Fun Night Out

On Friday night I went to dinner with Valerie, Shannon & Annie. We decided to go to Salt Lake for Mexican food at The Red Iguana. After an hour wait, we were finally seated and enjoyed a delicious meal. I had a pork enchilada with a mango salsa and it was divine! After dinner we went to see "The Waitress" at the dollar theater in Sugarhouse. It was a fun night not only because I was with fun friends, but because we ventured out of South Jordan! I'm having fun making more friends and love the way each of my friends influences my life for good. Stay tuned for more posts of fun times with friends!

Brooke & Travis's Visit to Utah

At the beginning of September, Travis & Brooke came up to Utah for a long overdue visit. They kept a very busy agenda but managed to spend quite a bit of time with me. I picked them up from the airport on Thursday (Sept. 6th) and we spent the evening together. We ate at Chili's and drove around South Jordan so I could show them the city I live in. We drove up to see the new Oquirrh Mountain Temple, which is just about 2 minutes from my house. On Friday, we went up to Salt Lake to visit Temple Square. Travis had never been through the conference center, so we took a tour and then visited the Tabernacle. After that, we went up to Park City, intending to visit the outlet stores and then go walk through downtown Park City. After almost 4 hours of shopping, we were exhausted and decided to just go home.

Me, Travis & Brooke on top of the conference center

Brooke & Me inside the conference center

They spent most of the day Saturday visiting Brooke's friend in Provo, and then they drove up to Ogden for a wedding reception & get together with some of Travis's mission buddies. (If you want to know the details, you can read it on their blog). I had to work on Monday, so Brooke & Trav came down to go to lunch with me & spend a little more time with me. I drove them to the airport that evening and sadly said goodbye. I had so much fun with them here. I haven't had an opportunity to spend time with them since they got married (besides Meghan & Steven's wedding) so this was quality time with them. I enjoyed getting to know Brooke more and I'm so grateful she's family. I love my family--all of them! It's hard living far away from everyone but it has been fun having them come visit me throughout this year. Me & My Trav saying goodbye at the airport

My First MLS Game

Last Wednesday I attended my first Major League Soccer game at Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake! I went with Valerie, Shannon & Derek and we had so much fun! We went to dinner at Chili's (my favorite) then went to the game. We got tickets through Comcast and they were really good seats up in the 'tower'. We sat up where the suites are and had access to good food and treats. I didn't know anything about soccer, but thanks to Derek I learned a lot and actually got really into the game! We played the LA Galaxy and it was a sold out game because Beckham was supposed to be there. Too bad he's injured so he didn't even show up! Oh well, it was still a lot of fun. I'd love to go again (even if REAL is the 2nd worse team in the MLS)!

Autumn Days

Spring and Summer are my two favorite seasons. I love the crisp blue skies of spring, and the often very hot days of summer. Sunshine makes me smile (and tan!). Spring is my favorite because it means winter is over and won't come back for a long time. Summer is so completely opposite of winter and that's another reason I love it. But then there are days like today when I can't deny that fall is also a beautiful season. Yesterday I got out my pumpkin spice candle and the house smells so good. I found a few fall decorations and displayed them in the living room. And now here I am, sitting on the couch with all of the windows and doors open, just enjoying a beautiful evening. A very little breeze is blowing, and the air is cool enough that I can feel fall in it. School is in session, football season has started, and soon some good TV shows will begin a new season. I have set a goal to enjoy autumn this year. I LOATHE winter, especially in Utah, so I've promised myself I won't dwell on the fact that it's just around the corner. Maybe I'll enjoy winter this year with all of my "positive thinking". And maybe, just maybe, I'll have a special someone to enjoy it with. That would definitely make it all better...but I can't take this too far...

Happy Birthday Travis!

