Just Because I Can

First Few Days

2012-01-11T16:26:00.001-08:00

So it's a little late, but here's a snap shot of some of my adventures since arriving in Kensington!

This is a picture of the townhome in which I now reside. I live in the basement and it's pretty spacious. I have amazingly wonderful roommates and it's been great being with them :)
I spent an afternoon wandering around "downtown" Kensington. It's actually considered a town and has retained some of that more homey atmosphere with it's antique shops and tea rooms. There's even a cute train station off the side of the road (and it still runs passenger trains-pretty sweet).

For my Lord of The Rings fans- I saw this minature of Minas Tirith in someone's rock garden as I was wandering. Couldn't resist taking a picture :)

My roommates, Eve, and I joined several other ward members in an outdoor ice skating excursion. It's been on my bucket list for some time to do this, and what better place than in the middle of the Smithsonian sculpture garden. I was surrounded by art and architecture and could even make out some stars. It was lovely!

The next day Eve and I went to the International Spy Museum. I can, in theory, now pick a lock, place and monitor bugs, and crawl soundlessly through air ducts. Quite an informative and exciting place to visit. I learned lots!!

I've found some great friends in these new roommates of mine- I think I'll keep them :) Later that night, we even threw an ice cream party for Jenn's (other Jenn- not me) boyfriend. I mostly just helped set up and eat ice cream. Happy days for me :) This week's hospital orientation, which is just information overload, but I'm excited for the weekend and a new adventure!!

Epic Road Trip!

2012-01-06T07:19:00.000-08:00

The day after Christmas, with a VERY loaded down car, I started my epic move across the country to the DC area. I managed to take a picture of most to the state signs as I crossed the border. I don't think I've ever done so many so quickly!!

The drive sort of started a week earlier when I drove from CA to AZ after Grandma's funeral to be home for Christmas. Above is a shot of CA.

The 3 day, nonstop bundle of fun began Dec 26th. I took this one in AZ when I was at a dead stop just outside of Flagstaff for an hour. Love me some traffic delays, but I was lucky enough that my car didn't have problems, so I won't complain :)

Crossing over the continental divide in New Mexico, I was treated to snow covered mountains with the pink rock peeking out from underneath. Lucky, there was never any snow on the roads.

The great plains of Kansas treated me to windmills, and more plains. And then more windmills and more plains :P

A beautiful Tennessee sunrise. I woke up early my last day and couldn't fall back asleep. Kind of glad, because then I was treated to this vista for awhile. I did see some beautiful sights across this country of ours :)

In Virginia I was lots of hibernating trees surrounding little houses and towns. I imagine that it's just full of green in the summer time. I'll hold out for that :) Though there is something about barren trees that is compelling.

I did make it, after 3 very long days, to Kensington, MD. Home of the DC Temple and now this little lady as well. I'm excited to see what things are in store for me here. Oh, and anyone is welcome to visit. Turns out, I've got a lot of space in my room!!

Merry Christmas 2011!

2012-01-01T19:39:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas! Christmas at home is always my favorite, and we were blessed to have everyone there this year. First time it's happened for awhile! We all enjoyed some of our favorite activities, like reaading, pianoing, computering, and just generally goofing off :)

The boys also decided to see how buff Spencer is these days. Apparently, pretty darn :)
Of course the traditional games of ping pong were played. I've gotten better over the year, but I still managed to lose to all the boys. Though not by as much as I used to. Baby steps!!
Of course, Christmas wouldn't be complete without some awesome gift giving, and it was fun seeing what people thought of to give each other. That's may favorite part- giving :)

Shelly gave my parents this beautiful tile depiction of the Gilbert Temple that she had made in Portugal. It reminded me of the reason for Christ- to celebrate the birth of our Savior and His life that makes our eternal lives possible. I'm so grateful for Him, and feel so blessed to have the gospel in my life. Merry Christmas to all!

Zoo With Dawsha

2011-12-24T17:22:00.001-08:00

While in AZ for Christmas, Dawsha and I decided to meet up and go to the zoo and lunch!
This is Dawsha in front of the the prarie dogs. Cute :)

I liked this little white bird. I love seeing so many different types of animals!

I always wanted a giraffe. They're just like giant horses...right?

Lions are so regal and awesome looking!

Zebra! Love the strips :)

All in all, it was a pretty fun morning at the zoo, followed by an awesome brazilian all you can eat bbq. Yummo!! Thanks Dawsha for some good memories!!

I Love You Grandma!

2011-12-23T15:30:00.000-08:00

My beautiful, wonderful Grandma Marsh got to rejoin my Grandpa and Uncle at the end of November. We had a lovely memorial service and burial out in California this past weekend. It was good to remember Grandma. I love her and will miss her!

Grandma was a WWII vet and was buried in the Santa Nella military cemetery with my Grandpa. She was given full military honors, including a 21 gun salute. So proud of this special lady that made such an impact on my life! I love you Grandma! I'll be seeing you :)

Goodbye To Provo

2011-12-19T20:43:00.000-08:00

It's hard to say goodbye! I tried to get as much in during my last couple weeks as I could, though there were still plenty of things left undone I'm sure. I did manage to go visit the Roberts and get in one last, memorable ride :) I'm going to miss the outdoors, the farms, and the mountains!Too bad I can't take a horse with me across the country!

I also got to partake of April's yummy kalua pork! Tasty! It was fun having a few girls over and spending time with them :)

Kirsten was a doll and threw me a going away party. Me, Marianne, Abby, Christian, and Melody!

Tamara, Caitlin, Me, Aubry, and Heidi. I'm going to miss all my lovely ladies!

Me and my Adri :) Love ya girl!

Monica and Trey, Kirsten, Me, April, and Alicia. Good times with good people!!

Me, Tiff, and Evie :) My little trouble makers!

Me and Sheryl!! Love love you!!
I also got to get treated to dinner by Scarlett and Jake Uda. Thanks guys! Gonna miss my Uda fam!

I also got to have a last lunch with Kaylan and Courtney. Thanks everyone for making my time in Utah so memorable and full of fun. I'm going to miss everyone there and I can't wait for the day when I come back and visit. I promise it will be soon!! Love you!!

Surprise Visit to Chicago!

2011-12-03T09:09:00.000-08:00

I decided it would be an awesome idea to surprise Naomi with a visit in Chicago and with the help of my secret keeper Kevin surprise her I did!! I got to spend 2 very busy weeks there and had a great time with the whole Hanks clan :) Above are random shots of everyday life in Chicago.

While there I got to go Geocaching for the first time and it was awesomely fun!! Brooklyn got to hold a caterpillar that we found in the park while looking for our treasure :)

Lily and Brooklyn enjoying the stroller ride through the park.

Throwing rocks into the river was also a crucial part of the adventure in Lily's book :)

And climbing on something high and worrying Naomi was Kevin's :)

Naomi's personal treasure as discovered by Brooklyn- a dirt covered nut :)

This random pic of Lily was one of my favorites!! Naomi and I were putting up Christmas decorations and Lily and Brooklyn decided this box was the best toy ever. Forget buying presents :) She's just so cute!!

While in Chicago I got a call from a hospital in DC. Long story short, after spending a day there and interviewing with them, I was offered and accepted a job at Holy Cross Hospital and will start at the end of Dec/beginning of January. Guess this site will become more common for me!

I flew back from DC and that night we drove from Chicago to Detroit to spend Thanksgiving with Andrew, Sharon, and Eve. By this time, Lily had claimed me as her own and we had many moments like this while chilling around the house :) I loved it!!

