"Twihards"

This is for Rachel. Did we look this creepy when we saw it?



Yep. At least we say we're making fun of it.
Like this guy.

To Emily...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY FRIEND!
Its my amazing friend Emily's 28th birthday today...so here are 28 things I love about one of my dearest and best friends....

1. She has a gorgeous voice and is one of the most talented singers I know.
2. She is seriously an amazing mom...she has a sincerely perfect family.
3. She is the queen of coupons. She has it down to an art, its amazing to shop with her, when she ends up getting a cart full for approximately $5.
4. She is just plain hot. And not like, hot for a Mom, she is just hot!
5. She has the funnest laugh, that is contagious, occasionally spontanious, and always cute.
6. She is kind and giving, and thinks of others.
7. She has the most amazing blue eyes!
8. She (and her Hubby, Brad) always put the Lord first. I have never heard them NOT give credit to the Lord when they talk about how blessed they are.
9. She is stylish.
10. She is incredibly humble.
11. She is smart. Both book smart, and street smart. A good combination.
12. She is always honest. Sometimes hilariously honest :)
13. She is a rockin vocal teacher/choir director.
14. She is hilarious. We are always laughing...always.
15. She married up...and so did her husband. (that's hard to do, but it seriously happened)
16. She has two of the cutest most amazing little boys! (Parker and Garrett)
17. Shes extremely and unconditionally loving.
18. She is always positive. I rarely hear her complaining.
19. She's just fun. I love being around her.
20. She is a true friend, loyal and loving.
21. She is mature, but not too much ;) Heather, Emily and I still feel like we are giggling teenagers when we get together.
22. She gives great advice. Especially about boys, and helps me think through the craziness.
23. She is rarely if ever, in a really bad mood. Its always easy to make her laugh even if she is :)
24. She loves life, and loves her family more than anything.
25. She can fit a Pringles can lid in her mouth and carry on a comedy act with it. Thats talent.
26. She is non-judgmental, and gives people the benefit of the doubt.
27. She has always been a faithful and unwavering example of how a daughter of God should conduct her life.
28. Last but not least, she was smart enough to choose me as a friend! ;)

Love you, hope you had the best birthday ever!

October in review

First of all, HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

I've been on a blogging hiatus due to a vacation, a lost computer cord and being sick.
So here is the past month in review.

I decided last min to hop in the car with some peeps going to Ca for the weekend, so I got to go to the beach market, frolick with the fam, go to the BYU football game, hang with my favorite people Emily, Heather and Brandon. (why didn't we take pics Em and Heather!?). It was a great trip, so glad I went!
HB Pier (we took pictures like tourists. awesome.)


Haha, the pic above makes me laugh. something about the squinty eyes, and camera shadow. it was unsuccessful to say the least.

BYU @ San Diego game. I could be way off but it was thier 400th game I think. (I love these two SOO much, it was so fun to see them.)


Then last week Alicia and I (and my cousing Aubree) decided to go to my Grandparents to make Halloween treats! She makes delectable carmel chocolate apples every year so I got to join her. We also made some halloween cupcake pops. I got the idea from my friend here, and she got the idea here. They looked so cute, but due to a series of unfortunate events, and just me being inept and uncontrolably messy in the kitchen, we had to improvise, and they took 6hrs longer (thats not an exaggeration) than planned and took on differnent shapes and colors than planned. Aubree was a trooper and hung in there with my lameness, and we all had fun. Thanks to grandma for the kitchen for the whole day too! It was a rediculously long process doing a double recipe for the pops and 3 dozen apples, but actually we had tons of fun!


Aubree was mourning the tragic death of yet another cupcake pop.



Last but not least, I went out with a couple more of my favorite people, Kristine and Brittany. Kristine is from The Land of Norweigia, or its more commonly known as Norway. She's going back in a week, so it was fun to see her last night. We went to the Fashion Place mall and then the Cheesecake Factory! It was the most divine meal I have had in a long time. Soooo yummy, and such great company- we had a riot!
Madonna's "VOGUE" was seriously playing in the backround, so involuntary vogue-ing ensued.
My lips look like dead fish with collagen injections.


Oh..... and this is our Cheesecake and my favorite picture of the night, of how we felt about that cheesecake....


I love it!

Hope you all have a fun night of tricking and/or treating!

Yet another reason...

...that I am not ever going to have a baby. Ok, so since I have been around a lot more people that have had children recently, I hear horror stories of births, pain, large needles, "tearing", squishy post-baby insides, and much more. These stories do not help my desire to have children in the futre. Honestly, when I was on my mission, my bff Heather had her first baby, and she sent me a long letter about all the details of the birth and everything involved. I loved long detailed letters, but lets just say my companion thought I was reading a horror story by the reaction I was having. I guess I was more naive than I thought about the birth/labor process. THEN, I had an interesting experience while interpreting in a sex ed where they showed a birth, and just zoomed in on the "important" stuff (ah-hem) and we saw all the details. Including the "after-birth." (which she rewound while we watched everything go back in, and then come back out again.) The fact is, I'm getting a little freaked out, people. Your kids are cute (they really are), but I can enjoy them from a distance, right?


