Sunday, November 29, 2009

november 29, 2009
so i think i am done with the thankful posts....i got behind.....but yesterday i was loving my BYU COUGARS!!!!! yes, that is a cougar taking a bite out of the U.....it was such an intense game....i was watching it on TV.....with a bunch of girls who had no idea what the rules were to the games of football....they were all just there to be there and they would look at me when i tried to make some of the calls....ha ha ha..........anyways, I´M STILL BLEEDING BLUE today!!!!!!
HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!!!!!
here are the cutest little munchkins helping put up the christmas tree on thanksgiving....i wasn´t there but i still think they are cute!

for thanksgiving and black friday i got to work...yeah...they were 2 very long and exhausting days for me....but getting some extra money is nice right?!?!?!?! my patients were super cute and very busy......the hospital food was very heavy.......and luckily i didn´t have to spend the night by myself...i went to an old friends house and played games.....thanks caleb for not kicking me out on the street and letting me play some games with the family!

Wednesday, November 25, 2009

november 25, 2009
today i am thankful for being able to buy my own christmas presents...and yes, christmas has come early for me this year. i just bought myself a HEATED MATTRESS PAD from target....its not exactly like the one in the picture but i liked the colors to show where it heats up.....i never even knew that these existed until monday when i saw one on my roommates bed. i also got myself a new pair of church shoes.....i think i am set except for a game that i hope someone is getting me.......or new ear phones from my i pod.....
november 24, 2009

today i am thankful that i was BUSY.......i was going to join a committee at my work but instead i slept in until 9am.....then i went to the dream center in the ghetto of salt lake city and helped pass out turkey baskets for 5 hours........then it was off to see NEW MOON with my roommate andrea.....and then she dropped me off at a friends house so i could go to the University of Utah basketball game.....it was a good day filled with service and fun times with friends.

the line was out the parking lot, down the street, and around the corner.....people waiting for FREE TURKEY...we had to check them in and then they waited for their number to be called. i think we gave away over 400 turkey baskets to people....oh and i was at the sign in table...so i used my not so great SPANISH and it was super fun.
the bags of celery, potatoes, onions, oranges, etc that people got with their turkey
800 individual turkeys that were donated.
me....handing out the goods!!!!


so this movie is silly....THE BOOKS ARE SOO MUCH BETTER!!! andrea sat in the theater and laughed when all the little girls were oohing and ahhing as soon as jacob came out......and they protrayed him as the good guy and edward as the lame-o guy.......i mean, what girl wouldn´t want 2 attractive guys fighting over of her.....too bad jacob is really attractive along with all his warewolves and edward has hair creeping out out of his shirt (i´m just saying...i like hairy chests but not when it sticks out of the shirt) and bella has a hard time getting in to her part or something.
and then it was on to the basketball game with free tickets.....and with some new fun friends....i enjoyed it even though utah lost (and i will be cheering for my BYU COUGARS on saturday when they play the utes....and when they win!!!!).

Monday, November 23, 2009

My new goal = 30 dates by age 30.......sometimes i make goals that are hard for me....they provide a challenge....this might be one of them but i decided to try. i will be updating the list to the right side of my blog so keep coming back for more. i have 3 tentative dates and then a few other people who say they are going to set me up on dates. this will most likely be the only 6 months of my life that i will let people set me up again so bring it on.
november 23, 2009
SLEEP....SLEEP....SLEEP....SLEEP......SLEEP....
today i am thankful for sleep...which i have only gotten 8 hours in the last 3 days....and i´m tired.....sometimes working night shifts is hard because you already feel like you are missing out on activities (the night time ones anyways...and missing out on sleeping)....and then you go home to crawl into bed right when everyone else is getting up to be productive for the day.....IT STINKS!! and i want to go to church but after a night shift it is sometimes hard to stay awake. and then when you have to go back again the next night.....and then when you have other things that need to be done..........i´m thankful for my bed too....it is so big and engulfs me and i love it!!! (p.s. sometimes when i´m not working....i sleep in until 11am. i justify it becauase sometimes i have to work when other people are sleeping!!!! i think i´m sleeping in again next saturday and i´m so excited about it!!!!)
november 22, 2009
today i am thankful for PRAYER...i turned off my alarm in my sleep and didn´t realize it...and work up at 11:48am...first round of church were almost over....so i went to church with my friend from work mia. she has been wanting me to go to her ward to check out the guys for a while....and so i went. the talks in sacrament were on prayer. the first speaker gave his talk with no notes, papers, etc.....and he did awesome. i was interested the entire time....too bad he just got home from his mission 2 months ago! he talked about how prayer had influenced his life......you see, he joined the church of Jesus Christ of latter-day saints 4 years ago. he had so much excitement for life and was a great speaker.
i found myself pondering the many times that i have prayed recently for strength to move on and find joy in my life. many times our prayers are answered through other people. my prayers to find happiness and joy in my current life and situation have been answered thru new friends and old friends when i needed them the most......andrea, michelle, hyrum sinclair (and my sister paige), bekah, tyler berg, amy.....thanks for being my friends and thanks for allowing me to wallow in my pity but also encouraging me to find joy in the small stuff!!!!!!!
so i´m getting behind...what can i say.....

november 21, 2009

today i was thankful for my old roommates....THE FANTASTIC 5 as we were once called. i ate dinner with kathryn and jerah and amren....jenni was sadly not there. we missed her. it was good to catch up and to hear all about jerah and her lover "aka soon to be husband" kenny. yes, she is a success story from moving into our last ward. her ring is beautiful and he proposed using the amazing race.....i was proud.

i was also thankful for my job. yes, it is true, that i work random hours....it stinks actually! i work when other people are not working and i am not working when other people are working. but it was saturday night....i had spent the day shopping in park city with my roommate andrea and her mom (it was soo much fun and super cold and they were nice to let me tag along)......i had nothing to do on a saturday night....so i went to work and i was thankful for something to do.

Friday, November 20, 2009

november 20, 2009
i am thankful for this movie.......THE BLIND SIDE......it was so good and funny and yeah, i want to make a difference in someone´s life!!!!!! its based on a true story. it is funny and wholesome......i think 3 bad words and one scene with gang violence and guns...no sex....no drugs.....just an inspiring movie. everyone should go see it.




p.s. on a side note.......i decided that i am going to try and post comments to people´s blogs more often....i love to read them but never post a comment. my friend heather is preggo, my friend bekah is going on adventures, my friend michelle likes to sing and think in the dark, my friend beth is sewing and raising cute kids, my friend gina is buying a house, my friend janna is remodeling her house, my friend jennie just moved back to america again, my friend laura has the cutest baby girl, my friend kim is cheering her boise football team on, my friends sarah and cherise and lynette and cindy and my sister paige are all having babies (i´m sure there are a lot more out there that i am forgetting), and the list could go on and on.....their lives are exciting=yes......i even read blogs of old friends from college and missions and growing up........my blog is not that exciting but i figure if i leave comments for other people then they will leave comments for me. maybe then my life will get more exciting and people will want to leave me a comment. ha ha ha.....and THANKS TO MY SISTERS WHO LEAVE ME VOICE MAIL MESSAGES AS COMMENTS.....keep them coming!!!

Thursday, November 19, 2009

In the Spirit of Thanksgiving

november 19, 2009

today i am thankful for FUTURE OPPORTUNITIES.........even though it is sometimes hard to know what we should do, there will always be more trials to help me grow.

check out this mormon message about thanksgiving.
In the Spirit of Thanksgiving
WALT DISNEY WORLD ADVENTURE..........sorry for the picture over load....but my family wants to see some pictures!!! (and they are all in random order...sorry)

