A Seattle Birthday!

So, I turned 21 on November 1st and had a blast! Ryan's birthday is the day after mine, and he turned 24. So, for our birthday, we packed our bags and headed to Seattle to see the the Seahawks battle the Eagles. It was so much fun! We went to this really neat science museum where we got to do all sorts of fun stuff!

Arrival at the airport!

These big blue disks were so neat! If you whispered into the little loop the person standing where the camera is (where another blue disk is) can hear you! And then you put your ear up to the loops, and you can hear them! So neat!

There was this cool duck that ate out of our hands!

We also mosied on over to Pike Place Market, where we got to see them throw a few fish! Also fun to watch!

Ryan's family threw us a combined birthday party! It was so great! I love them, they are so thoughtful!

The cake with our names on it!

And of course the game!

Oh yeah, and just so you know...We had killer seats!!


I had such a blast! It was such a good day! I had the best time and definitely didn't want to go home..oh well! It was amazing!

Things I Have Done

Things I Have Done

I found this tag on my sister's blog and thought it would be fun to complete. I have accomplished some things but there are a lot of things I haven't done yet. Bold/change color of the font of the things that you have done. I invite anyone to complete this.
1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland (also Disneyworld)
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea (I was on the beach)
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables-I count helping my mom
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping--don't ask.
27. Run a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma (all but platelets)
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee

LA: Picture Packed!

So, for vacation this year, my best friend, Ryan, and I went to LA. We had a BLAST! I couldn't believe that we had to come home so soon. We were there for 5 days. The drive, not so great. 9 hours in a car to and from...gag! Next time I fly! So, on our first day there, we went straight to 6 flags. No stopping to drop our stuff off or anything.




After 6 Flags, we hit up Sea World! That was super cool! I think I took the most pictures here. We had such a blast!

Shamu!



Ryan has this dream of swimming with dolphins in Florida, and so the dolphin show was by far his favorite part. I thought I had taken a little boy to Sea World with me!





We got Drenched!






Of course, I had my fair share of acting like a little girl. The bat rays were MY favorite part of Sea World!



After Sea World, Ryan surprised me with tickets to see Wicked In Hollywood! Best gift in the world! He had been telling me that he had a big surprise for me for weeks...ever since we started planning the trip! I was beaming for hours!! Here are some pictures from our Hollywood trip!



I needed to cuddle up to Elvis!


...And maybe a little Johnny Depp, please and thank you!


Everytime we took a picture with someone dressed up, they were super sweet until you started to walk away. "Please, don't forget to tip"!






After Hollywood, the main event: Disneyland. I have to say, Disneyland is great, but Ryan and I both agreed that we our one day pass was plenty. We had a great time, but we saw everything we wanted to see!

Entering Disneyland!



On Splash Mountain!

In front of Splash Mountain!


Sweet! My very own personal Indiana Jones!


You cannot go to somewhere like this and NOT eat Cotton Candy!


I had to BEG BEG BEG to go on the Tea Cups...It took a lot of begging!





Space Mountain, our favorite! The ride is so disorienting and almost pitch black

And....Leaving Disneyland :(

We hit up Downtown Disney while we were there too. Not too much to see, just Leggoland...and I thought I had taken a little boy for the dolphin show....little did I know... ;)





We also went to the beach once, on our way out, and spent a couple hours there, but nothing to great. I have always been terrified of the ocean....Afraid of under-toes...No reason in particular. Anyhow, so, I didn't go in too far. Ryan went in once. The water was icy-butt-freaking-cold!

Home town Videos

Here are some video clips that I took while at home. My sisters will all kill me for posting these, but since right now, for the most part, they are the only ones who know that my blog exists except for a few odds and ends...No harm done :)....And sorry about the fact that I am incompetent and didn't turn my camera the right way!

Alright, Alright!

Ok, Ok, Ok...I have been putting of blogging for really long! I keep telling myself it will get done. So, keep your eyes open for a few new posts the next couple days...


So, My trip home was amazing! I love Pennsylvania so much and I miss it already. I hope that in the future, my kids will get to visit their Grandparents and think of it fondly like I do. One of the things I did while I was home was take on the Roots adventure. "Roots" (pronounced the Pennsylvanian way with the "oo" sounding like foot) is an open, old fashioned market selling all sorts of goodies from fresh picked fruit, to cow's tongues, to pig stomachs, to sunglasses, kites, luggage, and all sorts of plain old JUNK. It's open every Tuesday. On Tuesday Evening and into the night, there is a food auction where they auction off all sorts of bulk food items to the highest bidder, usually being the person willing to top 50 cents. I have many memories of this beautiful place filled with all sorts of lovely smelling Amish...and their delicious home baked goods. Just writing this is making me nostalgic.

This is my sister in law MicaAnd my sister Jenny

Home Videos

Jenny's son, Benton, is so, stinking cute! Just listen to that belly laugh!

Marketing

Found this on my brother in law's blog!


http://view.break.com/542649 - Watch more free videos

Home Sweet Home

So, I got to go home for our first ever (maybe only) family reunion! It was so nice to be home finally! I love Pennsylvania. The air is fresh and clean. There are so many little things that make me love it!

D&K Grocery
Gabriel Brothers ($100)
Root's Auction
The old Farm House I grew up in
Green winding, up and down roads
Firefly's
Hosing off in the back yard to cool down
Family everywhere
Just being in the familiar yard and house

My sister did an oldest to youngest picture set-up on her blog and I liked it, so I'll be doing that soon enough, but sadly, for some reason, my computer won't upload any pictures to here, or to facebook. As soon as I can, I'll post some pictures

Keys Please, Take 2!

