The Family Visits

My family came to visit this weekend! They were here Thursday night through Sunday morning. It was great seeing and spending time with them! It was so sad when they left.... I didn't want them to leave! Having them here was a great break from my normal, somewhat stressful, I-just-want-to-know-where-I'm-going-to-be-and-work-in-two-months life.

While I was at work on Valentine's Day on Thursday flowers were delivered to me from my family! They were tulips in a box with a vase I put together once I got back to my apartment. Most of the bulbs were closed, but within a few hours of putting them in water they opened up!

I also came home on Valentine's Day to find a letter waiting for me from Geoff! I don't think he plans for his letters to get to me on certain days, but for some reason they always arrive on the days that matter most! Both my birthdays I got letters from him, too. His letter made my day (like always)! 

Because I'm weird, here are some photos of the tulips from when I first got them to how they look now. Geoff's letter is also included in the first photo:

The box the flowers came it and how the flowers looked.

A few hours after being put in water.

A day after being put in water.

3 days after being put in water!

How they look today :)

I was able to see my Aunt Barbie and cousin Derek while my family was visiting, as well as my cousin Brianne and her family. Friday we hung around the malls and went to Scheels, a huge outdoor sports store. They have everything in there you could need when it comes to being outdoors and sports! Then on Saturday we went to Clark's Planetarium and did some exploring in there.

I ate way too much while my family was here... I definitely am going to start back on my diet and eating healthy again! We went to a place called "Pat's Barbeque" that was featured on "Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives." It was pretty good and it's only a few blocks away from my apartment. I think the best barbeque I have had though is in Orem called "Five Start Barbeque." That place was amazing! Guy Fieri needs to go there!

I got to meet my Aunt Barbie's new puppy, a miniature schnauzer named "Big Mack Daddy" haha. He is the cutest little thing! I should have taken a picture. I carried him around while I was hangout with my Aunt and her family at an RV show yesterday. He fell asleep in my arms! It makes me want a puppy even more than I already do! In a few years when I have a yard big enough for a dog to roam in, I will get the cutest puppy there is :)

On the ferris wheel at Scheels!

Kristen kissing the moose at Scheels.

Guy's words and pic at Pat's BBQ.

The cutest owl necklace ever created.

There's a lot more from this weekend I could talk about, but a short summary is good enough! Happy President's Day!

Home for the Holidays

I'm back in Utah and back into my regular routine. Although it was great seeing my family, I have to say I was glad to be back in Utah. I enjoy to my working routine now and being independent and on my own. I thought I would never say that, but it’s true!

I have no idea when I will be visiting home next. Probably not for quite a while. I'm sure my parents will come down to Utah within the next few months sometime, so it will be great to see them when they visit!

A couple highlights of my trip home (that I didn't mention in my previous Birthday/Christmas post):

I was able to watch Emma and Nora while my cousin Leisha and her husband went to dinner and watched the movie Les Miserables for their anniversary. I would watch those cuties everyday if I could! I missed them so much, so it was great to play, laugh and be silly with them for a little bit.

Our homemade mustaches!

I spent the majority of New Year's Eve at my Grandma Key's house with my sisters. We went sledding and snowmobiling. It was great to spend time with my sisters and also visit with my Grandma Key! I also played cribbage with her and won :)

 My cousin Landon and his fiancé Natalie decided to tie the knot while a bunch of their family was visiting for the holidays. They were planning on getting married in April but felt it would be better to get married while their family members were all there. So they put a wedding together in only 4 days! Talk about craziness. Despite the rushed wedding, it turned out to be quite perfect. Natalie's sister sang during the ceremony and she has such an amazing voice. We had a dinner after which my mom, aunt and some others helped put together and it was delicious. My cousin Shaila, Landon's sister, took some pictures of them before the wedding as well as during. She is so talented! The pictures turned out great. But I loved being home to go to Landon's wedding because I was able to spend time with my family that I wouldn't have been able to otherwise. 

