I am a Centrist....no suprise there

So... One of my sister's friends found my blog. I decided to check hers out. She surprisingly (to me) has a lot of political stuff on her blog (read... I might have found August's Blog of the month because we all know I love me some controversy!) . I guess it should be surprising because she is now 22 ( my sister likes to deduct quite a few years from her age and her and Michelle are the same age... so 22 it is...) and I don't think I have seen her since she was about 16 or 17. Anyway, she had this quiz on there. I pretty much knew where I stood but I decided to take the test anyway. I thought it would take forever but it is only like 6 or so questions and took about 15 seconds if that. I really think it fits me to a T. We all know I hate blanket statements, the two party system and I absolutely LOATHE both presidential candidates. If it weren't for the fact I greatly value my ability to vote ( only Heaven knows why because seriously with this system your vote means crap....but still) I would not vote at all. Will I vote? Yes. Do I already know for who? I am pretty sure but like this quiz says it depends. I still want to hear all the debates but seriously.......SERIOUSLY? Of all the people that live in this great country these were the two we picked to represent us? This is an absolute JOKE. Anywho... In case you wanted to know my political views.... here they are in a nutshell. I am a centrist. Forget the nut job liberals.. forget the closed minded conservatives.... making your decisions based on the issue is the only way to go! To take the quiz just click here.

Your PERSONAL issues Score is 50%.
Your ECONOMIC issues Score is 40%.
(Scores falling on the Centrist border are counted as Centrist.)

According to your answers,

the political group that
agrees with you most is...

.

CENTRISTS espouse a "middle ground" regarding government control of the economy and personal behavior. Depending on the issue, they sometimes favor government intervention and sometimes support individual freedom of choice.

Centrists pride themselves on keeping an open mind,

tend to oppose "political extremes," and emphasize what

they describe as "practical" solutions to problems.

Batman

I may or may not have been linked to Batman several times in my past. If it isn't my brother convinced that I am actually Batman or friends telling me I am dating Batman, know Batman, should be Batman's sidekick....whatever.... he is around a LOT in my life.

And now... I move into a new place and what do I see on the wireless network?



Yes. That's right. Batman is my neighbor! Or... is that me?

Note** If you click on the picture it will enlarge it and you can better read BATMAN. Otherwise it just looks really blurry.

Randomness

Two recent thoughts without expounding on either one of them....

1) I absolutely love the Ensign. It is by far the highlight of each month. The articles in there are either completely ridiculous or amazing. Either way they bring happiness into my life.

2) I have kind of been feeling like the fat kid in dodge ball lately. The one that gets picked last and gets out first. I just can't seem to win.

Shooting the Tube & The Kalai Concert

Because I haven't posted pictures in a while.


My friends and I were going to go shoot the tube this morning. We were supposed to meet at 10am. When I got there at 10:15 no one was up there so I figured they had already hiked down to the tube. I went down there and no one was there either. I ran into some kids who asked if I was looking for my man to kill him. ( it is basically in the middle of nowhere) Nope. Well are you taking pictures for school? Nope, not that either. Then I decided to actually take pictures once they left.

Here is the concept. There is a place where the runoff from the mountain goes through a tube under a freeway. You can dam up the tube and when you take remove the dam you get a lot of water gushing your way. Kind of like a ghetto do it yourself water park. It is extremely fun. Here are some pictures I took with the grafitti before everyone finally showed up. ( I kind of thought I got punked at first to go hang out by myself.)

With the Graffiti.

The front of the tube damned up.


The tube. The light at the end is where you end up.

Getting ready to let the boards go.

Two of my loves. Miles & Wyatt Petty.

My Sister Marie & I.

Effects of Affects: July's Blog of the Month

OK. After much deliberation yet AGAIN about who would receive this month's Blog of the Month I have made a decision. I know I haven't posted much lately but I just am not too ready to talk yet. However I have been reading your blogs diligently and we all know I LIVE for google reader. I know this has come to be a competitive thing but this month's blog goes to Effects of Affects. AKA my dear friend David Robert K.



I really enjoy reading Dave's blogs when he posts. Dave is an interesting guy to say the least. There is absolutely nothing normal about him ( and Dave I hope you know from me that is a compliment). He isn't your cookie cutter kid. Unless your cookie cutter is about 6'6, talks a TON, and is pretty liberal. Sometimes I feel like he is a contrarian and will argue just for the sake of arguing but really he sticks to his guns. He thinks outside the box and has fantastic thoughts. I don't always agree, in fact I hardly ever agree, but I could really sit and listen to him talk for hours or days or weeks or whatever.... as long as it isn't the same subject all the time. Not many people portray the passion he does when he speaks. His blogs could be different if you don't really know him but they are always ALWAYS a great read.

So thanks Dave for blogging and I hope you guys will check him out.

Merci. Gracias, Thank You... Continued

I would like to continue my post from last week. I continued my service experiment this week though not nearly at the same pace as the week before and I thought a ton about all the events that went down during my trial week and this is what I concluded.

Thursday afternoon I needed to run some paperwork to a client a few blocks away. I grabbed the paperwork and headed out on my walk. I have been trying not to use my ipod as much lately so that I could really focus on more things and have mediation time I suppose. I got distracted by a large line at the corner taco stand. It was across the street. I kept walking to my destination but now decided I really wanted some tacos! On my way back I made my way over and the line was completely gone. There was just one man ahead of me. I had a nice new crisp five dollar bill and I was going to order two tacos at $1 a piece. He had ordered $3. I decided I would pay for his lunch. He beat me to it. He approached me and said very timidly, " A really nice person I had never met came up to me the other day and said they wanted to buy my lunch. I had no clue who they are and I don't think I will ever see them again. I told them I would let them buy my lunch but that I would do it in return. May I please buy your lunch?"

I was flabbergasted. I think I took a step back. I had no clue what to think. And then I grinned from ear to ear. That is what service is all about! A two dollar lunch bought me a fantastic day! As I walked back to the office eating my amazing mexican style tacos I finally realized that is what it is all about. You have no clue the effect you have on people or what doing service for them will cause them to in turn do for other people.

Let me take a step back here and kind of explain the reasoning behind this all. I had been having a crummy crummy week. Everyday was a pity party, "woe is me my life is not going the way I want it to so I am going to say it is terrible" type week. Everyday I was pretending everything was great and smiling and saying life was great but inside I felt horrible and I felt I was quickly losing the battle and that I wouldn't be able to fake it any longer. I decided that I needed to lose myself in the service of others if I wanted to remember that I am not the only one having a bad day. I felt if maybe I couldn't make my own day better maybe I would gain satisfaction by making someone else's day better. However, people who were having crummy days were still feeling just as crummy afterwards or being mean or angry or whatever and those who weren't having bad days just didn't acknowledge me. I felt I was failing at my project. I couldn't even give SERVICE right. All I wanted was to know I made a difference. I wanted to know I helped one person and I felt at the time that I didn't succeed at that.

