Covina Ballerina

Halloween Costume Contest...Avatar

2010-10-26T21:05:00.001-07:00

Last weekend my friend helped transform me into one of the main characters on Avatar. The process began with blue tights and a nude leotard. Rebecca sprayed blue, green, and white hair coloring all over my body so that there was no flesh left to be seen. The spray was so cold that my whole body tensed up and I had body chills with every spray. We decided to dress me up like Avatar because we found out there was a costume contest at a fundraiser we had heard about and the winner of the contest would win an i-pod. I really wanted to win the i-pod becuase my i-pod was stolen last year while I was at the gym. Rebecca did an amazing job completely transforming me into Avatar, but sadly I lost to a walrus at the competition! It was super disappointing to have lost, but I did take second place and I will always remember this night.

Arches - Southern Utah

2010-10-26T20:47:00.001-07:00

Southern Utah is so beautiful! A group of us drove down on a Saturday morning and camped over night in a ghost town called Sego. We hiked to delicate arch, which is the arch that is represented on the Utah licence plate. The arch was quite a bit smaller than I thought it would be, but it was still amazing. The hikes we did throughout the day were beautiful and so was the surrounding area. The red rock in Southern Utah is gorgeous. We had a blast! The ghost town was completely abandoned and we set up camp in the middle of a building that only had the perimeter of the structure left standing. It was great for shelter from the wind and kept us nice and warm through the night. Hope to return to Arches again soon!

KISS Concert

2010-10-03T12:18:00.000-07:00

I won free tickets to the KISS concert and Heather won 2 free entrees at Applebees at our work party so... we made a date of it! As you can see we went a little crazy and painted our faces and put fake eye lashes on just for the occasion. We thought there would be tons of people dressed up at the concert, but we were totally wrong in our assumption. We were some of the few people that were actually dressed up, but painting our faces and gluing fake eye lashes on enhanced our experience beyond what it could have been without our snazzy get up! We had a blast. The toughest part about the whole thing was doing our face paintings and eye lashes in the car before going into the concert, which should explain why the black star over my eye looks more like a sloppy tree topper... love it ;) Heather is quite the artist!

Oregon for Labor Day Weekend

2010-09-28T16:54:00.000-07:00

Jamee, Kasey, and I drove to Oregon for labor day weekend. We left Friday around 2:30 and didn't arrive at my house in Toledo until 4:15 Saturday morning. We stayed in Oregon Saturday and Sunday and then drove to Idaho and Utah Monday morning. We left Oregon at 7:15 Monday morning, dropped Lindsey and Allie off at BYU-Idaho at 12:15am, and Jamee and I didn't get back to Salt Lake until 5:45am!!! I slept for an hour and then had to go to work :) Lets just say I don't do relaxing well...gotta get things done. The whole reason I wanted to go home was to be there for my dad's setting apart in his new calling and to take Lindsey and Allie back to school.

We had a blast driving together for 15 hours and had to take lots of potty breaks, that's just what happens with four girls in the car. Jamee and I survived on lots of snacks and Dr. Pepper (for Jamee) and Blue Mountain Dew (for me). We ate when we were hungry. We ate when we were bored. We ate when we were tired. You name it was a good enough reason to be eating. It was so great to be Oregon with my family even though it was short. My family is incredible and each individual teaches me things about becoming a better person, how I can become more like Christ.

Breakfast, Dancing, and Pampering after the Wedding

2010-09-28T16:27:00.000-07:00

Saturday morning Katie made a huge, delicious German waffle breakfast for the whole army of people she had staying at the house. Everyone was so energized and inspired by breakfast that the after breakfast clean-up turned into a crazy wild Smith dance extravaganza! Oh how I love my family! We always have a great time together no matter what we are doing. Aaron even put lotion on and massaged our feet, it was incredible.

And the lovely picture of Allie on the bottom is proof that she played hard during her short stay at BYU and didn't sleep at all Friday night. She was all tuckered out, but still so cute. :)

Brandon and Juliana's Weddin

2010-09-28T16:10:00.000-07:00

Brandon and Juliana's wedding was beautiful. Brandon and Juliana looked so happy together and their temple sealing was incredible. It was so wonderful to be able to spend time with family. Wow we love to eat! Got some great photos of everyone enjoying the food... gotta love it. We Smiths live to eat we don't eat to live, or we just know great food when we taste it!

Summer Fun!

2010-08-22T11:31:00.000-07:00

I got a call Saturday morning at 11:00 from my Relief Society President asking what I was doing... it turned out they needed one more girl to play in the regional softball tournament or they would have to take an automatic out. I quickly threw my shoes on and I was at the field within ten minutes and we had a great first game! We won the first game but lost the second game so we were automatically eliminated. I didn't have time to throw on sun screen before leaving my house cause I was in such a hurry so I have some great sun burns that go from my ankles and stop at the back of my knees, very attractive ;) Here are some team photos and some photos of the pool party that followed... I love summer!

Birthday River Float

2010-08-08T16:53:00.000-07:00

Saturday Allie and a few of my friends and I floated the Provo river. Wow was it cold! The bus driver that shuttled us up to the location where people get into the river to float down after renting their tubes told us the water was 52 degrees... brrrr! We had such a blast together. The float is about two hours long and is comprised of several small rapids, a constant current that allows you to float without having to work much, and a few bridges that if you choose to float under you're not suppose to "let your equipment touch the bridge!", as we were told by the shuttle driver.

We decided to get out and walk around the bridges rather than floating under them because we have all heard stories about people who have been flipped over or sucked under or stuck while attempting to float under the bridges. When we got out Allie was trying to dump the water out of the center of her tube so it wouldn't be so heavy to carry. She was successful at dumping the water out of her tube, but gave herself an ice shower in the process, as she accidentally dumped the water on top of herself; so cold she couldn't even scream. Poor thing was freezing during the rest of the float because the wind picked up and we floated through two rain showers! There were several times that we laughed so hard together I almost cried. Afterwards we were so cold that we went to the cocoa bean and got hot chocolate and GIANT cup cakes. Allie and I shared a cup cake called better than whatever, oh and it was totally better than whatever you can imagine! What an amazing way to spend my 25th birthday. We made memories I will never forget :)

Shooting the Tube

2010-08-08T16:32:00.000-07:00

I shot the tube on Thursday night and it was quite the adventure. I have heard about shooting the tube ever since I moved to Utah two years ago, but never had a real clear description or picture of exactly what that meant. I can now officially say that I have shot the tube!

There is a large concrete tunnel that runs under the freeway (I-80) a little bit north of 3300 South. This tunnel is about 200 feet in length and about 12 feet in Diameter and there is a river that runs through it. How it works is you dam the top of the tunnel (using giant medal road signs, 2x4's, and 2 large pieces of plywood) then you wait until there is a sufficient amount of water built up behind the dam, someone pulls the ropes to break the dam and all the water that has been building up is released and shoots the people that are seated on tubes, sleds, plastic lids, foam pads, air mattresses, etc. down the tunnel, which is known as the tube - so that's how you shoot the tube. It's a rush! The water was about 55 degrees and I was freezing my nee nees off! I felt like I was in the Pacific Ocean again.

New Hobby?... I think so!