Meanwhile Brooklyn claimed Andrew and pretty soon had him doing whatever she wanted. Adorable little manipulator :)

Thanksgiving dinner was a huge affair and mad props to Sharon for her awesome culinary skills. A few of us helped but she was the brains behind the whole operation! Nice job Sharon! So tasty, especially the homemade rolls and the crock pot turkeys. Happiness in my mouth :)

Friday we spend some time at the Ford Museum. They have large displays of every kind of transportation from cars and trains to planes and buggies. Very cool!

After putting the kids to bed that night, the adults got to party with a little fondue action. Yummo!

Before we left the next morning, the girls spend some quality time jumping on the air mattress. No casualties and it was entertaining to watch them!

I got to spend my birthday and a few more days back in Chicago with the Hanks before coming home to Utah. I got treated to an awesome birthday dinner and dessert, and couple of birthday cards from Mom and Grandma, and a present from Naomi that was perfect. I'm going to miss being in Chicago and playing with my girls (all 3 of them!). Thanks so much for a great vacation guys!!

Playing Catch Up!

2011-12-01T11:35:00.000-08:00

The last couple months have flown by and so much has happened! Here's a quick overview of the highlights!
Shelly got home from her mission in October and I was able to go to AZ to welcome her back! So glad she's home!!

At the beginning of November, Eric got married in Orlando, FL. So I flew out to attend the ceremony and tour a bit of Florida. I got there a day before everyone else and so I took myself out to the Kennedy Space Center. Awesome!!! Above is the building where they assemble the space craft. Everything from the Saturn V rockets in the Gemini and Apollo missions to the Space Shuttles. SO HUGE!!

Me underneath a Saturn V rocket. The center has several different buildings housing different exhibits, machines, and programs.

The main grouping of buildings housed this rocket exhibit, a space shuttle launch simulation- which was the bomb!!!- and an IMAX. The IMAX showcased the Hubble Telescope and showed NASA missions to help deploy and repair it, and then showed several images taken of the universe. It was amazing to see just how small we are and how numerous and beautiful are God's creations :)

In the courtyard they had this rotating sphere with the constellations on it. I want one!

After my visit to the space center, I drove over to Cocoa Beach and the wandered along the shoreline near the pier. I've never been to the Atlantic and it was a bit surreal having the sun setting behind me as I gazed out over the ocean. Fun times!

Saturday Eric and Kayla were sealed in the Orlando temple. The grounds were beautiful and the sealing was quite special. I'm so glad I was able to be there.Eric and Kayla after the ceremony!
Me and the groom! Eric's smiling- he must really be happy :)

After spending the night in Jacksonville for the reception and attending church the next day, I began my own Florida adventure. I drove down to Miami, and the next morning drove out to the Florida Keys and then back up the gulf side of the coast. I didn't stop a lot, but the drive was beautiful and I enjoyed seeing more of the state! Above is a picture I took while driving of the Big Cyprus Preserve- wetlands!! So beautiful!

A little collage of me in Key West. I was at the southern most part of the continental USA! Closer to Cuba than mainland Fl. Crazy :) Loved it all!!! Traveling's the best and coming soon will be my travels through the rest of November!

September Randoms

2011-09-30T01:58:00.000-07:00

Thought I'd share, in no particular order, some of the lovely random things I saw and did during September! I went hiking a few times, and towards the end of the month, the leaves started changing color! So pretty!

A few flowers were still blooming too. I like flowers. They make me happy :)

Also did a couple different lunch dates with some girlies from work. This one was a kids included venture that took place at a nearby park. Gotta enjoy the sun before it goes away!

We had a sandwich potluck. Easy clean up! Cute Adri and Aliya in this pic :)

Rachel and Mr Ethan (charolette was being passed around between Caitlin and her daughter)

Caitlin, Leila, Jude, and Charolette :) I think Caitlin would keep that little one for herself if she could.

I did a quick hike to Stewart Falls before work one day. Just had to get out of the house, and with this just 30 minutes down the road it was easy :) Definitely less water than earlier in the summer, but a beautiful hike with the leaves changing colors there too.

Another random lunch/dessert date. I told Tiff I'd take her out for a pre-baby feasting. We ended up at The Chocolate for dessert. Heavenly :)
We had a lovely little Cazookie of awesomeness. I think I shall experiment with making one!

Four beautiful women, one tasty day! Thanks for being my friends guys! And to everyone who didn't make it into the pictures this time be warned, your turn is coming soon :)

Alaska Trip!!

2011-09-17T03:37:00.000-07:00

Alaskan cruise!! I will just start by saying that everyone should see Alaska because it is gorgeous!! That said, here's a look at my cruise experience to Alaska in pictures :) We left from Seattle which, sleep deprived though I was that day, seemed very cool. Definitely need to spend some time there!

Dawsha and I on the ship and ready for some fun times! It was so fun to be on this trip with Dawsha- party!!

Our lovely living quarters for the week. It actually was pretty spacious compared to the 6'x3'x2' bunk I had on my last "cruise" :)

Dawsha and I ready for our first formal night in the dining room. The food was to die for! And there was so much- I definitely had to watch myself, but I did try lots of new things. So good!!

Everyone at work said this picture made me look hot. I appreciated that and will take them at their word :)

Our first port of call was Juneau, Alaska! We got to Juneau on a Sunday and Dawsha had arranged for a nice couple from the local ward to pick us up and take us to church. They were so sweet to do that.

And after church they took us on our own private tour of Juneau. Better than anything we could have planned! Above is the Mendenhall glacier. It looked huge from where I was standing, and I was 2 miles away! Massive! And the ice that broke off from it was so blue!

Our cute couple drove us over to Douglas Island, across from Juneau. It was rainy like crazy, but I still hopped out occassionally and got some nice shots of the cruise ship :)

Our next port of call was Skagway. I failed to take a picture of the village itself, but I promise it was small :) Dawsha and I did some shopping in the morning, and then in the afternoon we caught a ferry to Haines. Haines is just 14 miles from Skagway by water, but over 300 by land because of the road system! Crazy. Dawsha and I did an excursion there- we rafted through an eagle preserve and got to see some bald eagles in the wild. Awesome!

It was amazing to see them up close and personal.

This guy didn't seem to mind us at all :) Beautiful, quiet, pristine scenery and eagles all over the place- I did not want to leave!!

Isn't it gorgeous?! If only they had work for a labor nurse in Haines...

The next day we were at sea again and early in the morning we started up the Tracy Arm Fjord. By early, I mean 5 am. I did not set an alarm but, no joke, actually woke up that early to see it. I don't know what happened. I never wake up early! But it was beautiful- if a little cold. If you look closely, you can see the glacier at the end of the fjord in the picture.

There was so much ice in the fjord, and so blue!!, I wondered for awhile if we might have a Titanic moment. But fortunately, we didn't hit any of the huge icebergs :)

The next day we found ourselves in Ketchikan. Another cute, small Alaskan town. This one gave Dawsha and I the chance to go on a zip line/ropes course tour. It was raining, of course, but really if you just accepted that you were going to be wet it was great!! I forgot to bring my camera, but rest assured that Dawsha and I tried our darnedest to knock eachother off the ropes course obstacles. It was great fun :)

Our last day was spent at sea cruising from Ketchikan to Vancouver. It was incredibly foggy almost all day long. We were going through a narrow passage with land on either side, and there were 2 other ships there with us (we discovered late in the afternoon when the fog started to life). Cool to see them just emerging from the cloud :)

Dawsha and I spent the last day listening to the live musicians, eating, enjoying the view, and rock climbing! They had a small climbing wall and finally openned it for a few hours our last day. I even took second place in a speed climbing competition. Some guy beat me by 4 seconds. Next time :)

Our last day was the first day we got to see the sun a little, and had some beautiful colors at sunset. Pictures don't do it justice. So pretty!