And then I thought about all of my friends who have served religious missions for their church and instead of one week gave two YEARS of their lives. Many of them felt the same way. Two years and not one baptism... or maybe only one. That is a long time to give of yourself and your time to not have made an impact... but then they find out years later that one person made a difference in many other people's lives and those people made a difference in even more lives.... and before you know it hundreds or thousands of people have been affected by your one act.

And while it is disheartening to feel you never made an impact on someone the joy should be in the service (not in hearing a thank you- though I guess I equated "thank you" with having helped them). Have faith they will turn around and serve someone too... and keep your faith in humanity. There is beauty everywhere.

"You Either Die A Hero....

or you live long enough to see yourself become the villain." Great Quote!

I want to talk about The Dark Knight for a few moments. My friends and I bought our tickets well in advance for the midnight showing of this movie. We wanted to be among the first to witness what was expected to be one of the greatest movies in a while. Though I really wanted to see it I must admit I was in it was mostly for the social aspect. I mean I can count on one hand the amount of movies I have seen in the theater in the past twelve months. I have mixed feelings about this movie and I have had a lot of my older friends ask my opinion so here I am posting about it with no spoiler.

This movie was extremely dark and violent. I would like to know what the final body count was at the end of the movie. For the first time in my life I almost walked out of a movie. I felt so evil and could barely handle all the violence. This really isn't saying much because I am a light weight. Also, most people know how easily spooked I am. This being said when I gasp or jump every three seconds the movie starts to lose its appeal. I enjoy a good spook every once in a while but it got old and I was frustrated.

Christian Bale Who? My parents can attest to the fact that I was head over heels for Heath Ledger growing up.

You must admit he was a beautiful beautiful man!

One of the pictures that used to hang on my wall.

I had one large black and white poster of him on my wall and a few other full page magazine photos surrounding it. I also had dried flower about the pictures and my dad used to say it looked like a shrine. It wasn't intended that way.I think I threw those pictures away last year at Christmas when sorting through some old stuff. Sad. As disapointed as I was to hear of his passing earlier this year because I had a major crush on him growing up I am now just really upset that the film industry has lost such an amazing actor. I believe The Dark Knight was his best performance ever and I really have no clue how they are going to continue this series without him. I truly believe no one will ever be able to hold a candle to his Joker performance.




He was so creepy and so evil I thought I was going to have nightmares when I got home.

He truly brought his a- game when acting the part of a sociopath, psychotic, mass murdering clown. When reflecting on this movie everyone did an amazing job but compared to Heath's stand out performance they are pretty much forgettable. I heard there are rumours he will be nominated for an Oscar. I guess we will have to wait and see who the competition is but I really hope "he recieves it." (What do you do in a situation like this?) I feel 115 % because this is one of the most amazing acting jobs I have ever seen and 1% because he is dead and that would be an amazing tribute. Dead or not, this guy takes the cake!

Anyway, even after almost walking out ( I didn't and I am semi-ashamed I didn't stick to my values but also glad I got to see the whole movie) I am even thinking about seeing it again. I just can't stop thinking about it and this NEVER happens to me in movies.

It is rated PG-13 and for a good reason. I had a friend ask if her 11 and 13 year olds should see it because they did see Harry Potter afterall and that was dark. This is no Harry Potter folks. I don't want to tell you how to raise your kids and if you think they can handle it fine. I would suggest you see it first before making that decision. I am almost 24 and I could barely handle it. That being said I think it is a must see for all adults!

"I Never Said "Thank You""

I am extremely exhausted. It is 1:30 am and I am ready for bed but I wanted to start this blog. I will finish it at another time.

I just got home from a friend's house where a group of us watched Batman Begins in preparation for The Dark Knight which comes out Friday morning at midnight. I had never seen it before and as others slowly drifted home to their beds I decided to finish it. I must say I rather enjoyed it for several reasons but the thing that stuck with me was the very last line. I had been thinking of how to introduce this post and I think it summed it all up. At the end of the movie some guy whose name escapes me tells Batman, "I never said Thank You." To which batman replies, "And you'll never have to." That's it. Those are the last lines. And while I agree that sometimes people do things without needing to receive a "Thank You" I think it should ALWAYS be said.

I decided to do an experiment that started one week ago on Sunday. I decided I was going to try and serve as many people as I could this week. I had no criteria for who it had to be or what I had to do. All I wanted was to serve them to see if I maybe I would improve my week and hopefully improve theirs as well. In the last seven days I have done big acts, small acts, medium acts, acts that involved money, others that involved time, and others that involved giving of myself.

In efforts to make this short and get to bed I will conclude with my main point. I received not ONE thank you. Not a real one anyway. It was really surprising to me. I did not set out my experiment to see how many people would say Thank You, I set out to improve my week by giving of myself. It was, however, surprising when I gave of my time and efforts and no one even acknowledged it. Don't get me wrong I wasn't looking for praise in the LEAST... but I felt a little taken advantage of as I was doing all these things. I felt like people expected it. While I feel I came to love every person I served a little more than I had before I served them I also felt a little bit crummier. A small sincere Thank You would have made my experiment that much better. Not receiving a single Thank You really made my week that much harder.

I have a ton of thinking to do now that my experiment is "officially" over and more to think about and I am sure I will post more. I just want to leave those of you out there who read my nonsense something to think about. The next time someone opens your door or buys you a house (something small or something big) or just plain does something they don't HAVE to do maybe you should say "hey pal, that really meant a lot. THANKS."

Thanks.

I wanna sunburn ...just to know that I am alive

I am feeling more than frustrated right now.

I had a much longer post but after ranting I decided that it would be better off burned... so that is where I put it. Enjoy the song.

Hammer's Inc.: June's Blog of the Month

OK ladies and gentlemen. This has been a thought that has been on my mind the past several weeks. It has been hard trying to decide which blog to pick for June's blog of the month but after much deliberation and not being able to decide I have decided to go with a last minute blog consideration. I seriously just thought of this as I was posting my last blog a few minutes ago. Hammer's Inc (Garrett Smith) is my winner for June. ( click on Hammer's Inc to go to his blog) This blog was only updated once during June but I seriously have to give him credit for his pictures. If you aren't in awe from the majority of these pictures there is seriously something wrong with you. One of my absolute favorite pictures is of him and his girlfriend kissing on a rock. Too sweet! Check out the other pictures though. Here is just a preview.