on our last ride at disney world....we got stuck for 25 minutes....and we even had to walk off the ride.....her is JENNA and her roommate LAURA who were such gracious hosts to hyrum and i!
at epcot, we were able to see a real space ship take off.....there was a huge gathering and it was pretty cool.
on the test track.....hyrum wanted to drive but then it was loud and too fast he said.
hyrum with his mickey mouse balloon....since we couldn´t bring it home on the airplane, he had to sleep with it the last night we were in florida.
hyrum making smores with aunt jenna.....and eating his popcorn (he got 3 bags to watch the outdoor movie...thanks to laura!)......he didn´t like the roasted marshmellows....
with chip and dale.
this was hyrum on the car ride home every night. we wore him out. i don´t think he realized how much walking would be involved in going to disney world. every night he would complain that his legs were tired and that he couldn´t go up the stairs to go to bed.
the fireworks at WISHES at the magic kingdom.....this is the princess´castle........funny how different it is to take a 5 year old boy there....he wanted to shoot all the disney princesses even though he did not even know who any of them are.....his favorite rides were star wars and the ones where you got to shoot guns (buzz light year and the new toy story=AWESOME).
hyrum showing us his best musical talent along with jenna and her friend kyle at the animal kingdom.....kyle was nice enough to carry hyrum around when his legs were too tired and my arms could not do it anymore.....kyle also went along on the everest roller coster ride (jenna would not even ride it)......hyrum HATED the ride but he went with me anyways (fast up, fast down backwards in the dark, loud)......i made him go on all the rides and told him he was brave.
the lion king show is fun.
it´s tough to be a bug......one of my favorite shows!
ha.ha.ha. the dinosaur ride. i loved it!!!!!!!! hyrum hated it. it might be one that i could go on over and over again.
the true test......to see if hyrum was realy 48 inches tall....the day before he didn´t make the cut so no rockin roller coaster for him....i went by myself in the single rider line. we took him on the tower of terror (my most favorite ride!). we taught him to hold his breath and extend his torso........i think this was the only roller coaster he liked......it might have been because kyle came with us.
ARMY MAN......a true smile from army man hyrum!
with mickey mouse........
with the incredibles....hyrum was actually excited to take a picture with them!
lightning mcqueen and mater from cars
monsters inc.
enough said. the kid likes to play video games. my sister´s roommate has old school nintendo and hyrum learned how to pass most of the levels of mario and asked to play everyday when he woke up and before going to sleep.
indiana jones show. hyrum asked to go over and over again.
star wars. his favorite ride! and all he wanted was a light saber.......and little does he know that santa claus already has 2 for him....so we kept saying no......instead, his prize from disney world.......50% off (thanks to jenna´s employee discount) star wars play action figures. he played with them on the plane ride home for 2 hours.
riding the tram into the parks for the first time.
downtown disney....hyrum trying to act like donald duck.
a picture for his mom with mr. potato head.
lego land.....all those people and dogs are made from legos
hyrum and aunt jenna with a wooley mammoth
and that´s the trip! i had fun. it was a nice break from my life and much needed time away from it. and it was warm...like 80+ degrees (it snowed in utah while i was gone). i´m glad that hyrum would go with me. he was sad every night missing his parents but got to talk to them on skype and the cell phone....i think he got more phone calls than me on this vacation! sometimes it was hard being the person who has to discipline a 5 year old...i´m used to being the fun aunt who sneaks candy to the little man all the time and goes and plays with him when he is in time out. it was fun to see hyrum get excited. i enjoyed spending time playing with him in our room when he was supposed to be sleeping....every night i got head butted. but the best part was knowing that he loves me and he cried when i left him in the car so i could go catch my flight to utah. THANKS HYRUM. I LOVE YOU.
november 18, 2009
today i am thankful for "thank you bonuses" at my work.......the email they send out said that the CEOs of IHC gave up their Christmas bonuses to make sure that all of the employees got one this year.....ha ha ha......thanks for sharing some of your millions with us...........and normally i use it for some fun traveling adventure....but this year i am being a mature adult and using it to make an extra payment on my car.

Tuesday, November 17, 2009

november 17, 2009
i´m like a blogging advertisement.......people should really pay me to advertise things for them....oh wait, i already do! today i am thankful for DEL TACO. after work i was going to meet up with some friends but didn´t find them so i went to the library instead...and as i was driving by, i saw the sign 3 tacos for $.99.............oh yeah, its tuesday.........TACO TUESDAY.......so i didn´t starve today and i ate dinner for $1.07. try it out next tuesday!
november 16, 2009
today i am thankful that this little boy would go on vacation with me to disneyworld. he didn´t like the roller coasters which are my favorite but we still had fun........and he wanted to shoot all the disney princesses.....that´s what you get when you are an army man! thanks for being my travel buddy hyrum!!!!
pictures to come of our fun times....later.

Wednesday, November 11, 2009

november 12, 2009
i know what you are thinking......she is getting ahead of herself with the thankfulness.....but really its 4:44am and i am at work trying to help myself stay awake......and since i will be flying on an airplane on thursday, i decided to post early instead of late!
WALT DISNEY WORLD
that's right everyone.....i am going on a much needed vacation.....I'M GOING TO DISNEYWORLD.......and its almost all for FREE!!!! it pays to know people in this world and i am lucky enough to have a little sister who works at disneyworld.......and instead of her free tickets going to waste or to someone else, i decided to use them all for myself and for my little friend hyrum (he's my nephew but in his 5.5 years we have become best friends and his mom and dad are letting me take him on a vacation and he even gets to miss 3 days of school!!!) so.....
1. tickets to all parks in disney......CHECK = FREE
2. place to stay in florida right next to disney......CHECK = FREE
3. 2 airplane tickets to florida......CHECK = 1 FREE, 1 paid for
4. the beach in florida and warm weather (minus the FREE huricane that might be there)......CHECK = FREE
5. fun times for me and hyrum and lynna......CHECK = FREE
anyways, just wanted to let you know that i am extra thankful for things that are free.....they bring joy to my heart......and i have been blessed lately to have some fun times for free.
a. mat kearney concert
b. university of utah football game
c. haunted house
d. utah jazz basketball game
e. dollar movie for FHE
f. disneyworld
g. libraries
h. friends....old and new
ok, there is prolly tons more but you get the picture..........
I LOVE FREE THINGS!!!!!!
november 11, 2009

i am thankful for EXERCISE!!

i got a membersip to 24-hour fitness when i started working at primary children's medical center because they gave me a really good deal each month......sometimes i get lazy and even though i have done nothing all day long i don't go to the gym.....who knows what i am thinking........but in order to release some pent up stress lately, i have been running more [oh and did i mention that i signed up for my first 5K.........some friends said they will do it with me...we shall see if they really do]
and i love to swim...when i go to the gym i normally go for 1.5-2 hours....yes, past friends have told me that i am crazy and they they only go for 15-20 minutes to run a mile......but i will run on the tread mill and use the weight machines and do for a mile+ swim......i am trying to make some goals to help me change my negative attitude into something different and i think that this time i really will join a masters swim team 2 days a week.........i like having a coach push me to workout harder.


november 10, 2009

today i am thankful for coupons.......
i went to the store and saved $2 with coupons and $1.82 from store credit.......i didn't spend that much to begin with but it still felt good to save money. and i am going to try and be better about using coupons......you see, i don't like going grocery shopping for myself and by myself......doing all those things is way lame!!!! its so much more fun to go with someone else. it is also more fun to go for someone else and spend their money (i know all about this....i used to do it for my job!) and its fun to surprise people with their favorites foods. i try and spend the least amount of money possible on food and then i have been reading people's blogs and they spend $50 but saved $100 or something like that........man, i would be fat and happy with that much food!!!!!!!

Tuesday, November 10, 2009

november 9, 2009
today i am thankful for movies............i think that is all i do for fun lately......but going to the movie theater to watch a movie is one of my favorite past times.....i have gone to see a movie once a week for the past month and i kinda like it......oh and i found a theater close to my house that gives you a card....after 5 movies you get free popcorn, after 10 movies you get free popcorn and a drink, after 15 movies you get a free movie. i like free!

growing up, we went to the movies as a family on christmas and new years and thanksgiving and holidays...my grandpa buchanan gives us money and we go see a new movie. i have been working a lot of the big holidays the last few years and i still take myself to the movies all the time.

i think its ok to go to the movie theater by yourself to watch movies.......call me crazy.......but you got to do what you got to do when you hang out by yourself. try it....it is refreshing!!!!!

Sunday, November 08, 2009

november 8, 2009
today i am thankful for open heart surgeries......because that means i have a job!! i work at a children´s hospital and the past few days i have been taking care of patients who had heart surgeries.....they are just normal, everyday kids who need some extra help with their hearts....they are my favorite patients to take care of and they make me happy!!!!! oh and when they speak spanish and scream bloody murder when walking down the hallways, i like that too!

Saturday, November 07, 2009

november 7, 2009

FAST FOOD

i´m thankful for the person who invented fast food so that i will eat when i am tired......

Friday, November 06, 2009

november 6, 2009

today i am thankful for airplanes........I LOVE TO TRAVEL!!!


you can get on an airplane in one place and walk off the airplane in some other completely random place. next thursday i´m flying on an airplane to DISNEYWORLD in florida with my 5 year old nephew (yes, his parents are letting me take him out of school for 3 days to go to the happiest place on earth)....and today i bought my airplane ticket home for NEW YEARS!! i have to work thanksgiving and christmas eve and christmas days and my sister is having a baby sometime around then....so i´m going home for 8 days to celebrate the new year and to welcome a new life into this world and to enjoy some time with my family.......


i am thankful for continental and delta...they have given me many free airline tickets thru airline miles on my credit cards.........anyone looking for a good card, should check them out....i love my flying benefits!!!!!!!
november 5, 2009

FEELINGS & THE DELETE KEY
today i am thankful to have feelings......that means i am still alive!! it has been a hard month+ for me since matt and i broke up. logically, in my head, i think i had hoped that it wold be easy since boys break my heart all the time, and yet i think this time has been the hardest! and i think its because i got the closest to loving him the most and actually thinking and feeling that i was going to marry him someday (instead of just hoping like with all the other boys i have dated). anyways, i was seeing him all the time still because he is in my ward......and we have the same friends......and everytime i would see him, i would still like him......and i would pray that he would change his mind about what he felt.....you see, my heart was longing to be with him....funny how 2 people can get such different answers to the same prayer! we talked again last night and i told the man that i was deleting him out of my life. it sounds super mean but its the only way i feel like i can move on.

and so, i deleted him as my friend on facebook....along with his family members (oh don´t worry, i deleted about 250 "friends" on facebook that day as well).....i deleted emails from the man......i deleted his phone number from my phone........i deleted all things from my life that are from him....i´m working on returning the sun glasses today. it seems so drastic but its the only way i know how to get rid of my LIKING feelings for the man. i am busy with work and going to disneyworld and work again and so i will do my callings but i am going to a different ward on sundays.

i have learned many things from all the boys that i have dated. from some i have learned how to love, from others i have learned new skills and talents, from others i have learned how to like their families, from others i have learned patience and sacrifice, from others i have learned how to laugh and enjoy life, from others i have learned how to cry, from others i have learned that it is just the way life is...not fair and not really as you would have wanted it to be.....but i always learn something and i am always grateful for the moments the men have given me.

so, yes, i have DELETED the man out of my tangible life, but i will still remember the feelings in my heart and be grateful i am able to FEEL.