This is the towel hippo/pig (I couldn't really decide what it was) that our room attendant made for us. She was such a cute lady :)

Dawsha and I enjoying our last dinner aboard :)

We disembarked in Vancouver, Canada. It was the first time I'd been to Canada :) Since our flight didn't leave until the afternoon, Dawsha and I rented a car and drove around Vancouver- all over Vancouver :) Our first stop was Stanley Park.
For a size reference, I stood in. These totem poles are huge! And so cool :)
A picture from the car of driving into downtown Vancouver. I might have feared for my life with Dawsha driving. Just kidding Dawsh :)
Dawsha and I in Stanley Park with Vancouver in the background.

Along with Stanely Park, we also saw Chinatown, downtown, and a little bohemian village area in Vancouver. It was a great vacation with amazing scenery, good company, and lots of excellent food!! So glad that Dawsha and I were able to go and see exciting Alaska!

Summer hiking adventures!

2011-09-14T12:07:00.000-07:00

It's been a rather short and busy summer this year, but I still managed to get out and take a few hikes along the Wasatch front. Unfortunately, my camera was broken for a few of them, but now that it's fixed I've started taking pictures again!! This is the start of our hike up to Big Spring Hollow.

April and I at...Big Springs? There were so many trails in so many directions and not all were very clearly marked. But this seemed like a nice "springy" spot :)

We even got to enjoy some wildlife along our way. Squint and you can make out the wild turkey in the bushes!

The view from the bridge crossing our Big Springs Hollow. I love water!!

My friend, April, and I also hiked to Fifth Water (I think that's what it's called) yesterday and this is us in front of the waterfall!

It was a beautiful hike with lots of wild flowers, running rivers, and green trees. There's a hot springs too at the waterfall, which was quite warm and smelled quite terrible :P But if you could get past the smell, it was all kinds of gorgeous!

April's one hot momma!!

I love the sounds of water! Sometimes I forget how beautiful Utah really can be until I go out hiking. Then I remember why it can be pretty great living here in Provo :)

Oregon Trip June 2011

2011-08-22T23:53:00.001-07:00

So I'm finally getting around to posting about my trip to Oregon in June. Better late than never! It was a beautiful trip filled with amazing mountains, magnificent oceans, and wonderful company!

I went to Sarah and Chad Thackeray's first. I hadn't been there since Luke was a baby. He's so grown up now, and he and Audrey made me feel right at home :) It was great being around Sarah and Chad again too. Best ever!

After a couple days in Portland, I headed off on my coastal adventure. I started at the northern most part of the coast and worked my way down. I saw old shipwrecks, pounding surf, lighthouses, towering hills, and even found my way into the Tillamook factory for some yummo ice cream!
I love lighthouses, and so I managed to stop at quite a few along my way down the coast. Heceta head, Tillamook, and Cape Meares were just a few. I also stopped at the Sea Lion caves. Didn't smell the best, but it was wonderful to see them in their nature habitat!
I also got to stay with Emily, Brannick, and their daughter Ella. I hadn't seen Emily since she got married, so it was a fun renion! They have a cute house in Roseburg, where I was introduced to Blokus- one of the best games ever! We also spent a day hitting up different waterfalls near where they live. As I love all kinds of water, I appreciated this deviation from ocean to inland H2O :)
I finished off the Oregon and most northern California coast before heading back home again. It was lovely to take a break from normal life and experience some of the beauties this world has to offer. Along with a few footprints, I left my heart with the oceans of Oregon :)

Happy Graduation!

2011-04-23T14:35:00.001-07:00

I realized after my parents left that most of the graduation shots were on their camera. Still, I wanted to wish a happy gradation to everyone that finished at BYU this week!! Congrats to all, even if I didn't get a picture with you :) Above, me and my roommates with Eva.
Phil and Alicia.
Phil and Jenny. I'm so proud of my little bro Phil and my roommate Eva especially. Good luck with your future plans in everything you do!!

D.C.- The Collaged Experience

2011-04-01T20:04:00.000-07:00

Last week I had the chace to fly out with my Mom to D.C. to visit my aunt, uncle, and Grandma who live back there. And, of course, to sightsee!! D.C. reminds me of the freedoms I enjoy in this country, and the knowledge of ages that can be learned here. I decided the best way to show my experience would be manly in collages. Enjoy!

I know it's not a collage, but Kamehameha cannot be resigned to a collage :) This is in the new visitor's center to the Capitol building.

The Capitol building and the Library of Congress. So beautiful inside and out! The top right 2 pictures are the mural on the underside of the capitol dome. They depict the Apotheosis of Washington- anyone for "The Lost Symbol"? :)

The Museum of Natural History. Love the honu, and the Hope Diamond! That's for you Aubry :)

Air and Space museums. What can I say other than A-Ma-Zing! I really wish I was an astronaut.

Eric (my cousin) and I at the base of the shuttle Enterprise. Just so you can get an idea of the size. It's huge!!

I happened to be there at the openning of the Cherry Blossom Festival. Perfect timing! The trees were blooming along the tidal basin and it was a beautiful walk through the memorials!

Loved my time in D.C.! My aunt kept trying to convince me to move out there. I must admit, the thought has merit. I don't know how I'd fair in the humid summer though :) But I still loved my experience and I'm excited to go back again soon!!

Happy Pi Day Fhe!!

2011-03-15T00:37:00.000-07:00

Since today was 3.14 (March 14th) and therefore Pi Day, our FHE group decided to have a night dedicated to pies. Tasty!! Above is me with our FHE leader Laura. She's so much fun :)

The Spread. We might have gone a little over board. But it sure was tasty!!

A couple fellow FHE members taking in the pie and trying to convince Nicole to do the same.

Nicole, Rob, and Laura. We might be a small group (there were a few other people besides these-we're not that tiny!), but we have some good times!

Trying to get a good picture of Michael and Nick was practically impossible. So I made a collage of different pics in which at least one of us looked decent. For reference, I'm the girl, Michael has curly hair, and Nick has less hair :)

It was a fun and delicious night and I think this might be one of my favorite holidays. Happy Pi Day!!

Girl's Night Out and Other Random Moments

2011-03-09T02:39:00.000-08:00

My wonderful roommates know that the last couple months have been a bit of a rollercoaster ride, so this last Friday they decided we needed a girl's night out! They dressed me up (thanks Candace), did my hair (thanks Eva), and then took me on the best date I've had in a while :)

Eva unfortunately had to work, but Kaylan, Candace, and I enjoyed our dinner at Magelby's with dessert being the lovely cake you see before you :) We then went hot tubbing at the gym, and watched a movie. It was nice spending time with the girls!

Other random moments included attending the Living Legends show in February with Eva, Kaylan, Candace, and Michael (who refuses to have a picture taken of himself). It's so fun knowing so many people in the show and picking them out during their dances! I'll be out of town for the March show, so this was the last time I get to see it live this year. Sad days!

The roommies and I have also enjoyed some kitchen experiments. This one was an enchilada type meal, except we used fry bread dough and made our own thick tortillas. Can we say deliciously amazing!!!