Hammer's Inc Photography.

I want to change the world... instead I sleep.

Those are lyrics to another Ingrid Michaelson song. It kind of sums up my life recently. I love her and I love her lyrics.

I had a really great blog post ready in my head and as soon as I signed onto Blogger it vanished out of my mind. I felt like I was already signed on though so I must blog right?

• Sufjan Stevens is amazing. I just downloaded his Christmas album and a few other songs from randomly other selected albums. Three other notable recently downloaded artists: Pinback, Thriving Ivory, and Cobra Starship.
• I had a really random dream last night that ended in an even more random ending. In this dream my friend's older brother was giving me a hug and then realized that he probably smelled and so pushed me away. I responded with, "No, you smell like a man." Upon hearing this response he pulled me back in and I inhaled more of the man smell!!!!! It woke me up immediately because it was so weird and random. According to the dream and the way I reacted I really like the smell of men. I have thought about it several times today and it has just absolutely made me giggle. What does that phrase entail? What exactly does a man smell like? Do all men smell the same? It is going to be my new favorite phrase for the next week or so. I am going to see how many times I can tell someone they smell like a man.
  
• I LOVE fireworks !! Watching the explosion in the sky is so beautiful and calming. There is something about fireworks that brings out the patriotism in me. I am grateful for this nation and all the privileges we have here. I remember the years following high school when I was obsessed with Canada. Canada doesn't hold a candle to the United Sates!
  
• I love my family.
  
• I have no clue where life is taking me and often I feel lost. It is fun to be lost sometimes though. It makes being found that much more enjoyable don't you think?
  
• Rumor has it that Boys like Girls, but I still believe that boys like boys.
• I am counting down the days till August when I get to play with my cameras. My dad gave me his old SLR that he has had since way before I was born and I am excited to play with film but I am also going to buy another digital camera in a bit as well. The one I have now is kind of just for facebook pictures and whatnot. I really am excited to buy a digital version of the SLR.
  
• I went to the batting cages for the first time in about two yeas on Thursday. I really needed it. Standing in a batting cage swinging at the baseballs is so stress relieving. I like to think of the balls as my problems in life, and as any good sportsman knows you never take your eye off the ball. It hurt to hit the ball and I had pain in my hand. Some of this pain came from hitting the ball too far down on the bat and other of it came from not doing it in a while. Just like it hurts to deal with real issues.... but it was worth it to watch my problems/balls fly across the other side of the cage. I know I will be back soon. There is something about a baseball game or going to the batting cages that changes my mood instantly.
• Through all the crappiness of life, it really is beautiful don't you think?
  

UGH

I really don't want to be awake right now but I will be awake for many more hours.

UGH!

So today my boss and my pseudo boss and I somehow got on the topic of dating. I really don't know how it stemmed. Oh, I believe it had to do with the fact one of them wanted to go golfing this weekend while his wife wanted to go out of town with her family so he told her to go out of town and he was going to stay. We then somehow segued into marriage and dating and all that fun stuff. It was funny to hear them trash talk guys. One of them thought guys now a days were absolute creeps (he was single about five years ago- has it really changed in five years? I am guessing no) and the other one was saying how there were not enough "guy's guys" out there anymore. They were really concerned about the caliber of men that were supposed to be dating us single gals. I couldn't help but laugh at them as they kept feeling very upset by this fact. Five o clock was around the corner so we concluded our discussion.

I swear I have had enough dating conversations to last me the next 6 months. I think it all comes down to the fact dating sucks the fun out of life.

The End.

I Love You More Than I Could Ever Promise

Monday's used to be my favorite day of the week! I loved the new start, going back to work and school,not knowing what new adventures the week held... and I absolutely loathed the weekends. It was full of down time and nothing to do.

Now? For exactly those same reasons I loath Mondays and count the hours until the weekend. I can't wait for Thursday! The weekend will be here a day early and I will get to fill it with BBQ's, fireworks, and warm summer nights.

Just three more days and I will be home free!

Current Music Obsession

Here is my current music obsession for those of you who are interested. Ingrid Michaelson has been on repeat lately for me. I actually like "die alone" a little better but "the way i am" is seriously so sweet and I love the music video. Listening to the song makes me want to dance with a really cute boy.

Saturday Shout Out: Mike Lyman

So I was having dinner with some friends tonight at Bucca de Bepo. (sp?) I came across a realization I have taken for granted all this time.

Mike Lyman is seriously one of the best people I know.


No joke. Is he perfect? No. Is he an outstanding person? YES! I can't even begin to list all the acts of service he has performed for me but just recently the a/c in my car was out. I was about to take a road trip and I really needed it fixed if I was going to go any further than three miles. I scheduled an appointment with my mechanic and he said it would be $50 just to LOOK at it. I mean that is fine and all but then I remembered that I had a friend who works at a mechanic shop. Not knowing anything about cars I called him and asked if he would come over after work sometime. He said he wouldn't be able to do much unless I brought it in. So... I got off work early one day and headed over there. He had to get permission for me to come in but he did. He had been working on taking out an engine and took a break to look at my car. He fixed my car at no cost to me. That was it and I was on my way. While I was there watching him work on my car he had gotten a call from someone else. They too wanted his help with their car and he told them a time he would be able to help and hung up the phone. That was it. No complaining. No nothing. I can't think of a more dependable person than him. Anytime anyone needs ANYTHING he is there. He can always be counted on. He goes above and beyond every single time because that is who he is. He gives the best hugs, will always call you by your nickname, takes amazing photos, and is one of the best friends anyone could ever ask for.


He doesn't blog and he doesn't read blogs but I think he deserves a shout out and the good energy out there in the universe.

Mike, thanks so much for always being there and being the great person you are. I love you!!

Friday's People Watchers

Today's people watching goes to the CUTEST old couple I saw on the sidewalk today. Well, they aren't the cutest but they definitely got an "aww" out of me. They were not too old, probably early seventies. They were holding hands and anxiously waiting to cross the street. The man was probably 6'5 or so and the woman 5'2ish. It is funny because I always like dating taller guys, and I think couples where the guy is significantly taller than the girl are so cute. I never thought about how it would turn out as they got older. They were not only cute, they were really affectionate and attentive towards one another. At one point she turned and hugged him and just looked up at him with 16 year old puppy love eyes. Only, I think they had the hint of puppy love, they were eyes of true love. It was the most beautiful thing I have seen in a while. Everyone knows I am down on love. I wonder what it is or if I will ever find it, but things like this... they just make my day. I have thought about that cute old couple several times today.

