-07-27T23:35:00.009-06:00

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!

Super Summer...

2008-07-27T23:16:00.006-06:00

So before I head to bed tonight I thought I would quickly blog about my experience at the NO 25th Ward Super Summer Activity.
We went up to Alpine, WY to go white water rafting, so of course I was ecstatic! My family was supposed to go up there the same weekend so I was going to raft with the ward on Thursday and with the family on Friday, but they ended up not going. So wednesday I drove up with my dad and a few people from the ward and we set up camp. That night there were a few... over-excited... people by the camp fire until the wee hours of the morning. Needless to say, I was a little ticked about the noise level and my inability to sleep through it. Oh, well...
Thursday was my rafting day. I went on the first two runs, jumping in the freezing cold river on the first. It was so much fun and not as dangerous as we thought it would be with the water level where it was. The third run I went to take pictures of everyone on the rafts. It was a lot of fun!
That night, we went to see the Bar J Wranglers... the highlight for me... I love going to their show! Of course, it could have a little something to do with how handsome Brian is :) anyway, the show was hilarious, as expected and then we went back to camp for s'mores which I did splurge on.
Friday I didn't get to raft at all so I spent my time taking pictures and video at Lunch Counter (with Sam's help) and goofing around at the lake near our camp site. It was a lot of fun with our cheap blow up water loungers which, of course, I never got a picture of!
That night we had testimony meeting which was really good... they usually are... except for the fact that I 'thought' I was getting eaten by mosquitos all over. I didn't sleep well because I was itching so bad all night long. When we FINALLY got home Saturday (finally only because I was still itching miserabley) I realized it wasn't bites at all. I was having an allergic reaction to something, I never did figure out what. I've never been allergic to anything before, so it was really frustrating. I took benedryl every 4 hours without fail. The rash never completely went away until maybe Wednesday. It was pretty awful. But besides the nastiness of huge red welts all over, the trip was pretty fun! Sam and Kim and I bonded and had a blast!
It was really fun having dad there, too! :)

Photographs

2008-07-25T23:28:00.006-06:00

Here are three photographs I took around sunset while we were at the beach. I'm planning on putting one of these in the Weber County and Utah State Fairs. My personal favorite is the one with the little girl. Let me know which one you would vote for!

Oceanside

Oceanside Girl

Oceanside Birds

Chino, CA

2008-07-23T22:40:00.005-06:00

Ok, so it's been a while, and now that I have a few down minutes I thought I would FINALLY write about my latest Cali experience! So here goes...
Once I FINALLY got to Ontario (after a very lengthy delay in Phoenix...see previous post) I was greeted by Lindsay and her mom at the airport. I was just so excited to be where I was so supposed to be! Because of lack of sleep, you'd think that I would have been exhausted, but I think the sugar rush from my cinnabon kicked in. We went back to the house and Lindsay showed me her wedding dress. We had sort of decided not to do pictures that day like we'd originally planned, but when I saw it, we had to get them done! We did her hair and went and took some pretty good photographs. I'm not allowed to post any of them yet, because the wedding isn't until September :) but I will later...promise! Anyway, as soon as we were done we picked up her fiance, Anthony, from work and went back to the house. My sugar rush must not have lasted too long because I totally crashed for about 3 hours. When I woke up, we ate dinner and headed off to her 'bachelorette party.' We went and played bridal shower games and ate a TON of food (not good for trying to fit into a dress...oh well) and just talked for a while. Later we decided to go to a restaurant called... BJ's I think...in our party attire which, for Lindsay, consisted of a tiara and a Bride to Be sash. We got a lot of comments and it was really fun. We got home about 1:30 and crashed again.
Saturday was Lindsay's day at work so I hung out with Anthony all afternoon. We went swimming at her grandparents house with her sister, Kelly, and had fun. Later, we picked up Lindsay from work, but after she had seen some of my other pictures, she decided that she wanted sunset bridals. So we put the dress back on and took more photos. It was a lot more fun because she was so much more excited about the time of day! Later that night we went to a 21 and over video arcade, Dave & Busters, where I won enough tickets to get a t-shirt... I totally rocked! Ha ha...
Sunday, we went to the singles ward, home for lunch, and then off to my 'surprise.' We went to Huntington Beach and had a bonfire. Lindsay had read in an email I'd sent her that I had never had a bon fire on the beach, so she wanted to do something special for me that I had never done... AW! It was windy, but still really fun! We walked along the shore, roasted hot dogs, and took pictures. I loved it! I just wished the wind had settled a little but it was worth it.
Monday morning, I got on a plane and flew home. Other than major turbulence, the flight process wasn't NEARLY as bad as the trip down was...
It was an awesome trip, and I'm so excited to go back in September for the wedding!