2010-08-01T16:32:00.000-07:00

I went rock climbing outdoors for the first time yesterday and it was amazing! I really think that this is going to be my new summer hobby and snow boarding will forever remain my number one winter hobby. I had such a great time! A man from work took me, Rebecca (a friend from work), and another guy from work climbing in Big Cottonwood Canyon. We climbed a wall that is a 5.9 in difficulty. I'm learning that as you go up in number the more difficult the climb. For example, a 5.11 is very difficult. The easier climbs would be 5.6 or 5.7 and under and more difficult climbs for experienced climbers would be 5.10+ and up. I had such a great time I'm thinking about buying myself a harness or climbing shoes for my birthday. I look at is as an investment. A very promising investment. I keep finding new hobbies out here in Salt Lake and I kinda love it!

Also, when we first got there Bill had planned on taking us to a different rock base to learn how to climb but there were way too many people at that spot so we left to find another spot to climb for us amateur climbers. Well to get back to the car we cross a little stream that was only about 10 feet a across. I was at the back of our four-person team and so I crossed the stream last... and let's just say when I stepped onto one of the rocks, keep in mind I was carrying out climbing rope in an awkward shoulder bag, the rock I stepped onto wobbled and I fell into the stream. I'm not talking about just my feet getting wet; basically, I was sitting in the stream with water all the way up to the top of my rib cage! How I managed it I still don't know.

I was hoping that the others in my group wouldn't turn around and notice me bathing in the stream, but before I could get out of the water Rebecca turned around and loudly yelled, are you ok? After that everyone, including climbers in the surrounding area, turned to see if everything was alright or just to satisfy their curiosity. I was thourally embarrassed. It was quite refreshing. That is what the picture of me in my wet jeans is all about. Good times :)

Mud Mud Mud!

2010-07-25T16:54:00.000-07:00

Allie and I got dirty on July 24th! A friend of mine invited me to come to a 150 water slide in Rock Canyon Park on Pioneer Day and he said I wouldn't regret it if I came. It was a blast!!! You move so fast down the slide that you don't even have time to think about slowing down, but I'm kind of a thrill seeker anyway so I wasn't real concerned about slowing down. I love and have a need for speed! Allie and I crawled out of the mud with mustaches and go-tees, it was awesome!

We did a train down the slide with a bunch of people and somehow the train got separated about mid-way down the hill. I was near the end of the first train. We hit the mud within seconds before the second train hit. I looked back at the second group with only enough time to give the guy at the front of the train a look of horror as I knew he was headed straight for me. It was one of those moments where you can see what's coming but there is no time to do anything about it. I was pummeled into the ground so hard that I felt like my left hip was broken. Allie said she looked over at me and she couldn't see anything but the back of my head barely sticking out of the mud. My friend said he looked over and all he could see was a little bit of my red tank-top. I'm pretty sure the pummeling in the mud bath proves that if I'm hard core and if not I'm definitely on my there. I walked with a limp the rest of the day :) So fun!

Art Work from New York

2010-07-25T16:48:00.000-07:00

I bought these two pieces of art work from a street vendor in New York City. The brightly colored one is a painting of the empire state building and surrounding area in the fall. The one on the right is a photograph of the Brooklyn Bridge. I am trying to buy little pieces of artwork everywhere that I travel to, whether its a painting or a piece of pottery, I want to have a nice size collection for when I one day design and move into my dream home! I'm a big dreamer.

A Day of Exploration in New York

2010-07-25T16:38:00.000-07:00

Monday after the audition I went exploring all by myself in New York City because Holly had to work. I walked three miles, in my new favorite discovery humidity, to the Metropolitan Museum of Art and found out it is closed on Mondays! I was pretty disappointed. I walked another mile and found the Guggenheim Museum and was able to look around in there for a little while. The architecture of the Guggenheim Museum is incredible! I love architecture.

Central Park

2010-07-25T16:29:00.000-07:00

Holly and I went to Central Park on Sunday night of my quick weekend in New York. We found this little bridge somewhere in the park and set up my camera to take timed photos of us together on the bridge. We set up the timer to take a picture every 10 seconds and after each picture we would look at the picture and then we would be laughing through the next several pictures. It was hilarious! As I have said before, Holly is so much fun. She makes me laugh all the time. I love her!

The Cloisters

2010-07-25T16:03:00.000-07:00

Sunday morning before church I went exploring by myself. Holly and her roommate suggested that I check out the Cloisters. The Cloisters is the branch of the Metropolitan Museum of Art devoted to the art and architecture of medieval Europe. The structure alone took my breath away. It was so peaceful up there by myself and was a great opportunity to contemplate. I am fascinated by different types of architecture and was inspired by this beautiful structure and its magnificence. I look forward to continuing my exploration of the world in the future!

New York City at Night...

2010-07-25T15:38:00.000-07:00

The night life in New York City is definitely different than anything you'll experience during the day! Holly and I went to bed early the first night I was in New York because we had only slept for two hours or less the previous night (I flew in on the Red Eye from Salt Lake, arriving at 5:55am New York time). So... Saturday night we partied it up and didn't get home until after 3:00am. We had so much fun! We went dancing at a little club called Santos Party House around midnight and somehow managed to get in for $5 each. We danced for a little while and then decided we had had enough of the rancid throw-up smelling breath the two guys that had attached themselves to us were blowing into our faces and went off to enjoy the night. Our next stop was the Empire State Building. It was a perfect time to go see it because the area wasn't over populated by people like Holly said it is during the day. It gave us a chance to enjoy the view without all the commotion. The building was lit up in purple and gold lighting and it was beautiful.

We also found these fun display windows at Macey's and took pictures of us mimicking the models in the windows. It was a blast! Holly is so fun and I love the expressions she makes when she is posing for pictures. :)

Magnolia Bakery

2010-07-20T18:51:00.000-07:00

I felt the need to post these pictures because I think my sister Lindsey will appreciate them. I was told by a friend that I needed to go to Magnolia Bakery while I was in New York. Well I heeded her advice and I definitely was not disappointed. She had told me to buy a cupcake there because the cup cakes are divine. When I purchased my vanilla cup cake with vanilla frosting and rainbow sprinkles I was a little disappointed because it looked like your average cup cake, but oh how wrong I was. The cup cake was amazing! I recommend that anyone who goes to New York enjoys a cup cake from Magnolia Bakery. You will not be disappointed.

Time Square

2010-07-20T18:39:00.000-07:00

There were so many things to look at on Time Square I was practically running into everything and everyone because I was so distracted by it all. Holly and I got half-price tickets for West Side Story on Broadway. It was incredible!! The acting and the dancing were phenomenal. I really wanted to see Wicked but wasn't willing to fork over the cash to see it. I plan on coming back to New York City that is for sure!

New York City

2010-07-18T22:08:00.000-07:00

This is the Manhattan temple.

I thought this hidden wall was very contemporary and striking. It is very artistically designed.

I love the way the ivy defines and adds to the character of this town home.

I cannot wait til Step Up 3D comes out next month!

I love the contrast of the red against the dark rust colored brick.

Being in New York was an incredible experience! New York is the most diverse, eclectic, diverting, enchanting city I've ever been to in the United States. I was in awe everywhere that Holly and I went. I was taking pictures from the moment Holly and I got onto of the underground train at 6:15am (4:15 Utah time) to the moment that I got back on the airplane back to Salt Lake. I couldn't help but feel overwhelmed by the diversity of people, variety of artwork and architecture, quick pace kept by the people that littered the streets, etc. I love New York!

The Audition...

