WeeK iN ReVieW. NuM.46

SuN. FeB 27. 

This here is my kid brother, Tanner. My college student in training, partner in crime, "T. Man" Yep this is him. I'll give him a better spotlight later, but a brief intro was necessary before I went on.

Sunday I was sitting at home and decided that instead of going to my singles ward, that I was just going to go to my parents ward. I love going back there to visit! The people, incredible. The feeling of just being in a regular family ward again, so relaxing.

Well when I walked in the front door, T. Man was sitting in the living room, church clothes on, ready to go. I thought he was joking when he asked if I had come to see him give his first youth speaker talk in sacrament meeting. You see I come from an extremely sarcastic family, so you never know who to believe.  After asking everyone in my family if he was really speaking I decided to believe them :)

Talk about lucky! I was scheduled to work that morning, but had gotten my schedule all switched around earlier in the week to go to my friend Lyndi's Homecoming. I ended up working that morning, having 8 hours off, and then going back in that night (ps. Thank you Megs!). T. Man's talk fell right in the break, and he did such a good job! All I can say is I am so grateful for the things that just fall into place, and for such a great brother! Seriously. He is the best :)

FRi. FeB 29. 

Have you ever realized how sometimes it's the really busy days that turn out to be the best? Friday was one of those days :)

It started off with another morning at work; nothing to out of the ordinary. Well after that I rushed home, said a quick hello to my roomate Jodie and her boyfriend Will, picked up some nicer clothes and my makeup, then ran right back out the door. I had to be at Shaney's apartment to help her roomate Britney take a whole bunch of wedding decorations up to Noah's out in Lindon. I had never been there before, and honestly the building never looked all that appealing to me, but the inside was way cool (and totally versatile). Brit and I made a quick run out to the brides house to pick up the rest of the decorations, and then I had to take off. 

ABA :)

I may be shot for posting this picture, but I kinda sorta love it :) Let me introduce you to two of my favorite people, Amy (middle) and Ashley (left). This last summer the three of us were roomates at King Henry. They have both worked at the same dental office for the last couple years, so they knew each other before we in.  But I moved in blind. In fact I didn't have any roomates for about a week (but that's another story). Lucky for us it worked out just perfectly! We've been great friends ever since :) 

Well earlier in the week Amy, Ash and I decided that it had been far to long since we'd seen each other. With school, work, vacations and just life in general, it was hard for us to find time to get together. So we planned what we like to call "an ABA dinner". After Brit and I were done at Corrine's (the brides) house, I drove up to Sandy and met up with these two girlies at Chili's. It was so great! 

Things didn't slow down much after that though. The next part of friday is going to take another introduction.  This here is one of my best friends from my days in St. George. Dave Kreitzer. Dave is great! I met him through his brother James my second semester down at Dixie. I owe so much of who I am now to these two. They showed me what life could be like and helped me to become such a stronger person. 

Well Friday was also the day Dave got married (to an aMaZiNG girl I might add). I've never been much of a reception person, but this was one I couldn't miss. 

So after dinner with Ashley and I drove up to Salt Lake to the reception. We looked for parking for a bit and finally found a spot, only to realize as we were walking up to the McCune Mansion that they had complementary valet parking.. haha, oh well. For those of you who haven't seen this place, GO! Seriously. Everything was gorgeous! Ash and I spent a good 20 minutes just walking through this mansion. Upstairs we found this huge room with mirrors all around and then in the very corner, the room had a small circular room attached, windows on all the sides. So we opened the blinds to one of them, and it had on of the most amazing views of Salt Lake I have ever seen. The whole thing, the view, the house, the environment, everything, was just breathtaking. But the absolute best part of all was getting to see two of my greatest friends again :) Two years without seeing people that close to you just shouldn't be allowed. 

After we left the reception, I went back down to Lindon to help take down decorations at Corrine's reception.  Once my car was full there wasn't a whole lot left I could do. So I headed back to my apartment to pick up my swimming suit and meet up with Brennon. Ash had come down to Provo as well, so Bren and I met up with her, Kyle and his roomate Jandro to go hot tubbing (for those of your who missed my love of hot tubbing click here) :) It was just what I needed after a busy day. 