The last one is a pic of me, Holly, and Aubry at Holly's farewell party. She up and joined the air force and is at boot camp right now. I don't envy her that one, but wish her all the best!!

I will try to be better about taking pictures- I promise!!

A Labor Nurse's Christmas

2010-12-31T16:48:00.000-08:00

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

Since people don't stop having babies just cuz it's a holiday, I got to stick around Utah this Christmas. So I decided to make the most of my forced white Christmas :) I met up with my friend Lisa and her family for dinner at Texas Roadhouse. Yummo!

Even though it was rather cold and misty that night, I decided while I was in SLC to go check out the lights on Temple Square. Totally worth it! They were beautiful, and the mist made it that much more dreamy :)
I then had to work the 3 nights proceeding Christmas, including Christmas Eve. Fortunately we weren't too busy and had plenty of time to goof off during the midnight hours :) And in case you're wondering, that's a pair of XXX-large pants we managed to shove ourselves into. Good times!

After talking with the family and getting some sleep Christmas day, I made dinner and ate with a friend from work, openned some awesome presents, and then started in on the puzzles I got. Even though I was away from home, it turned out to be a pretty good Christmas!

New Hampshire with Naomi!

2010-10-05T09:41:00.000-07:00

Can I just say that I love traveling? Cuz I really, really do :) At the end of September I had the oppotunity to fly back to Chicago and then drive with Naomi, Brooklyn, and Lily out to Nashua, NH where Naomi's sister Becca lives. It was such a gorgeous drive and the girls were great!!We had plenty of rest stops to keep us from going crazy. Some were just road side gas stations, but we also managed to stay a night in Palmyra on the way there and Kirtland on the way back. We showed the girls some of the church history sites and even took a walk through the sacred grove.

The sacred grove is beautiful in fall, with leaves falling everywhere. Amazing!

Once we got to Nashua, Becca made sure we had the time of our lives and took us to one of my new favorite places- an apple picking orchard. The apples there were a-m-a-zing! It's so different having an apple fresh from the tree. I can't complain about the apple cider donuts we ate either :P

Brooklyn especially loved picking apples, though sometimes managed to pull off a little more than she bargained for :P

Naomi and I had another reason for going to NH- we ran in the Applefest Half Marathon! Those pictures to come in another post! But while we were only an hour from Boston, the history buff in me was dying to go see the sites! So Becca graciously agreed to watch the girls, while Naomi and I spent a few hours touring Boston. You're the best Becca!!!

Since we didn't have a lot of time, we decided to walk the freedom trail and see what we could of the city that way. It was so cool to be in places that I'd heard about forever, like Boston Commons, Old North Church, and Bunker Hill. We also took a less historic, but definitely tasty moment to eat lunch in Little Italy. I had the most amazing butternut squash ravioli. Now I need to find a recipe :)

Bunker Hill was probably the most impactful stop on the trail for me. I've always known the story, but until I was standing there by the statue of Colonel Prescott and pretending to fire on redcoats 20 yards away, I didn't realize just how much courgae my colonial ancestors had. 20 yards is close!! But I'm so glad that they chose to fight for freedom and that I live in America today. Amazing city, amazing trip, and as always with my best friend Naomi it was amazing company. Thanks Omi and Becca for the good times. Can't wait to go back again!!

Hiking Season!!

2010-07-10T16:01:00.000-07:00

Stewart Falls!!!!

I love it when hiking season begins in UT. The snow is (mostly) gone, the sun is out, and the trails are just begging to be used!! I've forgotten my camera on some of the hikes I've done so far, but here are a few pictures from Stewart Falls- always a good one!
I really love anything to do with water and so waterfalls are great! I get the mountain and the sound of rushing water all in one beautiful setting! The hikes will continue and I'll put up more pictures as I complete them :)

Last Days in Chicago

2010-05-30T17:28:00.001-07:00

The last couple of days in Chicago were awesome and I didn't want to leave! It was so fun just spending some more time with some of my favorite people! P.S. I will take full credit for Lily's cuteness in the above picture- she was smiling at me :)

Lily found a new favorite "chair" in my arms. Minus the barfing, she sure is fun to hold!

Brooklyn was her amusing self as always. Who knew strawberries made such good blush?

On Monday night, Kevin was a stud and watched the girls so Naomi and I could go to dinner and a movie- literally, we ate dinner while watching the movie! Love that theater- genius! It was fun to spend some time just me and Omi.

Tuesday night we got a sitter and took a trip to the Chicago Temple. The workers were so nice, and since we were some of the only patrons there we got showered with attention! It's a beautiful temple. Thanks for taking me along! I didn't want to leave on Wednesday, and my only consolation is that in September Naomi and I are running a race in NH and taking a road trip with the girls. I miss you guys already! Thanks for letting me stay and play with you :)

Fun to Dye For

2010-05-23T15:41:00.000-07:00

A typical morning at Naomi's- getting to spend some quality time with Brooklyn and Lily. I would like to think that Lily is absorbing my laid back attitude.
Kevin went to Michigan over the weekend and left us carless, so we decided that it would be a good idea to dye my hair. Yup. And we did it too :) Hard to see in the pictures because my hair glows redder in any light, but I went from a darker blonde to an ash brown. Not a big change, but baby steps :) Now Brooklyn definitely looks like she belongs to me :P
After the dye party, we decided to get out of the house and walk to a nearby park. We had tons of fun on the swings and slides- and just watching Brooklyn is a hoot! She managed to attract the attentions of a 4.5 year old boy also playing there. If I had her charisma, I'd be going out every night! Always a party with these girls :)

Fun Times in Chicago!

2010-05-21T10:54:00.001-07:00

Vacation!! I'm lucky enough to be out in Lisle (suburb of Chicago) with Naomi, Kevin, Brooklyn, and Lily for 2 whole weeks and it's been awesome! Lots of just hanging out with Naomi and the girls at home, but we've gotten out and done some cool stuff too. One such visit was to the DuPage Children's Museum in Naperville. I wish I had one when I was little!
Brooklyn was a kick running from activity to activity, and I found it entertaining just to watch her go.
We even helped Lily's glowing personality to emerge under the black lights.
We, of course have gotten some cool pics of the girls. Lily on a blanket and towel to catch her constant baby barfs. She's a cutie, though, for sure!
Brooklyn decided I was her new favorite jungle gym- I guess I'll take what I can get :)
Naomi also signed herself, me, and Kevin to run the Trail of Terror 4 mile run on May 15th. So I wrapped up the bum ankle and off we trotted! It was a beautiful trail run up and down lots of hills and through an awesome forest preserve. Both my ankle and Naomi made it through!!!
Standing by the river before the start of the race.
Goofing off along the first half mile of road before we hit the actual trail.
Post run pic! The successful trio of running awesomeness- people are lucky to be graced with our presence. But just remember, there is no charge for awesomeness. Or attractiveness.

Tasty Eats

2010-05-02T19:09:00.001-07:00

Lately I've felt like trying some new recipes just to change up the normal eats I eat as a single, crazy busy girl :) So here are some of my latest successes! (recipes available upon request!)
Stuffed red bell peppers- quite easy, very delicious, and suprisingly low cal!

Mmmm. Grilling. I love when summer comes around and I can play with fire! Roasted veggies sprinkled with ranch dressing mix or seasoned salt. Tasty :)

My exoeriment today was fresh, homemade salsa. I'd never made it by myself before and didn't really feel like following a recipe so I made it up. Turned out quite well I think!! It's fun to try new things- let me know if any of you have fun recipes for me to try!

