California! Here we come!

A couple of my roommate's and I decided to take a trip to California. Elise goes to school at UVU and had fall break and she decided that she wanted to go to California. Kerissa is from California so she went so that she could go home and I went cause... I wanted a break! I think I have been on about two real vacations since I was three and I have never been on an extended friend road trip. So, road trip to California!
We left Wednesday morning and drove about ten hours to Loomis where Kerissa is from. We had a delicious dinner with her family and then planned out our next day adventures. We got up the next morning to Kerissa feeling worse (as she was already a little sick when we left Utah) so Elise and I caught the Amtrack train and journeyed to San Fransisco while she stayed home. We used the bus system to get around which was really handy and not that expensive. Plus our day bus pass worked on the trolleys so we got to experience that too! We walked across the Golden Gate Bridge and back and then went to Golden Gate Park to eat lunch which it turned out to not be a real park in our sense of the word. At least the part we were in, it was more woodsy than manicured lawn. We found a patch of weeds and ate our packed lunch and then headed to the Palace of Fine Arts... which was under construction so we couldn't get right underneath it. After that, we headed over to Pier 39 and walked around a bit before going to China town. We wandered around Chinatown, experiencing some of San Fransisco's hills and went in a shop where Elise and I both bought skirts that were on sell and then I bought a china bowl for 99 cents (which I broke right before we left Loomis) and Elise bought a beautiful wind chime (which is still whole and hanging in our living room). We ate in Chinatown which was delicious and caught a trolley back to the pier. We wondered around the shops in the pier until it was time to catch the bus to take us to the train.
Friday, Kerissa was feeling better and we went to the Sacramento Temple with her dad and did some baptisms. Afterward, her dad drove us to Sacramento and he took us to the capitol building. It was so beautiful! I discovered I kind of have a thing for architecture. We then went to Old Town which was really cool. I would love to live in a town that looked like it is the set of an old western! But if building's look like that today they are usually for tourists. We ate lunch at Jo's Crab Shack and then went on the search for a vintage store. We found a really cool one and Elise got some great clothes!
We headed back to Loomis, visiting Kerissa's one set of grandparents on the way. That night was just relaxing. I fell asleep while Elise took family pictures for the Poulsons and then we had dinner and later a fire with s'mores. Saturday, we got the official tour of Loomis and also stopped at Lake Tahoe on the way back to Provo. It was so beautiful at Lake Tahoe! But shhh. Don't tell anyone because we don't want everyone to know. We discovered that Lake Tahoe is what Elise's heart looks like. The three of us are thinking of buying a house in the future that our families can go and stay in... when we have families that is. Elsie went crazy taking pictures and got some really great ones! She is such a great photographer!
We made it safely back to Provo, only forgetting Elise's and my leftovers from Chinatown and now all three of us being sick. Even though I now cannot breathe through my nose as I'm so congested, it was a great trip!! I'm so glad that I went!
Now back to school...

I love to see the Temple and I'm Singing in the Rain

Monday was such a great day!! I decided that morning that I wanted to go to the Temple after classes. I wore a skirt and everything but I wanted to do some homework, so I didn't start for the temple until about 3. It was lightly sprinkling but that wasn't anything to stop me from going. Part way there, about the middle of Heritage, it started to pour! I decided that I really wanted to go so I just kept walking. The further I got, the worse the weather became and the brighter my attitude got for some reason.
As a side note, when I was little, I HATED thunderstorms. Then when I got a little older, I thought they were still the scariest things ever, but I liked how excited Heather got over them and that she would make me sit on the porch swing and watch them with her. Now, I don't know what happened, but I really enjoyed Monday's thunderstorm. I think its Heather's fault. So yes it, was also thundering on my walk, along with the pouring rain and crazy wind. And I was smiling the whole time. I passed people that were going as fast as they could through the rain and were upset at the storm, and I just smiled. I don't know what was going on. I then got Singing in the Rain stuck in my head and really wanted to jump in the puddles like Gene Kelly. It actually wouldn't of made a difference as my shoes were already soaked through.
So I get to the temple sopping wet with a smile on my face and I wonder how going into the Lord's house sopping wet would work, but I went up to the door and it was closed. I then remembered that it closes early on Mondays. Which I found amusing and it didn't dampen my mood. So I plopped down and just watched the rain, listening to the thunder around me.
I do not sing by myself in front of people. Especially if I don't know them and there isn't a radio blasting next to me. Pretty much, only my car gets the privilege of hearing me sing acapella and that is also a fairly rare occurrence. But as it was raining and no one was at the temple, I felt like singing. So I started singing the Storm is Passing Over from choir my freshman year. After a few minutes, I look over and there is a couple standing there watching me. Yep. No idea where they came from and they were about 3 feet away from me. The guy just kind of stared at me with the weirdest face the whole time until I left, which wasn't much later. When I got home, I took a hot shower and put on sweats. See I am taking care of myself, mom :)

