Sunrise on the Y

Last week Jess and I decided it would be fun to hike the Y at sunrise. Surprisingly we actually did something we said we were going to do and on Tuesday morning both of our alarm clocks were going off at 5:30...A.M.!! Needless to say, we didn't get ready much but packed a small breakfast and took off. When we got there it was pretty dark still with some big clouds in the sky but we were not discouraged.

Standing in the parking lot...sleeping Provo in the background. Don't judge how we look...it was early.

If you haven't hiked the Y before (or if it has just been a while) let me tell you, its a little tougher than you remember! I hiked it a year and a half ago but I had totally forgotten how steep it is. But don't worry...Jess and I did not stop for breaks...we stopped to take pictures :)

A view of Provo about half way up. The sun is starting to rise behind us and the rain is starting to come sprinkling down.

Even with a little rain and a ton of little boy scouts in our way, we made it to the top. There we enjoyed a nice (not so peaceful thanks to the boy scouts...actually mostly the den mother) breakfast and a little contemplation on life.

Our breakfast at the top...yogurt with granola.

At the top with view of Provo in the background.

The way down is usually my least favorite part of hikes, but this time things were kept interesting by the rain that continued to fall harder and harder. By the time we got back to the car we didn't even need to take a shower.

Its amazing how small the city seems from up there. I have been on a few walks in the mountains since then and just now I am realizing how blessed I am to have all this nature so close by. I love being in the mountains...summer or winter. I love listening to the river and climbing the rocks. I love playing in the snow and especially snowboarding. Yeah, Vegas has cool hikes in the mountains and the desert there, but the mountains here a little more inviting. One of my goals this year is to take advantage of the nature that is so close by and use it to help me escape when things get a little crazy here.

A Letter From Home

Yesterday my mailbox had a special surprise...a letter from my seven year old brother (and his favorite stuffed animal - Pand). I guess he wrote it minutes after I drove away.

Dear Sam,

I rily miss you. I am not happy. You were the only one that was nice to me. I am not haveing fun. I wish that I cold see you rite now. I wish you cold read a story to me. I am relly sad that you had to leve. Pand is sad to he is not sleeping well. Thar is nothing to do when you are not arownd. I dident want to yose elektisidy to call you. I wold like to see you but I cant. I would like to billd a pussul with you. I love you.

Love,
Matthew and Pand

How cute is that?!? I am going to admit it, I cried.

Moving In

Oh boy! It has been forever since my last blog. I have been failing in a serious way. I guess that is because I wasn't doing too many exciting things. My family and I went to Cedar City for the Shakespeare Festival which was really fun, but semi-difficult to document in pictures - hence, no blog. I was also able to do some shadowing with a PA that works for a cardiovascular surgeon which was really cool. Again...no pictures means no blog. Now I am back in Provo and I have plenty to blog about and pictures to accompany it! Be excited haha.

So last Thursday I loaded up the car and took of on the five and a half hour drive to school in Provo. It was very sad to leave my family, a fact not helped by my 7 year old brother running down the street along side my car with this look on his face that would make any man cry. I miss all of my family already but hopefully they will come for a visit soon...

My car...yes, that is all MY stuff. I don't know why but i have never been a light packer...or a light mover for that matter.

I have this great hanging rack so I don't have to fold up and back all of my hanging clothes...too bad they almost all didn't fit :/

The essentials for any drive...Diet Coke, water, phone, and an iPod.

Salt Lake bound...well, kind of. Its close enough...Provo doesn't start showing up on signs until at least Filmore.

By Thursday night, after a very painless drive, I made it to Provo and met up with Jess and her mom. They were so good to take care of me throughout the moving process since my mom wasn't able to come up (something about the PTA being more important that her oldest child...haha im kidding mom. I'm not bitter). On Friday morning we checked in at our new apartment and after forms and payments and signing we were taken to our new condo.

My new room as it was left for me. This sight was a little overwhelming. How do I make this empty, lonely looking space more homey?

And another challenge...the girl before me left some shelves, which is fabulous but since they are here my desk is pretty much stuck on this wall. With this dilemma I decided I could move the bed against the window and really open up the room...but when I went to do so I discovered the girl before me also left a huge stain on the wall where her pink bedspread rubbed against the paint. Instead of dealing with painting the wall myself or waiting who knows how long for maintenance because its not life threatening (the two options I was told when I asked the front desk about it) I left my bed where it was. So much for creativity...but I was determined to take some advice from Tim Gunn and "make it work."

I am making it work and I am really liking what is coming out of it. I am not done yet but after one more trip to the store for some more screws and a few hours spent getting things up on the walls I will be done and I will have pictures of the finished product. Get excited :)

On Monday Jess and I had a major shopping extravaganza to get settled into the apartment. We went to Wal-Mart, Costco, Ikea, Nordstrom Rack, Michael's, two different DSWs and of course had some Cafe Rio for lunch.

Good thing we took my car to Wal-Mart and Costco...it was totally packed. Who knew I would have to put my seats down to go grocery shopping...sad.

At Ikea Jess and I had to wait a little for Jess' mom to get back with the car...leaving us with some free time. As a result - pictures in front of different rugs...and in mirrors.