Yesterday before I headed for Spokane to catch my flight for Utah, I was able to see my Grammie! Her and my grandpa were in Texas the entire time I was home, so I was never able to see them. But they came home the same day I was leaving, and got to Ephrata a half hour before I had to drive to Spokane. I figured a few minutes of seeing them is better than none at all! Sadly I didn't see my grandpa, as he was already at the store buying groceries. But I still got to see my Grammie who I love dearly! 

I did a lot while I was home and enjoyed every minute of it!

Birthday and Christmas 2012

I've had a wonderful birthday on the 20th and Christmas with friends and family! I was sung to at work and fellow co-workers made brownies and homemade mint ice cream that was delicious. Sarah, my fellow intern, brought me Einstein Bagels and their amazing strawberry cream cheese! Those bagels are to die for.

I even got a special package from my parents delivered to me at work that was filled with candy and fun birthday stuff! There was even a microwavable cake mix that made the perfect little cake just for me!

Microwave cake directions

I skyped with my family and they sang Happy Birthday to me while I pretended to blow out the candle lighter... Quite an interesting experience for sure!

After work, my roommate Jessica and friend Candice took me out to dinner at Olive Garden for my birthday. Jessica bought my dinner for me and Candice gave me this bedspread that I have been in love with ever since I first saw it on her bed! Now my bed is in my favorite blue and green colors :)

Now I am home and celebrated my birthday and Christmas with family. Christmas was so wonderful as it always is. Even though I was with my family the majority of the day, I was able to go over to the Whetstone's and Skype with Geoff! That was definitely the highlight of my day. It was so weird to see his face over a computer and talk with him like that after not seeing him for so long. I loved hearing all about what he's been up to and life in Brazil. I was so grateful the Whetstones invited me over and seeing Geoff's reaction when I got there. Only 7 more months and he will be back!!!!!!

Not the best picture... but it will do!

Here are some other pictures from Christmas.

Best present ever!

I'm home for another week and plan to make the most of it! I hope everyone had a very Merry Christmas and will have a Happy New Year!

Tin Foil and Gift Giving

Last Monday was like any other Monday night. After FHE I watched some Hulu, read a chapter out of my book then turned off the lights and crawled into bed. Little did I know that the sun's cousin would be blaring into my window and make my room as bright as day!

My room has been brighter than I use to at night with the street lights coming in. But the apartment's next door to me that are being built still are now finished, and now the outside light above the stairs is turned on.... Right. Outside. My. Window.

Meet the sun's cousin. Mi window is the 2nd one up closest to the camera, right above the gray bricks.

 My solution to the problem: tin foil. I went to WalMart and asked if they had special window darkeners for home windows like you can get for cars. But the guy I asked said they only had them for cars. So until I find something better to darken my windows, this tin foil will have to do.

 It looks weird from the outside. Hopefully no one judges my strange ways. I have been sleeping so much better in a pitch dark room, and that's all that matters to me!

My aunt came to Utah because my cousin Brianne's husband surprised Brianne with a trip to Cabo for Christmas. How sweet is that? He told her on Saturday and they left the very next day. He flew my aunt in so she could watch their kids while they went to Cabo. I was able to go to Temple Square and also meet my Grandpa Chlarson's sister, Joyce, who only lives a few miles away from me!

Shadow Beards!

Jayni and Mason in Lion House

The Christmas season is upon us. As I have gotten older, I now love giving more than receiving by far. My ward has a giving tree, and I picked an ornament and was able to buy a present for a little boy. I was glad I was able to serve someone in need!

The best thing I did this week was put together a little Christmas package for Elder Whetstone. I wasn't going to send him anything special because sending a package isn't cheap, but I found I could send a larger envelope for only $16.95! I was so excited and went right to work so I could send him his package and hope that he would get it by Christmas. I send a stripped tie I found in both our favorite blue and green colors, some snowflakes since he loves snow but won't see any until next year, eggnog taffies since eggnog is one of his favorite drinks, a couple of candy canes to be festive, some CTR rings that he could give out to the Brazilian children (he always talks about how much he loves the kids) and a photo album I put together with photos of me holding up messages I wrote on my whiteboard. That was pretty fun to do! I'm so so so excited for him to get his surprise Christmas package!