2010-07-14T17:19:00.001-07:00

Wow I just returned from four incredible days in New York, NY! As some of you may be wondering how the audition went I thought I would make a quick post to give everyone an update. The audition was held on 34Th Street and 8Th Avenue in downtown New York City. It was held on the 16Th floor of Ripely Grier Studios. They had to take a picture ID before they would allow me to go beyond the main entrance; a little fancy for me, a small town kinda girl from Toledo, OR, but I managed alright. There were over 200 girls there for the audition and they divided the group up into several groups of 30. They taught each group a 16 count ballet combination and then had us perform the combination in pairs across the floor. From each group they chose about 3-4 girls and if you didn't make that first cut you were done with the audition. I didn't make the first cut and I was done with the audition around 11:00 (the audition began at 10:00).

Although I didn't make the audition I really wasn't sad about it at all. Dancing is something that I absolutely love, but it's not my whole life. I have thought many times about becoming a professional dancer, but those thoughts were in years past. Over the years my love for dance has never decreased, if anything it has increased with the sporadic dance performances I've been involved in, random classes I have taken, and daily private performances I have entertained, but my thoughts about becoming a professional dancer have changed. I use to think that nothing could make me happier than to dance professionally because I would be doing something that I absolutely love and be getting paid for it, but experiences I have had in my life over the past few years have changed my way of thinking; these experiences have shaped my desires into those of a more exalted sphere. I still love to dance and always will, but I don't see myself ever becoming a professional dancer, and not because I don't think I could have what it takes to dance professionally, but because there are so many more meaningful things that the Lord would have me do with my life; things that I know will bring me more happiness than any worldly things ever could.

I felt so good about going to New York and about doing the audition. Although I didn't make the cut at the audition, I still know that going to New York was the right thing to do. Some very sweet experiences have come from that very short, but incredibly amazing four day trip to New York and I am so grateful to have been able to go. One thing I will say that I learned from this trip is, always be obedient when you are impressed to do something. The Lord has things in store for each one of us that we cannot even begin to comprehend and all that He asks of us is that we are obedient. Obedience is power. I look forward to seeing what the Lord has in store for me next!

New York City Dance Auditon Photo

2010-07-11T14:46:00.000-07:00

These are photos that a guy from Holly's ward took for me in New York. He agreed to take the pictures willingly and happily. If you could see the picture I was going to bring with me to the audition you would see why I cannot take that head shot! Holly is a great photographer but I was not photogenic yesterday after we had been walking and in the heat/humidity and other elements all day... I was lookin like I shouldn't have been walking around in public, that's how scary the other picture is. So just be happy you don't have to see that one. Please leave a comment voting for whichever picture you think is the best... thanks! :)

Fourth of July Fireworks

2010-07-04T17:03:00.000-07:00

Allie, Kimmy, and I had a wonderful time together celebrating the 4Th of July on Saturday the 3rd. We went to Seven Peaks, a water park in Provo, and had a wild time there! Afterwards we prepared a little BBQ with some delicious grilled chicken, pasta salad, watermelon, and Doritos. It was pretty much a feast. If there is one thing we know how to do right it's food! The adventures continued with a late night firework show, which was incredible, and our own little celebration with a few boxes of sparklers. I love Independence Day!

Camping in the Snow/Rain

2010-07-04T16:10:00.000-07:00

Camping is one of my favorite things...even in the rain, as long as it's warm in the tent! Rain or shine we always know how to have a good time. Me, Heather, Kelsey (Heather's cousin), Justin, and Jess went camping near Mirror lake, which is up in the mountains. It was snowing/raining when we were setting up camp. We set up a tarp over the picnic table, set up the tent, and then worked on getting a fire started for over an hour. Luckily Jess and Justin were persistent and didn't give up on getting the fire started, because it was not an easy task!

We had delicious food all weekend. Heather was talking about making banana boats for days beforehand and when we finally made them on the fire they were delicious! If you have never made a banana boat you are really missing out on a quick and tasty dessert. All you do is cut out a section in the center of a banana, fill it with whatever kind of chips you so desire (chocolate, chocolate/peanut butter, butterscotch, etc.) and then put it on the fire until the chips are somewhat melted and the banana is soft. Tastes amazing! Let me also add that Heather and Kelsey know how to get warm by the fire when there isn't much of a fire and it's wet and cold outside. I recorded a video of the two of them dancing by the fire pit and it is hilarious! If I had the patience to upload it to my blog I know everyone would get a kick out of it. Just look at some of the incredible expressions that Heather and Kelsey made in the photos and you'll get a good idea of how hilarious they are. They make me laugh.

Stewart Falls Hike

2010-07-04T15:53:00.000-07:00

Utah is so beautiful! The more time I spend in this state the more love it. Heather and I decided to go hiking a few weeks ago and we couldn't find Tipanogos Falls, which was our original plan, but we found and hiked Stewart falls instead. The Stewart falls hike is in Provo Canyon (another beautiful location in Utah). I love the mountains and I am continually blessed with opportunities to explore this incredible state.

Chalk Art Festival - Downtown Salt Lake

2010-06-30T06:21:00.000-07:00

I have officially lived in Utah for 2 years this month...crazy! Where does the time go? My mom and sisters came into town June 18 and stayed with me for a week and a half. We had a wonderful time together. Madison is an incredible little girl and she was so flexible to the rigorous schedule we maintained almost every day. I don't know that most 5 years old could handle such a busy schedule, but she was great and so patient with us. I love my mom and sisters and hope we can spend some time together every year!
One of the things that we did was attend the Chalk Art Festival held at the Gateway mall. I was so impressed with the incredible artwork and the intricacy of the chalk drawings. I would think chalk would be an extremely difficult medium to work with, but the artists created such incredible artwork, it would appear chalk is an ideal medium. Check it out!

Family Vacation along the Oregon Coast

2010-06-14T21:21:00.000-07:00

Our family vacation was a blast! It is always so great when we can all get together, because our family is big and somewhat spread out so it's difficult to get us all together in one place. Dad was so great and flexible with the schedule for the week and that was fantastic, because with the Oregon weather you never really know what to expect. We had a packed week and we did so many amazingly fun things! We traveled to the Bandon petting zoo, camped in Umpqua, had a bonfire on Nye beach in Newport, went skim boarding in the Pacific Ocean, competed in family Olympic games, swam at the wave pool (formally known as "Splash"), and stayed up late talking and laughing every night. We had so much fun together! I love my family. I hate being so far away from them. Tracy made me promise that I will move back to Oregon after I settle down and I would love to promise that, but I don't feel like at this point in my life I can make that promise. I hope to live near my family after I settle down... but that all depends on where the Lord needs me to be and what direction he leads me in my life.

The Designer in me

2010-05-18T20:09:00.000-07:00

When I was younger I wanted to be a photographer. I use to pose my siblings in these really awkward poses and take pictures of them outside in our yard, but looking back at my early photography I realize that I didn't have quite the talent that I thought I did. Well I still love to take pictures, and my ability to notice details has only heightened since I received my degree in interior design. When I was in California I found myself getting distracted by the scenery and just good design in general. The picture of the red door with the yellow flowers on it looks like it could be on the cover of Architectural Digest or any other home design magazine. The house that you are seeing pictures of is a house that I have fallen in love with. I love the ivy running up the walls of the home and the contrast of the red tiled roof against the while stucco walls, love it! I love the details of life. "God is in the details." -Ludwig Mies van der Rohe

Baby Isaac in California

2010-05-18T19:52:00.000-07:00

This post is well overdue but better late than never. Mid-April I took a weekend trip to California to visit Jacquelyn, Jason, and brand new baby Isaac. Isaac is a doll baby. I couldn't get over what a beautiful baby he is. Jacquelyn is a natural mom and Jason is so natural with Isaac it was incredible. It was such a privilege to spend the weekend with them and to meet their precious little new one. It was a huge reality check for me to be with my best friend and her husband and baby when she is the same age as me. I have always thought about what it might be like to be a mother, but something about this experience was different for me. I was very reflective and felt very inadequate even thinking about the responsibilities that are required of a mother. I don't feel ready for motherhood at this point in my life that is for sure, but I know that when that time does come for me I will only be capable of doing all that is required of me without the Lord's help. All that is required of us in this life is possible but not without heaven's help. Babies are little miracle sent straight from heaven. Anything is possible through faith in God and His endless power.

