bucket list

It was really slooow at work today & I made a bucket list! Lately I’ve been doing some really fun and adventurous activities...namely hot air ballooning, hiking the Grand Canyon, and running 30 miles. Promise to blog about each soon:) I’ve been blessed with these opportunities and am lucky that I’m not in school right now so I have time to play hooky. I thought it would be fun to make a rough draft list of all the many things and places I want to see, experience, enjoy, and love. Announcing the rough draft:

Bungee Jumping

Learn a new language

Be in NYC for New Years’ (and get a kiss for the new year)

Run a legit 26.2 mile marathon

Read all of the Harry Potter books. I’m on Order of the Pheonix & its my 1st time reading them! gasp, I know:)

Backpack across Europe

Graduate from college

Help with a doctors without borders or other humanitarian project

Get Lasik eye surgery

Become a nurse

Serve a full-time mission

Run Rim2Rim 
Study abroad
Be an EFY counselor

Host a foreign exchange student

Invent a new cookie flavor

Hike Subway

Travel to Thailand, New Zealand, India, Australia, Paris, and Italy

Fall in love & get married in the Temple

Change someone’s life

Spend an entire day at the spa, probably after a triathalon or something

Get a dog

Remain pen-pals with close friends through all my life

Become involved with a non-profit organization

Have twins-name them Olive & Oliver (one boy & one girl)

Road trip round two with Hunter

Live in a big city with Hannah Jane

Sky diving

Help deliver a baby

Have a lovely Thursday eve!

bondi band review & giveaway

I received this beautiful teal bondi band in the mail yesterday & I already love it!! I used it on my run this afternoon and it kept my ears warm in the chill wind. I love that it's a wider headband, so it really keeps my hair out of my face while I exercise. Some headbands are too tight on my head and hurt after a few hours, but this stretchy wicking fabric is very comfortable. 

And now it's your turn to enjoy an awesome Bondi Band!! I have a neon green "shut up and run" headband to offer as a giveaway! Just use the rafflecopter widget to enter. Good luck & keep running! 

*Disclaimer - I received this headband from Bondi Band at no cost in return for my blog review on their company and product. They are sponsoring my giveaway for 1 Bondi Band, so please be sure to enter before it ends on November 3rd! 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

wood chopping to welcome fall

October already?!? seriously crazy. AND my second consecutive day of blogging? Almost as often as I wash behind my ears. rad. Welcome the fall season-beautiful leaves, crazy deer, pumpkin chocolate-chip cookies, and wood chopping!! Today I worked grill from 5:30am-2:00pm so I could go with a group of coworkers into the Kaibab forest to chop wood for the wintertime here at Jacob Lake, Arizona.

It was so much fun! After quite a few attempts, I was able to get some decent sized logs. My friend Juni is seriously an insane beast and always got it right on the first swing. I've given up on trying to figure out how he has the strength/energy. Afterwards, we hauled all the logs in the work truck and made an assembly line to stack it all nicely outside of the lodge. Henry Ford status! In reward for our hard work, management treats us to a delicious dinner & dessert in the dining room.

It was really odd ordering off the menu, instead of receiving the order and cooking it for the usual customer. I almost wanted to put my apron back on and head back to the kitchen and make my meal myself. But my coworkers did a great job, no doubt:) Ahhhh the cheese tortellini with a grilled chicken on top!! Kind of annoying to make for the late prep shift, but so woth it. I was in heaven. And with grilled zucchini slices, cheesy-brocolli soup, and rice pilaf! Sean works in the store, so he made all of our shakes too. Vanilla with a pumpkin chocolate-chip cookie was divine. We had a wonderful time together eating, while still super dirty from chopping. I was shocked to see later how filthy my face got from hauling all the logs!! Mary Poppins, anyone?

  My buddy Mitchell. Don't you just love the dirt mustache?

We were too busy being lumberjacks to take any pictures while we were working, but this is what the truck looked like after about an hour or so of chopping.

I cannot wait to enjoy those cozy nights right in front of the fireplace on those chilly nights in the lodge lobby:)

google plus

where a family chat can go from looking like this

to this 

 to this 

 to this 

 to this 

 ...and a Dr.Seuss inspired hat blowing out a birthday candle.

haha we had such a blast with the silly effects on google plus. man I miss my crazy family! 

ps.I'm gonna try to update this blog with the past year-ish of my life. Ahhh there's just so much that has happened & I wanna document it all. stay tuned! 