The Arizona Monsoon

2008-07-12T12:57:00.003-06:00

Thursday night I left to fly to California to see Lindsay. I got the the SL airport just after 5 because my parents were going to ward temple night and had to be there at 7. I didn't mind getting to the airport early because I brought a book with me so I figured I could just get a good head start on it before my plane took off. Little did I know how much I could get done...
The plane from SL to Phoenix was supposed to leave at 8 p.m. The plane finally arrived at the SL airport around 10 so with much frustration we quickly boarded the plane. It finally arrived in Phoenix at 10:30 amidst the pouring rain...that's right, rain in Phoenix. Apparently it is monsoon season in Arizona! I wish someone would have told me that before I planned my trip! We got off the plane to a crowded airport full of people whose flights were delayed just like mine... I met some really nice people, 3 who were going to Seattle and one who was going to Vegas. They were trying to throw garbage into the recycle bin that I was cozied up next to. One woman mentioned to me that she wasn't aiming for me but apologized in advance if she did hit me which she did on the next try! After about an hour all four got on planes and left I would guess between an hour and two hours later. My flight ended up getting cancelled, but don't worry, they told us about an hour after they found out and we had to ask them, they didn't announce it! Lame... so I stood in one of three lines of at least 20 people to get my ticket changed while on hold on the phone to see if I could get through to the airline faster. By this time it was about 2:00 in the morning and I was exhausted! My phone battery died just before I got to the counter and the guy got me on the next flight to Ontario... at 7:00 in the morning. I almost just had him put me on the next flight back to SL... I had talked to my brother who lives in Mesa earlier in the evening, but I had woken him up and I didn't want to wake him again because I thought he lived 45 minutes away from the airport and it would be pointless to go to his house for an hour before he had to take me back to the airport before work. So I plugged my phone in and waited for it to charge a bit, grabbed a couple airline blankets and a pillow, rested my head on my camera bag, looped the handle of the other bag around my arm and settled myself on the uncomfortable airport seats for a good night's sleep... of 2 hours. It was about 3:30 in the morning before I finally got to sleep and people coming in to fly woke me up around quarter after 5. I talked to Danny again in the morning and he informed me that he only lived 10 or 15 minutes away from the airport... DANG! I wished I had called him, but oh well. So my plane left on time and I arrived in California at 8:00 in the morning on the 11th, nine hours after I was supposed to... what a great night! Gue...
I bought myself a Cinnabon in the morning.

WAHOO!!!

2008-07-10T13:36:00.003-06:00

Ok, since it's been a while since I posted last, I decided I'm bored enough at work (and excited enough to leave) that I would post about a few wahoo moments I've had the last few days...
So yesterday was pretty much one of the greatest days EVER! I talked to the marketing director at America First (where I will be doing my internship) and found out that he will allow me to start my internship in September! How freaking awesome is that!?! I believe it is paid so, barring any complications, I will be leaving the Weber County Elections Office at the end of August... so sad... NOT! WAHOO!!!
The river is going down, slowly but surely! At this rate, there are sure to be some wicked awesome good times at my ward river trip/family trip next week. I can't wait to get back on the river again... WAHOO!!!
I checked my facebook account last night before I went to bed (very, very late) and noticed that my friend Shnikki is engaged! A few years ago I took some 'engagement pictures' of her and a friend of hers... ok, so they were just posing for me so I could get some experience. Looks like I'll have to take those photos off my website :) Congratulations, Shnikki! WAHOO!!!
I got to go bowling with a few friends tuesday night. I wasn't feeling extremely well and thought about staying home and working on photos, but I decided to get out and have fun... so I did! I love bowling, and the fact that I beat everyone (and my high score) in the second round was just a little bonus... WAHOO!!!
The work week has gone by super fast, which rarely happens. The days have been flying by and for that I am truly grateful... WAHOO!!! (is this getting annoying yet? ha ha)
Oh, yeah... I leave for California to see my Lindsay in SIX HOURS!!! Holy cow, I can't wait to get away from work for a few days and just chill in Chino with my girl and her family. I will have to work a little down there... taking her bridal photos... aw nuts! Ha ha it's a good thing I like that sort of work, eh? Oh, man I can't wait! Be sure to check back for pictures :) WAHOO!!!