Cinco de Mayo Party

2010-05-18T19:36:00.001-07:00

My roommates and I threw a Cinco de Mayo party a few weeks ago and it was a blast! We had great good, fun decorations, and good company. All you really need for a good time is food and good company and we had just the right mix. We were worried that the weather was not going to be good because according to the weather report there was suppose to be a thunder storm, which would not have worked for our party. See our house is pretty small, but with the back yard it's the perfect party house so if the weather was bad we would have had to squish inside our dinky little house and it would have been so cozy you could have smelled the breath of every person within a foot of you... and salsa, cheese sauce, and guacamole don't make for the best breath if you catch my drift. The weather turned out great and we partied it up for the night. We set up a little fire pit in the back yard, had speakers in the house and in the backyard for tunes, and we even had the limbo going at one point during the party. Oh and of course since this was a party at my house there was dancing!!! My roommates and I had a blast. This was the first of many summer parties at out place! :)

Stretched a little too far in my pants...

2010-04-16T20:43:00.000-07:00

Monday morning I did an early ride-along at work, which means that I rode the bus from 6:15am to 9:30am to pick up clients for work. Well I got a little too comfortable on the bus and fell asleep for a few minutes. Whoops! When I came out of my short nap I stood up to do a little stretching number to wake myself up and stretched a little too far...ripped the crotch right out of my pants! My face fell and I could feel my whole head turn red. Only the clients were witness to my little mishap, and I had to laugh at myself as some of them laughed with me. I still had a full day of work ahead of me, so luckily I ripped them where nobody could see! I must be related to Jacquelyn somehow, I can't tell you how many pairs of pants she ripped just over the period of time I have known her. Too funny! :)

Crazy Weekend...lots of driving!

2010-04-16T20:22:00.000-07:00

I took the opportunity to go to Rexburg last weekend to visit my little sis and a few of my cousins. It was so good to spend time with my little sister and cousin's Sabrina and Brianna. I drove to Rexburg on Saturday morning and happened to come on the weekend that my sister had to be out of her apartment for the week because it was the end of the semester... so we stayed at their roommate's basement apartment. It was very sweet of her to let us stay at her apartment while she was in Colorado for the week, but that also meant the place hadn't been lived in yet. It was FREEZING! I turned the heat on so we wouldn't freeze to death during the night. All three of us girls (Sabrina, Lindsey, and me) shared the queen size bed for the night. Both Lindsey and Sabrina didn't sleep much because both of them move around alot when they sleep, but I on the other hand, slept like a rock! These are the kind of experiences that make for great memories :) I love those girls.

Saturday afternoon I attended Celeste's baby shower in Victor. Celeste is so cute pregnant! The shower was a ton of fun! They played a fun game where Taylor, Celeste's husband, had to answer questions about Celeste and the pregnancy and then we had to write down whether or not we thought Taylor answered the questions right. Taylor was video taped while answering the questions and we got to watch the video at the shower... it was pretty cute. My favorite was when Taylor was asked to swaddle a baby doll in a thick blanket that was obviously much larger than the baby. He started out doing very well with the first three wraps, but then didn't know what to do with the excess blanket so he sort of went wrap crazy! It was hilarious.

On my way back to Salt Lake I stopped to see one of my best Friends, Jessica Hale, in Idaho Falls. She is 7 months pregnant and absolutely adorable and I loved seeing her and visiting with her, even if it was a short visit. I love her and it was nice to be around little kids, as they were everywhere at her in-laws house. I loved it!

Wal-Mart Black Jacket Excursion

2010-04-11T21:22:00.000-07:00

Our roommate, Caroline, was getting rid of some of her clothes last week so Heather and I decided to take advantage of her generosity and found some steals! Heather is modeling a black, double breasted, two-button, fitted suit coat; while I am sporting a black collared sweater and three-button, black, suit jacket with shoulder pads. We dressed up in heels and strutted our new apparel at the local Wal-Mart, basically too hot to trot ;) We got some pretty memorable looks while doing our grocery shopping. It was an experience we will remember for a long time to come! As you can tell from the photos, Heather and I are thinking about quiting our day jobs because we are pretty much natural models...PSYHC!

Easter Dessert

2010-04-04T17:36:00.000-07:00

As most of are probably aware I am not the baker in the family. I usually leave the baking to Mom or Lindsey, and until I get some more practice at the whole baking thing that is probably for the benefit of all! I really enjoy baking but I am not always as successful as I would like to be. This year I am trying new things to improve my skills and that includes skills from every area of my life including: increasing my writing skills and reading speed to learning a new form of dance. After this little baking experiment it seems that it is going to be a promising year, because to my surprise and delight the Easter dessert turned out beautifully!

I called my mom and sister (Allie) yesterday in hopes that they would have some great idea for what I could bake for an Easter dinner I was going to be attending with Bret Gadbury, his wife Nikki; Nikki's sister (Stephanie), Stephanie's husband, and little boy (Reed); and Stephanie's in-laws. I was feeling rather ambitious and wanted to make something fun, creative, and festive for Easter dinner. My mom found the perfect recipe in her Family Fun magazine and I ran with it from there. It was the perfect dessert and I had fun making it. Everyone that I shared it with enjoyed it and commented on how cute it was. When I set my mind to something it is almost impossible to stop me. Maybe I'm not as terrible of a cook as I originally thought... I look forward to my next baking adventure!

Family Photo?

2010-03-30T16:52:00.001-07:00

I found this stick figure representation of my family in my room the other day and I thought some of you would get a kick out of how fabulous you each look ;) A few weeks back our Relief Society lesson was about family and the eternal nature of families. Our teacher asked us each to draw a picture of our families and to write a word to describe each family member.

As you can see I decided to go with stick figures, for obvious reasons...sorry that some of you (males) do not have any clothing on, whoops! :) The drawing is in this order: Dad, Mom, Tracy, Kristy, Covina, Lindsey, Allie, Lucas, Isaiah, Conner, Madison, Belen, Aurianna, and Lincoln. Lincoln is the small animal-looking figure on all-fours at the bottom of the 3x5 note card drawing, and if the answer is yes if you are wondering he has two eyes, even though he looks kind of like a cyclops if you look too closely.

The words describing each person are as follows:
Dad-organized, patient; Mom-selfless, kind; Tracy-amazing dad, strong faith; Kristy: charitable (enduring and sincere love); Lindsey-persistent, trusting, enduring faith; Allie-patient, pure strong faith; Lucas-pure love, sensitive to others (caring); Isaiah-thoughtful; Conner-gentle, caring; Madison, Belen, Aurianna, Lincoln-loving (Christlike love). I love my family and I thought I should share with each of you how important you are in my life. Also wanted to give you a good laugh... because that's what Marchants do, we laugh all the time. Love you all! :)

Jason Aldean Concert

2010-03-19T23:07:00.001-07:00

Heather and I had a date (with each other) to the Jason Aldean concert Friday night... for those of you who have been living under a rock and don't know who Jason Aldean is, he is a country singer and he's amazing! We kept seeing people with HUGE ice cream cones and so we indulged in some delicious ice cream just as Jason was starting the show. Jason finished playing and left the stage but the crowd cheered so loud that he came back and played a few more songs. I was so happy he came back out because he hadn't played one of my favorites that he sings "Big Green Tractor" and that was the first song he played when he returned to the stage. Oh how I love country music. I go country dancing at least once a month, but I don't usually dress in country attire for the occasion so tonight I dressed in what little country get-up I own and sported it to the concert. As you can see from my picture I wore tan boots, a jean jacket, a white button-up, and a brown belt. The only things missing were my cowgirl hat and a cowboy... :) Heather and I had a blast. This is our third country concert in the last year (Kenny Chesney, Keith Urban, and now Jason Aldean). We love country music!