New Year's resolutions UPDATE

wow. I'm quite far behind with blogging about my life lately. SO many things have happened in the past few months...I really wouldn't even know where to start. Here's an attempt...so 6 months ago from today, I made a list of goals for the year 2012.(see here).Here's an update to how my ambitions and goals have turned out thus far:

 1.      Blog more. (obviously) oops.

2.      Run a half marathon in progress...

3.      Develop better study habits DONE!! all A's right now, yeah baby!! hoping to ace finals.

4.      Read more great books thats what summer's for, right?

5.      Get into the nursing program!! haven't applied yet.

6.      Become more organized not really. I forget/misplace everything.

7.      Go on a road trip to CALIFORNIA! DONE!!

8.      Volunteer & give back to the community not as much as I'd like to, but I just helped with a gardening service project!

9.      Create & keep a workout plan KINDA. I go to the gym & burn cals. what else do you want from me?

10.  Spend more time with my lovely mother DONE!! (and in progress:)

11.  Make plans to study abroad my savings account is currently too busy having fun.

12.  Become a “morning person” ha.ha.ha. like that one was every possible. my yummy green monster smoothies help me be happy at 7am.

13.  Keep a journal of grand adventures YES!! a little behind, but what's new?

14.  Hike Rim2Rim again in 12 hours I'm planning on hiking it in november!!

15.  Attend ALL my 7:45am classes…we’ll see about this one. I actually have!! wierd.

16.  Eat real, nutritious foods YEP!! lots of fruits & veggies. be proud mamma:)

17.  Go snowboarding KINDA. I went night skiing for the first time instead of attempting to snowboard.

18.  Become better at letter-writing EH. give me a few days

19.  Learn how to ballroom dance DONE!! my dance class even had a competition too, so booyah

20.  Develop a habit of scripture study every night IN PROGRESS. My Docterine & Covenants class has been awesome, so thats helped:)

  

There's still exactly 6 months until 2013, so I still have some time to check-off more of these resolutions. I've never really been great at making & keeping goals, but I've been more committed this time around. And it should also be noted that I went cold turkey off sweets/treats for AN ENTIRE MONTH!! My close friend and roommate Hannah has been inspiring and motivating when it comes to making daily, weekly, and monthly goals. I want to start making a bucket list of things I want to do sometime in my life. What are some of the goals you have made & been successful with?

specs.

I had an eye exam this morning & was impressed by how high-tech everything was. I had pictures taken of my eyeball that checked for glaucoma and anything irregular in my retina. You should be glad to know, everything checked out perfectly normal! Except for the minor fact that I’m getting more blind....After the exam, I bought two pairs of spectacles on eyefly. Their prescription lenses and frames are only $99! Pretty sweet. I haven’t worn glasses in over a year, so they’ll be a nice break from contacts. With a webcam photo, you can virtually try-on the frames and see how ridiculous they look. I couldn’t decide between two different frame styles, so I just got both. Which do you like more? 

Union Square is on the left & Lexington Avenue is on the right. 

Ps. yeah I got grills! I really need to be better at updating! sorry:(

CALIFORNIA HERE WE COME!!

When Hunter returned home from his mission, he was so excited to show us pictures of the many people that he had the privilege of teaching. In particular, he taught and baptized the Evans family. I was touched by their story and knew they had an impact on Hunter’s life. We talked about going on a road trip so I could meet them & many other people from his mission. This weekend we took the plunge to the sunny california!! We left early Friday morning in a rental car, that gets MUCH better gas mileage than his Jaguar. The drive wasn’t too bad & we saw beautiful scenery along the way. We filled up at an older gas station in nevada that I thought was so awesome! 

Eventually, we arrived in the beautiful northern california around 6pm. The foresthill bridge was our first destination, which is California’s highest bridge. I love bridges & this one was hecka awesome! 

Afterwards, we blasted classic cali-themed songs on the drive to the Fears house in Lincoln. I met Dave last year when he was in the DC area for a business trip. His daughters were so fun, rambunctious, and adorable. I played mega blocks with Chloe and Emma. We had pizza with them and Hunter enjoyed catching up with Dave. 

We stayed with Sister Blaser for the weekend and found a cute welcome sign for us when we walked in. She is an incredible woman who is so kind, loving, and funny! We were exhausted and couldn’t wait to get some rest.

It felt amazing to sleep in on Saturday morning and enjoy a glass of freshly squeezed orange juice from Sis. Blaser’s orchard. I was impressed by how much fruit she grows and picks, right from her backyard! 

We saw the Hume family and had a quick lunch with them. Then we went to the Sacramento temple for the Evans’ sealing. They were going to be sealed together as an eternal family. I was so excited to meet them!! I met all the children & quickly grew to love them instantly. We took some beautiful pictures of their family and I loved seeing how they interact with each other. They have such great love towards each other and you can tell they are best friends. I twirled the little girls and watched big smiles stretching across their face. 