Tuesday Jess and I spent a good four hours in the kitchen cleaning out a bunch of junk that the previous tenets had left. We now have two boxes for DI and a ton of food that we offer to anyone that comes over. I don't understand how these girls were able to check out of the apartment with the state it was in but we are slowly turning things around (thanks to a call to management by Jess' mom and a visit from the cleaners). I am excited to see the finished product and I think living here will be a great thing. So far everyone I have met seems very real and friendly (not so at our last place)

Family Reunion

This past week all of my mom's brothers (2) and sisters (4...including my mom) came to Vegas with their families for a hectic but fun time. We had family pictures out in the desert - luckily no one fainted this time or had to sit on a pointy rock for hours - celebrated my sister's birthday, had family game night, went indoor mini-golfing and just spent good quality time together.

Because my parents are both the oldest siblings in their family, I have the privilege of being the oldest grandchild on both sides. As you can imagine, this comes with its own up and downs. I was totally spoiled as a child which is nice but now all of my cousins are way younger than me. I think I get the best of both worlds though. I get to hang out with my fun aunts and uncles but I also have a ton of cute kids I can go play with if the adult talk gets too boring haha.

My aunt January, her husband Todd and their kids stayed in our house during the week. Since they arrived in Vegas the night before everyone else I decided to take their little girl out with my little brother and sister. We saw Ice Age - Dawn of the Dinosaurs...in 3D! haha They had a lot of fun and it was good to spend some time with them.

This picture is super dark because I took it with my phone in a dark theater but it shows the sweet glasses we got to wear.

One of my cousins I don't get to see very often because her family lives in Texas. Its always amazing how fast kids grow. Last time I saw this girl she was a baby! Now she is one of the big kids but still so cute.

Harry Potter came out during the week so one of my uncles took me and Drew along with one of our cousins to the midnight showing. Drew and I decided to branch out a little and dress up for the event. We didn't have very long to find costumes around the house and they aren't very accurate as far as Harry Potter goes, but we had fun anyway.

Yes...we even had wands! The movie was fabulous. It might be my favorite Harry Potter so far.

As crazy as it was having so many kids running around (15 I think...) it was so fun to see my family...especially the ones that don't live in Vegas. Thanks for coming out guys. I love you all!

Fourth of July

Oh boy! I am so behind it is not even funny. Its kind of ironic I guess...I always think that I will be able to conquer the world or something during the summer because I have so much free time, but I always end up finding something to do and never get as much done as I had hoped.

Anyway...the Fourth was so much fun. For me, one of the best parts about being home is getting to spend time with my family and that is exactly what I got to do.

It has become a tradition that my sister and I run Summerlin's annual Fourth of July 5k. Its not easy to get up so early and race but I love it. Racing, even in these smaller 5ks gives me a break from the every day run and adds some excitement to my routine. I love seeing my sister race. She is so talented and so young, I know that she will do great things as she keeps up with her practicing. This year she beat about half of Palo Verde's boy's team which says great things about her future. Keep it up baby girl!

As always, there is the horrible after-race photo courtisy of my dad. Its not his fault they are so bad...pictures after a race are never good. Nevertheless, this documents that yes, we ran.

After getting cleaned up my sister and I joined my brothers and my dad on a project they have been working on for a while. Lately, Matthew has become way into model rockets so he and my dad get them all ready and we all go out into the desert to see what they can do. This time we invited my uncle and my three year old cousins out to the event.

Luckily, there is a ton of empty desert not too far from our house where we can launch the rockets off without desturbing anyone. It was hot and one of the rockets was lost forever, but we had fun.

My brothers getting ready to launch one of the rockets.

Watching my dad get one of the rockets ready for take off. I think this one is the one that never came back...sad.

My uncle and two cute cousins. They loved watching for the rockets to land and recovering them. They also got to launch a couple which might have been the highlight of their day.

After the rocket launching, all of my family that lives in Vegas came over for swimming, a barbeque, and of course some fireworks. Thanks to the Indian reservation not too far away we had a nice show :)

My sister and I with two of our cousins.

I am so lucky to have so much loving family not far away at all. Thanks guys for a great day.

Jordan's Wedding

I was in Utah these past couple of weeks for a CNA class but, more excitingly, I was able to celebrate with Jordan and her friends before and after her wedding.

On the Wednesday before her wedding Jordan came over to get ready with me. We went out to P.F. Chang's with a few of her other friends - girls I came to love. The food was delicious and honestly, who doesn't love a girls night out.

The night before her wedding, Jordan had a dinner at Magleby's...so so good. Then, all of the girls came over to my grandparents condo (where I was staying) for a pre-wedding sleepover. We had to get her away from Greg somehow! haha We made pizookies and just talked until the early hours of the morning. It was great.

Sleepover!

The next morning Leah did Jordan's hair and we sent her off to the temple before getting ready ourselves. Then, we were off to the Mount Timpanogos temple. If I have to get married in Utah, this is the temple I want to get marrried in. It is absoluetly beautiful and the weather couldn't have been better. Jordan looked beautiful and so so happy. Even though I could only wait outside, I loved the feeling of just being there.