Today's Boring Blog

So much to blog about and no desire to do so. Actually, anytime I go to blog about something someone else blogs about it.
Hmm....

Vegas- My man Kyle blogged about it. My version is completely different than his but hey, you probably won't be hearing my version anytime soon. It involves energy and desire to do so. I will tell you that I did not spend a single dollar other than on food and I made 10 cents. Yes ladies and genteel... while walking along the strip I found a shiny (probably std infected) dime. I picked it up and counted myself richer than when I came.

Definitely, Maybe- I rented it from redbox while at the grocery store. Being home sick doesn't lend yourself to too many activities. I thought it would be cute and I was hoping that a certain guy would come over and watch it with me but he was busy. :( It's OK, in my opinion it was better that he wasn't there. I did not like the movie one bit. The cutest part? When the dad tells his daughter that she was his happy ending. Other than that I thought that definitely, maybe I would never watch this movie again. It was a waste of time.

I surely am a winner at life- Today I decided to take a break from my ipod. If I am not listening to my ipod then I am very loyal to 101.9 the end. However there was some lame commercial on so I switched the station. I immediately heard a garbled up song and you were supposed to guess what band/song it was. It was really easy so for the first time in my life I called in.
Hello?
Ugh, yeah. Is this the radio station?
Yeah...
Oh...well... I wanted to call in.
What's the song?
Panic! at the Disco, blast... I can't think of the song name. oh yeah...I write sin's not tradgedies.
GREAT! and can you tell me what radio station you heard it on?!?!
-----long pause----check the radio station.........107.9
107.9 the mix
yeah. 107.9 the mix
A conversation about Houston and the DJ's there ensued but nothing you really want to hear about. Not that you wanted to hear about me calling in either but oh well.

Wait, what?!? I won two cd's. nothing great. I went and picked them out. They didn't have a lot to choose from. I got Gavin Degraw and this kid called William Tell. Has anyone else heard of William? I have not. I have listened to a few songs so far though and I must say I am not disappointed. He slightly reminds me of The Rocket Summer. I don't know if that is a good thing or a bad thing but that's my opinion so far.

Pay It Forward

So, I have decided that reading Emily's blog has made me a winner at life. I am now a winner twice over! The only catch is I have to make the same promise on my blog as she did on hers. So here is the promise.

"I will send a handmade gift to the first 3 people who leave a comment on my blog requesting to join this PIF exchange. I don’t know what that gift will be yet and you may not receive it tomorrow or next week, but you will receive it within 365 days, which is my promise! The only thing you have to do in return is pay it forward by making the same promise on your blog."

Probably most of you who read my blog either have already participated in a PIF, or you have no desire to do so, but if you want to... leave a comment. If no one comments, I will randomly send handmade gifts to three women I really love who deserve it... because there is no such thing as a free lunch.

*You don't have to be a girl to comment.

Slowly Slowly Dying

I am pretty sure I am dying
I can't begin to tell you why
I think I need another trip to the Dr
But wondering if I should even try.


I feel so yucky inside. It is now day 10 in case you are keeping track. I went to Vegas over the weekend and couldn't even fully enjoy it. Yesterday was so incredibly busy and all I wanted to do was come home lay down and cut open my body to find whatever fishy little thing is making me sick.

I am going to go lay back down now but I promise I will update in a few days and it will be great.

I Need My Sleep

Anyone who has known me for any length of time knows never to wake me up from sleeping especially if it is for something retarded. I am mean when I wake up and even meaner if I feel it isn't justified. As a child my parents would wake me up at one or two in the morning to do dishes. This made me boil inside! The dishes could clearly wait to be done till the morning and I was sleeping. The only thing ever accomplished was that it added more mutterings under my breath at them. I can honestly say I have never once learned a lesson from being woken up.

If the house is on fire by all means wake me up. If you are dying please, throw a brick at my head and tell me to call 911 (or not because that might conflict with my dialing 911 and we might die together) but for no reason short of that should I ever be woken up. (well, maybe if there is a really cool party and I am missing it) But yes, do you catch my tokoyo drift here? I mean if it is a few minutes early that is fine, but hours early? No. I am mean. Downright mean. It is the worst trait I have and I hate it. I really wish I could find a way to change that habit. Now, I am not talking about after 8 hours of sleep I am mean. Quite the contrary, I am quite happy and probably too happy for 6am.

Coinsiding with this is the way energy drinks affects this.

I hate the way I act when I have had too many energy drinks and not enough sleep. The caffine and crap in the energy drinks really intensifies all of my emotions. I imagine it has the same effect on me that alcohol has on most people. I tend to cry, blow up, or have some sort of reaction without fail every single time. And every single time I feel so incredibly guilty afterwards for being mean and overreacting. Like killing a puppy in front of a child might evoke less feelings of guilt than when I blow up without reason and say things I should not say. I wish I could be mean and feel GOOD about it. Actually, no I don't, but at least I wouldn't feel so crummy.

Needless to say it is 10 am and I have had one hour of sleep and I feel like scum right now.

Random

More ideas for posts have been running through my head lately. I can't seem to contain them all.

• I love my mom. I tried to not post about her during my post about my dad. She emailed me her response. If I didn't think she would kill me I would have posted it. I laughed VERY loud. Obnoxiously loud. Mirtia rocks!
• I hate construction. It is enough to make me throw bricks at someone's face and I am NOT a violent person. BRICKS I say!
• I am pretty sure that a pig could live in my room right now and I would never know. How did it get so messy in just a week? It hasn't been this messy in years. What astounds me even more is that I can sit here and blog about it and not clean it. ( That will happen at the end of this blog)
• When it rains it pours- nuf said.
• While at Branson & Shanna's tonight to watch them open presents I commented on how I don't like kids. Well, OTHER people's kids. Shanna said I would love THEIR kids, and that her kids would call me Aunt Mandi. It made me happy and I really hope that happens. I hope we are friends forever!
• Going back to construction I hate UTAH for it's construction. I have never been so inconvenienced for so long as I have been here. It is enough to make you want to escape to the mountains forever. Even worse than already crappy driving conditions are Utah DRIVERS! Learn how to DRIVE! They bother me. Use a turn signal, realize you AREN'T the only person on the road, and send me a THANK YOU CARD because without my crazy good driving skills your insurance would for sure be sky rocketed because you would have TOTALED my car and killed me. You could be rotting your life away in prison but instead you aren't. I deserve SOMETHING for that. Oh P.S I do NOT have to let you in, so drive friendly the TEXAS way and WAVE to say thank you. It really really REALLY bothers me when people don't do the wave. That can't just be a Texas thing can it? Ugh. Us Southerners are so polite.
  