Haley, Betty, and Akasha drove with us to their house for a BBQ. The girls and I walked their dog to the park and we all played in the playground. The youngest, Haley is such a cute girl!! We quickly bonded and became besties as I pushed her on the swings. We played hopscotch and basketball while the meat was cooking. Spontaneously, we rode their four-wheeler around their neighborhood. It was so much fun. The missionaries from their ward joined us for dinner & it was delicious!! 

After dinner, we met up with Gina and Lisa, that I met at conference last april. We went to Leatherby's for a late-night sundae dessert. Hunter & I split a Grandma Grace's Creamery Sundae. Their rocky road, toasted almond, and cookies n’ cream flavors were incredible. and that homemade caramel sauce!!!! AHHHHH so tasty.and creamy. 

I met so many people in the Van Maren ward that Hunter used to serve in that said the most wonderful things about him. Then we raced to the Evans’ ward to see them one last time. I just loved sitting next to little Haley during church, she’s just a doll. I have only just met the Evans family, but I already miss them so much!!! They are such a wonderful family that can now be together forever. We packed up and said goodbye to sis. Blaser. She’s so cute!! I am so thankful for her hospitality and kindness.

Then we headed to Rio Linda for lunch with the Dumm family. haha lots of jokes. They live in a rad little yellow house that reminds me of the movie Up. Jenilyn made a wonderful cheesy brocolli soup with homemade “butt” rolls. haha it was an awesome lunch! Their boys were so hilarious, just like their parents. Stephen is a hulla-hoop champ & Michael can transform to iliterally anything. Their humor compliments ours and we loved playing the game moods with them. 

For our last meal in california, we ate DELICIOUS homemade chimichangas at the Aldridge's house. I love mexicali meals & this was top-notch! Their girls became quite taken with me. It was probably because I can make them fly! haha they kicked by booday in Just Dance. Bro. Aldridge made awesome oreo shakes for dessert while we played the card game And It Came To Pass. I enjoyed hearing about how the parents met at BYU-I and about everything they loved about the ‘Berg. I love their crazy family!!

On our way out, we said our last goodbyes to the Fears, Gina, and other friends. Somehow we drove all night to UT without stopping. 9 hours isn't that bad, right? It was hard with such little sleep, but some coke and jack johnson helped. By the time we reached salt lake city and returned the car, we happily took a glorious 3 hour nap. 

This weekend was incredible & I only wish we had more time in CA!! Our weekend was very packed and we saw so many people, but it also flew by crazy fast! I’m so thankful to all the many families who shared meals and laughs with us. I can now understand how easily it was for Hunter to grow so closely to these wonderful people. They are so full of love, kindness, and happiness. I’m reminded of how magnificent the atonement and plan of salvation is for us to enjoy. Words cannot express how magnificent eternal families are. There’s such peace in knowing I’ll be with my family forever. I was so happy for the Evans family to enjoy and grow from this knowledge and reassurance. Our Heavenly Father loves his children so much!! I loved finally meeting and putting a face to the many people that Hunter talked about in emails and letters. Seeing the Evans’ children sealed to them was such a great experience to see the fruit of the mission labors, "For thou shalt eat the labour of thine hands: happy shalt thou be, and it shall be well with thee." (psalms 128:2). 

Thank you to all the people that showed us love this weekend! I loved every minute and am anxiously awaiting our next road trip. I’m dreading the cold and snowy grounds that idaho will welcome me back with....:( 
forever california dreaming....

¡Feliz Año Nuevo!

Hey there. Happy New Year! It’s weird to think that we’re in 2012 now. Time has seriously just zoomed by! goals, goals, goals…here are my 20 resolutions to keep for the year I turn 20-

 1.      Blog more. (obviously)

2.      Run a half marathon

3.      Develop better study habits

4.      Read more great books

5.      Get into the nursing program!!

6.      Become more organized

7.      Go on a road trip to CALIFORNIA!

8.      Volunteer & give back to the community

9.      Create & keep a workout plan

10.  Spend more time with my lovely mother

11.  Make plans to study abroad

12.  Become a “morning person”

13.  Keep a journal of grand adventures

14.  Hike Rim2Rim again in 12 hours

15.  Attend ALL my 7:45am classes…we’ll see about this oneJ

16.  Eat real, nutritious foods

17.  Go snowboarding

18.  Become better at letter-writing

19.  Learn how to ballroom dance

20.  Develop a habit of scripture study every night

But most of all, I want to simply enjoy life more!! I’m looking forward to another year full of love, laughter, good food, and enjoying beautiful places with those I love. I want to show more gratitude. I want people to know how much I care, love, and appreciate having them in my life. Happy New Year!! 2012-bring it on.

P.S. I fly back to ID tomorrow morning!! I’m really excited, but also sad that I have to say goodbye:( Bittersweet. Also soooo much more packing needs to be done.