Wednesday, November 04, 2009

november 4, 2009

yes, i am thankful for tampons....this is my blog and i can be thankful for whatever i want!!!

i remember the first time that i successfully used a tampon....i was 22 years old....yes, it is true...ask my sister tia about the many times my swim coach asked why i wasn´t at practice and she just told him i was on my period = embarrassing! then, on day, while living in maryland with some family friends, i decided that i could use tampons.......it took almost an entire day to figure it out and i have been so thankful ever since!!!!!! i hate pads and i don´t wear them. they even sell tampax in estonia. i hate being a girl and having my period but i´m glad that i don´t have to waddle.

Tuesday, November 03, 2009

november 3, 2009

I AM THANKFUL FOR FUN FRIENDS!!! i met michelle last year around halloween when i went to a party with my friend paige (they were roommates). paige has since moved out but i see shannon and michelle often. this picture is at the mat kearney concert....last night michelle and i went to the JAZZ vs. HOUSTON ROCKETS game for free with 4 boys.....it was all michelle´s handy work but i am glad she invited me along to meet some new people.












its crazy how life is sometimes. just when you think things are going well, something changes and your world is turned upside down. for me this happened a little over a month ago.....i am still surviving and going on with my daily life...i like my job, it is extremely fulfilling......and yet, i want to run away. i want to move far, far away from here. i want a new heart...one that is not full of holes. i want to be busy everyday. i want to move on to the next phase of my life. I JUST WANT SOMEONE TO LOVE ME FOR ME and to have that be enough!!! it doesn´t seem like such a hard request. i feel like i am fun and funny (ha well maybe not right now!) and that i have a lot to offer..............i have heard all the excuses and all the well wishes and people tell me that someday it will work out and all it takes is the one right person and its ok to be alone and to not be dating anyone....i know all these things. i have told myself all these things for the last 10+ years. i have been living my life....BLAH! BLAH! BLAH! sorry guys, i no longer believe it......and i don´t want to hear it! that is all. that is my ranting and my ravings for the day. now, if i can just be productive somehow for the rest of the day.....maybe, hopefully, tomorrow will be a better day.

Monday, November 02, 2009

november 2, 2009

i´m thankful for the ability to breathe on my own!!!

i went to a trach/vent class at work today and learned how to use a ventilator.....they even let us try breathing with the machine....it was hard....the machine breathes opposite of what our normal body does.
MAT KEARNEY CONCERT

so, last wednesday, a bunch of us went to the Mat Kearney concert. it was so much fun! and the best part was that i got to go for free......it was a celebration for matt´s 29th birthday....he bought the tickets a long time ago.....so i went.
with the birthday boy.
mat kearney on the piano.
blue lighting.
i like this one....with the colors....i had to turn my flash off to get the colors so sometimes nothing was in focus.
he´s crowd surfing....
the opening band drummer threw out his stick....look who caught it!
our groupies.
it was a fun concert......kinda long standing for 4 hours but you got to do what you got to do!
halloween......

so, the night was fun. lyndsi got 3 free tickets to the football game...so for one night i was a university of utah football fan...the best part, i didn´t have to wear red because it was a blackout game!!! oh and the utes won!!!
then we went to a haunted house that a boy in our ward made....it was awesome!!!! and so much better than the ones you pay to go thru......and then on to kim´s party = she was aunt jemima...the syrup and i was a witch....i burrowed the costume from my roommate who was sick with the flu...not very creative!
here is my favorite costume of the year.....seth spent 2 days making himself into a shower.....and then he would put people inside and close the curtain....it was awesome! his only downfall...he could barely fit thru doors and he couldn´t really do much else but stand.

Sunday, November 01, 2009

november 1st, 2009

today i am thankful for the church of jesus christ of latter-day saints. i went to church for the 3rd week in a row...it was nice and relaxing......i got set apart for my calling = i am the enrichment co-chair meaning i help with activities throughout the year to bring unity and new skills among the women at church....i did my tithing settlement = yes 2 whole months early...but hey, i was at church and had the time.......its amazing how good you feel when you get to go to church often (sometimes its hard with my schedule at the hospital) and i am slowly making more friends. i know that this church is true. i enjoy reading the book of mormon and learning new ways to be better in my life. Jesus Christ is my Savior. I love singing the hymns at church.

oh and if you have some time....go to www.lds.org and listen to the MORMON MESSAGES. they are good.


Tuesday, October 27, 2009

my halloween costume.......
for fhe we had a barn dance last night.....it was fun.....i tried to be cruella de ville.....

the girlscout, a witch, kruella, another witch, a munchkin/lumberjack, dorthy
another picture....this one with matt as the crazy/ugly mad scientist who can´t see.

Friday, October 23, 2009

3. I´M THANKFUL FOR THE FALL!
this is my favorite time of year....when the leaves change colors and its warm inside and brisk outside. i love the colors. this picture was taken right next to my house...the street where we park our cars.
a facebook break!!!


so, my roommate andrea and i deactivated our facebook accounts....for the week......we both felt like we had been spending too much time on it and we needed a change.....it has been good for me and not that hard. who cares what everyone else is doing with their lives on a daily basis?? i shouldn´t but i did. yes, facebook is a good way to keep in touch with friends, etc and to learn about events coming up.....but why can´t we just call each other or text each other to find out about these things. our week is up on sunday night.....when we can log back in to the facebook world and do what?? i will be at work all night long and it helps me to stay awake........looking at people´s pictures at 3am because reading and intense concentrating is sometimes hard.....here is our proof......
THE SWINE FLU

i got my vaccine at work on wednesday...it hurt just as much as the normal flu vaccine that i got at the beginning of september.

AND...i just got a second job where i will be giving the swine flu vaccine (mist and shot) on my days off.....i really hope that it works out as i am bored sometimes and i want to make some money while i am bored.

we will be giving the vaccine at local schools, at drive thru clinics, and at offices....thank you to the US government who is giving these bad boys out for FREE (the other flu shot, the normal one, is on back order in case you were wondering)
and this is what the nurses look like at the hospital when treating a patient with swine flu and you have to suction them.......kinda like space aliens.....or something.....yes, i had to be fit mask tested and they made us do exercises and read stories while wearing this outfit and they would spray a mist inside to see if you could smell or taste it. gotta love it!

Saturday, October 17, 2009

today gets 2 things i´m thankful for....just because....

2. MY ROOMMATE ANDREA
(Andrea and Rudy from Guatemala...this is an awesome photo)
without her......i would probably have jumped off the side of a cliff already or something more drastic. she listens to me whine about boys and i cheer her on about the one that might call again next tuesday?!?! she goes running with me even though she can totally kick my trash! and she lets me grade her math papers when i am bored. i´m so grateful that ANDREA is my roommate, but even more grateful that she is my friend. THANKS DUDE!!!
so, i'm in a rut and need to dig myself out of it....the best way i know how to do that....is to be thankful........so, i'm going to try and find things to be thankful for everyday until i feel better.

1. THE SALT LAKE CITY UTAH TEMPLE
i never thought i would live in Salt Lake City...but i like it...and this is the temple that i get to go to.....this morning, after work, i'm going there with my ward to pick flowers...so that new "winter" flowers can be seen by all.

Wednesday, October 14, 2009

SO I AM BORED!!!!!! PLEASE HELP ME FIND SOMETHING TO DO AS A TALENT, HOBBY, ETC. I LIVE IN SALT LAKE CITY AND HAVE A JOB WITH RANDOM HOURS AND A LOT OF FREE TIME. I CAN HELP WITH BABYSITTING OR ANY OTHER WORK PROJECTS YOU HAVE....ANY BODY NEED SOME VOLUNTEERING SERVICES OR KNOW WHERE I CAN DO THAT AT....PLEASE COMMENT.