Thank you for bearing with my state of utter excitedness...

Fair Photographs

2008-07-04T11:42:00.001-06:00

I am entering three of the photographs from my blog (down on the right side) in the Weber County Fair in August. I could really use some help on choosing the best ones that will maybe win me something! If you can't tell, I like intense color :) I also have a few bridal and wedding photos that would possibly work as well. Let me know what you think, please! I will reorder them as people choose favorites and put the best ones at the top. Thanks everyone!

Blog Award...

2008-07-03T13:38:00.006-06:00

I want to thank Andrea for giving me a blog award! She definitely deserves one in my opinion! The winner of this award must follow a few rules:

Rules
#1 - You have to pick 5 blogs that you consider deserving of this award, whether for creativity, design, interesting material, and/or also contributes to the blogging community, no matter the language.
#2 - Each award has to have the name of the author and also a link to his or her blog to be visited by everyone. (all of mine are on the side of my blog)
#3 - Each winner has to show the award and put the name and link of the blogger who has given him or her the award. (Andrea's is there as well)
#4 - The winner and the one who has given the prize have to show the link of Arte y pico blog, so everyone will know the origin of this award.
#5 - The winner must show these rules. So the following 5 are the winners I have chosen, in no particular order:

Unglamorous
This is my sister's blog, and I'm sure she uses some of her husband's photographs. Most of you now I'm a huge fan of photographs and Justin's are pretty much awesome. She also writes on her blog fairly often which keeps me entertained at work every now and then.

Leslie
I think I've met this woman twice... she is my brother-in-law's best friend's wife. Wow, what a line! I love her blog because it is so beautifully put together and there is so much emotion in her words. It's amazing how much others can learn from one person's hardships.

On The Farm
My cousin is so funny, as you can tell by the title. They have lots of animals and a cute little boy. I like reading this blog because of the pictures, again, and because there is often something new to read!

Arrington Family Blog
Of course... it's all about my family! There are adorable pictures of all my nieces and nephews, and that in and of itself makes a fantastic blog! Ha ha aw!

AAA's Along Our Road
I like this one because my sister-in-law has awesome pictures as well. She also updates fairly often (barring a few weeks when she was out of blogging range) and I like reading about all the fun stuff they do!

I'm adding an honorary 6th because I love Andrea's blog, even though she already has one. Just like she relates to mine, I relate to hers more than she knows! I guess it's safe to say we relate to each other...interesting thought! Andrea, if you read this, you're so cute!

Now it's your turn! Make someone's day (specifically five other people) and give them this award. I suppose this is like one of those chain letters. But I can't promise that you'll find your true love in 5 days or that you'll receive a life changing phone call in 10. I can promise that it makes the recipient feel special...so, why not? Spread the love, people! And thank you for the enjoyment you've brought to myself and others!

Front Runner Here We Come!

2008-07-02T15:16:00.005-06:00

I have a little down time at work, so I decided to write about mine and Tiffany's adventure to Salt Lake saturday afternoon. I'll post pictures later when I get home...
Tiffany and I met at the Union Station Front Runner stop around 12:45 and bought our first tickets ever for the the Front Runner! Riding the train was a lot of fun and, even though it takes a little longer, was so much better than driving down to Salt Lake in traffic. We chatted and took a couple pictures on the train and had fun :) We took Trax to the Gateway and spent a few hours there. We went shopping - it seemed every store we went into was having a sale - and spent money neither of us really have but we had so much fun doing it! We wandered a bit and then went to dinner at California Pizza Kitchen...one of my favorite place. It was nice because the pizzas are big enough that two people can share one, which is what we did. After dinner we decided to head back home because we were supposed to be meeting people later that night and we thought we'd get back in enough time to freshen up a bit. For the first little while on the way back we had to stand, but it wasn't bad at all, even a little adventurous! After a while we found seats at a table on the in-between level of the train and we laid out all the things we bought and took pictures. I'm sure the people around us thought we were crazy, but we were totally having a blast! All in all, despite our missing friends, we had so much fun! I look forward to riding Front Runner again soon... It will be even nicer when we can hop on in Pleasant View!