Little Wild Horse Canyon and Goblin Valley- Roadtrip!!

2010-04-26T21:08:00.001-07:00

Last week I decided that since most on my roommates were moving, I too needed to get out of Provo. I figured that Goblin Valley was only a few hours away and I always wanted to go there, so it was the perfect one day get away :) Unfortunately, I sprained my ankle on Friday so I couldn't run around as much as I wanted- in fact I gimp-hobbled my way through everything. But I've never been one to do the prudent thing and stay home, so away I went!

I first stopped at Earlene's house in Emery and she showed me around the town and their farm on their dune buggy. It was awesome! I've never really been in a little town like that :) I then finished my drive and decided to "hike" through Little Wild Horse Canyon before continuing on to Goblins.

Little Wild Horse is a slot canyon, so it gets very narrow and has the coolest formations. I actually did slip through all these little spaces :)

Me squeezing through the canyon.

I just love this slot canyon- little waves of color and rock everywhere. Of course, I kept looking at everything with a rock climber's eye: maybe if I grabbed here, I could reach to there... I really wanted to climb the walls!

I played with the timer function on my camera and got a few shots of myself.

Probably I had a little too much fun with it :)

After a while the canyon narrowed too much for me to continue hobbling over rocks, so I drove a couple miles down the road to Goblin Valley!

Goblins are cool formations left behind from the time when this was a tidal flat of a large, inland sea. I like them cuz they have so much character :)

Me and the Goblins. There weren't very many people there at that time, so I actually wandered around surrounded by silence for the most part. It was very peaceful :)

I liked this guy especially. He's actually really huge when you're standing next to him. It was a great adventure and wonderful to leave Utah valley for a day. Next time I go I'll make sure I'm not a gimp so I can hike everywhere and climb a few walls!

Shelly's final pre-miss days

2010-04-21T14:15:00.000-07:00

As many of you know, last Wednesday my little sissy Michelle entered the MTC on her way to the Porto, Portugal mission. It was a crazy whirlwind getting her there with everything done- she had to finish up finals for the semester, move out and clean out her apartment, and visit home one last time- but we managed and she is now learning Portugese 24/7.
They've changed how missionaries are dropped off. Instead of escorting them inside, you literally drop them at the curb and wave goodbye! So on Tuesday night, we decided to drive up to the MTC and take a few of the customary missionary farewell pics, sans the sunday best.

We deided the theme here was "All The Single Ladies", even though Jenny's not single :P I'm sure that Shelly will be a wonderful, spiritual, and awesome missionary and I wish her the best! It will be hard not having my buddy with me for the next little while, but I guess I'll just have to branch out and make new friends. Preferrably some who will travel with me all over the world. Any takers?

Luau- He Huaka'i Aloha

2010-03-24T22:41:00.000-07:00

This year's Luau, He Huaka'i Aloha, talked about the journey of the missionaries to the Polynesian islands. I was in the Hawai'i section and danced the Pa Lua- couples dance :) It was so much fun! So here are some pictures from the show! Above is Shelby and me.

Eva, Eileen, and me. Eileen danced in Hawaii too, but the slow dance of Auana (I might not have spelled that right).
Roomies!!! Lynnell, Eva, and me.
Rachel Ann, Rachel, and me :) The other girls also danced in New Zealand and did amazing!
Kumu Keoki- he did great as Eva's dance partner :)
Rachel and me again.
Me and my dance partner, Erwin :)
Eva and I and some random guy. But seriously, he said that we should take a picture of the 3 of us and hopped right in :)
Me and Eva :) Luau is so great and even though I won't miss getting up early on Saturday mornings, I'm already looking forward to next year!

Girl's Night Out With Shelly

2010-02-06T09:47:00.001-08:00

Shelly and I decided to have our own little girl's party Friday night. We saw "Leap Year" and then went out to Chinatown restaurant!

Good food, good fun, good times all over the place :) Thanks Shel for being a great sister!!

Living Legends!!

2010-01-16T20:54:00.000-08:00

Since I am in charge of enrichment in my ward and can do whatever I want, I decided that my girls needed to discover their inner brown. That coupled will a large, leftover budget last year prompted me to buy our Relief Society tickets to Living Legends. It was awesome as only Living Legends can be!!! Thanks to all who came and especially to the dancers!! You are amazing!!

The girls with Eva after she beautifully sang Go My Son.
My hooper, Cheyenne, who hit both circles tonight!! Whoot whoot!!

The magic backstage coordinated by our own Lauren :)

Eva!!! Rockin' the dances and shining on stage; she was awesome :)

Jake was full of energy as always and did a spectacular job!!

It's been fun getting to know more people in legends thanks to Eva and Jake. Loving every minute of it and I can't wait to dance my own performances in Luau and Pow Wow this year!!

Christmas With The Fam In Arizona!

2010-01-05T17:32:00.001-08:00

Christmas at home this year!! Fun times with the fam :) I wasn't always great at taking pictures, but here are a few to give you an idea of what crazy shinanigans occurred at the end of the last year.

Dad discovered long boarding.

Phil decided to be a deranged lumberjack (it's actually my ax and I'm so excited to chop some wood with it!).
Jenny- the point of sweetness in our rather sarcastic family.
Reading all the books we got for Christmas!!

Since in AZ Christmas is fairly warmish, Shelly Dad and I went on a hike to Picacho Peak. This is the trail starting point.

We kind of wore Dad out just a little, but he kept trucking along. Mostly cuz we made him :) Love you Dad!!

The northern side of Picacho before we crossed to the other side and ascended the peak.

Dad and I at the Saddle.

Did a little rock climbing on the hike :)
The trail is pretty up and down and steep all the way up. Fun times!
The southern side. I love AZ!
So steep they even installed cables to help the weary hiker :)
Shelly and Dad pondering the view from the top!!

Now the actual view :)
Love the AZ sunsets!

The shadow of Picacho on the valley floor. Mmm pretty sunset.

We finished our hike right as the sun finished setting and the moon was ascending over the peak. Such a gorgeous 4 hour hike! Christmas break was great and I'm so glad I got to spend time at home. Love you fam and Happy New Years!!

BIrthday Fun Times

2009-12-15T19:48:00.001-08:00

My 27th birthday fell on the Saturday after Thanksgiving, so only Lynnell and I were around to celebrate. And this we did by watching BYU defeat the U of U at the football game!! Oh the sweetness of a birthday victory!! Lynnell invited me over to her sister's house after the game, and Cami made me a birthday cake with candles and everything :)

After everyone got back from vacation, we decided to go to the Texas Roadhouse in Lehi for some tasty treats :) This pic is of us before leaving for dinner in front of the Christmas tree we put up. I love Christmas!
Every Texas Roadhouse has a unique mural painted specifically for it. The owners of this one thought that natives were more American than cowboys, and we all agreed :) So this is Lynnell, me, Kaylan, Candace, and Eva. I always forget how pale I am until I see myself in pictures with them. I guess I just think my inner brown should be more obvious than it is :) Thanks for the awesome birthday guys!!

Best Trip Ever with Naomi!!!! A Journey in 3 Parts-Part 1

2009-10-12T10:18:00.001-07:00

At the end of September I journied to Chicago to visit my best friend Naomi, Kevin, and Brooklyn. From Chicago Naomi and I were going to drop off Brooklyn in Ann Arbor with Brian and Natalie and then take a road trip across the northeastern part of the country. But before we left I got to spend some time with them in Chicago :)

Brooklyn's potty training and doing an awesome job thanks to her super amazing Mom! We had a fun giggle one day when she successfully went potty!