Sister Time

2010-03-14T18:00:00.000-07:00

My beautiful little sister surprised me and came to visit for the weekend. I was so happy when I saw her come out from behind a corner when I met up with Kristina at the airport. Saturday we decided to go for an afternoon run.... in the snow! As you can see from the pictures the snow wasn't coming down too hard, but it was a little chilly. It was actually alot of fun. I don't really like to run with anyone but my sister. We use to go to the gym together when we lived together in Rexburg and we would mouth the words to whatever songs we were listening to and the other person would have to try to guess the song; and when I say mouth the words I'm assuming it is understood that along with the lip singing comes dancing and any other necessary gestures that will aide the other person in guessing the song. It is great fun and that is why I love running and/or working out with my little sis.

Lindsey is so amazing! I learn more and more from her every time that I am blessed to spend time with her. She brightens up my life when I am able to spend time with her. She teaches me about what is really important in life and about how to enjoy life. She is a ray of sunshine in my life. Even though she and I only had about a day and a half to spend together we were laughing about 95% of that time... it was fantastic! Laughter is medicine for the soul :) I love my sister and I look forward to seeing her again very soon. She is such a blessing in my life. I don't know how I got so lucky.

Snowboarding...Girls Just Wanna Have Fun!!!

2010-03-06T14:49:00.000-08:00

Snowboarding and being with friends makes me happy! Some people look at snow and ask 'why?' I look at snow ask 'why not?' I love the snow for the very reason that snow translates into fresh powder on the mountain. We had a blast being on the mountain, falling, and laughing together. Snowboarding brings a smile to my face and a warm feeling to my heart. Love it :)

A Trip Back in Time... to the Burg

2010-03-04T20:16:00.000-08:00

Last weekend Heather and I drove to Rexburg to visit my beautiful and talented little sister Lindsey. I love spending time with Lindsey. Saturday afternoon Heather, Lindsey, and I were so tired that we came back to Lindsey's apartment after touring the campus and laid on the beds in her bedroom to take a nap... so we ended up laughing for almost an hour and never really taking a nap. It was so worth it! I had a blast with my little sister and her caring roommate my little cousin Sabrina. I love them :)

We also got to visit with little pregnant cousin Celeste and she is a doll. She looks so cute pregnant. When she arrived we had just finished laughing... and then the laughing began all over again. It was amazing! We love to laugh.

Battle of the Bands/Bake Sale Fundraiser for Haiti

2010-02-22T21:04:00.000-08:00

Tonight our stake held a fundraiser for the victims in Haiti. There was a silent auction, with everything from framed photography to skis and ski boots; a bake sale, which I did my best to contribute to; and battle of the bands, which bands were comprised of talented musicians from each ward in the stake. For the bake sale I had very little time to prepare something to contribute, so I called my little sister Lindsey and she gave me the brilliant idea of making homemade oreo's. They were quick and easy to make and if I can make them anyone can make them because I am no baker! I enjoy baking, but if I were to include it on my resume it definitely would fall under the category of hobbies and interests, not talents :) The cookies were delicious and sold moments after we placed them on the table! Thanks Linds!

Cupid...?

2010-02-16T15:52:00.001-08:00

I think my brother thinks I need some help in the dating department cause I received this less than attractive Cupid in the mail today...great drawing Tracy! I didn't know you are an artist ;) Along with the cupid was a little note which reads, "Happy Valentines. You better find your own man soon because this ain't your typical cupid and he is coming your way... beggars can't be choosers. Love Tracy" Tender moment and thoughtful expression of love from my big brother on this day for celebrating love! Tracy you crack me up. Honestly no matter how grotesque this little rendition of cupid may be it means a lot to me that you took the time to draw me a picture for Valentine's day. You are so sweet. I love you so much brother. Hope to receive more drawings in the future :)

A Valentine's Surprise...

2010-02-14T14:15:00.000-08:00

I received flowers at work on Friday for Valentine's Day... from a guy for the first time ever...! How it all happened was actually pretty embarrassing, because I am not a person that likes attention and this definitely attracted alot of attention. I was at work sitting in the front office area with a client and her Support Coordinator when a guy walked in with a bouquet of flowers. He walked up to the Secretary's desk and then glanced back over his shoulder to where I was sitting. When he looked at me I realized it was Weston. He pointed to the flowers and mouthed to me, 'these are for you,' with a pleased smile on his face, noticing my shocked expression. I got up and went over to talk to him for a minute. He handed me the flowers after telling me he was just going to leave them up front for me, not expecting to see me when he came in to deliver the flowers. I thanked him and he walked out the door as quietly as he had entered.

I asked the Secretary, Tara, if I could keep the flowers at her desk for the day, not wanting to be questioned or to make a scene by carrying them back to my office. Well it was too late for that... immediately Tara asked, 'is that your boyfriend? I didn't even get a good look at him.' I replied, 'no, he is not my boyfriend. We have only been out on two dates and I hardly know him.' Then Dana, the accountant, stepped out of her office to inspect the flowers and the hand written note in the bouquet. She quickly put her hands on her hips and looked at me inquisitively to pose this half question/half statement of accusation 'I thought you were dating Chad?' I replied 'no we were dating, but he and I are not dating anymore.' Then Bill, the residential coordinator (and a friend of Chads) poked his head out of his office after watching the whole scene and remarked, 'Chads going to be so jealous,' with a smirk on his face. Wow talk about being the center of attention... I was so embarrassed! I think my face turned six different shades of red during that extended inquisition, but that was very thoughtful of Weston and the flowers are beautiful! What's life without little surprises every now and again... :)

Julie's Surprise Party!

2010-02-14T13:57:00.000-08:00

Surprise! A friend of mine from work (Mikel) and I threw a little surprise party on January 31 for Julie, who another girl that we work with. Julie was very surprised and delighted when she walked into Mikel's house with Debbie and everyone yelled 'surprise!' We were not expecting them to come in when they did because Debbie didn't give us any warning, but it all worked out. Mikel's little 3 year old girl said, 'we got the party ready,' to Julie as she was walking up the stairs to the living room where we were all waiting, but I don't think it registered with Julie that the little girl was talking about a party for her. It was cute and Julie was laughing throughout the party so we know she enjoyed it.

Mikel's kids are adorable too! They were the life of the party. I miss being around little kids; they are so full of life and everything is fun and exciting to them. They kept asking me to blow up balloons for them and while I was blowing them up they would ask if they could help me. I would hold onto the end of the balloon and put it in their mouths and just as they would get ready to blow I would release the end and air would blow in their faces... they loved it and laughed hysterically every time! Too cute :)

2010-01-23T16:18:00.000-08:00

Christmas was wonderful because I got to spend it with my family. I honestly have no idea how I have been so blessed to be apart of this family, because they are amazing and I would not be who I am today without them. We tried something new for Christmas this year and even though I was kind of against it before we tried it I am really glad that we did. I have always been one that does not do well with change, but changes is good and usually brings about necessary growth and improvement.