Today is Travis's 23rd birthday! He seems so much older than that...probably because he's married. I still remember when mom and dad told me & Josh that we would have a new baby in our family. We were at our house in Colton and that's really all I remember. But I know I was excited to have a new baby. I was in kindergarten when he was born, and my class took a field trip to my house to see him and watch my mom give him a bath. He was a cute baby and I loved having him around. As he grew older, he got the nickname of "Hopper" because of the way he would bounce when we held him. That name stuck and some people still call him that! One of our favorite family videos is when Mickey (Jeremy) & Travis were outside playing with the shovel, and Jeremy says, "Hey Hopper! Hops! Hey!" Hopper threw the "shobel in da dickers" and Mickey was mad at him. It's the CUTEST video ever! While Hopper & Mickey weren't exactly angels, I still smile when I remember them as kids. Travis and I have a special bond, and I think that came from the years I wanted to kill him when I had to babysit him. As we both grew up, we grew closer and found we actually liked each other. He's become one of my best friends and I love the friendship we have now. I'm so glad I was able to spend time with him & Brooke while they were in Utah. It's times like this, when I know my whole family is together celebrating, that I wish I lived closer to them. But, I don't, so I all I can do is wish my Trav a happy birthday from Utah! I love you my nov!

I need more time!

I've had a several discussions over the past few days about time. It seems we all complain at one time or another about the lack of time in a day. Brooke said she wishes life would slow down for a bit. Kendra loves to talk about how life goes by faster the older she gets. My friend's dad said today to enjoy life one day at a time or it passes you by. Dad says if we had more time in a day, we'd still complain about not having enough time! At times I do wish life was simple, like when we were kids. All we worried about was not having enough time to play outside while the sun was out. Recess was never long enough, and summer was way too short for my liking. I'm feeling overwhelmed because I have so much I need to get done, yet the day goes by so fast I rarely get anything on my "to-do" list accomplished. I've decided there are a few things I can do without to allow myself more time each day:

1. Don't get ready in the morning: no shower, no make up, no hair, no ironing, no making my bed, no packing my lunch. Just get up and go!
2. Avoid using the bathroom 1000 times a day. Okay, I really don't go often, but think of how much time I could save not going at all!
3. Never sleep. This one hurts me to say, but really, think of all I can get done in the 5-8 hours I sleep every night!

I know it's impossible to eliminate any of these steps from my life! I just need to evaluate my priorities...if I even have any...and start focusing on the things I consider important and get them done. If anyone has any advice, please share it...if you have any time!

Eclipse

August 7th was a day I was very excited for. Eclipse was being released and I planned on having it at midnight. I even had it on my "things I'm looking forward to" list. Well, August 7th came and I didn't have Eclipse. In fact, I just got it on Friday. What kind of fan am I? I'm disappointed in myself, as I know several of my friends are. I have been so busy preparing talks & lessons and working, and I knew I couldn't give the time needed to read. So, I decided this weekend I'd lose myself in Eclipse, and that's exactly what I did. I read almost all day Saturday and late into the night. Sunday I read for only a few hours, then finished this morning by the pool.

Eclipse was just as good as Twilight and helped me like New Moon even more. I am so excited that it opened paths for a fourth book. Let the countdown begin for whatever Stephenie Meyer is working on next!

Jane Austen Heroine

What a fun, girly website! http://www.strangegirl.com/austenquiz takes the Jane Austen fans through a series of questions to determine which heroine you are. I'll be honest, I've taken the quiz 3 times, and twice I was a different character. But Elinor Dashwood of Sense & Sensibility was the character I was twice, so I'm posting her. The first was Jane Bennett of Pride & Prejudice and that made me happy! She's my favorite heroine, but I know it's a stretch for me to think of myself as being as compassionate and lovely as she is. So, I'll deal with being Elinor and try to improve on being more like Jane.

"You are Elinor Dashwood of Sense & Sensibility! You are practical, circumspect, and discreet. Though you are tremendously sensible and allow your head to rule, you have a deep, emotional side that few people often see."

Do you agree?