• I am sure there is more but I would rather be in bed right now.
  

My Papa John

I was trying to think of the earliest memory I have of my dad. I can come up with one. You see, in the house I grew up in there is this 3 maybe 4 foot brick wallish divider between the entry way and the dining room. Often times we could see through the windows when people would pull into our driveway and then walk the length of the sidewalk to the door. When this person was my mom my dad would often scurry at the speed of lightning to crawl as close as he could to the other side of the brick wall while my mom was unlocking the door. He would often recruit us kids to crawl with him. Then as my poor distracted mother would walk in and take a right into the living area my dad would reach out and grab her ankle and us kids would RAWR as loud as we can. Needless to say my mom didn't like it! WE however LOVED it!

I also remember my mom and dad leaving notes for each other. Maybe they didn't leave notes, maybe it was just fathers day/mother's day/ birthday cards, but I remember that my mom and dad referred to my dad as "tiger". He would often sign his cards "love, Tiger". Even now as I type I can see a card on the kitchen counter in front of our old tan phone with the orange button used for dialing Granny with one touch (something my brother and I frequently did as children) and inside is a note from my mom with her very unique handwriting and she is addressing my dad as tiger.

Anyone who knows me knows that my memory is horrible. I don't remember a lot of things but I really cherish the things I do remember. I am grateful for fun times like that as a child and knowing that my dad loved my mom very much, especially in a time where most of my friends had parents that more and more were getting a divorce.

I remember that all I ever wanted was my dad's approval. I remember trying so hard to please him and make all a's and be the best because no one's approval meant anything to me other than his. I remember my dad making every single one of my dates come inside and talk to him for ten or more minutes before they could take me out. Even if the same guy took me out consecutively each and every time he would have to come inside and chat. I hated it at the time and looking back it makes me laugh. I love my dad. I love that he cared enough about me to know who I was dating and to convey to them that I was not to be messed with.

My dad has set the tone in my family. He has never been one for presents and in turn I have never really been one for presents. Instead of getting cash for all A's or getting a toy my dad would take us out to our favorite restaurant. My dad has always shown that it is acts of service or appreciation that matter more than an object. My dad recently came for a quick visit and when I tried to pay for a dinner he denied me. He called me up a few days later and told me how the way I was living my life was the greatest gift he could have. That meant so much to me because I knew he meant every word. The greatest gift my dad could ever get is to know that his children are living good lives and successful in what they do. While he may find interest in a new BBQ or the latest technological gadget he doesn't actually care one bit. He never has. I feel I have followed in his footsteps here and I think he is a great example. He isn't perfect, he never has been, but he is trying his best to be the best type of person he can. That is something really honorable. Just like I was seeking his approval as a child I feel I often do it now. I bear his surname and I hope I can honor it my whole life. I want to respect who I am because I respect who HE is. I know that there is no other man on earth that would love me as much as he does or that I could love as much as I love him. I am grateful HE is my father, and no one else.

I love you Dad!

June 14, 2008

My friends Chelsey & Scott got married today. I am very exhausted because it took up most of my day but here are a few pictures.



Being slightly silly.

The Ultimate Fighting Champion!!! (minus the fighting)

GASP! WAIT! WHAT!?!

I WON I WON I WON I WON!


What did you ask? A popularity contest! OK so not really... but Katherine has mentioned this site Hollywood Flakes a few times on her blog so I finally decided to check it out. Well, once I got there I read a few blogs and 5 or 6 entries down was a blog redirecting me to yet ANOTHER blog. So, I did what any good blogger would do and I went there.

This particular blogger is moving to JAPAN and was asking for advice on how to make new friends. Having moved just two years ago to a city/state where I had zero family and zero friends and now I have more friends than I know what to do with, I felt a little compelled to answer. She was having a contest and the winner would receive snicker doodles via US mail. Well, the contest was over but being the confident advice giver I am I decided to leave a comment anyway because like any narcissistic (it makes me happy I know how to spell that word) blogger I felt I had the best advice. I wasn't in it for the cookies, just the pure gratification of helping someone. I was even facetious about it and told her she could mail me a thank you card. I ALMOST left my address to be funny but decided against it.

WELL.... I know you can all see where this is going. She picked ME! (duh!! ;-) ) Granted her husband picked a winner and her mom picked a winner but that is irrelevant. SHE is the blogger, SHE posted looking for advice, and SHE picked ME. Therefore I am now the best! hahaha. OK so not really.

Can I please tell you how happy I was? I have never EVER ever won ANYTHING in my whole entire life! (I don't think I have anyway). At least not in the random contest category.

So, Acte Gratuit (aka "a site I lurk" on the right hand side- Using her terminology) THANK YOU! You have made my life.

(check out the above link to see how I was made famous on her blog and the words of advice I gave her. and by famous I mean she wrote about me by name. Mandi Baby. )

Now everyone else, the question is.... do I accept cookies from strangers? Dad... what do you think? It goes against everything I was taught!! Hey, at least if she poisons the cookies I will die a WINNER! Now THAT'S the way to go!

The Man of My Dreams... Literally

***SPOILER ALERT***
This is just a joke or a theory to my dreams. I am not serious.



OK so I think Ben cracked the code! The man I have been dreaming about is....HIM!!!

Let me tell you a little about Ben & then maybe you will understand my reasoning behind our conclusion.

The very first time I met Ben was when he had just moved into his new house. He was roommates with one of my friends and we were receiving a tour of the house. When we reached Ben's room there was nothing in it. He told us that he was awaiting his round bed. This immediately reminded me of Hugh Hefner's famous round bed so I told him I was going to call him Hef from then on. Though I think I called him that a total of three times or less the name is none the less associated with him.

Also, I recently mentioned my affinity for Ben's taste in music. He really does have the best taste! Well, who else is really into music, has a lighter skin complexion, dark hair and dark eyes? David Archuleta!

OK now that the code is cracked what does this all mean? I now know who these men represent but why am I dreaming about him? In both of these dreams he is more into me than I am to him.

So let's recap the dreams: Hugh Hefner dates three blondes who couldn't identify all fifty states if their lives depended on it. In the end everyone gets mad because he picks me, a brunette with an IQ, over them. The David dream doesn't really reveal much. I just remember that he was my boyfriend & I wasn't really digging him... nothing more.

Benjamin is the classic man the authors write about. He reminds me of my favorite antagonist Mr. Darcy in Pride & Prejudice. He is the tall dark and handsome, debonair,classy, seemingly arrogant to those who don't know him and one of the best men we have ever met to those who do know him- type of guy.

Now that I have concluded these men represent Ben, I am excited to write my own story/theory involving him and why I seem to be dreaming about him. It will make you laugh, it will make you cry. It will be a story of unrequited love and tragedy. None of it will be true but you won't know the difference.

I do believe he is single, not really looking, but always accepting applications for those young girls reading my blog who have an interest. It almost makes me sad that I don't actually like him. Even as I write this I wonder why I have never crushed on this kid. I guess it wasn't meant to be... but I don't want to give too much away. Stay tuned for my wonderful story/theory .... it's going to be amazing!

To hold you over here are a few pictures of the men/man of my dreams.







This picture is a mix of these two pictures below.

(above)Hugh Hefner in 1979.
(below) Benjamin pensively thinking

(above) Benjamin gives my blog a thumbs up
(below) David Enchilada is too busy singing & going through puberty to read my blog.

A mixture of the two above pictures.

And as if all this hasn't been proof enough here goes one more set.


(above) Ben drinks Mate
(below) Hef smokes his pipe

The Enchilada=No More Dignity

I can't believe I am posting this. I no longer have any respect for myself nor can I be friends with myself.






Last night...



I had a dream....



that.....


David Archuletta



WAS MY BOYFRIEND!!!


WHAT?!?!

Seriously, no joke. He was my boyfriend and he was in love with me. And, I didn't really like him all that much but we were dating none the less. Seriously? So here is the DL (scoop) for those older fans of my blog who may not know who he is. He is a SEVENTEEN year old kid from Murray (about five miles from my house), UT who tried out for American Idol and got to the top two. He did not end up winning but he is a major buzzed about talked about person on the radio, news, and media in Salt Lake City. My favorite radio station calls him David Enchilada. HaHa. Anyway. The kid is young, looks like he is 12 and sounds like he is 8. What is up with this? First I have reoccurring dreams that Hugh Hefner wants me and now David? What am I supposed to be learning from this dream? Do I need to look for a guy to date who is more like me or less like me? DREAM INTERPRETERS UNITE! Please tell me what is going on here!!! I feel like a freak.

All I know is that I have lost all dignity. Somehow my dreams about Hugh Hefner were not as bad to my self esteem as the fact I dreamed about David. I am going to go sit in a corner and sulk now.


Eat your heart out 16 year olds.

Just Call Me Lars

So I have had tons of thoughts run through my mind lately that I just cannot wait to blog about. Needless to say, I don't blog about them. Here are just a few. They aren't the best but that may be why I am blogging about them now.

• Just call me Lars. I watched Lars & The Real Girl last night. It was... interesting. Good, but interesting. The thing I thought about most during this movie was how so many of us can relate to him in one way or another. Maybe we aren't dilusional to the extent that he is, but dilusional none the less. I have these episodes in life where I really honestly believe things and then I will look back a few days, weeks, months ect. later and I realize how stupid I was. Prime example? My rant about being alone for the rest of my life just recently.


• I worship Ben's (Evan's?) taste in music.(First link-Ben. Second link-the music portion of another one of his blog's) Please tell me how many of you I am friend's with are obsessesed with music. Hmm... of the younger crowd probably about 85%. How many of you have I ever thought...hey... they listen to this music maybe I should too? A big fat 0. (sorry) For some reason if Ben says, "listen" I say, "how loud?" Granted he never tells me directly... I just blog stalk him and when he talks about a band or song it peaks my interest. I really have to give credit to Jade for getting me interested in music and artists but in her absence I have clung to Ben for musical inspiration. I'd like to think I have found some on my own but yes... I am a poser. :( It is a sad day.


• My favorite blog of all time right now is Christina's. I love her! She is so cute! Maybe it is just because I know and love her that I love her blog so much but I love hearing about small adventures such as going on a hunt for gummy bears. I love how frugal she is even though she doesn't need to be. She is a prime example of provident living. She is the type of person I aspire to be. Successful, beautiful, crafty, resourceful, intelligent, funny... the list goes on.


• I have a plan to become a millionaire. It requires living more frugaly than I do now and investing more than I do now but in twenty to thirty years I will be a millionarie. This is another goal of mine. It WILL happen. I just can't stand the thought of wasting money now and having to worry about how I am going to live in my later years.
• I have discovered* this site and if you live in the Salt Lake City/Utah area you should definitely check it out! I would check to see if there is a program like it in your state as well. In a nut shell it is a food co-op program. They buy only specific quantities of food from LOCAL farmer & producers and sell it to you at half cost. They are able to do so because they only buy in specific quantities and large quantities. They started doing this as a relief to emergency food pantries and to help out lower income people but it has grown. It is open to anyone that eats. You can participate regardless of income! Not only are you supporting local but you are reducing the cost of food and helping the environment because it doesn't cost as much to transport the fuel. The BEST part of it (in my opinion)? You have to do volunteer hours to quailfy! In order to pick up your food you have to sign a log showing two hours of volunteer work. It can be something formal or something like mowing the lawn for a neighbor (they can't be related to you.) I think it is great!

Welp... that's about it for now.

I am going to start doing a blog of the month because I feel you all should check these people out. So... I guess June's blog goes to Christina. Maybe... I am thinking...YES. Let's give her May's blog of the month... the winner of favorite blog overall (congrats Christina!!) and I will do a blog in a few weeks about my favorite June blog.

P.S. Thank goodness for this automatic save on blogger. These tricky mouse's almost caused me a heart attack. My thumb hit the button on the side which goes back a screen. I thought my whole blog was lost!

* I didn't discover it so much as read about it in the business section of the Salt Lake Trib.

3:24 am

I am still awake. I can't sleep.

I need help.

Ahem

Please listen up.

I would like to officially announce my candidacy!

For what you ask? EVERYTHING! I have decided that instead of just complaining about the way things are run around here I am going to do something about it. I am going to start with city council in a few years and see how it goes from there. Maybe down the road I will run for President! Highly unlikely but you know... there is no stopping me once I have my mind set on something.

Being on the city council is something I have wanted to do for the past few years but it wasn't until I was sitting in class today that I decided for sure that I am going to do it. Maybe I will fly to Kuala Lumpur as part of a way to keep peace in our city! hahaha.

I am actually really excited! Please support me and please vote for me in five - ten years when I run!

Half Birthday

Today (well now technically yesterday but I haven't been to bed yet) is my 23 1/2 birthday! Happy Half Birthday to ME! Now.... many of my friends like to post pictures of their children and say their milestones. I don't see why I can't do the same thing for myself. HaHa.

Things I currently Dig

• Cologne. Men who smell nice stay on my mind for days...even if I don't like them
• Guys who know how to dress. Shoes are important. A guy who wears nice shoes says a lot without really speaking to me.
  
• Charleston Chews. I love this candy & I wonder if I will ever get tired of it
• The Shout Out Louds. A current favorite band.
• Texas Country music. There is just something different about Texas Country.
• Writing and receiving letters to/from Jade.
• Pretty Aprons
• Bosch mixers
• Puppies
• Outdoor activities like hiking, campfires in canyons, wakeboarding......the list goes on
• Being great at budgeting and finding really great deals
• Temple Square
• Daily/Weekly e-mails from REI
• Getting onto Google Reader and seeing 7+ posts from a few hours before ( I am subscribed to about 40 or more blogs)
  

Things that Currently bother me

• People who make jokes at other's expense
• People who write their lower case A's the same as their 2's. Basically like a backwards s.
• People who break promises
• Bad drivers
• Construction on 33rd S.
• My shifting teeth
• My itchy throat

Well it looks like the good list way outnumbers the bad so that is a good thing. I am off to bed. 6 more months and I will be 24!!! CRAZY!!

Clarification.

I wish to reply to the comment left on my make love with words blog. Part of this is a reply the other part is a clarification. While it is a reply please let me preface to say this is directed at no INDIVIDUAL.

As a clarification, please forgive me for not stating more clearly that I do not believe there must be conflict to have a great conversation. Please notice that one of those in the short list was a conversation of self worth. What I meant about having a great conversation was a conversation of substance. A conversation where there was something deeper. A conversation where the parties involved dig down deep and offer what they feel. These are true and sincere feelings and something that matters eternally, nationally, or globally; not just for the moment. Conversations of deity, of morals, of why we do what we do. Conversations where neither party has the definite answer but they offer up their hopes and desires.

True, some of the best "conversations" are where nothing has been said at all. But a true CONVERSATION in the literal sense is where each party has formed an opinion irrelevant to anyone else based on feelings, research, and facts.

As a reply let me just say that I really believe it would be an absolute TRADGEDY if someone has gone 21 years of their life without speaking their own opinion for FEAR of being " shut down by others and, i fear,by even myself." If your ideas are indeed "too important" then why on earth would you leave them unsaid?!?! Even if they aren't applied with if they truly are that important they deserve to be heard!! All sides should be examined before reaching a conclusion. How would you know right if there was no wrong? How would we know Grey if we didn't have both black AND white?!? Compromises can be reached and often times the other party has never thought about your side.

If they are too important aren't they deserving of thorough research and knowledge? If you yourself might shut them down then maybe they aren't true or important to begin with. How silly would you be to go your life "believing" in something that you don't TRULY believe in? This could be applied to topics as far spanned as your stance on immigration or whether or not you believe in a God.

Let me tell you a secret. No one really honestly cares WHAT you believe in so long as you have a strong formed opinion on it. Do you think illegal immigration is bad? WHY?!?! Why do you think it is bad? Or do you just hear the word illegal and think it is bad? Have you been trained your whole life to believe it is bad? How silly. Do the homework, find out for yourself.

* I personally used to think it was bad because that is how I was raised. Living in Texas teaches you to hate illegal immigrants. Then I became friends with a few people who I found out later were illegal. (most of them aren't the cross the boarder type either. I guess there goes that whole building a wall argument. They are the come here with Visa's and stay once they are expired type FYI) After taking several economics courses I freely welcome immigrants. This could be a whole post in itself but the point is, most people wouldn't agree with me but I have the facts and numbers to back myself up. Who cares if people agree or disagree? I am out to educate those around me and as least I have a reason for believing what I believe. Hopefully they will be a little more informed after our conversation, even if they never fully agree.

If you think there is a God I would hope you have at least prayed once in your life. I hope you have tried to find out for yourself if there is a God. I hope you don't just do that because your parents said there was a God.

If everyone was like this individual who says they don't like to have conflict I would hate to see what type of world we would live in. The rich would overpower this world so much more than they already do. The top 20% of the wealthy people control 91% of our wealth as it is in the United States. Think about how our government would be run if no one was willing to say HEY! This is what I believe! You are doing things wrong!

Living in Salt Lake I would like to make one last point. Latter Day Saints are roughly half of the Utah population. Think about if Joseph Smith would have been afraid for his ideas to be shut down. I do believe it would affect many of my readers.

Well behaved women rarely make history.

Is it really because they are misbehaved? Or is it because they spoke up when maybe it wasn't the most socially acceptable thing to do?

I guess all I am trying to say is that I don't care who does what in life. I really don't. All I ask is that whatever you DO, do it with a PURPOSE. There are hardly more things in this world that frustrate me more than ignorant people.

Adventures

My best friend lived in Iceland for a while and is now in Taiwan for the next year.

When catching up with an old friend from high school he asked if I was still in Utah. I said Yes. I asked if he was still in Austin or if he moved back to Houston. His answer?

"oh I am on the boarder of Kuala Lumpur and (insert some other country here) about to catch a train to (insert another country here)

Freak! I am sooooo unadventurous! I can't do it! I am not spontaneous. Not in the least. I am soooooo safe and predictable. Why can't I be in Kuala Lumpur? Why can't I go to Taiwan?

Because I will never take the risk. That's why. I am going to Kuala Lumpur! I swear I am!

Mantra

I came across something the other day I have been thinking about ever since. It is simple but so strong at the same time.


Do It Once.
Do It Right.
NEVER
Do It Again!

This can be applied to so many aspects of our life. Instead of telling you what in particular I feel about this I will let you meditate on it. I hope you get as much out of it as I did and still am.

Make Love With Words

I remember getting a text message late one night/early one morning from one Ms. Jade Ozawa. She was excited because she had just had a long talk with a friend and as she described it she "made love with words." I saved that text message in my phone. I saved a few text messages from her in my phone. Ones I always wanted to remember. Ones that would be safe from accidental deletion. When she left on her religious mission and the only way I could contact her was through the centuries old tradition of mail I was devastated. Do you have any earthly idea just how long it takes a letter to go to Taiwan and for her to respond back and send it back to America? Neither do I but it seems like eternity! While that was beyond my control I always had a few of her words at my fingertips. Alas, my phone has decided to revolt against me and no longer wished to work. Not because I dropped it, not because it was old, not for any seemingly understandable reason other than that it was exhausted and wished no longer to do the work of this world it was designed to do. Hmph. I wish I had that luxury! I had to get a new phone and those messages saved from harm are gone. "Made love with words" will stay with me for a while though.

One of the things I love most about Ms. Ozawa is that we are so much alike. We seek useless knowledge and comfort in words. Words are our passion. Just as she got excited enough to text me about this event, I am excited enough to blog about it. I have had three great stimulating conversations this week! Ones about politics, religion, and self worth. Conversations that were thought about, carefully constructed, and backed with reason. I can't tell you how much I enjoy mental stimulation.

As much fun as
"Bobby is so cute!"
" Can you believe that Kyle told Stephanie about Tiffany's dog's mother's original owner's?"
and other useless conversations are.... I really enjoy being able to talk about things of more significance. What makes a conversation (notice...conversation NOT debate) even more enjoyable is when the person has an opposing view! It makes me smile! A CHALLENGE! I always love a good intrigue. I love listening to how people feel and why they feel that way. That doesn't mean I agree but it opens my eyes to a new perspective.

Anyhow... I enjoy useless conversation as well. It just makes life that much more worth living when you have a GREAT conversation. When you... "make love with words."

Solitude

I really like being by myself.

It is this attitude that brings me to the realization I will most likely be by myself for the rest of my life.

Forever. Always.

Most of my heart enjoys the thought of this.

Part of my heart is scared of the thought of this.

Most of the time I wonder what my purpose is.

Is my time up?

I feel done.

Sarcasm

I had a longer post on sarcasm but I think I will wait to post it. The problem is... people have not been understanding my sarcasm lately. I am always sarcastic. ALWAYS. If I am not being sarcastic I am dead serious or writing, but writing falls into the serious category. Sarcasm first started for me when I felt an answer didn't deserve a reply and then it developed into a sense of humor- mostly because I felt the majority of my peers were dimwits and it was funny to be the only one in an inside joke. Now it has evolved into a way of life. Sarcasm has backfired on me lately.

Should I ditch the people who don't get my sarcasm or should I ditch the sarcasm?

Nothing Really.

For those of you who read my most recent post I apologize. Really it was one specific person who pushed me over the edge. I have deleted it for the time being. I really should be more positive and upbeat.

I feel like I have a lot to say but I don't really feel like posting too much.

Boxing Praise

So... I took a 6 week hiatus from boxing due to graduation, vacations, and finals. I went back tonight and ummmm... I THOUGHT I WAS GOING TO DIE! If you go for a while it actually get "easy" and you don't almost faint every class and it is a hard work out but doable.

Tonight I Was ready to throw up ten minutes into the class. In fact, I had to step outside and I actually DID. After the conditioning was over and we got to the boxing I still felt kind of horrible. As I am sparring with the teacher and throwing out the punches she calls she just grunts out "THESE ARE SO F'ING GOOD I CAN'T EVEN BELIEVE IT!" Despite the profanity (she said the real word) (OK I must admit, in retrospect it was probably BECAUSE of the profanity) I felt really hard core at that moment in time. Because I felt really hard core I had to keep my grin concealed but man was I grinning from ear to ear inside! Eliza is soooooo hard core so for her to give a compliment is something to brag about. She may give encouragement but she doesn't hand out compliments!! She kept commenting on how good I had gotten. I must admit I DID practice at home when I was actively going to class but I haven't practiced for a while. 6 weeks to be exact! She even gave me and my co worker an invitation to a sparring class. I felt really honored! I can't make it due to scheduling but sheesh!

Now... if only I can get the conditioning down!

9:45

I was almost in bed smiling with joy when I thought this should be documented. For years my bedtime was 9...9:30 max. Jan 1, 2007 led to a bed time of 3 or 4 am that has barely been broken. My goal for 2008? Go to bed by 9:30... I am not there yet...but I am pretty dang close! I am so excited for sleep! Good night! Sleep tight... don't let the bed bugs bite and sweet dreams!

Frustration

OK. I swear I need to start another blog. One that fits my rants and raves and one for the descriptions of my life. Today's blog is a rant.

I HATE WOMEN'S JEANS!

Seriously. I am sorry for wasting your time and please feel free to just ignore this blog altogether and not read it. I am having some serious issues right now. I mean do you ever hear a guy complaining that he can never find the right jeans? No! Well... I haven't. I am sure there are guys out there that do but comparatively they just don't complain about it as much as women. Women's jeans just don't ever fit. It is so hard to find the right pair and to top it off I HATE THE WAIST LINES!

Has anyone ever thought that I don't care to s my underwear every time I sit down? I don't feel like buying extra long shirts or pulling down my shirt every time I have to stand up or sit down? I also hate seeing other girls butt cracks all the time. Stop the madness! Create jeans that cover!I feel so old but the past few pairs of pants I have bought have the highest waist possible and they aren't even that high.

I am going to start designing my own line of jeans. Ones that fit women who are too old to be wearing jeans where the zipper is an eight of inch long because then you are at the waist.

hmph

LP 08

I spent the past five days of my life in Lake Powell for the first time in my life. There were many highlights. A few of those?

"My hair is the definition of sex",
getting up for the very first time on a wakeboard ( I have only ever gotten up for real on ski's) and biffing it several times trying to get out of the wake but doing it none the less,
campfires at night,
trips to Page, Arizona to watch the Jazz Game,
listening to a rendition of "shake it for Jesus"
car rides and ridiculously loud singing,
laying out in the sun for hours on end,
being on a boat.
making new friends



There are many more. I will post pictures later and maybe even tell some funny stories. Let's just say that if I didn't look Hispanic before I definitely look that, or black, now!

Whew

Wow... well the last relative is on the plane headed home and my whirlwind week is finally over. There are so many things that have happened this week I just don't think I could ever come close to writing about it all. When I look back to where I was seven days ago so much has happened and changed. Finals were over on Wednesday and my parents flew in that night. I got to see my brother and my mom and my dad and have lots of hugs and kisses and adoration!

I love my family so much. I don't think I could ever express that enough. Thursday was such a good day! My family and I got to spend some unique time together. I don't think I have ever seen my dad smile so much as he did Thursday.

Friday was graduation and it was pretty fun. It was kind of long and boring and pointless but even I have to admit that it was fun to get dressed up and take pictures and have my parents cheer for me as they called my name.

As much as I am going to miss their hugs I am so grateful they were able to be in for just two and a half short days and they got to focus on just me! I was grateful for their hugs and knowing how proud they were of me. I am a lucky duck to have them in my life!