This year we opened all of our gifts on Christmas eve, aside from our gifts from Satan Claus. I think it was a wonderful change, because it helped all of us to focus more on the real meaning of Christmas on Christmas day rather than all of the new and exciting gifts that we received. We also got to sleep in until 8:00am on Christmas day and that never happens! The kids are usually so excited about opening their presents that they we are being herded like cattle into the living room around 6:30 (and that's after they have been waiting patiently in their beds since 5:30 to wake us up)! Honestly the kids make Christmas the memorable experience it is each year and I wouldn't dream of toning down their excitement just to get a little more sleep on Christmas morning. Kids teach me how to love every little detail about life, to remember the small things that I so often look past because I am so busy thinking about the next task that I need to get done or whatever else is on my mind on any particular day. I love my little siblings. They teach me so much about what is truly important in life and they are absolutely adorable! I'm very glad that we have begun this new tradition of opening our gifts on Christmas eve and I'm being more open minded about any changes to family traditions that may come in the future. Change is good.

O Christmas Tree, O Christmas Tree

2009-12-13T20:05:00.000-08:00

Wow trying to combined three girls' Christmas traditions can be pretty tricky but we managed to make it work and keep everyone happy :) I love the shape of our tree and how it has brought the reality of Christmas into our home. It fits so perfectly in our little awkward living room and has filled our home with the scent and spirit of Christmas. The ornaments we chose are red bulbs with gold designs on them; they add a splash of color to the classy white lights and shimmery gold ribbon. It's so beautiful it makes me want to cry ;) I love it!

Home for Thanksgiving

2009-11-30T10:14:00.000-08:00

It has been so wonderful to be home for a whole week. When I am in Utah I miss my family terribly, but try not to show it much. I love my family so much and it is always so so so good to be with them. This was the first Thanksgiving that I have been home in quite a few years and I feel so blessed to have been able to come home. My family is amazing. I have no idea how I got to lucky! :)

Turkey Ball!!!

2009-11-30T09:55:00.000-08:00

We had a blast playing turkey ball on Thanksgiving day! It was raining for the entire two hours that we were playing, but it made it that much more fun for us :) We called the game at the end because of time... it was a tie. Turkey ball is a tradition in our family that I hope will never die!

Sub for Santa 5K Race

2009-11-16T20:26:00.000-08:00

Me, Heather, and Rebecca ran in a 5K race at Sugar House Park on Saturday morning and it was a blast. Heather ran almost the entire race... I caught her at the end and ran with her to the finish. I told her to kick it into high gear when she hit the light post. I said sprint girl and she said "I'm already sprinting!" She kicked it in at the end and I was so impressed with her! She is amazing. I love her :)

I was really happy when I finished the race cause I ran my best 5K race ever! I ran it in 23:34 and took second place in the women's division. It was great fun and we ran the race in style in our holiday get-up! :) When we finished we all felt like we had conquered the world!!!

Nicole's Wedding

2009-11-08T10:27:00.000-08:00

We had way too much fun at this wedding :) Nicole is a woman who we use to work with at the Work Activity Center. She and her husband got married behind the Alta Peruvian Lodge up Big Cottonwood Canyon in Salt Lake City, UT. It was a perfect day and the scenery was absolutely beautiful. The sun was shining down through the trees and we were surrounded by breathtaking slightly snow covered mountains. We were given little containers of bubbles to blow during the ceremony and afterwards as the bride and groom walked away. The wind was blowing and the occasional bubble would land on the bride or grooms face during the ceremony as they were reading their vows and they would just laugh.

Halloween Fun

2009-11-08T10:11:00.000-08:00

Happy Halloween! I dressed up as this cookey woman from one of the sign language videos that we play at work all the time and it was pretty hillarious! In the picture where I am crossing my fingers I'm signing the letter "r". Making my costume was a little tricky, but actually putting the costume on was even tougher! I made the pants out of a tie dyed sheet and the mother of a friend of mine made the unitard out of this teal stretchy fabric that I bought. The pants were so tight that I had to rip the sides to get into them and there was no way I could bend down in those suckers! I wore my black little booty cut dance shorts over the top of the pants just in case I ripped my pants. Everyone at work thought my costume was hilarious :)

The picture of the umpa lumpa is my friend Greg at a Halloween party that we went to... it was a dance party! Greg won first place in the costume contest. He does the umpa lumpa dance just perfectly too, which helped him to really fit the part!

Finally Painted my room

2009-10-24T19:23:00.000-07:00

I started painting my room when Jacquelyn came down to visit for my birthday (the two of us always seem to become extremely ambitious whenever we get together). We had painted the grooves (which are white in the pictures) brown to begin with, but I did not like the way it looked. Last weekend I painted over the brown and finished the green and I love it! I only have a bed right now so I didn't have to do much moving of the furniture, but I plan to buy a book shelf and I want to get some fabric to put curtains over the two closets that you can see in the pictures. So many ambitions and so little money/time... good thing I'm an optimist :)

Thriller Performance

2009-10-24T18:02:00.000-07:00

My friend Rebecca asked me earlier in the week if I would dance to Michael Jackson's Thriller with her and some friends of hers in their stake talent show. I gladly agreed! We practiced Thursday night for about an hour and then a little bit before the performance, but that was pretty much the extent of our practices. The performance went really well and we received a lot of compliments afterwards. It was a blast! Check out the video if you dare...

Celebrating Mom's Birthday!!!

2009-10-18T17:01:00.000-07:00

Monday we celebrated my mama's birthday cause Cindy was visiting for the weekend and I was in town so we could get all the girls together and party! We went jewelry, clothes, and accessory shopping. We got some killer deals! We also walked around of the bay front and got to see the sea lions and shop at all of the little novelty shops along there. My mom is definitely something to celebrate! We had a blast with us girls being together... we know how to have a good time! :)

Oil Painting

2009-10-18T16:56:00.000-07:00

I took a painting class with a friend's mother and I painted my second seascape in about three hours. I love to paint! I want to paint more often and I think this class has inspired me to take up painting on a more consistent basis. Love it!

Sunday Walk

2009-10-18T16:36:00.000-07:00

I love Oregon. It is so beautiful! My family and I took a walk to the elementary school play ground on Sunday and it was such a beautiful walk. It's so incredible to look around and see all that the Lord has created for us to enjoy. I absolutely love to watch the sunrise and the sunset. I'm so grateful for the beauty of this world and for the Lord's incredible ability to create. :)

Flower Garden or... Zuccini Scavenger Hunt?

2009-10-18T16:22:00.000-07:00

We love our daddy but it is evident that he is an engineer sometimes when it comes to decorating :) As you can see from the photos, Allie and I are in the front yard in the flower garden discovering a series of zuccinis throughout the garden. That was Daddy's way of helping Mom decorate... and she loves it. :)

Gotta Love Safety Glasses

2009-10-18T16:09:00.000-07:00

Spencer and I were sporting the safety glasses look... it's going to be the new fashion we just know it! My daddy has enough pairs to choose from that there is a pair to meet every persons' needs and style :)

Isaiah's Football Game

2009-10-17T22:13:00.000-07:00

All I can say is we're a crazy busy family and that has not changed since I left hom! I find ways to keep myself busy in Utah too. My roommate and one of my best friends, Heather, told me when she moved in with me "I have never been busy in my life!"

