e k w

new blog!!

2010-03-15T21:24:00.000-07:00

i have a new blog!

check it out.....

ekbernhisel.blogspot.com

8 for 10

2010-02-26T07:03:00.000-08:00

According to an article on MSN this morning, the following are the 10 Accessories every woman should own. I usually don’t agree with the ‘lists’ that they come up with, but I have to say that I like, and agree with, this one!

I’m 8 for 10.... what about you??

1. Pumps. Whether they have pointy, round, or square toes, these classic heels look smart at work and sexy at night. Always have a black pair.

2. Flats. Simple ballet slippers or skimmers are a more comfortable answer to the all-purpose pump. They’re great for when you’re on the go.

3. Diamonds. Rings, earrings, necklaces, bracelets: No matter what form they come in, these sparkly stones will always shine — even if you are wearing jeans and a T-shirt.

4. Pearls. A classic, ladylike staple, these lustrous beads, as tidy little earrings or a single or multistrand necklace, always add polish and elegance to your outfit.

5. A structured bag. In a medium size, a sturdy, top-handle leather bag will serve you well every day.

6. A clutch. For evening, it’s essential. A slim, sleek little bag that fits just the necessities is the piece to carry at night.

7. A belt. This piece can turn an ensemble from sloppy to sleek in an instant. It’s a good idea to have multiple waist cinchers — thin, medium, and wide — in your closet.

8. A cocktail ring. Give your evening style a glam punch with a big-stoned bauble. Try bold, colorful stones for added effect.

9. A cuff. A thick bracelet in gold, silver, or enamel is a timeless accent and works day or night.

10. A metal watch. A high-quality, classic timepiece, like a tank or a bracelet style — whether gold or stainless steel — will last you a lifetime.

2010-01-21T19:32:00.000-08:00

i miss him so much already.

(temple square, december)

Happy New Years!!

2010-01-01T11:35:00.000-08:00

we need YOUR help!

matt and i are trying to decide on a wedding picture to frame for our house....and that's where you come in! we started with a kazillion pictures and narrowed it down to our favorite 7!

so please pick your favorite picture(s) and leave us a comment!!

[keep in mind - these are 4x6 pictures, and we're getting an 11x14, so the proportions will be a bit different]

ONE:

TWO:

THREE:

FOUR:

FIVE:

SIX:

SEVEN:

Thank for your help!

.....and Happy 2010!!

wedding pictures!!

2009-10-11T20:44:00.000-07:00

...... are posted on Facebook!!

We narrowed it down from over 550 pictures to about 90 - which is still WAY too many to post on the blog! So check them out on FB and leave some comments! :)

One day, we will get the mattandemily blog started, but that day is not today!!

Lunch.

2009-09-30T12:06:00.000-07:00

My lunch today consists of:

peanut butter sandwich - with Jif extra-crunchy, on white Grandma Sycamore's bread

fresh raspberries

and fruit snacks!

yum! yum! yum! yummy!!!!!!

3 of my 4 top favorite foods :) i am one happy girl!

Sneak Peek!!

2009-09-08T20:28:00.001-07:00

Here's a few pictures that a friend of mine took after Matt and I got our 'Groomals' with our photographer. You'll have to stay tuned for more pictures of my dress! :)

ONE month!!!!

2009-08-19T16:07:00.000-07:00

One month from today, I get to marry this cute boy!!!

Matching

2009-08-18T12:06:00.000-07:00

Courtney and I have matching Jeans.

We love it.

And Matt has the man-version of the jeans!

Hey, when you find good jeans, you have to share - I mean, isn't that what friends are for!!

A 'sorta' update

2009-08-17T15:25:00.001-07:00

I've become quite a lazy blogger lately. The problem being that I have WAY too many things to blog about, and no where near enough time to do it in!!

Here is a link to my friend Courtney's blog. She's a much better writer than I am, so just read her post, and enjoy the pictures!!! Gatta love those flapper dresses!!

This weekend, I had my first Bridal Shower!! Courtney, Diana, Megan and Sheri did an excellent job!! Man, I'm going to miss these girls!

The 'Party Planners' - Sheri, Megan, Me, Courtney, and Diana

The AMAZING food!! Everything was home made, and tasted great!

Me and the gifts!! Which may or may not have been about 90% lingerie :)

I could easily have blogged about many other things - such as:

-Belly Dancing classes

-The 'Man Shower' that Matt's friends threw for him

-Being 'homeless'

-My adventures in house/Dog sitting for a friend of mine this week

-Getting my Endowments taken out in the Portland Temple

-Wedding planning and the details of that

-All the car troubles that Matt and I have been having

-The annual Ward Camp out

-My mom's quick trip to Portland

-Matt's first Pedicure

-Movies in the Park on hot summer nights

-My first experience at the Crepe Cart in downtown

-The amazing Portland Cello Project concert last weekend

-My first Monster Truck rally

-All the things that I'm going to miss about Portland

....... and the list goes on.

But that's all for now!!!

Check it out!!

2009-08-12T23:22:00.000-07:00

our blog!

mattandemilybernhisel.blogspot.com

[click here!]

awesome!!

2009-07-23T11:50:00.000-07:00

My awesome U-Haul!!!

My mom and I get to drive this baby back to Utah tomorrow!

We packed it up this morning with all my stuff [minus 3 weeks worth of stuff to keep here in Portland while I'm homeless], and we're ready to head off bright and early tomorrow.

Now we're off to get a pedicure to reward ourselves for all our hard work :)

Ironic?

2009-07-12T20:07:00.001-07:00

Ironic how at the end of my last post, I patted myself on the back for being a good blogger. And then no posts for a month.

Oops!!

Maybe this next month I'll be better!

Tuesday Nights are my favorite!

2009-06-11T08:37:00.001-07:00

Matt and I have started having Tuesday Night Date Nights! Weekends are usually busy doing things with friends, so we decided to have Tuesday Nights be our night!

Last weekend, we went on a wonderful walk along the waterfront in downtown. Even on a Tuesday night, there were plenty of things to see, and Portland is always great for some awesome people watching!!

So on Tuesday night, Matthew cooked me dinner, then we went to this place by his house called Ceramic Cafe. They have tons of different plates, cups, bowls, whatever you want. And then you pick you paint color and paint however you want! After you finish painting, you leave it with them, they 'fire' it for you, and then in 5 days we will have our finished pieces - all shiny and dishwasher/microwave safe!!

You can draw whatever design you like with pencil, and then the pencil burns off in the kiln [spell??]. I had done this about a year ago, and made a big black/white/red argyle plate, so I decided to make a coordinating bowl! I know it looks like it's going to be grey and pink, but after they do whatever they do to it, it will be black

and red and shiny!! Matthew made a little plate - and found a much more efficient way to paint the bottom of the plate by just pouring the paint directly onto the plate!

I'll try and remember to post pictures of our finished bowl and plate once we get them back!

On to other news - my ring will be

done today! Next week, Matt and I are going to Utah to do wedding stuff, and get engagement pictures! Cross your fingers that I can find a wedding dress!

At the beginning of July, I'm off to Washington DC with a friend to celebrate the Fourth of July!!

Matt and I have also taken up racket ball. