I LOVE THIS GIRL!

And she's getting MARRIED!!!!!


As you can see we have done ALOT together... these pictures don't even scrap the surface!

I am SO happy for Shellie and Mike and know they are going to be so happy together!

Shellie and I have known each other since kindergarten but it wasn't until 7th grade we realized we were best friend material.

We have had so many adventures together since then! We have gone to Countless concerts, (Rascal Flatts, Tim and Faith x 3, Martina McBride, Keith Urban, Taylor Swift, BSB x 2, NSYNC, Brittany Spears, and of course KENNY CHESNEY X like 7!) We have been on several awesome vacations (Chicago, LA x 3, Las Vegas x 4, San francisco, Jackson Hole x 2, Arizona x 2, Fish lake, Lake Powell and probably a million places I am forgetting!

We have spent millions of hours talking. I know that I can tell Shellie anything, she is the best secret keeper. Shellie is the person I call when I just want someone to know what to say. She is really good at celebrating good news with me and making bad news not seem so bad. She has the kindest heart and doesn't hold a grudge. That being said she has the memory of an elephant and never forgets....

I hope Mike knows what a great wife he is going to have and he also knows that when it comes to concerts, especially Kenny Chesney there is no price limit!

Congratulations Shellie, I love you so much!

Do you know?

So I am headed into finals and spent 8 hrs yesterday writing/editing a 20 page paper! Boo!!! Anyway, I promised someone I would post so here it is! I will try to post something else tomorrow too so check back!

So back in October I was in the kitchen at my apartment, minding my own business, when I noticed a pile of brown "dust". I honestly thought my roommate had spilled spices or seasoning on the floor. So I wiped it up and continued with my life.



The next day, the pile was back. As soon as I saw it I got this uneasy feeling of you are not alone, as in... there something making this pile that is unwanted. I went and hid in my bedroom until Carin got home and proceeded to frantically tell her about and show her the pile. She looked at it and calmly said "Oh, looks like termites."

My first thoughts:
Termites? Termites? What?
I am from UTAH, I don't think we have those there.
Houses covered in white tents while they are fumigated.
Being homeless for weeks, etc.
All things dramatic basically.

(I'll leave out the part where someone convinced me it was a mouse not termites, then I really freaked out!)

Fortunately my landlord had the same reaction as Carin and scheduled an exterminator to come. But we were supposed to sign these papers that said we can't be there for 2 hrs after they spray and the chemicals can do who knows what to us if we are.

Well we didn't sign the paper and Carin probably came back 15 min after they sprayed because we don't know when they came. (we are watching her for signs of illness and hoping she doesn't develop cancer)

The termites were not gone after 1 spraying and they came and sprayed again, I hoping this really solves our problem!

Beach and Tacos

My relaxing weekend of doing nothing went well for the most part. But Friday was way to nice outside not to take advantage of it. I think it was 85 at the beach, which was amazing because I'll previous experiences at the beach made me wish I had a sweatshirt. But Friday was BEAUTIFUL and WARM. I even saw Dolphins! I was so excited. It always amazes me when I look at the ocean how much goes on under there and we can't see it.





My second outting for the weekend was Tito's Tacos! My roommate and her friend had never been there so I was more then excited to take them. They have delicious salsa, drinkable really! Just ask Jessica :) It is a total dive but if you are ever in LA it is MUST! As you can see we had quite the spread of yummy food!

Another fun weekend!

Cheers!

October

I really can't believe it is already November. It's hard for me to believe that 4 1/2 months ago my life was completely different. I was very happy but not progressing anywhere with my job that made me dumber each day. Its hard to believe that now I live in Los Angeles and I only know a handful of people, I am not really working (which I am not complaining about), I go to school and I LOVE school! I have a very simple life now but I am happy and I know that everything takes time and the more time I spend in LA the more I will like it. Here are some pics from my crazy October...


The first weekend of October was of course General Conference. It felt weird for me to be so far away from "The Motherland" as I have come to refer to Utah as. I watched the Saturday sessions on my computer and that was definitely different then flipping on channel 5 but I got the message. Luckily I was able to watch Sunday session with Meg and her kids and that made is feel more normal to be around family. I just love conference and listening to the important messages!




The second weekend in October I drove to San Diego for Rosey's Birthday party. She is such a doll and I am glad that she lives "close". I left too late on a friday and it ended up taking me an extra 1hr and 20 min... but that is the story of LA and I figured out how to listen to conference on my phone. A very calming way to be in traffic!
Her friends threw her a great Black/Gold party. It was so cute! They even painted dolls gold and The Roseys instead of the Oscars. So cute! Meredith, Rose's sister was in town so it was so fun to hang out with her and get caught up. It was fun to see them interact as sisters because they are so close in age and it made me miss Jessica a lot. The next day we went to the beach and can I just say I LOVE San Diego beach. In all fairness I haven't experience LA beach yet and hopefully will get to with the heat wave this weekend of 90 degrees!






The 3rd weekend I went to San Francisco and ran the Nike Women's Marathon. I spent friday sightseeing by myself and I went to Japanese Tea Gardens in Golden Gate park. They were so pretty and peaceful. Then I went to the Aquarium and the coolest thing there was the tank of jellyfish... I guess I was expecting a whale or something :)
The race was really hard. I had just developed my cough (which I still have) and running 13.2 miles with a barking/hacking cough plus it started to rain... awesome. But I finished and I am glad I went. It is always so fun to be apart of something so big.






The next weekend I flew BACK to San Francisco to be a bridesmaid in my old roommate Michelle's wedding. It was a great weekend and great day. She looked so beautiful and happy! Congrats Michelle!






The last weekend in October my friend Kari from my last job came. She loves Disneyland so the first thing we did of course was go to Disneyland!!! It was my first time going since I moved here.. I cant believe I live so close! I love how they decorate it for Halloween. We took a tour of the Kodak Theater where they hold the Oscars and I had my FIRST Celebrity citing since moving here.. We saw Jane Lynch who plays Coach Sue on Glee... we walked right by her and made eye contact... so fun! We stalked celebrity houses, ate good food and went to a cool movie theater. It was a busy but fun weekend!!!! Thanks for coming Kari!



And Lastly my favorite part of living in LA is I get to see these cute kids more... I took them to Shave-Its last week and we had so much fun. They say the most random and hilarious things! Love them...

There is my October. Congrats if you are still reading. After recapping my month I realize no wonder I am still sick... So this weekend I am doing NOTHING and couldn't be more excited!

Cheers!

1st September in California!

It has been a Crazy and busy month that has felt like a year! I started school exactly a month ago today. It has gone by fast as far as school is concerned but everything else has gone slow. I absolutely LOVE LOVE LOVE my classes! I just know this is the program for me and I know I am supposed to be here...



Troy and I drove down on Aug 30th. It took us 13hrs with the trailer and I don't think Troy realized how long it would take us. But he is a champ! Even the next day when we had to take everything to my storage unit he didn't say anything. I seriously couldn't have done this with out him! Thanks Troy!!!




The first weekend I got here my new roommate, Carin, had planned a huge party at Pismo Beach with about 60 LDS singles. It was Crazy and Fun! I only new Carin so I had a lot of people to meet who all had their friends. It was overwheling at times but mostly fun with lots of dancing, great food and people. Pismo Beach is the only beach in CA that you are allowed to drive on. I have never seen anything like it! you are looking at the beach and it literally looks like the the 1 has moved to the beach. A constant stream of cars all day and all night. With the sand dunes there it is like W.T. Heaven!

One of the days we were there a group of us drove up to Hearst Castle. It is amazing and in the middle of no where. But if you ever have the chance to see it...go!






The 3rd weekend in September I drove down to visit my cute friend Rosey and her friends to see the wonderful Darius Rucker and Brad Paisley in concert. I love concerts and this one was so fun! It was a little crazy with all the drunk people and let's be honest no one does White Trash like Country Music! So Fun!

I got to San Diego really early because I didn't want to be in traffic getting out of L.A. so I found the San Diego Temple and walked around. It has always been my favorite temple. I think it looks like a castle and the grounds are so BEAUTIFUL!



I did get moved in so I will post pictures of the apartment and area soon. I love my roommate. She is really easy to live with and a lot of fun. I feel like there was divine intervention in having us live together. The ward is good. Lots of people but I am excited to get involved and meet people.





The hardest thing about leaving Utah is not seeing My Cookie Face everyday! I love that little guy and I am glad that he is starting to talk on the phone. He told me the other day he wants to me come home! And today he sang me songs (ABC's, Ring around the Rosie, Twinkle Twinkle, and Dinosaurs go Stomp Stomp Stomp) I am not sure about the last one but the others were sang perfectly! I miss you Graham!



P.S. The battery died in my camera so I didn't have any pictures luckily Rosey had hers and google images is a great thing.

CrAzY MoNtH

This has been a crazy month and possibly the longest one of my life! Almost exactly a month a go I got some great news! I got accepted into the Guidance and Counseling for College Students Masters Program at California Lutheran University! It is a 2 year program. I Start September 1st. I move next Monday. I drove my car down to Megan's house a few days after I found out and I checked out the campus, where I want to live, and the ward. It was a very busy week. I don't think it has totally set in and I am trying NOT to think about it because it makes me an emotional wreak. I always thought I wanted to leave Utah and now that I have the chance I am really torn.... But nonetheless in a little more then a week I will be a resident of SO CAL! So here is to a new ADVENTURE!