Conner's Soccer Game

2009-10-17T22:06:00.000-07:00

It was so fun to have the whole family home for the weekend, but we were missing Kristy and the kids (there was definitely a void). We had a great time at Conner's soccer game together and he played like a champ even though he was sick. He is definitely a Marchant... we're fighters! :)

So Good to Go Home!!!

2009-10-17T21:45:00.001-07:00

Mom, Allie, Madison, and I had a great time shopping at Fred Meyer the day after I arrived... grocery shopping that is :) While we were shopping we couldn't help but try on a few fashionable hats just for fun. Notice Mom and Madison tried on the very same hat.... they don't fit exactly the same way but it still looks pretty adorable on both of them.

St. George Marathon

2009-10-06T18:59:00.000-07:00

Iran a marathon!!! I ran in the St. George Marathon on Saturday October 3, 2009. It was the experience of a lifetime. I had been training for four months and was feelin that it was race time! During my training I got severe shin splints, which hindered my progress for a while because it was too painful to run. I went into a physical therapist and was given some stretches to do daily and was told to cross train my miles rather than running. I did this for about a month an my shins were feeling great! So.... I registered for a half-marathon about a month before the marathon (September 5). I told myself I was just going to walk/run the half-marathon because I didn't want to re-injure myself after just coming off of a severe injury, but I know myself well enough to know that I don't do anything halfway. I walk/ran for about the first four or five miles of the half-marathon but after that I said forget this and ran the rest of the race, because for goodness sake it was a race!!! I finished with a time of 1:51:34 and felt so good afterwards, no pain whatsoever.... well until the next day. I paid for that race and had to start cross training again because my shin splints flared up again, but I was still very happy that I ran it. Running in the half-marathon really helped me to feel ready for the marathon. It was amazing!

Training for a marathon takes a lot of patience, diligence, self-discipline, and mental energy. It was an incredible experience just training for this marathon and I know that I did not do it on my own. I wasn't able to meet my goal time for the marathon, because my knee started hurting about an hour into the marathon (so after about 7.5 miles) and I was in a lot of pain for the next 18 or so miles. Towards the end of the race my left hip started compensating for my right knee problem. About the last 3 miles of the race I just kept telling myself that I wasn't in pain and to keep running and that's what I did, I just kept running. I finished with a time of 4:19:47 and had to feel good about that even though it was not the time I was aiming for and I am happy just knowing that I kept running despite the pain... I ran a marathon!!! :) There will definitely be more marathons in my future :)

Birthday Celebration...BIG 24!!!

2009-08-09T20:33:00.000-07:00

A few of my close friends and I went to The Cheesecake Factory to celebrate my birthday on Friday night. We had delicious food, good company and amazing cheesecake for dessert! My friends are so wonderful :)

Sun Flower Fun

2009-08-09T20:23:00.000-07:00

Jacquelyn came to visit me for the weekend and we went for a walk Saturday afternoon to pick up paint at Wal-Mart. On our way back I saw this wall with all of the sun flowers growing in it and I knew we had to take some pictures... especially since Jacquelyn and I are so photogenic ;) We are a little photo happy!

What Running Does to Your Feet

2009-08-09T20:10:00.001-07:00

These beautiful pictures of my feet were taken about a week after I had done a thirteen mile run down Big Cottonwood Canyon and had just finished a twelve mile run on Redwood Road. I had blisters under every toe nail and/or on top of each toe (two blisters on some toes). I think the blood blisters are the worst, which explains the black and purple toe nail. My roommate Caroline told me I should be proud of my feet because they were earned! I am not going to lie, these blisters did not come without sacrifices and I have experienced a lot of pain in my toes from these lovely blisters, but after I run my marathon I know it will be worth it. My marathon training will continue through the last day of September and then I will be running the St. George Marathon on October 2nd. I'm gonna kill it... I'm also the optimism queen :)

Bonfire on the Beach

2009-07-06T22:27:00.001-07:00

On Independence Day we had a bonfire on Agate beach. It was a blast! As you can see in one of the pictures I'm holding an adorable little baby boy...that is my nephew Lincoln and I cannot get enough of him! This trip is the first time I have met him and I don't want to leave him.

At the beach we had a blast roasting marshmallows, digging a sand trench, and flying our giant dragon kite. So fun! :) I love the Oregon coast.

The Utah Arts Festival

2009-07-05T16:09:00.000-07:00

Last weekend I went to he Utah Arts Festival with some friends. I love going to places where artwork, architecture, creative design, etc. are displayed and are set up for viewing because I appreciate all kinds of art and learning. At the festival there were displays of various types of art, of every medium, including: photography, oil paintings, glass work, metalwork, clay, etc. It was an incredible display of talent and the arts. I loved it!

It is a little bit hard to tell, but the steps that we are standing on in two of the pictures are flowing with water. The steps were a beautiful cascading water feature. I took pictures of a few of the sayings that I liked on some of the display boards that were for sale at the festival. Here are a few of them...

Manti Pageant

2009-07-05T16:04:00.000-07:00

Last weekend I had the opportunity of attending the Manti Pageant. My favorite scene was the scene when the Savior came to the earth after he was resurrected. It was beautiful to see how he interacted with the people and especially how he called the children to come to him one by one. The Manti Utah temple was a gorgeous backdrop too.

Becca's Reception

2009-07-04T17:41:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago Heather, Gregg, and I traveled to Rexburg to attend the reception of our dear friend Rebecca Pieper. She looked so beautiful in her wedding gown and most importantly, she looked so happy with her husband. It was so good to see her with such a great man that will treat her like she deserves to be treated. She is an incredible girl! We love her!

Afterwards we went out to eat at Craigo's. It brought back a lot of memories from when I was going to school. It was good to be there, but I don't feel like I belong there anymore. It was a great place while I was going to school and I loved being there, but I like where I'm at now :)

My First Piece of Furniture!

2009-07-04T17:25:00.001-07:00

I bought my first piece of furniture and it was a big deal for me. I love my new bed! All I have to say is that IKEA is a beautiful place.

Salt Lake Bees Game

2009-05-31T17:52:00.001-07:00

The baseball game was a blast, but some of us were just there for the food....you can probably guess who! :) The snow cones were tasty but the kettle korn was a little disappointing. Greg was definitely enjoying it as you can see. The Bees didn't do too well and ended up losing the game but it was fun just to be at a baseball game and to be with good friends enjoying good food!

Lindsey came up to visit me for the weekend and I was so happy to have her with me for that short time. I love her. I'm lucky to have such an amazing sister.

Brian Regan Aftermath

2009-05-31T17:32:00.000-07:00

Brian Regan

2009-05-31T17:25:00.000-07:00

At the begining of May Heather, Greg, and I drove all the way to St. George on a Thursday night to see Brian Regan live at the Tuacan outdoor theater. We had a great time! Brian definitely made us laugh so hard that our stomachs were hurting on and off throughout the performance. So fun! The drive back to Salt Lake was long, but we stayed awake on slushies and singing along to boy bands :) When Heather and I got back to our apartment complex at 3:00am the gate to our complex was locked so we had to sleep on the couches at Greg's house. We didn't get to bed til 3:45 am and had to work at 8:00 the next morning. We are livin' the single life

dream!!! Loving it!

Albanian Reception

2009-05-06T22:29:00.000-07:00

Jacquelyn and Jason make such a cute couple. I just love them! At this reception that I went to with them the bride was Albanian and man the Albanian's can dance! It was such a fun reception! I loved the tulip and rose combination the bride chose for her flowers, so beautiful.