Monday, October 12, 2009

LONELINESS

i did a search of google images and found these.....i have been keeping myself busy and doing fun things...and yet i still miss my last boyfriend. it doesn´t help that he is in my ward and so i have to see him at activites. i have been lucky so far and not seen him there (sometimes being a nurse who has to work on sundays is a good thing!). but i went dancing on saturday night and he was there. and he danced with my roommate for over half of the night...and never with me...and he looked cute! and he was having fun!....he is a good dancer and can really move his hips...ha who knew! yes, i was jealous and it ruined all my hard work of trying to forget about how much i liked him from the entire week before. LAME!

he said that he can´t fulfill my needs. the problem is...i think that for the most part he can.

and so its back to square one....starting over....looking for the joy in all the small places....and not being jealous when i see him flirting with other girls and not being mad when my friends find people to love and to marry.....being happy for their joys and supporting them along the way......i can do this!


so, i was reading a friend´s blog yesterday at work....and she had a link to this article.....and i took the time to read it.......i think its very true for most of us singles......and so i decided to share it with you guys who read my blog......maybe it will help to better understand some of your single friends!

http://www.mormontimes.com/mormon_voices/becky_thomas/?id=11033

Now, take a moment and come on in to my world:
1. There are things that are worse than being single.
To me this is a no-brainer, but when people try to set us up and the only common denominator is our singleness, it makes me wonder if others might think it's the worse thing on earth and they want to rescue us from ourselves. Singleness isn't even in the ball park of the worst things that can happen to us.
2. Friends are a big part of our lives, and our single friends understand the most.
All of our friends are priceless, though not all of them understand.
3. We have perfected the art of finding purpose and meaning in almost everything.
This comes out of a need to make sense of our circumstances.
4. There are many awkward moments. Amazingly, we live to tell about it.
5. We are fully responsible as to how we spend or waste our time.
6. Every act of kindness is appreciated.

Invitations to dinner, baptisms, recitals, athletic competitions, lunch; everything is appreciated! Even if we don't accept them all, we love being included.
7. There are a lot of empty spaces to be filled.
We often feel a need to be going and doing, so we plan and plan, and everyone says, "you are so busy." We are usually just filling empty spaces.
8. Realizing that we may not mean to others, what they mean to us.
I learned this when I began to have nieces and nephews, they meant everything to me; however they have many relatives who love them. I realized that I will never mean to them what they mean to me. Also with my married friends, as their life is preoccupied with a husband and children, I may long for their time and friendship more than they long for mine.
9. The hand of the Lord is more evident, and appreciated.
10. The Law of Compensation is our favorite law.
11. Having someone to love, friends, nieces and nephews is priceless.

Yes, having people in our lives to keep our love active and flowing is crucial.
12. Hope is our best friend.
13. Self-pity is just around the corner, and we don't want to take that turn.
14. There are no excuses for having a dirty house.
15. We determine our activity in the church, we are not elevated or pulled down by a spouse, it's entirely up to us.

16. Life is not as we expected, but it can still be so much more than we imagined.
17. It is easy to be critical of ourselves.

Always wondering why we are not married, etc.
18. Plenty of time to watch and learn from others.
19. It is easy to feel judged.
20. We want to feel needed.
21. Having a capable and willing home teacher is amazing!
22. It is easy to become selfish.
23. It's hard to balance being independent, versus "too independent.'


after lagoon, my roommate andrea and i drove to logan to sleep at her parents house. we woke up and drove an hour to lava hot springs to meet up with another group of my friends...only to find out that all the fun was the night before and everyone was heading home...we stuck our feet in the hot springs for 45 minutes and then drove 2 hours + home....sorry no pictures from that adventure because it was a FLOP for us....thanks for the invite clayton!

a kid in my ward named DENNIS WINTERS....a jack of all trades kind of guy....called me and invited me to go pick apples...i remembered last year and all the fun i had with my sister and nephews and when we made apple sauce and so i went. it was about a mile from my house in my area...dennis had been driving by earlier in the week and left the man of the house a note asking if he could pick apples in exchange for a little yard work...and there we were. IT WAS SO MUCH FUN......AND WE ATE THE APPLES RIGHT OFF THE TREE!!!

me with a box of the apples i picked.
the wormy apples we picked off the ground...SICK!
this is how you pick apples in the city.....standing on the top of a car!
or using a step ladder...
the green apples were so much better than the golden delicious apples.
now we just have to help dennis clean them and store them before they all go bad!

that night i went dancing with some friends and learned how to merangue and charleston.....with the old people........it was so much fun!!!! i think that i want to go back again another time. i had the best weekend!!! i think it only would have been better if i could have gone to church instead of working on sunday........maybe next time!!!
after the wedding.....
i drove to lagoon to meet up with my roommates, kim, and some random boys.....
ok, the story...........andrea´s aunt had tickets for 8 people to get into lagoon FRIGHTMARES for $10......such a good deal!!! but everyone knows its more fun to go to lagoon with boys. so, thursday night we called andrea´s mom and i convinced andrea it would be ok for her mom to find us some boys (we didn´t have any boys in mind that we wanted to go with....and her parents had been wanting to set her up on a date for years and she always refused...oh the power of persuasion by a friend...hahaha!)......so its friday afternoon and we have 4 girls and 4 boys going to lagoon. we all met at the front gate. they were the nicest boys (secretly we had been hoping for kinda nerdy or weird or something so that we could have a better story...but this story is good enough). we met LOGAN, CORY, RICHIE, and JAKE. they rode on all the ride with us and screamed like girls out of fright......in the haunted house and on the rides (2 of the boys were really scared of roller coasters)................
the moral of the story is:
1. WE MET NEW FRIENDS
2. WE HAD FUN
3. WE RODE ROLLER COASTERS AND WENT TO A HAUNTED HOUSE ALL FOR $10
4. WE, the girls, HAVE RENEWED HOPE IN DATING

my favorite ride...they play songs from the radio and the person on the outside gets smashed! well, maybe WICKED is my favorite ride...but this is a fun one for everyone to enjoy.
the group at the end of the night....now we are friends!
our first photo together.....in a dark stairwell waiting to ride the bat...
i brought my camera just to take pictures of the boys to show my sister and andrea´s mom....it ended up being a way fun time....and i think that it was the most fun speed dating i have ever done................it was like we each went on 4 dates...no pressure and we got to know each boy seperately.........i think that we are going to try it again.........IF ANYONE KNOWS OF SOME SINGLE, OLDER BOYS.....PLEASE SEND THEM MY WAY...........starting over in the dating game is not fun at all but i am glad that my first experience this time was a positive one.
THE WEDDING

i had the best week last week....my work schedule was just the way i wanted and i was never bored!!!! i think i like working 3 days during the week and having the weekend off to play as i choose!!! friday started off with me relaxing and then going to help get ready for my aunt barbara´s wedding. we decorated the house and cooked some yummy food. Barbara married Ray.........it was just family at the wedding but it was funny to go around the room and see how all the peope were related...you see barbara married her brother-in-law ray......so the family was already family. the were so happy and in love........not gonna lie.....it made me want to get married.........WHO DOESN´T WANT SOMEONE TO LOVE THEM?!?!?!?

me with my grandma bonnie
the happy couple after the bishop married them!
aunt barbara with her pretty flowers...i took some food and left right after the ceremony...to go on a date.....so i did not stay for the throwing of the bouquet.....maybe next time....
Archie and Grandma
me and Barbara

Wednesday, October 07, 2009

THE AMAZING RACE

i LOVE this show....i want to be on this show.....i love to travel......look at all the places the people get to go to and they do some pretty cool cultural things in each place......my favorites after 3 episodes....the 2 harlem globe trotters....they are tall and funny and cool and i just like them....one of them had his dad die 2 days before the race started.....watch it on cbs.com or every sunday night. it is EXCITING!!!

p.s. they are going to dubai, UAE...i grew up there and 6 years...and to Tallinn, Estonia....my mission...i lived there for 10 months....AWESOME!!!!

CHRISTMAS WISH LIST.....
i know what you are thinking...it only october 7th and you are posting your chirstmas wish list....but yes, i am wrapping my last christmas gifts today while watching the amazing race online...and i know that some of my family is already done with their christmas shopping and so it must be done today.

1. MONEY.....i know i won´t get this but its my wish list and so i can put whatever i want! ha! money to pay off my car. money to go on a vacation. money to buy new clothes. money to put in the bank and save! now if only i could really get this toilet paper money roll and it would never run out....that would be AMAZING!!!
2. QWIRKLE.......i love this game. one of my friends made this game...so if anyone is feeling crafty....then that would be a great present for me.....or the real thing wouldn´t be so bad! apparently, you can get long blocks at home depot for the squares and have a man with a saw cut them into the cubes...paint them black.....and then you put the shapes on with some weird glue...my friend said she made this game for under $5....just takes time.
3. a new temple slip.....mine is getting to be dingy white...and new temple socks........and new garments.....
4. BIKE HELMET......the one i have gives me a headache and so i never wear it.....and it makes for long triathlons and even longer bike rides when i have to wear a helmet.
so its not a very big list, but its just some things i have been thinking about. i hope that helps the christmas elves out there!!!!!!!

Saturday, October 03, 2009

general conference weekend.....i went up to park city and played at the canyons lodge with some new and old friends. at one point we had 16 people in the hot tub...i think it might have been over flowing...ha ha ha. thanks michelle for a fun time!!

this is how you eat a doritoe...or how you keep from seeing doritos in my teeth at the time the picture is being taken......oh and this is another DI special......my blue puffy vest.....i like it...and it keeps me warm.
the hot tub fun!!!
i like going to park city. it is only 20ish minutes from my house and i feel like i get away to another place....i´ve been a few times in the last few months. i hope to shop at the outlet mall the next time i go up there......i guess that means i need to stop spending my extra money on fun vacations.