Well in the midst of all that Brennon and I decided that we wanted to build hot air balloons! Sounds fun, right? There were only a couple of problems. 1) we didn't have the supplies for it and 2) all the craft/hobby stores were closed. Despite Brennons' hate for Walmart, we decided to give it a try. After all, if any 24 hour store would have the supplies it would be them. But they didn't :( It wasn't a complete fail though; I walked out with another $5 DVD special and Brennon got a little Christmas shopping for his mom done nice and early.

With hot air balloons waiting for another day, we decided on homemade popcorn and a little "Bill and Ted's" instead. A great way to end a great day :) 

oTHeR HiGHLiGHTS FRoM THe WeeK:

TeXaS RoaDHouSe with Sarah and Erin

Hot Tubbing turns into Kaesi and Shaney sitting in Shaney's bathtub in their swimming suits

FREE PaNCaKeS @ iHoP with Kaesi, Shaney and Rhett

PLaiD FLaNNeL SHiRTS from the DI = HoMeMaDe CoRNBReaD and CHiLi

CaKe BiTeS, first attempt :) 

Mi Ranchito with my parents and Tanner for his good work in Oliver

Guiding Kaesi from Rupert, ID back to I-15 so she could get to Rexburg.  It must run in the fam :)

LiFeS LiKe a BooK

I don't know why, but for some reason I have always split my life into different CHaPTeRS. Maybe it's because I am just a little OCD about things being organized. Maybe it's because breaking things up like that make it easier to remember. Maybe it's both. Either way, I really kind of like looking at my life like that.

My LiFe SToRy

PRoLouGe:  Life Before Me.

CHaPTeR oNe: The Family Video Collection

CHaPTeR TWo: The Orchard First Years

CHaPTeR THRee: The Sharon Third Years

CHaPTeR FouR: Dixie State Rebels

CHaPTeR FiVe: efy

CHaPTeR SiX: The Self Discovery Chapter

CHaPTeR SeVeN: ____________________________

etc.

The only reason I bring this up is because last night I was looking through some pictures, older ones that I hadn't seen in a while. As I was looking through them I realized just how many people, in each of those different chapters, have influenced my life as well as the experiences I've had to get me to where I am.

So I decided to start a new project. 

"Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow."

Albert Einstein

LaTeR LiFe iDea NuMBeR 2

I've decided that this is why I was called to ACTiViTieS CoMMiTTee! 

My uncle gave me the greatest idea! His ward did this activity during his days at BYU, and trust me once you hear about it you'll have a hard time staying in your seat.

WHaT THey DiD: 

1) the ward held an activity to initiate the beginning of the week long event.

2) at the activity everyone was told to get a water gun, and were then given a piece of paper. On the paper was the name of another ward member. The person on the paper was the person you were supposed to find and hose down with your water gun. (Keep in mind that this activity went on for a whole week. You could find your person at any location and squirt them. School. The Grocery Store. Their Apartment. You name it.)

3) once you got your person, they then had to give you their piece of paper, giving you a new target. 

4) Last man standing wins! 

Thoughts, comments, concerns. What do you think? 

Call me crazy but I think it sounds like a blast!

THiS iS Me #2

HoT TuBS

Can't say I've ever done this, but I'm not saying I would never try it :)

What are we, five weeks into the year? Thirty-seven days to be exact. I have been in the hot tub at least TeN times this year. Be it fall, winter, summer or spring. Ten in the morning or ten at night. Empty or full, it doesn't matter. I LoVe THeM!!!

Every time we go on vacation, the first thing my family tends to do (granted it's not closed already) is take a dip in the hot tub. Aside from eating and sleeping, it's probably the only thing we'd do everyday of our trip. 

ToP TeN ReaSoNS i LoVe THe HoT TuB

10. It's one of a few things that almost everyone loves to do. Makes it easy when you're short on ideas.

9. Lots of reminiscing happens in the hot tub. 

8. That is where Tanner has got most of his college experience. Don't worry he's only twelve.

7. Aside from a good massage, it's the best way to relax after a long day.

6. It sounds real funny when a person asks you how you met another person and you respond, "Oh yeah, we met in the hot tub!"

5. When the hot tub is to hot cause you've been in to long, so you get huge ice chunks and put them in the tub. That there is a cool feeling.