10K Terrors

2009-05-06T22:16:00.000-07:00

Rebecca, Chad, and me moved up on our distance running and advanced from our 5K races to a 10K race. We tore it up!!! We wore our yellow bandannas from the all night Relay for Life that we did a few weeks ago. It rained the entire race, but that just goes to show that we are hardcore runners now! Chad took first in the 20-29 year old male category and I took first in the 20-29 female category...we both got medals! We were freezing after the race was over but we still had a blast.

5K Run for Diabetes

2009-04-11T18:46:00.001-07:00

Today Chad and I ran in a 5K race for diabetes. It was pretty cold and windy during the race and the course was a little hilley, but we survived. Chad better than survived... he got a medal for 3rd place in his age group. I was pretty frustrated with myself after the race because I didn't improve my time from the 5K we ran last week, but I'm going to train harder so I can improve my time next time :) I think I'm getting shin splints in my right leg so today I didn't run as hard as I normally do. Ive' had shin splints before and they kill! Running is fun!

Lego Competition at the Airport!!!

2009-04-11T18:38:00.000-07:00

We got to the Airport around 3:00 cause each of us (Tracy, Lindsey, me and Jacquelyn) flew out at different times so we had a lot of time to burn. I started a little Lego competition
in the play zone near the security gate. We each had 3 minutes to build somekind of masterpiece and then the judges determined which creation was the best. They were all so unique and amazing we couldn't choose a winner! Everyone was a winner that day :)

Snowboarding on Mt. Hood

2009-04-11T18:28:00.000-07:00

Snowboarding/Skiing in Oregon was definitely a memorable experience... we know how to have a good time and we know how to carve down the mountain with style! I love my family :) It was Isaiah and Mandy's first time snowboarding and they were both troopers. Isaiah will probably stick with snowboarding, but I think Mandy wants to try skiing next time.

Snowboarding w/the fam on Mt. Hood

2009-04-11T18:21:00.000-07:00

When I went home for a weekend at the end of March we (Tracy, Dad, Lindsey, Allie, Lucas, Isaiah, Preston, Scott, and Mandy) had an opportunity to go snowboarding together. That was a dream come true in and of itself! I love my family and I love snowboarding so put the two together and there is there is a lot of love going on there. We had a blast, but it got pretty cold towards the end of the day because it had been raining all day and the water was beginning to penetrate through our water-proof layers. So much fun!

Prancing in the Fields of Wheat

2009-03-22T18:41:00.000-07:00

Jordan River Parkway

2009-03-22T17:54:00.001-07:00

We are just livin' the dream here in Salt Lake City Utah.... lovin' life an living it to the fullest! Utah is still pretty dry and a lot of things still look dead right now, but we just couldn't wait til spring to take more fun photos.

The Parkway

2009-03-22T17:38:00.001-07:00

Heather and I wanted to do winter photos in the snow, but the snow never stuck around long enough for us to get out and take some quality photos in it. We decided to take a walk through the Jordan River Parkway and do a little photo shoot there. We of course had a blast! Heather is so photogenic I only have to take one picture of her in each pose to get a good one, but me on the other hand, Heather has to go through several photos to get a decent one :)

Oregon Survival Trip

2009-03-21T14:43:00.001-07:00

Heather and I drove to Oregon for the weekend to watch Allie play state basketball. Well our original plan was to drive to Nampa Idaho, which is only about 3 hours from Burns where the game was, but we didn't quite make it that far. My car started acting funny about 1 1/2 hours into the drive and we had to have our lovely travel agent (my mama) book us another hotel in Burley and we were just hoping my car would make it that far. The car trouble were only the first our problems, because shortly after my car started acting up a freak accident happened.... something flew up out of nowhere and hit my driver side window and shattered it! When whatever it was hit my window it sounded like a gun shot. Heather and I were in such shock that we didn't even say anything to eachother for about ten minutes after it happened. I felt that we were very blessed though, because it could have hit my windshield and shattered it and then our trip to Oregon would have been over! Since it only hit my side window we were able to tape seran wrap over the window and drive with it like that the rest of the way. It was a noisy car ride, but it was quite the adventure! We are always up for adventures!!!

Saturday Snowboarding Adventure

2009-02-09T20:49:00.000-08:00

Snowboarding is pretty addicting. Love the booty shot here! These pictures were taken at the Canyons in Park City. It was so beautiful up there and there were so many different runs we didn't even have enough time to hit all of the ones we wanted to. It snowed for most of the day so we had nice fresh powder. It was pretty much perfect!

Snowboarding Escapade

2009-02-09T20:34:00.000-08:00

Friday night two of my friends (Rebecca and Chad) and I went night boarding at Brighton. It was a blast! The weather and the snow were perfect. We had such a good time we couldn't stop boarding after just one night so..... Saturday we went boarding at the Canyons all afternoon. I think I'm addicted! Chad wanted me to title the picture of him filling up my water bottle with water form his bottle, "Chad sharing," so there you have it.

Craby Competition

2009-02-01T22:14:00.000-08:00

Heather and I played this crab game at Nickel Mania where you have to hit the crabs before they go back into hiding. We had so much fun playing that we convinced others to play too. We told them that you have to hit the crabs as many times as they could when they came out, but you didn't really have to! It was hillarious to watch the guys hitting each crab over and over, tap...tap...tap, before they made it back into hiding. Hillarious!

2009-02-01T21:57:00.000-08:00

Nickel Mania

2009-02-01T21:51:00.000-08:00

We went to Nickel Mania (which is an place full of arcade games that only cost a few nickels a piece) on Friday night and spent three hours there! We played everything from Dance Dance Revolution to Deal or No Deal and had a blast! We even got inside of the little kid truck ride and a ball there too. Heather got stuck in the truck as she was trying to get inside and I had a coughing attack I was laughing so hard! Good times!

Cute Mama and Me

2009-02-01T21:49:00.000-08:00

The Oregon Coast and My Beautiful Family

2009-02-01T21:45:00.000-08:00

Sister Time New Year's Eve

2009-02-01T21:37:00.000-08:00

Christmas Morning

2008-12-25T17:42:00.000-08:00

Maddie's Photography

2008-12-25T17:35:00.000-08:00

I think most of the pictures really speak for themselves! Maddie loves taking pictures right now and if she chooses to be, she is actually getting pretty good. :)

Christmas Eve Bowling

2008-12-25T17:29:00.000-08:00

Every Christmas Eve it is a tradition for our family to get together with the McBride family to enjoy cinnamon rolls and hot chocolate and then go bowling at the only bowling alley in Toledo. It's nice because we are usually the only people there that day. It's a fun tradition!

Paintballing Aftermath

2008-12-15T20:33:00.000-08:00

Paintballing was a blast! We all had nice welts to show for it too. I got hit on the neck and that was pretty dang painful, but I was hardcore after that! Heather still has nice bruises/welts everywhere that she was hit. We would totally go again. We live for adventure!

Christmas Lights on Temple Square

2008-12-15T20:17:00.000-08:00

This is the first year I have ever been able to see the lights on temple square at Christmas time. It is so beautiful. They truly bring the spirit of

Christmas to life.

O Christmas Tree

2008-12-15T19:56:00.000-08:00

We bought a real tree for our apartment! We didn't plan too well about how we were going to transport the tree to our apartment...so we had to put it in my back seat and roll down both windows. It was an adventure! It is so beautiful and makes our apartment smell so good. Now that we have a tree with lights, ornaments, and ribbon it has started to feel like Christmas. I love it!