So here is the news story that inspired this oh-so-uplifting post. This is a baby that was recently born in Indonesia at 19.2 pounds. 19.2 lbs people! I am sure that it would be my luck to have a 19lb baby. ahhh! (the baby on the left is a "normal" baby to compare)



Here is another picture of a six month old Iranian baby. Ahhh again!


cute but a little bit scary!

(ok, before I get hate mail, these things are more of my musings, rather than me actually saying birth is nasty, and I refuse to have kids. Don't worry, I sincerely know there are great things attached to having kids, and am sure I will get over it.)

Higher Caliber

Introducing, the new addition to my little family of one....


Its my new(ish) car!!! Its a 2007 Dodge Caliber, and its wonderful. I have been researching theses puppies for a while and found a serious deal, and seized the moment.

Some things I love about it:

great gas mileage

great in snow in general (front wheel drive)

the look of the body looks like a mini SUV

its super duper roomy

has an aux power outlet so my IPOD can directly plug into the system rather than go though the radio which sounds crappy. (this may be my favorite feature, im not gonna lie.)

drink cooling feature w/slots in the huge glove compartment

also, the cup holders light up at night. seriously.



what a cute butt!

Things I Regret...

I am sure we all like to say "I live my life with no regrets," but honestly, I think everyone has regrets. Some are big, some are teensy weensy, but no matter what, they are there. I am not going to talk about all my big stuff, just my TOP 5 little ones, but they have stuck with my for some reason, and I thought it would be therapeutic to "let them go--send them to the universe."
(I know, right, I'm super deep)

REGRET #5 I should not have been afraid to be myself and laughed:

When I was 12 I had a crush on a guy named Shaw, who I rode the bus with. One day, he was being extra goofy with his friend, apparently trying to show off. It totally worked, because I thought he was ah-mazing. So, the whole bus ride home I totally ignored him because I didn't want him to think I liked him (makes total sense, right?). It was so hard for me not to laugh and swoon, but I did it and was pretty proud of myself. As we got to my stop, I started to get up to go, and he said to me "Hey! Don't you ever smile!?" Wahhhh! I was so crushed and my plan totally backfired (ok, maybe it wasn't a well thought out plan). I mumbled "ha, yeah." and got off the bus totally dejected. I steered clear of him for the rest of the school year.

REGRET #4 I should have stayed in Ballet and Tap.

I will just simply say to all you youngin's out there, (none of whom are actually reading this) when givin the option to be in fun, social dance classes, or quit so you don't miss The Mickey Mouse Club and Kids Inc., don't choose the latter. (thats why God invented DVR, right?...right?)

REGRET #3 I shouldn't have been afraid of dumb boys.

This very much relates to both of the previous ones. I LOVED soccer, and was in it for several years as a kid. One year we moved, and the soccer teams were co-ed, so I refused to join because I would have boys on my team! Boys!...oh the horror! (anyone still wondering why I'm not married?.... cricket.....cricket...stare...thats what I thought.)

REGRET #2 Joining Facebook

There goes my life.

REGRET #1 Not documenting more about my life

I really wish I would have written in my Journal more in my life. Especially in HS it would have been nice to be able to go back and see what I was like, what I thought about, etc. I have a few things I wrote (probably 10 journals with the first 2-3 pages written on) and its so interesting to see what I thought, and how I wrote because its amazing how much you forget in such a short time. Thats why I think this blog is better than nothing for me.

Cruise and some News...

First...I had an amazing week cruising to Mexico which I will go into more in a moment,
and 2nd, I am now a Professional level interpreter in Utah!

I just found out today I passed my Professional Level exam! It used to be called the Level 2, because there were 3 levels, but now there are only 2 levels in Utah, the Novice and Professional. I am super excited, and its so nice to be done with that, and I never have to take another state test! Next goal... the NIC test! (National Interpreter Certification)

So, on to the cruise...

It was just plain amazing, and you can see a bit more about that in Rachel's Blog. For those of you who don't know I went on a 7-night cruise with my friend who is an Interpreter too, and it was also a cruise where we could earn CEH's (continuing education units) which are needed for certification upkeep. There was a famous interpreter/comedian, and a deaf storyteller that taught our classes while we were at sea. We had so much fun with them both in class and just hanging around the ship and Mexico.

We had so much fun, and too many funny times to count. Basically the highlights for me were, gorgeous beaches (Cabo was our favorite), Parasailing, free room service, people-watching (really people-heckling), hanging out with and learning from the great Keith Wann and Peter Cook and Wormy, and Rachel and I dancing the night away with them. Here are some pictures for your viewing pleasure.