During that whole afternoon though, I realized that I have so much to be grateful for. I have a wonderful family who are so supportive and loving. I have fabulous friends that have open doors whenever I need to talk. Great roommates that I often find in my bed;). I go to a great university and I am learning so much from the classes I get to attend. I have the gospel in my life which is such a strength and guidance to me. I have the opportunity to live in this dispensation with the restored church and the Book of Mormon, Doctrine and Covenants, and Bible at my fingertips. I am blessed with talents that are my own and I am able to use them to help others. I could go on and on but those are some of the things that I am thankful for.

I Miss Back When

I am 20!!! It is so crazy and I can't believe that I am now out of my teenage years. I am still in shock over it actually. But, I have come to the realization lately that I am very old fashioned when it comes to certain things. One example is definitely 3D movies. I do not get them. I understand economically the theaters have to come up with a new 'thing' so people will still go to them and not sit in their basement, but 3D? When I watch a movie, I put myself into it; it doesn't need to come to me. Really, when it is a good movie I don't even notice the 3D cause I am so focused on the story line. And everything is coming out in 3D! Step Up, Toy Story, Despicable Me, Avatar, Alice in Wonderland, Voyage of the Dawn Treader, the second part of Harry Potter!! And the list goes on and on and on! All completely unnecessary and just more expensive for my poor college student self. The only good thing that has come from 3D is the fact that my mom and sister were pretty amused at my annoyance at the previews for all the 3D movies when we went to see Eclipse.
Also, a new popular trend that annoys me is the ebooks. I read an article a week or so ago in the New York Times about how couples are having to buy a paper copy and an ecopy of books cause they can't agree. I totally and completely side with the paper book copy person. And then, Sunday in church and in my religion classes, I noticed there are a few people who use their blackberry/iphone or whatever to read scriptures. That is so weird to me. Then you can't write a million thoughts and cross references in the margins! I love the smell of books, the feel of the pages in my hand, and look of a full bookcase. I don't care if in a few years we just insert books into our brains on a little chip, I am still going to have a library in my house full of books and oversized chairs!
So that's it. I am now an old stuck in the rut complainer going on about the youngin's new technology that I don't understand.

Thinking of a wish for my 20th year!
(And no my candles are not lit. My roommates couldn't find matches that worked... but its probably for the better as my hair was full of hair spray and we know what happens when I hairspray my hair on my birthday!)

Welcome to the Family

My family, what can I say?? I was planning on doing an 'ode to family' blog at some point, but a few of them seemed to be offended when I made a friend blog with my dog in it but none of my family... that, along with the fact we just had a family reunion a few weeks ago, I thought now was as good as any time for one. And it is before classes actually start.

My family is amazing. I love them all so much. They are a great strength to me and I always look forward to holidays and the fun we have when we are together. I know they always have my back especially when there is a cookie sheet nearby, even if it means getting kicked off the school bus after my second day of kindergarten ;) They are all just great and now the trick is for me to find a guy who can put up with them... I mean is perfect enough to be in my family!

We may not have it all together but together we have it all.

A Hard Hat and a Hammer

I can't believe that the summer is already over! It went so fast. I spent this summer working at PPL Montana; the power plant in Colstrip. I weed whacked and cut down Russian Olives around the plant site. I don't have a good memory for what plants are, at all! I know lilacs, lilies, willow trees, carnations, and that pretty much sums up what I can spot and know what they are. Now though, I can add Russian Olives to the short list as I will forever know what a Russian Olive is. Once they cut you up for a whole summer it's hard to forget them. Hopefully, my arms won't always look like I'm a cutter. It was always an adventure while working out there. I was based out of the autoshop and working ten hours a day was never dull with the crew I was working with. It was a good summer and I made a lot of money which was much needed for school. And yes, girls actually do work at power plants as opposed to Dalton and my grandmother's thinking.