4. Sitting in the hot tub and eating popsicles, ice, ice cream etc. 

3. Dunking your head under water even though you're not supposed to; then having your hair freeze. 

2. Being so cold, jumping into the hot tub, and having your toes tingle.

1. Sitting in the hot tub while it's snowing outside. aMaZiNG!

LaTeR LiFe iDea NuMeRo 1

You know the days where you see something that someone else is doing, and you think to yourself "I so want to do that!". But they are the kinds of things you wouldn't be able to do 'til a different stage in life. Well I am really good at thinking that and then completely forgetting about them later. So I'm decided another thing I'm gonna do on this here blog is write them down. GeNiuS!

LaTeR LiFe iDea #1: BooKs

So today, at work once again, I went in to my dear patients' room to get her for breakfast. When I walked in I realized that she had a open package sitting on her table filled with the book SToNe SouP. I hadn't read that book in years! Seeing that book definitely took me back to my early elementary school days!

I couldn't figure out for the life of me why she had so many copies. So I said "insert patient name, ya like 'Stone Soup' much?" She laughed and then went on to tell me why she had so many. 

Every year for Christmas, she gives her kids a book. Not just any old book though. She gets them all the same book. One that not only she read to them as children, but one that her mother also read to her. 

How neat would that be? I would be lying if I said I didn't have an incredible childhood, and whenever I think about how I want to raise my family that is what I look back on. So for me, books like the ones I grew up on is something I would love to have. The stories and the morals included in them are completely different than whats out there now. That's what I want to do :) 

UTaH, WHaT a GReaT PLaCe To Be

You could probably walk up to just about anyone who has met me and ask them where I have lived throughout my life. Truth be told it's not a hard answer. Aside from the one year I spent living in St. George, I have spent the rest of my life in Utah Valley.

 I have absolutely loved living here, but I have the biggest travel bug! You know when you search a place on google and all of the magnificent pictures come up? I can't help but want to go there. That idea thrills me like none other!

Italy

Hawaii

Chichen Itza, Mexico

One day I hope to make it to all of these places! I think one of the neatest experiences to have would to go work in a third world country as a nurse. Being able to see all of their different cultures and learn the way they do their things day to day would be so incredible!

With that said though, in this last month I have seen things that are just as remarkable. Colors just as bright, scenes just as moving. Things that just make you stop and soak in the moment. The greatest part is though, I didn't even have to go anywhere! 

#1 - HoT SPRiNGS & THe SuNSeT

On Martin Luther King Day, I went Saratoga Springs (which in and of itself is a BeauTiFuL place) with Brennon and his siblings. His friend Terrance lives out there and in his little suburb there is a naturally heated pool that we spent some time at. Picture this, clear blue skies polka-dotted with white clouds, a gorgeous lake to the west and snow covered mountains in the far off distance. Add swimming in water that is as warm as you would want it to be; you have got yourself BLiSS :) 

On our way back we were dropping Terrance off at Costco. We had to be somewhere else quick and since we hadn't eaten yet, we ran in to get a quick pizza. When we came back out to the parking lot , we walked into the most incredible sunsets I have seen in a long time. It wasn't just to the west where you would think it would be, but to the east as well. The eastern mountains looked small from where we were, but above them was the deepest orange that gradually got lighter as it rose in the sky. It was amazing! 

This isn't the actual sunset; I didn't have my camera. The colors were just like that though!

#2 - PRoVo TeMPLe

Up until the last week or so, I have always gone to the Timpanogas Temple just cause it's the temple I went to at through young womens. But since the Provo Temple is so much closer I've started going to that one; whether it be to actually go in or just read scriptures on the grounds. 

One particular night I was there and there was not a single car anywhere near. I don't really know how to explain the temple had that night, but it was absolutely breathtaking. The whiteness of the temple, the glow of the lights. The combination of the two.  Once again, I wish I had brought my camera with me!


#3 - THe SNoW CoVeReD MouNTaiNS

I never realized how much I loved the mountains until the day I took my first trip home after moving to St. George. I just remember driving up the road from the freeway and noticing just how majestic the mountains were. They were huge!!! That was in the summertime. Now it's winter time and the mountains are just as pretty. Only now they are covered in snow :)

Who knows where life will take me, where else I may end up living. No matter what happens, I will always love Utah (even if it is occasionally to cold to handle). It will always be the place I call home.