They say kids eat strange things and Brooklyn proved that true- cream cheese on a potato chip anyone?

Oh Panera bread how I love thee!

We ventured out to the "waterfalls" near Kev and Omi's house. For being artifically built they're actually not too bad. And we saw a water snake. And skipped rocks. A successful outdoor adventure for sure :)

I'm not sure Naomi was thrilled when I suggested this pose for the pic. But fortunately she's still talking to me.

We could totally pass for twins :)

Brooklyn decided she liked wearing my shoes.

The Saturday before we left, we took a trip downtown. Much better than my previous forays into town!

Naomi and Kevin suggested we take the river boat from the train station into downtown. It was awesome to see the buildings from the river!

Chicago Sun Times- want to watch some Early Edition Mom? :)

Larger than life: American Gothic takes Chicago.

We stripped Brooklyn down and let her run around a fountain place. She wasn't too thrilled with us at first, but of course by the end she didn't want to leave!

These large towers were on either side of the pool. Pretty :)

The famous Bean with Chicago reflecting on its side!

View of Chicago from the top of the Sears (now Willis) Tower.

Standing in the Ledge-the glass box over Chicago!

You can't see it, but Brooklyn is laying on glass that looks straight down to the street from the top of the Sears Tower. We all went out on it-awesome!!!

Monday morning Naomi and I left on our adventure! We dropped off Brooklyn, picked up our bikes in Cleveland, and then made our way to Kirtland! We drove around the sites Monday night, but actually took the tours on Tuesday.

In front of the Newel K Whitney store in Kirtland.

On the upper floor of the store Joseph and Emma stayed when the first came to Kirtland. It was also the location of the revelation room and the school of the prophets.

School of the Prophets room.

Joseph and Emma's room. Sleep tight! :)

The Ashery- it's the only one in north america.

The saw mill-actually a replic resting on the old foundations. This is where they cut wood to build the temple.

The Whitney home was across the path from their store. This is the family room. That metal object in the crib? Old fashioned baby bottle made from lead and pewter. Genius.

Split rail fences were a very common, and to me very cool, sight!

After going through the church owned sites we went over to the Kirtland Temple. What an amazing place when you think of everything that happened there! So glad I got to go inside!

After Kirtland we drove to the John Johnson farm in Thompson where Joseph and Emma stayed for a year.

For my labor friends-this is the "borning room" where women would have delivered their babies. Not a lot of room to move around in there-glad our rooms are a little bigger!

Elsa Johnson was an awesome lady, but somewhat eccentric in her painting styles. This one is feather painting, which was found on almost every wooden surface in the house.

That is a wood plank floor painting to look like...a checkers board?

Omi and I standing in the room where Joseph received several revelations in Thompson, including section 76. So cool!

Before we continued our drive to Niagara Falls, we stopped for dinner at a yummo Amish restaurant. Awesome!!

Best Trip Ever with Naomi!!! Part 3

2009-10-12T10:06:00.001-07:00

So for Part 2 just look at Naomi's blog :) On to part 3!

We arrived in Cornwall, VT at night on Thursday and when we got up in the morning we finally got a good look at the cute house in which we were staying :) The couple running the B&B fed us a yummy breakfast, told us good places to ride our bikes and off we went!

It was the first sunny, no rain day Naomi and I had seen on our trip and we took full advantage of it by venturing out to see some of the covered bridges in the area.

This is my attempt at taking pictures while riding my bike :)

Covered bridges of Addison County!

After some bike riding, Naomi and I decided we were in need of some sustinence. What better place to find that then the Ben and Jerry's factory near our next stop in Stowe, VT?!

Happy cows are found in VT and they really do make the best ice cream!

Saturday it was raining again, of couse, so before conference instead of biking, Naomi and I found a glassblower to go watch for awhile. It was so awesome!!

And this is what he was making- a pumpkin!

In between conference sessions on Saturday it was still drizzling, so Naomi and I decided to drive from our Inn in Stowe up to Smuggler's Notch on Mt Mansfield. It was gorgeous!

In order for Naomi to actually feel like she was on a really hiking trip, I pulled a Kevin and climbed on top of some boulders to shoot a few pictures of the mountain side :)

Sunday morning was finally nice enough again for biking, so Naomi and I decided to bike the area around Stowe earlier in the morning before we had to head south toward Manchester. There weren't too many people around, so we had the roads pretty much to ourselves :)

We then started south toward Manchester, and following the backroads route that my friend Chris told us about, we found Moss Glen Falls!

We stayed in Manchester for the night, then started the long trip back to Ann Arbor to pick up Brooklyn. We decided to find Harmony, Pennsylvania on our way to see the Susquehanna site. There was a beautiful monument commemorating the restoration of the Aaronic Priesthood.

We also saw the cornerstones of the house Joseph and Emma Smith lived in while in Harmony. This is where Joseph translated the majority of the Book of Mormon.

The banks of the Susquehanna River!

After we picked up Brooklyn and stayed the night at Brian and Natalie's (thanks guys), we were fed an awesome pancake breakfast and then headed back to Chicago. We decided we missed Kevin, and so we all went to Carraba's the night before I headed back to UT :)

I got to spend Wed with Omi just lounging around and talking and then I had to come back to UT to earn more money for my next trip to Chicago. I already miss Naomi but we really did have the best trip ever!!! Can't wait for our next adventure :)

Zion's!!!

2009-08-09T16:33:00.000-07:00

This last weekend I went on a ward camping trip to Zion's National Park in southern Utah. I remember having been there briefly as a kid on a family trip, but this was my first time back in over 10 years and I'd forgotten how incredibly beautiful it is!

A few shots of Zion's while winding up the canyon road to the Narrows.

At the entrance to The Narrows, the Virigin River fills the floor of the canyon. So if you want to go in, you have to be willing to get a little wet!

The water was a cold, but I fortunately have long legs and this was about as deep as it came on me :)

A view inside the Canyon.

Looking up the wall in the Canyon-so incredible that plants grow there!

I love the look of the sandstone; it looks like it's in motion :)

I had so much fun and wished I had time to do so much more, so I'm definitely planning a return trip for the near future!

July In Pictures

2009-08-05T20:44:00.001-07:00

For three weeks in July I was on the USNS Comfort providing health care to the people of Nicaragua, with an ending liberty port in Panama! I met so many amazing people and saw a plethora of beautiful sites. So here's some of my trip in pictures :)
Samuel, my little friend on shore in Nicaragua.

Friends, co-workers, and patients on board!

Yes, I drove the ship and we didn't crash! Then I got really sweaty working out with Rachel.

My rack, the Diablo Rojo bus, Panama Temple, and the Bridge of the Americas.

Our ship the Comfort!

Being constantly surrounded by beauty for 3 weeks definitely spoiled me! With such gorgeous views it was hard to come back :)

Washington Peninsula Trip

2009-06-20T14:31:00.000-07:00

Those who know me know that I love to travel. So for one of this year's road trips I decided to drive up the Washington coast to see the forests and beaches on the peninsula. It was gorgeous! So here's my trip in pictures since words can't describe how beautiful it is :)

Starting with the forests: I saw the Hoh rainforest and hiked up into the alpine forests of the Olympic mountains.

The first place we stayed was Cape Disappointment. I have no idea why it is called that, but it was the ending place for the Lewis and Clark expedition in Washington. So I hiked a trail up to a lighthouse that roughly mirrored Clark's trail back in the 1800's!