A girl I intern with named Sarah and I decided we needed to decorate our little cubicle since it's Christmastime. I had extra snowflakes from Geoff's package that were red, since I only sent him the white ones. So I brought them for us to use as decorations as well as extra candy canes I had from Geoff's package as well. I had no idea how to use the candy canes, but Sarah came up with a clever idea to hang them with paper clips... she's so smart and resourceful! Now our cubicle is all ready for the holidays!

This upcoming week is busy but should be fun!

The 4-day Holiday Weekend

I had such a wonderful and relaxing Thanksgiving. I wish I had four days off in a row like I did this past weekend more often!

On Thanksgiving, I drove to my cousin Brianne's house and was able to spend the day with her family and friends. And also our cousin, Derek! There was so much food that I don't think we ate a third of it! Lots of yummy potato-type dishes, ham, turkey, rolls, and who knows what else! And there were plenty of pies and cheesecakes to choose from for dessert. I was definitely tired for the rest of the evening after we ate! We also played some Apples to Apples which is always a good game.

I think Jayni and Mason missed me, even if they say they didn't when I ask them! Little nerds!

 Brianne was kind enough to let me stay the night at her place so I didn't have to drive home that evening. And it was perfect because the following morning we went to the new Twilight movie together. Pretty crazy how that one ended. I enjoyed this ending much more than the books. that's for sure!

On Saturday, I got to hang out with my friend Laura for a little bit! We went to Kneaders for breakfast and indulged in one of the best breakfasts known to mankind: Cinnamon French Toast. Seriously I have not had a breakfast that amazing in so long! The butter/frosting and sugary syrup was to die for! I recommend everyone that comes to Utah to have some for yourself so you understand what I am talking about.

Mouth-watering goodness.

After breakfast we came to my apartment and caught up on life. We also watched the movie Brave. I have seen that movie three times now and have cried at a certain part near the end every single time! I don't know what it is about that certain part... it's just brings out my emotions!

I'm so glad I got to see Laura for a little bit! She is from Sandy which is right near me, but she recently moved to Tennessee to be closer to her fiance. I'm sad I don't get to see her as often as I do but am grateful for the special times we are able to get together :)

 Plane tickets have officially been bought, and I will be flying home to Washington for the holidays on December 22nd! I'll be there for a whole 11 days so I'm pretty excited! Then who knows when I will be home again... probably not for a good few months. We will have to see.

Tonight for FHE we are going to a member of our bishopric's house and having dinner. I'm pretty excited for that! I'm starting to get to know members in my ward more which is great.
That's all folks!

Home for the Weekend

Last Thursday, I was able to fly home for my sister Chelsey's wedding! It was the highlight of my week. I made sure to get all my stories I had to write before my plane left on Thursday.

Before I get to wedding details, I have to talk a little bit about my Halloween! My roommates and I carved pumpkins on Tuesday night, and we had lots of fun! Kristen even cooked the pumpkin seeds, even though I didn't really like them... But it was still lots of fun!

Here is my "Wicked" pumpkin I carved. I forgot how much time and patience is needed in carving pumpkins... maybe that's why I haven't done it for a couple years! Next year, I plan on finding a creative way to decorate my pumpkin without carving it and having to scoop out all the yucky insides. It's just too much work and too messy in my opinion.

 On Halloween, I went to Zupas, one of my favorite places in Utah to eat, for dinner with my roommate Jessica and our friend Megan. It was so good! We were going to go out to a movie, or go to the corn maze, but we ended up just going back to our apartment and watching a scary movie. We're so much fun (or old)!

Also, my cousin Leisha sent me a picture of her two cute girls dressed up as Ariel and Snow White. It made me miss them so much more than I already do!

 Ok... back to the wedding. I arrived home around 6 p.m. on Thursday. Everyone was so happy to see me and tears and screaming filled our home. I might have exaggerated that last sentence a bit, but I'm sure my family was screaming and crying with joy deep down! Just look how excited my little sister and Zoey were to see me:

 Blank. Stares. Really? Thank guys I feel the love!