Wednesday, September 30, 2009

DATING = ITS NOT SO MUCH FUN SOMETIMES!

p.s. did i tell you that its snowing in utah today....and FREEZING.....i like fall....where did the fall weather go to?? (i really just love the hot summer weather)
i had an interesting experience today...i went to my roommates´school to help her grade papers....and when i was leaving.....i had the chance to walk through the halls while the students where changing classes.....i got pushed and shoved and had to walk around people hugging and screaming at each other.......and the crazy part was....i didn´t look any different than any of them and i have not been in high school since i graduated over 11 years ago....ha ha ha.

Monday, September 28, 2009

SUNGLASSES...........................
let´s be real honest...i don´t wear them.....prolly because my ears are lop-sided and one ear is higher than the other and so when i look at myself in the mirror with sunglasses on i just see that one of my eyebrows is sticking out about the glasses and the other one is hidden underneath it. not a pretty site if you ask me.....i prolly don´t wear them too because my parents never wear sunglasses...like parents like children (the same reason i don´t wear make-up but that could be another post for later). anyways, my old roommate jerah get new ones a year or so ago and gave me her old ones. i have been wearing those in the car when i dive and enjoying them a lot. i don´t feel like my ears are lop-sided. well, matt seemed to think that i needed new sun glasses....because "EVERYONE NEEDS A NICE PAIR OF SUNGLASSES TO WEAR WHEN DRIVING!" little did i know that was the case. needless to say, the man got a gift card from all his credit card points to the sunglass hut. we went up to park city and looked for glasses for an hour one day. it was a disaster! and matt decided that he would never buy me any clothes item because it was so difficult. we went on a date 2 weeks ago and there was a sunglass hut. we went inside the store and i found a pair of glasses that i liked. we put them on hold and last monday we went and picked them up. i didn´t think that i would be excited.....and then i saw the case that the glasses came in and i got SUPER excited. i guess it is fun to have nice glasses.........however, now i´m super nervous leaving them in my car because someone would definately want to steal $100 sunglasses. yikes! i´ve never had any item of clothing cost that much money. oh and if you are thinking that that is a lot of money for sunglasses......like me....just ask matt how much his glasses were....$250! what the heck!?!?!?!?!?!??!
Aebleskivers.....my favorite thing to eat for breakfast and aunt barbaras house....she made them for me when i was there last week and they were super yummy!!!! i have never seen them anywhere else but they are danish. we also went to the grand opening of the new DI in ogden...and along with the crazy people who filled their carts with JUNK....i found my very own pan......my kids are going to eat aebleskivers.....and i hope they will love them just as much as me.
my new pan!
the recipe and the history behind the pan.
barbara in action.
the finished products....its like pancakes in a ball!!! you put powdered sugar or homemade jam or syrup on them and the are DELICIOUS!!!!!
MY STAYCATION!!!
last week i had wednesday and thursday off from work and then i had to go to work for 3 days straight....so i decided to head to ogden, utah to my great aunt barbara´s house. it is a country house on the edge of the city and the freeway. it is nice and peaceful and yes, this is where i sat enjoying the sun and reading my book. it was the perfect getaway. and, i found out that barbara is getting married again...uncle ken died in jan and then his sister died a few weeks later...and so barbara will be marrying her rich brother in law. it was fun to hear her talk about the traveling they will do and sad because she is selling my getaway house and moving to a mansion in sandy....i guess i will have to find another spot to go enjoy the fall!!
BLAST FROM THE PAST
(me, beth, heather, cosme)
so, my friend beth from high school got a few of us together for dinner a few weeks ago. we have all been friends since we were 11 when heather and i moved to houston, texas. and now we all live in utah. so it was a dinner with old friends and their spouses and kids....i brought matt so that i wouldn´t have to sit at the little kid´s table.. ha ha.. (i´m the only one from high school who is not married now...crazy and i remember that people used to think i would be the first one! boy did i prove them wrong) it was fun. our friend susie and her husband left earlier so she is not in the picture. it was fun to laugh and talk about the good ole days and other friends who we remembered.

Saturday, September 26, 2009

there is a fun place in murray, utah called the desert star theater.....you can eat dinner while watching a play.....a spoof on a real play.....i took matt on a date to "SNOOTY AND THE BEAST: a twisted fairy tale" on thursday night.......the food was gross....i had problems for many hours in the bathroom afterwards....the play was awesome! and very funny and enjoyable!!! i want to go back....and next time i will just eat before and enjoy the show.

Monday, September 21, 2009

i have a new friend...his name is HAIRY!!! so, matt took me on a date friday night to local BBQ place and it was good!!! it almost compares to texas bbq....we sat at picnic tables and they even had a live 2 man band. he then asked me if i wanted to see a movie or do something different...i opted to do something different. we went to gateway mall and were walking around and i still had no idea what we were going to do. and then we went into the build-a-bear store. ha ha ha. i have never even been in the store and thought that all the stuffed animals were super expensive. we walked around and tested all the animals and i liked this lil chocolate cub the best (and he was the cheapest, the best color, and the softest..i did good!!!) so, i built a bear! matt kissed his heart and made the wish. we washed him off afterwards and bought him some clothes. kinda silly but it was fun and different. they have all kinds of halloween costumes right now...matt wanted superman but they didn´t have it, so he went with the next best thing...a bathing suit....fully lined and everything....
hairy´s birth certificate...and just in case you were wondering....if you lose your bear/animal anywhere and someone finds it, they can return it to any build-a-bear store in the world and they will mail it to your address......kinda extreme if you ask me!!!
on saturday, me & andrea & amy & kathryn went to a local school and did some service. they had 8 service projects going on....we choose to deliver food to the needy and to sort cans at the local food bank. it was a lot of fun and we met some funny people-

me in a huge box of cans.......all beans and chile...makes for some great tooting...
kathryn, amy, and i....look at that big can of beans!!!
the locals outside of a 4-plex...yes, it was 10am and they are already drinking beer and hitting on the girls delivering food.
my car loaded with the food= each person got 1 box of food, 1 bag of freezer food, and 1 bag of fridge food= we delivered them to 6 houses

Sunday, September 13, 2009

yesterday i did my first team triahlon......it was so much fun and we totally stacked the relay race!!!! i swam 400 meters, my manager at work Jared biked 9 miles, and my friend from nursing school ran a 5K (3 months after having a baby)....we were trying to win the entire thing...we got 7th place out of 350 people (individuals and teams).....i think that i was the weakest link...i will have to train harder for the next race....the fastest person finished in 54 minutes and we finished in 59 minutes (5 minutes later).....
OUR MEDAL
me getting out of the pool... i was so tired. i had been practicing at a 25 yard pool and 50 meters is a lot more tiring.
running to the bike
Jared coming in from the bike.....he smoked a few bikers
laura kicking trash on the run....she did the 5K in 22 minutes...that is amazing.......i think it takes me 30 minutes plus
OUR TEAM PICTURE....286!!!!
it was fun and i think that we want to do another team triathlon......maybe at olympic distance
on labor day we went to guadelupe state park and the kids went swimming while the bigger people sat around and watched them.....the water went to our ankles....
MY ENTIRE FAMILY........THANKS FOR COMING TO SEE ME....AND BRINGING ALL YOUR KIDS AND FUN ATTITUDES............
a rare sighting: all the siblings together...and in their bathing suits........ROBBIE, PAIGE, ME, TIA (in the hat), HEATHER, JENNA
just sitting around....in the shade
look at the little monsters with their mohawks.....i love it!!!
me with all my nephews and niece....the best picture we got...ha ha ha!!
matt reading bookies in the tent with hyrum and maya...i think he liked it more than them!
my 2 best boyfriends forever and always: HYRUM & NOAH
MAYA & me & NOAH
MAYA
paige & erin & tristan
matt & kaden
aunt tia & kaden & maya
matt & i with our serious faces
more downtown san antonio pictures....we went to the river walk and ate dinner and had a water boat ride.....and here are the fun things we saw along the way.....
THE WORLD´S LARGEST WAIST

THE WORLD´S TALLEST MAN
my brother in law is 6 foot 5 inched
hyrum was the photographer on the boat ride.....matt with a red face
kaden loving the boat
me & matt
we went to the alamo.....in san antonio......and here are the pictures.
my mom and the entire building
matt and i with the alamo
all of us at the well...hyrum was not happy...
a picture with the cannon
the sign on the door as you go in the ALAMO
the line that the shoulders crossed over to go fight the battle
some people were dressed up in the costumes
i went to san antonio for labor day weekend.....it was so much fun........all my siblings were there and all my nephews (4+) and niece (1) and my mom and matt got to spend some time with us too........
NOAH(5)
hyrum´s school project with his letter H.....matt and kyle helped him with his homework!
grandma B and MAYA
ME and KADEN and HYRUM......we were trying on firemens costumes for halloween
the fisrt day we got there, we went and ate lunch with hyrum in kindergarden....he loved it! he got mcdonalds and we ate chick fil a......they have boy sides and girl sides of the table....he didn´t want us to leave and told us not to do anything fun while he was at school...
my ward had an activity a few weeks ago and we went tubing down the weber by henefer, utah...it was so much better than the provo river...with more rapids and i highly recommend it to anyone in the salt lake area...and it wasn´t as cold as provo either!!

getting our life jackets on...none of the girls were too exciting about sporting the jackets but the rapids were SUPER FUN and there were times we were all glad to be wearing them....some of the people popped their tubes too....crazy....
the girls: Andrea, Domoina, Lyndsi, me, Amy, Kathryn
me & matt flexing...too bad it looks like he is the only on flexing....i was really trying!!!!

andrea looking like a goober...we still love her!!!!!
one friday night me and andrea and lyndsi and seth and matt all went hiking up by the U...it was fun. we kinda got lost in the dark on the way down.....here are our funny pictures:

this was turn around and jump on 3...i think we were all a little off!
it wasn´t even dark outside yet but it looks like it from this picture.
seth was the map reader...and lyndsi and matt 2 seconds later decided that they needed to talk on their cell phones....good service in the mountains?? it was just a fun picture.
the setting sun.
the start of the hike...i think they all just like pictures of their butts!!!
leftover pictures from my cruise...i just got my underwater pictures developed and this is what i found.......

me kissing a sting ray

whose legs are super tan...that would be mine!!! yahoo......

the fantastic 5 on one last adventure...on a sandbar in key west, florida...we road jet skis.