Car Shows and Beach Boys

2008-07-02T12:07:00.002-06:00

While I was at West Haven Days saturday there was an old fashioned car show next to the end point of the race...
I've been to a few car shows in my lifetime, most just passing by or passing through. I think it must be in the rule book of holding car shows that you have to play Beach Boys songs during the show. Just being next to the car show for about 45 minutes I think I heard probably 4 or 5 Beach Boys songs mixed in with a few other oldies. It's not that I mind the music, I just noticed it seems to be a necessity for the events.
Every time I hear "Daddy Took the T-Bird Away" I will think of the awesome, classic cars from any car show.

First 5k of 2008

2008-07-01T23:19:00.002-06:00

It's been a few days since, but I wanted to write about my first 5k of this year! Shron was in charge of the West Haven Days race last saturday so I decided to run it. I didn't have a very good week as far as being healthy goes (girls' camp is always unfriendly to the calorie count) so I was a little nervous. I ran most of the time, only walking twice for about 50 ft or so. I had some issues with a girl that was running in front of me most of the way (even skinny girls shouldn't wear short booty shorts) so I decided I had to pass her. I passed another girl about a quarter of a mile from the finish line and when I saw her coming up behind me closer to the end I didn't want her to beat me so I sprinted through the finish line. I ended up with my personal best for a 5k, 29 min. 21 sec. I know it's not the best and probably could be better, but I was very excited and it made me more motivated for this friday. Another exciting point of this race was that I received my first gold medal ever! I beat all the other girls in my age bracket, including a girl from my ward. There were only a few of us ages 18-24, but it still felt really good! I'm looking forward to racing again on the 4th, and am very excited to start training again for Canyonlands 2009! Woo hoo!!!

GIRLS' CAMP!!!

2008-06-29T22:20:00.011-06:00

I have a few things to write about from the last few days... but I thought I'd start with girls' camp because, well, it was first and SO MUCH FUN!!! I drove up wednesday morning (after a long day of working, if you remember tuesday's post). I was going to leave at 5:30 but I didn't get home early enough from election night to pack everything before I got exhausted. So after packing and filling up my tank I finally got on the road about 6:30. I got to camp about 8:30 (I got lost...ha!) and they were finishing up breakfast. We tie-dyed some socks and bathed in the near by river and lounged around the rest of the day. We ate yummy dutch oven dinner and did skits around the camp fire. Here are a couple of my favorite pictures from the skits...you can tell why! This is from the leaders' skit "Caterpillar Hunters."
This is my bishop putting on mascara for the priesthood skit... "trying new things" ha ha ha!
Every year Bev and I do a skit together called "Shorty." She uses her hands as Shorty's feet and we use mine as Shorty's hands. I get to do all kinds of fun things to her like put curlers in her hair, feed her bananas and pudding, help her drink water, exercise, and put on makeup. I was a little kinder this year than I have been in the past, but it was still loads of fun!
Thursday we woke up and made our breakfast with different utensils which is one of my favorite things to do at camp. My bishop's daughter, Rebecca, asked me to help her and I was way excited! She cooked using only tin foil and I got to cook with a dutch oven lid.
Our breakfasts turned out pretty good, but her dad helped her make other food also.
After breakfast we went on one of my favorite hikes up to Stewart Falls. It's so beautiful up there and the girls had lots of fun playing in the waterfall! I hiked with Josie, one of the youth leaders, and we talked about pretty much everything. That night was our awards, flag ceremony, and fireside testimony meeting... the highlight of the camp for me.