Loving the ocean as I do, it wouldn't be a trip without seeing some awesome coastline. I saw beaches in Cape Disappointment, La Push's First Beach, Rialto Beach, and the coast line of Port Angeles.

The Olympic mountains were formed by receeding glaciers, and so there is a lot of rough, stony ground and jutting peaks that I loved hiking through!

We also saw some sweet waterfalls. This first one is Multnomah Falls, which is the 2nd highest continuous running waterfall in north america. The second is Wahkeena Falls, which is near Multnomah.

And it wouldn't be a trip up the peninsula without a pit stop in Forks :)

On the way home from Washington, I stopped in Portland and visited my friend, Sarah, who graduated with me from BYU's nursing program and now lives there with her husband and 2 kids. We went strawberry picking one day and then canned some into jam and dried some others. I felt very domestic :)

So other than the fact that my hair was a completely frizzy mess the entire time (thank you humidity) it was an amazing trip! In fact, I'm now going to plan a trip down the Oregon coastline and into the Redwood forest of northern California. Anyone want to come with? :)

So I've Been A Little Lax Lately...

2009-06-06T23:35:00.000-07:00

And haven't posted anything for awhile. But here are a few photos to highlight the events of the last few months :)

My best friend in the world finally came back from Chicago to visit! Some say she really came to run the triathlon we signed up for, but I'm pretty sure she just wanted to play with me :)

One of our outings consisted of me, Naomi, Brooklyn, Sara, Noa, and Liz hiking up to Battle Creek Falls. Brooklyn was cute (it's true- I actually like her now) because Naomi and I were holding her hands and she would say "2" to let us know she wanted to be carried between us up the trial :)

Sara and Noa had fun playing in the cold water. And by fun, I mean that Sara put Noa's toes in and he kept trying to pull them back out. It was fun for me anyway.

I channeled Kevin and climbed out over the middle of the water on a tree so I could take some pics. I don't think it would have been a true hike for Naomi without someone climbing something :)

One day Naomi introduced me to Yamoto's, which is freakin awesome and if anyone ever wants to get Japanese food I'm so there! It is here that we gave Brooklyn her first fencing lesson. If she goes pro, I taught her everything she knows :)
Naomi and I decided to pamper ourselves before the race, so after Yamoto's we dropped Brooklyn off with Craig and Sarah (thanks guys!) and went and got pedicures. It was my first one ever-fun times!
Race day. It was freezing outside before we started the race. Thank goodness the pool was heated!

Naomi and I are 2 buff dudes after finishing the triathlon! Thanks for the support Sara and Mom and Dad Uda!
After Naomi went back to Chicago (sob :( ) I worked a bit and then headed down to AZ for Greg's graduation from high school. Now, since it's AZ, it is of course held outdoors. Well, this year it rained...the whole time. So we might have gotten just the tiniest bit wet :P

The boys and Jenny after Greg officially finished high school. I think he's happy. Does his grin look happy? Maybe just a little bit...

We did a couple other fun things while home too. We went to a water park one day and spent 4.5 hours in the sun, in the middle of the day, in 100+ degree weather. Do I even look like I've gotten a little color? No. Not even a little bit.

Dad also took us bowling one day. Jenny did great and bowled a personal best. I think I bowled a personal worst, but I still had fun!

Grandma and Grandpa Smith came down for Greg's graduation, and on Memorial Day they treated us to dinner. They're totally awesome!

And that sums up the last several weeks. Stay tuned for my Washington trip pictures in which I will travel to the exotic land of Forks and try to find myself a Jacob Black. Or at least a really pretty beach to run on :)

Happy Easter!!

2009-04-19T21:39:00.000-07:00

I know it's a week late but I thought I'd share some Easter pics. Aunt Colleen and Uncle Dell hosted the traditional cousins Easter dinner up in Kaysville and, as always, it was delicious! After our standard fare of tasty food and constant, good natured teasing (of course-we are Smith's after all), we played games and then continued stuffing ourselves with pie and ice cream. Fun times! Here are a few pics of the fam:

Macy really enjoyed playing guesstures!

Andrew and his better half, Sharon :)

Yes, that is Shelly snuggling with her current man-toy.

The Fam! I love that we can be together forever because of what happened that Easter morn so many years ago. Love you guys and miss those of you who weren't here!

Powwow Party

2009-04-12T22:27:00.000-07:00

This is a little late but I wanted to put up something about my wonderful Powwow experience. Powwow is a celebration and competition involving the Native American cultures. There's singing, drumming, and of course dancing. This year they decided to do an exhibition and let non-natives, such as myself :), learn the Iroquois Smoke dance and Navajo Hoop dancing. Unfortunately I didn't have anyone there watching me to take pictures so I don't have any of me actually dancing. But here are a few before and afters. Above is our group practicing right before we went on stage.This is me with Eva Bighorse, who was our instructor. She's half Iroquois and half Navajo. She was also Head Lady at our Powwow. She's amazing and I learned so much from her.

And we decided to have our own little "hoopers" reunion this last week, so here is a picture of a few of us. Shauny Talk, Eva Bighorse, Stephen Freeman, Ben who's last name I don't know, Macy Heinze, Patrice Atine, Me, and Tyrone Whitehorse. And let me tell you, we made us some pretty awesome fry bread thanks to Shauny's teaching. So multi-talented :)

Powwow was a great experience. I learned so much and I can't wait to do it again next year!!

Luau!!!

2009-03-26T13:26:00.001-07:00

I love performing in luau every year-definitely a highlight! Who's to say whether that stems from my life-long love of Polynesia or my deep appreciation for bare chested brown men? Whatever the reason the winters in Utah aren't as gloomy when I have my weekly taste of the islands!

This year's theme was Ke Kinohi Loa-origins of the Pacific. And here are some random shots of me dancing (the glowingly white one in the middle if you weren't sure)...

followed by some of my friends from luau and family. Thanks all for coming-you make it worth it!

Jake drummed for Samoan section-he did awesome!

Friends from luau and pow wow :)

Dawsha, Phil and Jenny, and Lydia all attended (thanks Lyd for your mad camera skills!) along with Sheryl and Kirsten and some of their families. Mahalo and aloha nui loa!

Pi Night!

2009-03-19T14:56:00.000-07:00

Some nerdy mathematician probably deserves credit for this delectible holiday in the middle of March. Who else would put together that March 14 is also 3.14, the beginning of Pi?

Whoever it was, he was a genius for giving me the excuse to eat pie and feel really good about it!

So I invited Phil and Jenny, Lydia, and Shelly over and we ate until we had enough sugar in our systems to keep us up another few hours watching The Office, which is even more funny when it's late and I'm on a sugar high :)

So ode to pies both mathematical and sugary and may we be blessed with your continued presense in our lives. Yum!

Smith Family FHE- Let The Craziness Continue!

2009-03-08T23:20:00.000-07:00

I've always loved being part of my Smith family, and moving up to Provo when I was in college was so awesome cuz I got to spend even more time with my extended fam. So, when Uncle Glenn and Aunt Connie had the brilliant idea of monthly Smith family FHE's at their house I was thrilled! I have not been disappointed. Spending more time with my crazy fam makes realize how much I love them; and also, how incredibly insane we really all are :)

Typical FHE's include songs, short lessons, and lots of delicious dessert. While we usually spend the lessons interrupting Uncle Glenn by making varioius jabs at eachothers' persons, personality, or generally existence, we do really love spending time together.