Wednesday, September 09, 2009

i LOVE college football. i got season tickets 2 years ago to watch the cougars.....and i was there the day they beat the U and i stormed the field along with all the fans. Last year i had to work a lot but my roommates and i would go volunteer at the cougar club before games and stay for free. this year....i live 5 minutes from the U....and i think i'm still bleeding blue!!! way to win last saturday cougars...i will be watching you all season long......and for my boyfriend (who went to the other school, the one right down the street here in salt lake...the one where they bleed red).....i hope my cougars beat your utes!!!!!!!




Tuesday, September 01, 2009

word up!
so i just found out that our guatemalan group made it into the ldsliving magazine and the meridian magazine. click on the links below to read the stories (and i think i figured out how to do links). its pretty sweat! also, i am in all 3 of the pictures that they used........in the group picture i am in the top left corner.....in the other picture that was used in both articles, i am in the right corner wearing a blue poncho....that was the day we went to los limones and carried cement down and up a hill in the pouring rain.....35+ pounds on my back.....it was awesome!! i hope to go to nepal next year...any other young single adults should check it out.


http://www.ldsliving.com/article/146733/Single-LDS-Humanitarians-Serve-People-in-Guatemala

http://meridianmagazine.com/churchupdate/090901dc.html

Friday, August 28, 2009

So, in guatemala, there is an airlines called TACA airlines. we flew from flores, by tikal, to guatemala city on a propeller plane with 50 of our new best friends. it was awesome to be on a plane with me knowing everyone on the plane. we were reading in the flight magazine and came across this article. i had the pleasure of reading it for everyone on the plane to hear. ENJOY!!!



Trends: A Way to Impress

By Jenny Acosta-Horta

A new model of masculinity is emerging. It's the gastrosexual-a man for whom cooking isn't just a matter of survival, but rather an exercise in creativity to unleash a modern, sophisticated and cool personality. Gastrosexuals, who are generally young professionals ages 25-44 and upwardly mobile, also use their abilities in front of the stove as part of their seduction arsenal or simply as a way to impress their guests.

When a gastrosexual displays his culinary prowess, he doesn't just prepare sophisticated dishes-he's also tasteful enough to create an inviting ambience to highlight his culinary gifts even more. The Colorfusion Candles are ideal to achieve an intimate, harmonic environment: they change colors, have delicate aromas (like vanilla and violet) and even have sounds that evoke waves, streams and jungles.
colorfusioncandles.com

Tuesday, August 25, 2009

MAS FOTOS....LO SIENTO!

at the end of the trip, we went on a little excurtion to tikal.....ancient mayan ruins....some think christ appeared to the people here. we paid $10 to go on the sunrise tour...something we had all heard about. they knocked on our doors at 3:45am to wake us up (no phones in our hotel rooms...just bugs and mosquito nets...to keep out the malaria bugs) and then we had to bribe the guards to let us in to the park. we made it to the top of the 4th pyramid and listened to the jungle wake up. it sounded like jurasic park...it was awesome....the only problem.....it was cloudy and we saw no sunrise. no worries, we went on almost the exact same tour at 9am and got to see some cool sites.



















GUATEMALA.......POLOCHIC VALLEY......AUGUST 8-18, 2009

sorry for the picture overload....but i just like them all....





























































random pictures of the people i was with on the trip. it was called singular humanitarian sponsered by choice humanitarian. 89 young single adults went out together to do these projects. it rained everyday and we got muddy....i loved it! we ate corn tortillas and rice and potatoes and black beans for breakfast lunch and dinner...my body did ok....until i returned to american food. i slept in a warehouse with 35 girls and shared a bathroom that had cold showers and 2 toilets with 50 people and some bugs. i road in cattle trucks everyday with 35+ people.....i learned how to mix cement and how to build buildings with bricks. i learned to love the kids we played with everyday. i learned to appreciate the medical system and good drugs we have in america...i love being a nurse. i learned how to carry 40-50 pounds of cement up a mud slide 5 miles in the pouring rain....thanks to the help of my friend ben who cheered me on when i was slipping and sliding. i learned that i am funny again...thanks ty ty. i learned that i live to serve others with my friends...thanks for going on the trip with me andrea and lyndsi. i learned that life is fun!!!
GUATEMLA........a special place in my heart!!!

so, i am back from my trip to Guatemala and all i can say is that is was amazing!! i´m so glad i had this experience.....i met new friends, learned to love the people, and had a blast. we had medical clinics with doctors to see the people and dental workshops to clean teeth and do some extractions. we started building the first secondary school in the area (kids go to 5th grade and then the have to go out and work), a kitchen, a medical clinic, and a water project. i think i left a part of my heart in that area. the kids would run up to the road as we were driving by and scream and giggle and wave at us. they would come play with us and teach us the Q´tchie language (an indian dialect they speak...not spanish). some people walked all day to see the doctors. we slept on the ground with bugs and spiders and learned how to enjoy the simple things of life with no computers or cell phones and just to have fun. i love adventures....and this one, a SERVICE ADVENTURE, sealed the deal for me. i hope to be able to go on one humanitarian service project a year to help the people and to give back some of the greatness that i have been blessed with in my life. i hope that i will always have the means to help others. i loved my trip...it was life changing.

Here are some of my favorite pictures of the people that i met.





























on the way to guatemala, we had a 16 hour layover in houston....so my mom picked up my friends and i from the airport and we hung out at my house. it was nice to be home...even for one night. hyrum and i had a sleepover and we played with kaden. thanks paige for coming for the weekend!







RETIREMENT WEEKEND in Las Vegas

the weekend before i went to guatemala, i went to vegas to celebrate matt´s dad´s retirement. we stayed in a hotel and went swimming for hours and we also went bowling. it was fun and his dad was super excited to be able to sleep in and get all his projects done now. matt and i bowled at exactly the same time and we both got strikes!! it was awesome.













i went shooting at the beginning of august...again....and i´m still not good.

Thursday, July 30, 2009

THINGS ON MY BUCKET LIST

I WANT TO OWN A HOUSE SOMEDAY.....NICE AND BIG AND NEW!!!! i have been dreaming about owning a house lately...too bad i have big dreams that are expensive....i want to have a house that house a bathroom connected to the master bedroom, a 2 car garage, a swimming pool in the back yard, a movie theater room, and big kitchen.....but for now i would settle for this house to call my own.


OWN A BOAT...i love the water...


AUSTRALIA....its all about the kangaroos


AFRICA....any where will do on this continent....a safari??


ANTARCTICA....i think that means i have to go to chile again and then take a cruise


GET MARRIED...i would like to try it out one of these days


HAVE 10 KIDS....i know...that is a big number and its prolly not going to happen considering i am close to 30 and not married....BUT....its my bucket list and so i can dream can´t i?!?! i think i would be happy with 6 of them...


BE DEBT FREE WITH SOME MONEY TO SPARE...HAVE A MONEY TREE...i don´t need to be rich and i´m come to be greatful for the struggles to make ends meet by myself as an adult...but i would love to own my car (have no car payments) and a house and still have some left over to go on trips with my family and to help people who are less fortunate than me. i have been blessed to have people in my life who are very generous with their money and i hope to PAY IT FORWARD in my lifetime!!


SHARE A SUITCASE....kinda silly i know but its on my list...
so, this is what you do when you are tired and don´t have enough energy to go to the gym...and you are waiting to go on a trip in a few hours...GRANDMA....i have almost completed all the things on this bucket list...maybe i should make my own!!