The flag ceremony is always so emotional because of what I was taught by my grandpa when I was younger. It always reminds me of him and I always cry without fail. It was an amazing night and I was so grateful to be there, even if it would have been just for that night.
Friday we packed up and came home. We were all happy to leave because our campsite was infested with thousands of fuzzy caterpillars! Despite the furry, annoying little creatures, I had so much fun at camp and learned a lot! The girls are so amazing and wonderful and, even though they are cranky sometime, they are so much fun to be around. I can't help but think every year that it will be my last and it makes me a little emotional. I love going with those girls and becoming close with them, even if I don't know them before. The leaders are amazing, too, to say the least. I learn so much from everyone and I hope I never forget one moment!

Election Day Blues

2008-06-24T10:46:00.003-06:00

Today is election day... woo hoo... For those of you who did not understand, that was meant to be very sarcastic. I have trouble with my job as it is and the stress of an election (even an unnecessary one) just makes things worse. I have been wanting to quit for a while but can't bring myself to do it because the hours are so flexible and the pay is so good after almost 6 years. Every time there is an election I am reminded of why I've wanted to leave in the first place. There are usual election day problems, people not telling other people about problems or solutions, and people trying to do everything themselves which leaves me quite bored and giving me time to write on my blog! I honestly have done almost nothing today and I usually hate feeling unproductive (aside from times when I've worked way too long and have just wanted to relax). Everyone else is running around like chickens with their heads cut off and I'm just sitting at my desk, doing nothing... There are two things getting me through the day... First, I get to go to girls' camp with my family ward tomorrow and I won't have to work for the rest of the week! Second, I will only have one election left after this one and I will only be working part-time by then and after that election I will be out of here! Oh, just typing that sent a chill up my spine :) I realize I have failed to document this post with a photo because, frankly, I do not feel a day or event such as this deserves to have a photo wasted on it. Check back later this week (or early next week) to see photos and posting of my amazing experiences I'll be sure to have at girls' camp!!!

P.S. Something I thought was so funny I had to share! Saturday, I worked 7:30 a.m. to 9:15 p.m. getting ready for today. My boss worked saturday from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Yesterday she called and said she would be late... she had a headache from all the overtime she had been putting in... HA!

Fixed With A Frosty

2008-06-20T19:22:00.002-06:00

Ok, so this week with my whole no sugar thing hasn't been very good... Tuesday I let myself have a smore and I ended up eating a few extra marshmallows and some cookies. The bag of marshmallows was left at my house so I ate a few (ok, it was more than a few) on Wednesday. Luckily on Thursday I resisted the temptation and gave the bag to my mom for safe keeping. Today was a terrible day though...
I was supposed to get off work at 5:30, come home, bake cookies and meet three friends for a baseball game. I ended up working until 6:30, so no cookies, and two people ended up not being able to come to the game. I tend to freak out when things don't go as planned so needless to say I got a bit cranky. The game started half an hour ago and I'm home writing on my blog! Ok, so I am going to the game, in fact I need to leave soon... but in my crankiness I found a frosty in the freezer. I won't go into detail except to say that somehow, especially when you're "not eating sugar," a frosty can lift your spirits a little...

I'll feel really bad about the calories tomorrow...

My First Enrichment Night

2008-06-19T22:24:00.008-06:00

I got put in as the North Ogden 25th Ward Enrichment Chairperson not too long ago and needless to say, I didn't have a clue about what the job entailed. I went to a meeting about a month ago and another two weeks ago and found out all about enrichment night and ward girls' camp and all that fun stuff! Tuesday night was my first official enrichment night and it was so much fun! We just decided to have a really laid back, get to know you night so everyone came over to my place for a bonfire and food. We held off from building the fire until the temperature went down a bit but once we got it going, it was pretty awesome if I do say so myself...
We thought the night was successful, even though there were only 20 girls total that came. We asked everyone questions like 'what's your favorite color?' and 'what's your favorite book?' Later in the evening we got into bad date stories, typical girl conversation. It was a lot of fun and I look forward to future enrichment nights! We'll have them once a month instead of just quarterly, and we may throw in some ward girls' nights out every once in a while. I can't wait!