Pioneer Trek

The 2nd week in July I had the amazing opportunity to go on the Pioneer Trek in Wyoming with my singles ward. I had no idea it would be that amazing! I was called to be a Ma so I was "married" on trek and my "Husband" was nothing short of adorable and we had the best "children". I really grew to love each of them! As my roommate would say, "We didn't have much, But we had love" and that pretty much sums it up. The picture is of our little family "The Trekkies" minus my oldest son Karl, who is actually my roommates dad and possibly the coolest guy on the planet. We love Karl! When I got home I was asked to speak in church about my experience. Bro. Davis called me at 9:30 Saturday night and I was not happy but I had such a wonderful experience that I really did want to share. Martin's Cove is one of the most sacred places I have been. We walked 5 miles the first day, 15 miles the 2nd and 15 the 3rd. I have done hard things but this really challenged me. I really loved every second trek!

July

July was a crazy month! My favorite Holiday is the 4th of July so all the festivities make is so busy and so fun! I am pretty sure that their is nowhere better in the country to celebrate the 4th. Utah county knows how to throw a party! We went to the stadium of fire and Carrie Underwood was great, I could have done without the rest but she puts on a great show! Then we went to the parade and I thought the parade was actually pretty good this year. But the best part of July was that Megan and her kids, who came up for the holiday, stayed the entire month! It was so fun to have them here. Since I quit my job I was able to spend a lot of time with them. It was so fun!

Las Vegas

Because it is 2:30 am and I have a headache and I am waiting for the Motrin to kick in and my apartment is just shy of 100 degrees I am going to blog...

A few weeks ago Shellie and I went to Las Vegas to see Kenny Chesney. By now I know that you know that I LOVE him! I would like to think if I ever met him that I would be normal but we all know that just is not true. He is so awesome in concert! I seriously love him!

We left Wednesday after work and flew down there. I have never flown to Vegas before but I will have to say I enjoy it! We got there really late and just went to sleep. The next 2 days we spent by the pool at the Hard Rock Hotel. I thought the pool was pretty to look at but boy did it have hot sand. I didn't even know sand could get that hot. Even flip-flops didn't protect you!

We went on the strip once and that was fun, except for the ride over with our creepy driver, we shopped and ate dinner at my favorite restaurant ever! The Grande Luxe, I don't know why I love it so much but I do!

The day of the concert was long. It was General Admission floor seating so we had to stand in line from 4-6:30 and then they let us in to stand from 6:30-8 when the concert started. And then we stood through the concert for 2 more hrs! I was so tired and people were so drunk but Kenny was amazing as always.... did I mention I love him? :)

Mama Jan

I stole ALL these pictures from Jessica's Blog... she was the one with the camera!






My Beautiful, Wonderful, Amazing, Strong, Spiritual, Spunky, closet of a comedian Mother turned 60 yesterday! (Jess threw her under the bus first so she can't be mad I disclosed her age). I love my mom more then words can describe. She is my best friend and the glue that keeps our family together. She has been through a lot with me and for me and I owe her everything! I love to listen to my mom tell stories because I can usually help her finish it. As she says "She gets me!" and I really do. Thanks mom for being beautiful, Wonderful, Amazing, Strong, Spiritual, Spunky, and a closet comedian. You make me laugh harder then anyone! Keep being sassy! I love you Mama Jan!

We had a great party for her yesterday and Jessica had the cutest decorations! It looked great. My Mom's brother and sister came to help her celebrate.... We missed you Jody!

"R Wii There Yet?"

This past weekend I completed the Wasatch Back! It was CrAzY! We left at 3:00am on Friday morning so we could be in Logan at 5:00am and Runner 1 could start at 6:15. I only got an hour of sleep and was so tired. I was also nervous about my fist leg. It was 6.7 miles and classified as hard. I started my run at 7:30 and my ankle was aching as soon as I started running luckily after a few blocks I felt great! I was running 2 min/mile faster then I planned. Everything was AwEsOmE! Logan is gorgeous and I was having a great time running, listening to my music and admiring the scenery. Then BAM! I fell. Flat on my face. I really don't know what happened. I know that I was running near the edge of the shoulder and the soft gravel shoulder and I might have stepped wrong.

As soon as I landed my thought I need to get up fast before this starts to hurt. My shoe fell off so I needed to grab that and then these people from another team helped bandage me up at their van because my elbow was bleeding. I was starting to black-out as I was standing there because I was in shock. My team was at the exchange so I had no choice but to keep running the 3.3 miles I had left. I think the shock and adrenaline helped me get there. I was so embarrassed! I mean really? who falls like that? 80 year old women walking around the block... not people running races. I haven't fallen since October 9, 2007 when I sprained my ankles and couldn't run my first marathon. Basically my running curse is getting worse and I am reconsidering my retirement....

The next leg was 3 miles that night and it wasn't too bad. I was still shaky from fall but I made it through it and then the next day after 4 hrs of sleep I ran the last 3.3 mile of my legs. Then I got to relax but I really wanted to shower and sleep but that came later. Our team finished at 8:15pm on Saturday. So 38hrs... We weren't fast but we finished! I am glad I did it and would do it again with a few different people!