(x) Been to Europe....lived there for 1.5 years on a mission....traveled many times
( ) Been to Australia
(x) Been on a cruise
(x) Gone on a blind date = my favorite kind.no committment attached.just fun on a date
(x) Skipped school...only in college...i liked going to high school
( ) Been to Canada
(x) Been to Mexico
(x) Been to Florida
(x) Been on a plane
(x) Been lost
(x) Been on the opposite side of the country
(x) Gone to Washington , DC
(x) Been to Vegas
( ) Climbed a lighthouse
(x) Swam in the ocean
(x) Cried yourself to sleep....dumb boys!
(x) Seen the Cherry Blossoms in Washington , D.C.
(x) Played cops and robbers
(x) Flown a plane...another fun date
( ) owned a boat=SOMEDAY!!!
( ) Watched grandchildren grow...i haven´t even found a husband yet
(x) Recently colored with crayons...i work at a kids hospital
( ) Been to the Kentucky Derby
(x) Been to Key West...last month on my cruise
(x) Been to a rodeo...i´m from texas=the answer is yes!
(x) Sang Karaoke
(x) Paid for a meal with coins only? that´s how i eat at taco bell
(x) Done something you told yourself you wouldn't?
(x) Made prank phone calls
(x) Laughed until some kind of beverage came out of your nose
(x) Caught a snowflake on your tongue
(x) Danced in the rain
(x) Written a letter to Santa Claus
(x) Been kissed under the mistletoe..when i lived with the fantastic 5...we all used the mistletoe one year....we left it up the whole year so we could get some lovin
(x) Watched the sunrise with someone
( ) Seen the green flash at sunset
(x) Blown bubbles
(x) Gone ice-skating...and i still stink at it!
(x) Gone to the movies by yourself...many times...it is nice in the middle of the day
( ) Owned a convertible = i have no desire to do this.

Monday, July 27, 2009

night shift number 2 of 4 (after 3 weeks of working days)....i signed up for my 401K finally...better late then never...right!?!? after working at my job for 2 years...SOMEDAY I HOPE TO HAVE LOTS OF MONEY!!!


Monday, July 20, 2009





so, matt told me that cars should be waxed 2 times a summer to keep their color....this was news to me...i have never waxed my car in the 2 years that i have owned the HONDA FIT.....and for my birthday he gave me a coupon for a free wash & wax job.....well, last friday night for our date we went to his parents house and gave my car a new look. the tires look awesome and matt waxed my car so good.......and then the sprinklers came on at my house the next day...right by where i parked my car.....seesh...i think i will like having a garage someday. i was messing around with my camera settings so these are the pictures i got. i learned how to wax a car....my dad and brother in law kyle would be so impressed!! matt even used armoral on the inside and i vacuumed it out....my car is SUPER HAPPY now.
the boys....or should i say men....who came to our rescue yesterday......yes, we have dennis winters.....the professional in our midst......he put on his work shirt with his tie and slacks and newly shined shoes to fix our house. we are making them cookies and a song/dance to tell them thank you!! (no picture of the bathroom......the smell and the water color were sick....)



my niece and nephews make me so happy. i am excited to go to texas and see them.....august 7th here i come......i know its just one night but i am excited to hug them and play hide and seek and to chase after them and hear them squeal. they are the cutest kids ever....and they read my blog (or look at the pictures) and make comments. I LOVE YOU NOAH, HYRUM, MAYA, KADEN, and TRISTAN (+ half baby in paige´s tummy....my sister finds out what she is having on thursday......)


look how cute they are.......



TRISTAN and his glasses.....i think he is seeing stars...he is learning how to crawl......hopefully he gets it in the next 3 weeks before i see him.



NOAH & MAYA........they love to play together...sometimes....and they see aunt tia and aunt heather and aunt jenna more than me but hopefully they know i love them the most!!!



HYRUM & KADEN......these kids make me happy. hyrum talked to me today on the phone and told me about watching the airplanes go over his house and packing to move to texas........hopefully he will come visit me in utah again....and we can go on water slides and roller coaters



I LOVE THIS KID......HE IS SO CUTE......the kade monster is walking and gabbering now..
i live in salt lake city now......AND I LOVE IT!!! here are a few reasons why....

1. i can get to work in 10 minutes or less depending on the traffic - and i can carpool with my friend lyndsi beck who lives 2 houses down - or i can even ride my bik and get there in 15 minutes.....that means i save on gas money as well!!!!!!!

2. i get to see matthew bryan pearson everyday......that makes me SUPER happy.....and he just lives about 1 mile away from me so we can maximize our time together....i just have to remember to let the man go to sleep by 10:30pm every night so he can get his beauty sleep.

3. i love my roommates......andrea richins is a high school math teacher so she has the summer off and has been hiking a ton...when she is home and i am not working.....we like to lay on my queen size bed in the cool basement and talk about life......it is so hot in the upstairs part of my house....no one likes to hang out up there.....oh and lyndsi beck lives riht next store.....way too much fun.

4. i love my singles ward. i am getting to know more people as the summer goes on and i love it. the boys are fun and the girls are nice....and we do fun activities. plus, i have good home teachers.....and friends.....our basement shower flooded yesterday with sewage water.....spewing up out of the drain...SICK!!! so, i called the 2 boys i could think of = my home teacher (who is the elders quorum president) and my boyfriend (who is in the elders quorum presidency)...they cancelled their meeting and came to our rescue along with a few other people....including the person they were going to have their meeting with....so, after cleaning up our bathroom, they had their meeting in our kitchen. i´m thankful for good people who come to our rescue!!!!!!!

there are many more reasons but those will do for now!

ANDREA & LYNDSI


LYNDSI & I AT WORK.......right before she got peed on...


MY RUGGEDLY HANDSOME BOYFRIEND MATT


KATHRYN, ANDREA, ME, AND MATT.....trying to get our butts warm while camping


I JUST LIKED THIS PICTURE

















i traded out of work on a saturday and went hiking/camping with my friends. we had so much fun. we had to backpack all our stuff 3.8 miles to our camp site......we did some firedancing and just had fun. it was a beautiful hike with lots of pretty flowers and it wasn´t too hot.
we then tubed down the canal in freezing cold water......my butt was numb but it was still fun.
and then that night we went to the logan demolition derby.....i think it was the best derby i have ever been to....there were so many cars and people were screaming and yelling and totally in to the competition...i think that it helped that we sat right next to some of the family members of the drivers....ha ha ha
The 4th of july

this year i had so much fun on this holiday.....i spent the week with matt and his family. his siter and her family came in to town from las vegas and his brother and his family came in to town from tennessee....we played at the park, went and saw the new temple open house, went to boondocks and played mini golf and water boats and fast cars and lazer tag and much more....matt even won over 3000 tickets playing the arcades....we also saw the riverton, utah parade and then i worked on july 24th (my irst shift as an RN by myself) and watched the fireworks that night. it was a fun week and i enjoyed meeting all the new people in his family.







Sunday, July 19, 2009

THE LIVING ROOM

matt and i went on a hike up a mountain in salt lake one night to a place called "the living room"......you could see the entire valley and there were rock formations in the shape of chairs and you can sit and enjoy nature. it wasn´t too hot and we had the entire place to ourselves to watch the sunset...i have a setting on my camera for sunsets and so i zoomed to max capacity and got some cool pictures....it looks like fire! it was a fun hike and the end result was well worth it!!! afterwards we hiked down the mountain to eat dinner...at taco bell....matt is so nice....he indulges me in my taco bellness.










Thursday, July 02, 2009

I PASSED MY NCLEX NURSING TEST.......I AM A REAL NURSE NOW.......

Thursday, June 25, 2009

the last sunset at sea...


in key west, florida....we rented jet skis and took a tour all the way around the island....about 25 miles...i got to drive the entire time and now i want one so bad...at one point we were only 90 miles away from cuba...and we saw the southernmost point in all of the united states. i liked this stop. it had fun shopping and was a quaint little island....more pictures to come once the water camera gets developed.


we had another formal dinner on saturday night....you better believe that i ate steak 4 out of the 7 nights we were at sea. i love steak!!!
in belize we rode horses in the jungle and the jungle attacked us...i had blood trickling down my leg at the end...it was my least favorite stop. i hear that it has the best scuba diving in the world...and i rode a horse....next time....





in grand cayman we went swimming with the stingrays....it was so much fun to touch them and feed them. we took picture on water cameras so i will have get those developed. in honduras we went on a zip line and played at the most beautiful beach ever....it was by far my favorite spot of the entire cruise....i want to go back someday and just spend more time in the warm water and the sun...i will have to figure out how to post videos...last time i tried nothing ever happened.









yes, i took pictures of all the towel animals that we found in our rooms each night. crazy that they clean your rooms 2 times a day and give you chocolate mints and turn your bed down for you at night...









formal dinner number one at sea




also where they had the hairiest man competition...


we watched movies at night and the last game of the NBA finals...