And I must admit, I love it when we sing. Most Smiths are born with a natural musical talent. I'm not saying any of us will be the next American Idol, but we harmonize well and it sounds amazing :)

All in all, even though we're completely insane, hopelessly sarcastic, and downright odd my family is the best in the world and I wouldn't trade them for anything!

The Last Few Weeks

2009-02-28T00:22:00.000-08:00

So the last few weeks I've been crazy busy running from place to place, including AZ! So here are some moments I've enjoyed in February.

Truffle night at Anneke's. We made mint, lime, and cinnamon truffles that were absolutely amazing, especially for chocolate lovers like myself!

Emily's wedding. I flew down to Phoenix and got to attend Emily's wedding in the Mesa Temple. We've gone through elementary, junior high and high school, and then all the way through BYU's nursing program together. Hard to believe we've known each other so long!

While I was in AZ I got to spend time with the family in Gilbert. They're so much fun to be with! This is Spencer, Greg, and I standing outside by the century plant in front of our house. It's blooming this year and I wanted to give an accurate protrayal of it's height. It's huge!

There have been a plethora of weddings that I've gone to lately, but Casey's was special because I got to help Sheryl make her cake! First time I've ever played with fondent, and it was so much fun!

Jenny's birthday was tonight, and we got to go over and eat the cake Phil made for her and have a great time playing with them. My siblings are the best. Happy Birthday Jenny!

And thus ends the crazy month of February!

Night At The Museum

2009-02-09T23:40:00.000-08:00

For FHE tonight, our group went to the Museum of Peoples and Cultures just off BYU campus. I have never been inside the museum before, but I did recall having attended a "block party" several years ago during a summer. I love the memory I have of Hoop dancing, making pottery, exploring several exhibits of ancient pottery and arrowheads that were set up outside. As one who once had aspirations of being an archealogist, anything that sparks of ancient sends my mind soaring on wings of fantasy. I love imagining myself back in ancient times, surrounded by the people whose items are displayed before me.

With that in mind, I began my journey into the museum. It's a smaller museum, but displays well several artifacts and exhibits detailing the lives of select Native American tribes. I saw the Kachinas of the Hopi and the Pueblo, experienced that pottery of the Ramos, and learned more about the beauty found in the expressions of Quetzlcoatl. My mind again took flight and joined those ancient peoples as they lived lives ordinary to themselves, but fascinating to me. What would it have been like, I wonder, to live as they did. I'll never know first hand, but I believe my imagination will give the journey a try tonight in my dreams.

The Lost Arts

2009-02-08T23:31:00.000-08:00

On Saturday I went with Sheryl and her family to a storytelling festival being held at BYU. Now, I will admit that at first I was skeptical. Was this going to be a repeat of those days in the elementary school library? Was I going to be read Dr Seuss and Amelia Bedillia? Not say that I did not enjoy those books and still find pleasure in reading them, but I am a little older now. So it was with slight trepidation that I took my seat and waited for the entertaining to being.

WOW! I was completely blown away. This was storytelling as I never experienced it before. Not only were there your more commonplace stories to entertain and teach values, but there were a few that were poignant reminders of those truths in life that we often choose to avoid.

Over the past several days, I've pondered the lost arts, not just of storytelling, but of writing and conversation. Years ago these were the qualities that defined a person's character, giving them dignity and distinction. Now everything is done in electronic format through email, IMing, facebook, etc. Not to say that I don't appreciate these forms of communication. I do. I love that I can quickly and easily communicate with almost anyone, anywhere in the world. But I think something was lost in the transition. The impersonality related to the ease of our present communications has contributed greatly to the decline in people's ability to relate face to face.

Now maybe this is a problem that only I face, but I doubt it. Sometimes I wish for those days when people were schooled in conversation, when letter writing was an art form, and when hearing a story captivated an audience the way movies do today. I would never trade our advances in technology for those of an earlier time. But occassionally I wish that I could spend meaningless days in a stream of busy nothings, concerned only with enjoying the small magical moments that create beauties unseen by this fast paced, modern world.

Carrabba's...The New IT Place For Birthdays

2009-02-01T01:01:00.000-08:00

Tonight was Shelly's birthday. Lyd and I decided to take her out to dinner, but as none of us are any kind of decisive it took awhile to figure out where to go. And then it dawned on us, Carrabbas!

Carrabbas has all kinds of food and it's all good. Here Shelly is partaking of a frozen raspberry lemonade. Most delightsome. Drinks, soups, salads, pastas, meat...yummy! I realized tonight that I have been at Carrabbas several times for birthdays in the last little while. And so I decided that it is the new IT place for birthdays.

Yes, as I looked around I realized Carrabbas has everything I want in a birthday restaurant, including some dang good desserts for the birthday person. Perhaps one day they will pay me to advertise for them. Until then, I will just continue enjoying the cuisine :)

Looking Back, Facing Future

2009-01-30T01:49:00.000-08:00

Lately I've been compiling a list of places I've been and places that I'd like to see sometime in my life. I realized that over the last couple of years I've travelled quite a bit and so I thought I'd share a few of my voyages here.

Last summer Shelly and I ventured overseas to Berlin, Paris, and London. In Berlin we saw the Reichstag, Berlin Wall, Checkpoint Charlie and a plethora of museums, along with my brother Phil who was serving a mission there, and my friend Lisa who was an exchange student at my high school senior year.

We also took in the sight of Paris including: the Louvre, le Tour Eiffel, Notre Dame, Musee d'Orsay, L'Opera (where Phantom is set), and L'Arc de Triumph.

The last stop was London, with a side trip to Dover. We saw castles, palaces, gardens and parks, museums, Madame Tusseaux's wax museum, and a few plays in the West End :)

Since Europe I've kept my travels within the USA, but I've had the opportunity to travel with Naomi to Chicago several times, with the most memorable one being in the car with Brooklyn! We visited Yellowstone, Mt Rushmore, and various church sites in Missouri and Illinois on our way out.

Truth be told, I also really enjoyed our trip out there in December, sans Brooklyn, when we got to take in a showing of Wicked :)

Along with other trips to LA, Portland, Boise, several trips home to AZ and others, I've seen a bit of this corner of the world. But there's still so much more to see! So on the list for the near future are a summer backpacking trip in the Cascades of the WA peninsula with a stop in Portland, and more trips to AZ and Chicago. I think the more I can see of the world, the better I can understand this beautiful planet where I live. With so many gorgeous places left to see, the future is a bright light beckoning me to continue exploring!

Now, I Don't Believe in Idol Worship...

2009-01-24T02:07:00.001-08:00

But that doesn't mean that I don't support the occassional rare human being that astounds us all with feats previously deemed impossible. I refer, of course, to Michael Phelps. Thanks to my brother Greg, I now own a calendar that allows me to enjoy the sight of this famed athlete all year round; and I feel good about this. Not only does his unusually muscular physique motivate me to train my own body in such a manner, but his appealing enthusiam in months April and May increase my anticipation of victory during my forthcoming triathlon.

That's right. Starting Monday I shall be forsaking idleness in its other form and will turn into an exercise fiend. Days of swimming, running, and biking will turn me into a lean, mean triathloning machine. Of course I will never achieve the fame of Michael Phelps, but personal victories count for just as much in my book. I think Michael would agree.

For Naomi

2009-01-20T16:24:00.000-08:00

At the insistance of my long lost best friend who now resides in Chicago (aka the other side of the world), I have created this blog. For those who stumble upon it accidentally, I hope you find some amusement in my eccentric posts. For those who are family, nothing will suprise you. Happy reading Omi!