When I wasn't working or sleeping, Desi would come over and we would watch one of the many movies she has never seen. You've got Mail, Persuasion, Les Miserables, Lord of the Rings... we got through most of the list this summer. We went to the lake quite a bit too as the weather was too beautiful to stay in my basement. It was great spending time with her.

Outside the power plant

Typical day at work. Curt with the pole saw and proper PPE (Proper Protective Equipment), of course.

Me and Desi at the lake taking pictures.

Me and My Gang

(there are a lot of songs on this playlist and some may seem random but the random ones remind me of a friend. Either we sing it all the time, I was with you the first time I heard it, we made up actions and did them everyday on the bus, or... you get the point. :) )

I have been wanting to write this blog since March after the CES Fireside. But, I wanted to include a ton of pictures that I had to scan so I had to wait until I returned home. It turned out to be a much bigger project than I had planned and so I just barely finished it. (Also much delayed by technical difficulties and working 10 hours a day).

The fireside was on friendship and it made me think of all the amazingly wonderful friends I have had through the years. I have learned and grown from every one and have great memories with them. Whether I just knew them for a short time, only went to school with them, or friends for years; they left their mark on me. I won't say much more as this is overloaded with pictures and songs. I wanted to include as many of my friends as I could with the pictures and hopefully I didn't miss anyone! I love quotes though, so I am including some about friendship.
Thank you to all of my friends for all of the great memories!!! <3


“A friend is a hand that is always holding yours, no matter how close or far apart you may be. A friend is someone who is always there and will always, always care. A friend is a feeling of forever in the heart.”

“A friend is someone who knows the song in your heart and can sing it back to you when you have forgotten the words.”




Talk from the fireside link:
http://www.lds.org/ldsorg/v/index.jsp?locale=0&sourceId=c2e345451de26210VgnVCM100000176f620a____&vgnextoid=43d031572e14e110VgnVCM1000003a94610aRCRD

Lessons Learned

I cannot believe that my first year of college is done! Sometime I feel like I should still be in elementary school and not old enough to be in college. Strangely, I am old enough and am now a sophomore in college!
Throughout my first year of college, I learned and grew a lot.



I have learned to like more food. I don't know if it is the supposed less sensitive taste buds with being older, being too nice to be ultra picky, or the fact that I am now a "starving college student" but I eat so many more things now. To name a few... cauliflower, tomatoes, croutons, beans, potatoes, other flavors of sun ships, soups besides broccoli and wild rice, Subway, deviled eggs, and the list goes on! My family doesn't know who I am anymore with this changed appetite!


I have learned that the years of teasing actually have a base of fact and I should stop denying that I have OCD. I mean I'm not completely crazy washing my hands a million times a day, but I definitely prefer cleanliness. I think that everything has a place and should be there, cupboards doors should be shut, the counter/tables/desk should be clean, and the stove clean from stains. But, as I lived with five other people who think these beliefs are crazy, I have worked to have patience and not do it for them. Someday I will have my own house and it will be clean! I am doing better at accepting the kitchen for the disaster it usually becomes. I even took a pic of our sink exploding with dishes so I can look back and laugh and the discustingness. This wasn't even the worst that it looked this year!
























I have learned that college requires a lot of reading! Yes, I have read all of all these books this semester (except the Book of Mormon which was all year... but I read it twice this year so I guess that balances out.)! I think there might have been a couple chapters that I didn't have to read in the Baazar one but that is more than made up for with all the reading in my BoM manual and the two books that I did get to read for my personal fun. Yet, even after all of that, I am still planning on reading most of the summer :)


I have learned that roommates are great people and are always there for support. I love all my roommates that I was able to live with this year and that we were able to become such great friends. I already miss them and it is really strange to not see them everyday like normal. We had so many fun times in Horne 58 and here are some pictures from the adventures we had this year.