My Aunt Mimi's "Doughnut Seeds" grew into flowers! I was able to deliver her some during the wedding reception while she was there helping out!

 Friday we were busy decorating and making last minute preparations. Billy's mom made us an enchilada dinner later that night. I believe the highlight of that day was my cousins Chanel and Ariel surprising us all when they came while we were all decorating! I recorded a video of Chelsey's reaction. It meant so much to her that they came.

 Finally, Saturday came. The day was filled with getting our hair done, getting dressed, making flower bouquets, and taking pictures. Rosalie Black, the wedding photographer, was amazing! She is definitely talented and I enjoyed her cute personality. I envy her photography skills and all her fancy equipment. Someday when I can afford it, I will buy a fancy camera of my own!

Here is a photo of me that my mom took on my phone... I must say, I do look a little creepy, but I really like the color of my eyes!

I believe everyone enjoyed the wedding. The dancing was fun and the food was delicious! A family friend made pulled pork sliders, brisket and the best mac and cheese ever. Although it's wasn't the type of wedding I'm use to (I'm use to just going to an LDS wedding reception), I still enjoyed myself and had fun catching up with friends and family.

Here are some lovely wedding photos taken by Rosalie Black. They are gorgeous!

It was a long day, exhausting day. I forgot how much work goes into a wedding. I was so grateful we gained an extra hour that night so I could somewhat catch up on some much needed sleep!

Congrats Chelsey and Billy! I hope the married life is all you hoped it would be :)

Living in Salt Lake: Week 2 Update

This week went by way too fast... I don't know if that is a good or bad thing!

So last week, I realized I was noticing some of the negatives of living in a big city. But there are lots of positives, too! For example, check out this amazing view I get to see and be around everyday:

The Breathtaking Mountains of Utah

I love the Utah mountains! They are especially pretty where there are trees that are red for fall scattered all over. I think this is why so many people live here. They fall in love with this view, and I don't blame them!

I also enjoy being close to everything... a mall, places to eat, etc. I don't have to travel such a long ways when I'm looking for something. So it's definitely a bonus from what I'm use to!

This past week at work wasn't as busy as my first week, thank goodness! But I did do something interesting that I feel is worth sharing. My boss asked me to go down to the Church History Library and see if I could get Brigham Young's obituary from Deseret News. He died on August 29, 1877. So I was really hoping they would have a copy of it even though it was from such an old newspaper!

After about an hour and a half, me and a few other people had searched the Internet with no luck of finding his obituary. So, our only choice was to search the microfilms. I had never seen how the microfilm machines worked, and after about a few minutes I was able to find it and was pretty proud of myself!

The Microfilm Machine

The newspaper was so old, it was pretty hard to read. And the obituary took up a whole page! I printed it, but it was even more blurry than it was on the microfilm. So I emailed a digital image to myself and hoped that would work and be readable. And luckily it was. My boss was able to read and use part of the obituary for a presentation he had to give the next day! This little assignment for me was pretty neat because Brigham Young is my great, great, great, great uncle. I think that's the right amount of "greats!" I was eager to tell my family that I found his obituary.

My little sister became a Young Woman this week, and by that I mean she turned 12, so graduates from Primary and goes to Young Womans! I still think of Kristen as this cute 4-year-old that I played with and did the silliest things with. She is only 2 inches shorter than me and will be taller than me before too long! So ridiculous. But no matter how tall she is, she will always be my Sissy!

My Birthday Present for Kristen

I wasn't planning on doing anything this weekend, but my mom reminded me that my Grammie and Grandpa Chlarson were here in Utah visiting. So I headed up to my Aunt Barbie's Saturday morning and spent all day Saturday and Sunday with my lovely family. Barbie made a delicious dinner, and Grammie made some of her rolls which made me super happy!

Oh and I also found a dining room table with a couple of chairs for only $50! My awesome cousin Derek is going to come with me to pick it up since he has a truck to haul it in. It's perfect for our apartment, just perfect!

And that is a brief update on my second week living in Utah! I am a little sad because I was suppose to be getting a letter from Geoff this week in the mail, but sadly it hasn't come yet. So hopefully it comes very very soon!