Alright, so...after my last excursion with my keys, the next day, I went a bought a magnet key holder for under my car. Since my last wonderful experience, I put the magnet on my refrigerator, in hopes that I might remember it and put it under my car. About 2 weeks ago, I took it out to my car and put it in my car. Last night, I did it again. I locked my keys in my car, again, last night. And where was my magnet?????

...Needless to say, it's under my car now, FINALLY!

Keys Please!!

It would turn out, that every time my best friend comes into town, I end up with some sort of adventure, and somehow, it always ends up having something or another to do with keys! I don't know how or why!?! Once we got ourselves locked behind gates after a business had closed and used our cars to push ourselves out of the back over some rocks.

Another time, I went to his abode, and lost my car keys, spent loads of money paying to buy a new one. The locksmith had to take my entire car door apart in order to get the code to make a new key. I ended up not getting back in time to go to work that day and spending a lot more money than I had intended to!
And my most recent encounter!:
Since losing my car key, I made 2 spares. One, I kept in my purse in case I lost my keys in my house or otherwise, which I have used, and another in the ashtray of my car as a last backup. Plus the main key for my car on my keyring! So, THE story!
Ryan, my best friend, and I went to the Springville power tumbling gym last weekend. I, in all my wisdom, left my purse in my car so that i wouldn't need to leave it unattended at the gym. I grabbed my keys from the ignition, hit the locks and got out. 'Bout and hour and half later, I went to get my phone from my car to take some pictures and videos and such to find my car key missing!!!...DUN DUN DUN. I searched for the next hour and a half for my car key and after trying to break into my car, gave up and caught a ride home. The next morning, my sister who loves me so much, Bekah, drove down to Provo and took us to Springville. As I pulled in, and hopped out, in the glorious daylight, I could see my one, single, lone key sitting under the Emergency Brake....GO FIGURE! I have one of those key rings that is a hinge, and it somehow or another popped off my keyring. After trying our best in all sorts of tactics to unlock the door with a coat hanger, and other such devices, we jimmy-rigged the coat hanger in the passengers door and rolled the window down enough to squeeze my arm inside. Unlock the door and sing praises! That same day, I invested in a magnet to hold my key on the bottom of my car....where is it???....still sitting on my refrigerator. I am cruising for it to happen again, I just know it! Like I said, an adventure with him every time!

Once Upon a Time

Coming up in July, I am going home! By then, it will be a year and a half since I've been home. Seems like an eternity away. Things I am looking forward to:

Roots
Gabriel Brothers (with no tax on clothing)
Green grass!
Hills, real trees, and winding roads!
The beat up farm house I grew up in

Bare feet
Unlocked doors
Crickets in the basement
Warm rain
D&K Surplus grocery
Mom's food!

....and a whole list of other things. Home is an escape from my reality.
I left home hoping that I would be able to leave everything behind and never have to face it again. 'I am bigger than there'. But, after leaving and spending some time away, I have realized that home is what made me who I am. It's not really time to escape it, but build on what I will become! I am so excited!

Me, Myself, and I

So, let me start this blog off with a background. I am in my 20's, living in Utah State. I grew up in Pennsylvania and moved to Idaho for college. After deciding that time was moving way too fast for me, I moved to Utah to work until I figured out what I wanted to do with my life. I really do love school, but I can't decide what I want to do. I took the fall semester off and am currently taking the winter semester off, but what I really want to do is go back to school. I am making really good money as a back surgeon's office assistant. I am respected and liked. I made a verbal commitment to the Doctor that I would stay with him until I moved away due to marriage or babies or whatever. Currently, I am single. This is possibly the happiest I have ever been in my entire life, right now. Not because I'm single, but because I feel like I have finally started to make decisions of my own. I am living my life the way I want to and not the way I feel I should because others will judge me if I don't live up to their standards. I have always had a boyfriend from just after I turned 16 until July of last year. I am a very loyal girlfriend, but when it's over, I let it be, until more recently of course, but that is a long story for another post. Being single is a little newer to me, and I think that I like it, though there are more times than I like to admit that I just want someone to hold me close and tell me that they care about me. I think that everyone wishes for that sometimes. I think that my hobbies, were I able to afford them, would be ice skating (not that I'm any good), and reading all day long, and soaking in sun. I love the heat that the sun gives off in the summer. I wish I could keep it all year round.
So, this blog was inspired by a few people, my sisters of course, my brother, who died last year and had a blog that no one really knew about...he did his best to distance himself from the family often...and a girl at work whose blog I love to read. I haven't decided if I will share this with the rest of the world yet or not. I guess I'm kinda worried that it will turn into more of a venting blog than a "this is what's new" blog. Either way, I'm keeping a low profile on it for now. Who knows, maybe someday, I will be killed in a freak lightning strike and someone in my family will stumble across my blog and will understand why i was struck by lightning, cause God knows sometimes I wait for the bolts with some of the things I say! :)

A First For Everything

So, I guess you could say that this really is a first for me. I have always declared that I could never have a blog because I can't spell, and I could never think of things to say. Recently though, I have been enjoying my sisters' blogs as well as a friend's, so I figured, what the heck! Here's hoping that I will get a chance to say all the things I want to say, all my rants and raves, and not take it out on the people around me. So, wish me luck in my first attempt to join the ranks of online storytelling!