Inside the ship, overlooking "Main St." :


Some of the interpreters including Rachel and I, and all the presenters.
This is what we lovingly call "drunk face":

Poolside Party at about 1am....Me, Peter Cook, Mona Jean, Wormy, and Rachel:

Wormy, Peter Cook, and me at the club in on the ship called "Dragons Lair" ha. Both are deaf and put all the "hearies" to shame on the dance floor....(especially cornrows and her BF) :


Towel monkey and me:

The cruiseship as seen from Lovers beach in Cabo San Lucas, it doesn't look it, but its actually really far away from the beach:

The beach at Mazatlan where I went Parasailing:

Me welcoming everyone near and far to Puerto Vallarta:
Us sailing to Lovers beach in our glass bottomed boat with our tour guide crazy hair and an even crazier english vocabulary, which included "Scooby dooby dooooo" and "Drunk seals Stiiiinnkkyyyy!" :
Me and Rachel "canoodling" Platonically, of course. (we're pretty sure 90% of the people there thought we were "together")

Me high in the sky, away from the dock! I sail, Dr. M! I sail! (Parasail!) :

Free Roooom Service!! :


Formal Dining night:
The yummiest way to drink a fruity drink! :

Best Wedding Ever!

I have been planning on writing a post about the the wedding since I got back from California, but I keep postponing it... no more. Since this is my journal of sorts, I wanted to write down the experience. First of all James and Taylor looked absolutely amazing! I am serious, they are such a gorgeous couple if I do say so myself. James had on an ascot tuxedo, which my aunt Alicia says is worn primarily in Europe (she is the family world traveler!). It was unique and super classy, and James pulled it of quite nicely! It matched with Taylor's style of dress, which was vintage looking, and she designed it herself! It was so perfect, and she was radiant in it!


To start from the beginning for me, I arrived a week prior to the wedding, and was able to help with the last min stuff, which was nice because I honestly felt like I hadn't been able to be much of a help here in Utah. It was a busy and expectedly-stressful week, but still pleasant, and we had fun. Taylors friend, Bekah, flew in and was a huge help, especially since we were helping pack both of them up to move to Texas. Taylor and I got pedicures and spray tans, and it was just fun being there with them before the wedding. It also made me realize just how much there is to do for a wedding... so many little things that add up to lots of $$ and time. But there were lots of amazing people that contributed so it went perfectly.

I honestly thought that on the actual wedding day, it would be super stressful, and things would probably go wrong that we weren't anticipating, but honestly everything seemed to just go smoothly. There were a couple of things we forgot but thanks to friends and family's help (thanks Alicia and Ash!), no one noticed, and it was acutally REALLY fun and enjoyable! I noticed that a lot of people came and stayed though out the ceremony and reception, and enjoyed themselves. No offense, but a lot of mormon weddings seem to go like this: Show up in flip-flops, drop off gift, shake bride and grooms hand, grab food, and run. It was hardly that, and fun was had by all. I think the big hits of the night were the cute and yummy candy station, and James' song he wrote and surprised Taylor with. Lots of people were in tears.

The part that I did not mention yet was the temple. Of course it is a sacred experience that I don't want to make light of on a blog, but I do want to say that most everyone there agreed that it was one of the most spiritual wedding ceremonies they had attended, and we were all taken aback by how strong the spirit was and the emotions we felt. It confirmed to us that this was a union blessed by the Lord. I think our family gained a lot of closeness in many ways by that beautiful ceremony. The patriarch who gave James his patriaracal blessing, Pres. Borquest, did the ceremony, and it couldn't have been a better person to convey the spririt like he did. I have never seen James and Taylor so peacful and happy as they were that day.

We had a lot of family (and friends) travel far (Utah, Az, Canada, etc.), sacrifice time and money to help with and be a part of the wedding, and it was so fun, thanks to everyone! I saw how much my parents put in to all of this too, and am in awe of them too, they are truly amazing people.

James and Taylor went to Mexico on a cruise for the Honeymoon, and had tons of fun, and when they got back, they loaded everything into a trailer, and moved to Austin, Texas where they both had great jobs waiting for them. (and a beautiful apt!) So far they seem to love it, and their jobs are going really well, and they are loveing married life. Looks like I will have to take a few trips to Austin!








Taylor, James and Taylor's dad, Bill





Kenny(James' friend), James, Chris (James' friend), Alex (Taylors Brother, James' new Bro!)

The grooms Family

Julie, Laurel, Michelle, Addie, Christopher, Ron




Ashley, Aubree, Kim and Alicia decorating the get away car :)

I stayed the week after the wedding, which was nice and spent some more time with family, and friends (I miss you Heather and Emily!!!), and even took a surf trip to San Diego with friends, and while I didn't catch a wave, I got severely burned which was just super. (how many times do I have to be burned from an overcast day to finally learn my lesson?!) It was worth it though, because I am hardly ever with these girls and had an awesome time in spite of the scalded epidermis.

Roxy Premier of "Dear and Yonder" about the amazing women surfers around the world
Christi and I and our free Roxy Flip flops!
Some cool surf chicks, Suzette, Gina, Christi, and Jeni