The deck with lawn chairs...
THE CRUISE BEGINS.... (the pictures are backwards still)


and we are off!!!!
the obligatory life vest picture.....it was so hot and sweaty...
our luggage......delivered to your rooms.....
the boat....CARNIVAL VALOR
standing in line to get on the boat in miami, florida with amren, jenni, and jerah









Tuesday, June 23, 2009

MY CRUISE EXPERIENCE...

the cruise was so much fun AND so much money. i learned a lot of things about myself last week....some good and some things i really need to work on. 7 single girls on a cruise modestly dressed was a sight for all to see....people asked us if we had kids or husbands back home and we told them no and they all just asked if the boys were crazy in utah....WHO KNOWS!!!!

we flew to miami then got on the boat to grand cayman islands to swim with the sting rays and to go snorkeling. then on to honduras and the zip line thru the jungle and the nicest beach i have ever been to. the next day we stopped in belize and all went on our own excursions. kathryn went golfing on an island with only an 18 hole golf course and an olympic sized pool. amren, jerah, and alesa (all sisters) visited friends from amern´s mission. me, becky, and jenni took a tour of the city and road horses thru the jungle and the rain. (this was my least favorite excursion.) on our last day, we stopped in key west florida and rented jet skis and went around the entire island. i loved it! i got to drive the entire way with jenni and kathryn on the back.

pictures to come...but i´m a little bit busy with work and studying for my NCLEX test and trying to be social in a new ward and working out.....i went to the gym almost everyday on the cruise ship....and i even ran 4 miles one day....whoop whoop!!!




oh and one of my favorite parts about my trip...was coming home to my big bed and to this and this........

Friday, June 12, 2009

MEMORIAL DAY 2009

i spent memorial day with matt and his family in las vegas. it was SO MUCH fun. we played in the pool everyday, went to the strip and watched the dancing waters, ate yummy food, played games, watched basketball playoffs & the american idol finalle &just relaxed. it was super fun!!!!

this is my favorite picture of us.


matt & i trying to get the pose right for our photo debut in the water...


we played volleyball in the water...


silly pictures with his niece and nephew


at the dancing waters in vegas.....someday i want to stay at the bellagio as a guest...but for now i just settle for walking thru it!


and i´m putting a plug out there for my nephew hyrum......I WANT HIM TO MARRY HER.....ha ha they are both 5 but i think it would be a cute match.
SCUBA DIVING!!!!!










so i finally finished my scuba diving certification. i had to go to midway, utah last friday and saturday and despite feeling like i was going to drown underwater, i made it!!! it was awesome and i´m excited to CRUISE it up next week and practice my skills.

Monday, May 18, 2009

HAPPY 29TH BIRTHDAY TO ME!!! (and to my roommate Jenni <28>, and to my cousin Jamie <30>, and to my roommates nephew Chad <11> - he shared birthday dinner with me, and to my pretend twin brother Adam <29> [same day, same year], and to everyone else who was born on MAY 17...







to celebrate, i decided to spend a few days enjoying my birthday:
+ i went to a real salt lake soccer game the night before with matt and seth and another girl named heidi.
+ i went to church and they had munch and mingle and i ate donuts.
+ i took a nap for 2 hours with my phone off and no one bothered me.
+ i went to Chad´s 11 year old birthday dinner with my roommates amren and jerah and kenny. we ate spaghetti and meatballs and apple pie....YUM!! and we played capture the flag and hit golf balls up the side of the mountain. (thanks to the pattersons who always invite me to be part of their family!)
+ i went to a ward birthday party for me and 2 other guys and i even got a birthday kiss on my check.....um, i think that was a first!


and my friend paige sent me an email with information all me....ha ha or kind of about me...

MAY 17 The birthday of profound simplicity
People born on May 17 have a clear-cut code of personal behavior which guides them through every decision they make. Straightforward and to the point, they have a talent for making simple but profound comments on situations.

With little time for small talk, they say what they mean and mean what they say. They are an inspiring example to others but don't have much patience with those who try to shirk their responsibilities; if they notice someone slacking or not pulling their weight, they are likely to tell them straight out. This clear-cut approach can, unfortunately, win them as many enemies as supporters and so thye might benefit from learning more tact. Thier insightful and original approach, combined with their refusal to be diverted from their chosen course, would appear to be a recipe for success. Where this is not the case it is because they have a tendency to overestimate the power of what they can achieve through determination and will-power alone. They often prefer to go it alone, but if this works against them they should recognize the power of a group of people working together to achieve a goal.

Until their mid-thirties, there is an emphasis in their lives on learning in all its forms and they need to take advantage of these opportunities to communicate and exchange ideas with others. After the age of thirty-four they may focus more on emotional intimacy and security. If they can learn to get in touch with their own feelings and the feelings of others during this period, it promises great fullfillment and happiness.

There is no denying that these people often have fixed views on things. This can hold them back as life is not as black and white as they think it is. However, if they learn to develop a more tolerant approach, it will not only help them achieve their aims and attract a following, it will also open up within them the compassion and determination to improve the lives of others and a creativity that might have otherwise remained dormant.

Love Inside out
People born on May 17 value personality, integrity, and a strong will over good looks, and would rather be alone than with someone they can't respect. Although they may try to suppress it, they have an extremely sensual nature and a voracious romantic drive; releasing some of that energy into a committed relationship will help mellow and soften them.

Health Give yourself a break
People born on this day are extraordinarily determined and at times this can make them drive themselves too hard and become prone to headaches or digestive upsets. Ideally, they surround themselves with close friends and loved ones who can encourage them to relax and unwind. Those who find themselves alone might find training and owning a dog extremely beneficial. As far as diet and lifestyle are concerned, they should stay away from drugs and alcohol as their body is extremely sensitive to toxins of any kind. Moderate to mild exercise, especially brisk walking, is encouraged to help them blow away the cobwebs, keep their weight under control, and boost their immune system. Wearing, meditating on, or surrounding themselves with the color orange will encourage them to be warm and open in the company of others.


Career Born Artists

People born on this day have the creativity and focus to excel in the world of art and music. Alternatively, education, science, research, and law, as well as working for themselves, may appeal. Once they appreciate the importance of working cooperatively with others, they may be drawn toward sales, promotion, public relations, finance, negotiations, social work, and banking.

Destiny To inspire others with their creativity and organizational talents
The life path of people born on this day is to learn the power of synergy. Once they are able to open up to others, their destiny is to inspire them with their creative and organizational talents.

Your greatest challenge is...
Asking for help
The way forward is...
To understand that if you want to make something happen, you must dare to ask for what you want


You're drawn to people born on...

December 22 to January 20
You share a passion for devotion, committment, and respect, and together you can create a fulfilling and intense union

Luck maker
Create a luck network
Many big breaks come from the least likely contacts, so make an effort to network and stay in touch with as many people as you can.


On the DARK side

Tactless
Judgemental
Stressed

At your BEST
Dedicated
Honorable
Insightful


Power Thought:

"I will always ask for what I need"

Monday, May 11, 2009

maybe we had a little too much fun! yes, look at those swings!!! afterwards it was dinner at iceberg and a SUPER INTENSE game of maffia. it was such a fun night.











HOLE IN ONE MANIA!!!!!!!!!!












last friday night i went with a group of 20 people to play mini golf. it ended up being so much fun. we were in a competition to see who could get the most holes in one....the winner got a real golf putter.........well, i got one, jenni got 2, matt got 2, and kathryn got 1......some of the other people made holes in one as well but i just have ours documented.

i love this kid a lot....he is super cute.














we went to a few museums one day while my sister was here. hyrum told us after we ate pizza in the park that museums are not fun...and then he saw all the cool stuffed animals and he loved it. hyrum and i did lots of fun stuff this trip.........we went to the movies and saw monsters vs. aliens 3D, went to a baseball game and watched my roommates lose, rode his scooter around my townhouse complex, museums, weddings, sleepovers in the kitchen and in my room, and watched cartoon network. he learned all about tooshie whoopings and we had fun. kademan got his first tooth the morning of my graduation and loved eatings chords around my house....how can you not love the cuddly little man!!!
BECAUSE SOMETIMES FHE IS MEANT TO BE FUN!!!











i had a taco party for my graduation and tons of people came. it was fun....i forgot to take pictures so my sister used my camera at the end....thanks for everyone for coming to celebrate with me......and yes, hyrum was the star of the evening...he loved playing games with everyone and showing the guys how much energy he has.
my friend lyndsi who i work with and my other friend domonia came...


the girls i sat by, studied with sometimes, and did projects with....i even convinced christina to go to russia with me last summer......i will miss seeing them everyweek. Laura is having a baby in june and christina is getting married in june........BIG STEPS for those 2 girls


friends from school....we all had the same classed together for 2 years......it made graduation a fun day!


the family...yes, the nephews think i am their favorite!!!


the prophet speaks...




I DID IT!!! YES I MADE IT THROUGH NURSING SCHOOL AND EVEN GRADUATED....now i just have to pass my NCLEX test and i will be a real REGISTERED NURSE!!!! whoop whoop! President Monson spoke at my graduation and even kissed his wife. it was awesome to be sitting so close and to give him a standing ovation when he kissed his wife....how oftern do you see the prophet kiss his wife?? and how often do you get to clap and cheer for the man?? it was good times. thanks to my mom who flew in for the big occasion and to paige, kyle, hyrum, kaden, lyndsi, and domonia for sitting thru all 4 hours of the show.

Sunday, May 10, 2009

THIS IS WHAT I THINK OF YOU SWINE FLU............YOU CANCELED A STOP ON MY CRUISE....I REALLY WANTED TO GO TO COZAMEL, MEXICO AND SPEND SOME TIME IN THE SUN....AND NOW I GET TO GO TO KEY WEST, FLORIDA..........i will make the most of it i guess........right now i just wish we could not have such craziness over the H1N1, and please, let's be nice to the pigs!!!!