Alena, me, Rachel, and Leah just waiting outside the temple.

That night, Jordan had her reception at the Springville Art Museum. The venue was perfect for Jordan...so fun and unique. The food was delicious of course and I had a ton of fun working with her family in setting it up.


All the girls...isn't she a beautiful bride?

I love this girl...I am so happy for her.

A London-style self take...just for old times sake. I am going to miss this trio...so many memories. :)

Congratulations Greg and Jordan!

Tagged by Abby

1. What is your current obsession?
Of course...my mind quickly goes to food.


But at least its healthy right? haha I LOVE snacking on these, especially the red ones. I don't need dip or anything. I just cut them up and enjoy.

2. What do you hate the most that everyone else seems to love?
Not hate, because I don't hate anyone...but I really don't like Miley Cyrus. I'm sorry. I just don't.

3. What are you wearing today?
Let me explain...today was road trip day. I drove home from Utah so I am currently wearing a men's v-neck undershirt and some knee length shorts. I would post a picture, but like I said...it was travel day.

I love these things. These shirts could almost go under the obsession. (see number 1)

4. What's for dinner?
Since I have been gone for so long (London then Utah) today was my family birthday dinner. As requested my mom made chicken cordon bleu, a yummy salad with strawberries and candied nuts, croissants, and chocolate fondue for dessert. YUM :)

5. What would you eat for your last meal?
Avacado egg rolls from B.J.'s, a strawberry shake from In-N-Out, orange chicken from Panda Express and anything else delicious and totally unhealthy haha.

6. What is the last thing you bought?
A diet Dr. Pepper so I could make it home awake.


7. What are you listening to right now?
Whatever my dad is watching on the military channel. I'm not really paying attention...its just background noise.

8. What do you think of the person that tagged you?
I LOVE Abby. She is more like an older sister than an aunt to me. Even though she doesn't think it, she is totally still young and stylish with two kids! I hope to be as young and as fun as she is when I am her age. She also raises the cutest kids...I love my cousins.

9. If you could have a house--fully paid for and totally furnished--anywhere in the world, where would it be?
Somewhere on a cliff over the ocean...but with a beach nearby. Tintagel maybe? But definitely with a private airplane and runway so I can get home quickly.

Tintagel...one of my favorite places in England. LOVE it.

10. If you could go anywhere in the world for the next hour, where would it be?
Haha the first thing I thought of was a big comfy bed. Sad.

11. What is one of your hobbies?
Running. Wait, does that count as a hobby?

12. What is your favorite quote?
Just one I can think of right now...sometimes you are the windshield, but sometimes you are the bug.

13. What is your favorite color?
Green...but only certain shades of green. I'm very particular.

14. What is your favorite piece of clothing in your wardrobe?
When I'm just chillin...sweats or running shorts and a men's undershirt.
When I want to look nice...I don't know...maybe this white blouse I just got from Gap. Or maybe I'm just thinking about it because its new...

15. What is your dream job?
There are so many things I would love to be able to do...but most importantly I want to be a really good mom. We will just have to see how that goes.

16. Describe your personal style.
Changing. Thats really all I can say. In London I got super bored with my whole look. My clothes (maybe because I was stuck with the same 10 shirts for 7 weeks...), my hair, my make-up. So right now I am just trying to find my style I guess. I'm experimenting with different things, seeing what works, and trying to branch out of my comfort zone a little.

17. What is your favorite tree?
Any kind of fruit trees I guess. I don't really know my trees that well...

18. What are you going to do after this?
Play Jenga with Dani. I should probably unpack and go to bed sometime soon.

19. What is your favorite fruit?
Grapefruit...with a little sugar.20. What inspires you?
Music. All kinds of music.

21. Who was the last person that you kissed?
My baby cousin Libby.

22. What are you currently reading?
Tartan Tragedy and the Pearl of Great Price.


23. Go to your bookshelf, take down the first book that you see with a red binding, turn to page 26 and type out the first line.
But the prince was incurably extravagant. The simple life became less and less simple.
(From Historic Houses of Britain by Mark Girouard.) The were talking about the Royal Pavilion in Brighton. The best part...I have been there!


24. What delighted you the most today?
I got to come home after living in Utah by myself for two weeks!

25. If your life had a theme song, what would it be?
My Life Be Like by Gritz haha. Because I am soooo gangster :)

26. If you bought a wiener dog today, what would you name it?
Scott. The first name that came into my head.

27. What is your most memorable dream.
I had a nightmare one time where all of my friends were walking in a line through a tunnel straight into the ocean...where they all proceeded to drown. Just like that. Right in front of me. I was in the back of the line and when I got to the water I just went around...and I never understood why they didn't go around either. It was really sad, I woke up and called a bunch of people to make sure they were all alive.

The rules:
1. Respond and rework; answer the questions on your blog, replace one question you dislike with a question of your invention, add one more question of your own. (I didn't replace any. Oops!)
2. Tag eight other people.

Ok. I tag Jess, Jordan, Rachel, Emily, Sarah, and Carrie