Rachel Barber

2008-06-16T14:52:00.005-06:00

Our phone rang around 1:30 this morning...my mom must have been really out because she didn't answer it and I thought it was a dream. I woke up and checked the caller ID and saw it was my 9 month pregnant sister! I panicked and tried to call her back from my cell phone but she didn't answer. Just after our home phone rang again. I hurried and answered it and all I heard was, "where's mom?" I thought something was wrong, so I asked and all she said was, "get mom!" Ok, this was enough to make me freak out, so I took the phone to my mom and all Joann said was, "I'm having a baby, I'll call you after my epidural." She called back a bit later and told us that she had checked into the hospital dilated to a 7 and we'd better hurry if we wanted to be there. My dad is in Florida, so I got dressed and drove my mom to the Davis hospital and at 4:06 a.m. Rachel Barber was born! We didn't know she was a girl until she came, but we are very happy and she is so cute! I'm a proud aunt of now 26 nieces and nephews!!!

The Wall That Heals

2008-06-16T12:51:00.004-06:00

I have been to Washington D.C. a few times in my life, the first when I was younger and didn't really appreciate the history of it. A couple of years ago, when my brother graduated from the George Washington School of Medicine, I was able to go back to D.C. with my parents and grandpa for the graduation. While we were there we visited many of the monuments and memorials including the Vietnam Memorial Wall. This was the first time I had been back there since discovering my love for photography and I wanted to take all the pictures I could. We went on a very beautiful day which meant the majority of the memorials were very crowded. The Vietnam Memorial has always been one of my favorites and I was looking forward to taking some good pictures, but there were people everywhere so I didn't really get the chance...
This weekend, a model of the Vietnam Memorial Wall was brought to the parking lot behind the Newgate Mall. I hadn't had a chance to see it all weekend but I decided I would go for sunrise Sunday morning. I called Russell, a friend who also enjoys taking pictures, to see if he would go with me because I didn't want to go alone so early in the morning. He came over at 5:30 a.m. and we headed down there. It was a cool morning and there was a trailer with facts and stories from people who had visited the wall, including some from veterans. It was really cool to read their stories and learn so much. The model itself was about half the size of the original. People had left things next to the wall, much like they do with the original. I got a few pretty good shots, this being one of my favorites.

Like Mother, Like Daughter

2008-06-14T11:21:00.003-06:00

Ok, mom, this one's for you. You have to admit that every once in a while you forget something, like when you walk into a room needing to either do or find something and totally forget why you walked into the room in the first place. I actually think we all do this from time to time. I've been finding myself doing things like this more often lately...
I work on the first floor in my building, but the employee parking is on the third level. As mentioned in an earlier post, I started taking the stairs down in order to maybe use a few extra calories every day. The other day I was walking down the stairs, thinking about something that must have been serious, although I don't even remember what it was, and suddenly I found myself at the bottom. That's right, I had been thinking so intensely about something and overshot my floor! I looked at the basement door, hung my head, turned around, and proceeded to walk up to the first floor where my office is. Wow... I never thought it would happen to me! Especially at such a young age... tragic!

Seconhand Serenade

2008-06-12T15:49:00.002-06:00

Last night I got to go see Secondhand Serenade in concert at Thanksgiving Point with Derek and Danny. It was a lot of fun, even though we got stuck in traffic on the way down, and it was outside and a little chilly... and we missed some of the concert! But it's totally ok because the night was a blast. I totally wish I could upload a video from my computer (the blog selections are limited on mine for some reason) but I guess a picture will suffice :) Anyway, it was a fun night so I had to spill a little bit about it!

5k

2008-06-11T16:06:00.002-06:00

Last night I needed to run but when I thought of when and where I wanted to run it was really cold outside. Stacia had sent me a message saying that she really wanted to go to the gym, so I told her I would meet her there at 9:30 to run and work out. The track that I've been running the last week or so I found out is only a mile and a half, which greatly disappointed me! I've barely been able to make it that far and I hate that starting all over meant back to only being able to run a mile! I've been looking forward to running my first 5k on the 28th of June out in West Haven (Shron is in charge of it) and barely making a mile and a half wasn't going to cut it. I got to the gym a little late because I was shopping with Tiffany :) but I made it nonetheless. I was very happy when I looked at my treadmill and had almost run 3 miles and I wasn't extremely tired. I ended up running 3.25 miles and walking another quarter. I'm thinking that running the hills in North Ogden is what has been hurting me, so I'll probably either start running at the gym again (which is how I've trained for every race) or running straight from my house in either direction. Regardless of what happens with future training, I RAN A 5K!!! I'm very excited and very much looking forward to the 28th. If anyone wants to join me you're more than welcome to!

Step it up!

2008-06-10T11:47:00.004-06:00

Every once in a while the county will have health programs for its employees such as a healthy eating program or and exercise program. I didn't participate before last year because I was only a part-time employee and couldn't reap the benefits such as extra vacation or comp time. I started last year with a program that taught us to drink more water, eat healthier, and used bonus activities for exercise. Today we started our Summer Step It Up program. Each participant got a pedometer and a booklet to keep track of the steps we take each week. I'm actually kind of excited about this program, with all the running I do. I'm really hoping to work up to a 5k within the next couple of weeks (the first on is in West Haven on the 28th) and start my training for next year's half marathon. I'm also very curious to see how many steps I do take during one day. I've started taking the stairs instead of the elevator at work, walking to lunch when I go out, and taking small breaks during the day to get away from my desk and walk a bit. It's really nice and I think it's an ok start to getting healthier... and to get two extra vacation hours to use later :) We'll see what happens!

I'm Bored...

2008-06-09T14:48:00.002-06:00

With all my forms entered that can be entered before the election on the 24th, I pretty much don't have a lot to do at work. It's been a while since I last posted so I thought I would write something, only I don't have a clue what to write about! I'm just sitting here at my computer listening to my iPod which is so nice because I don't get as easily bothered by people saying random, stupid things. I just put a new playlist on my iPod called current favs which consists of some Secondhand Serenade (who I get to see in concert on wednesday!), Mika, a little Bar J Wranglers (ha ha ha), Bon Jovi, some of my Season 7 American Idol Favorites, Dashboard Confessional, Dave Matthews, Jack Johnson, Jimmy Eat World, Kelly Clarkson, Queen, Plain White T's, Sara Bareilles, and a few others. I love listening to music, drowning out all other sounds and thoughts... it's really nice! It can take my mind off things that I don't really want to think about now which totally rocks. Anyone reading this post can tell how bored I get at work because this post is pretty much just mindless rambling. I'll probably delete it later after realizing how awkward it is, but it has kept me busy for the last 5 minutes so it has served its current purpose!

New Template...

2008-06-04T23:39:00.002-06:00

So I decided that I needed something a little more... not boring...for my blog. I LOVE this one and I think I'm sticking with it. I even figured out how I can make my own header for the page, so I did. Thanks to Janel for leading me to the spot of awesome blog layouts :) ENJOY!

Emergen-C Dreams

2008-06-03T13:22:00.003-06:00

While spending time with the Barber family in St. George last winter, I learned the effects major amounts of vitamin C can have on your dreams. Joe and Justin mentioned that when they took Emergen-C right before bed they would wake up remembering the strange things that happened while they slept.
I've been feeling a little stuffy the last few days and started losing my voice on Sunday, so I decided to take some Emergen-C right before I went to bed last night not even thinking about what I would dream. I woke up this morning and remembered almost everything which doesn't happen often...
I was sitting in the chapel at my church with a few friends and we were just chatting before sacrament meeting started. One girl noticed that the meeting should have started ten minutes ago and the bishopric wasn't even there yet! We looked around and noticed that there were only girls in the chapel besides the bishop's brother, Russell, who is in our ward. We didn't know what was going on, but we knew we needed to start the meeting so our old Relief Society President got up to the pulpit and invited another ward to come in so we would have some priesthood members in the meeting. Russell had to conduct everything since he was the bishop's brother. When he got done conducting, he came and laid down on the floor next to our bench. He was freaking out because his brother was gone and no one knew where he was. I tried to console him, but he just got up and left with two other girls. After the meeting, I went to the bishop's office to see if he was there and I noticed the door was unlocked which it shouldn't have been if he wasn't there. The police arrived shortly after and I thought they would suspect me because I found the unlocked door so I hid in the parking lot until I woke up...
Want an interesting dream...? Take some Emergen-C right before bed!

Hmmm...

2008-06-01T23:47:00.002-06:00

I just wanted to tell all of you who read and comment on my blog how much I love and appreciate you! I've had a great last couple of weeks and I feel very happy and blessed to know all of you!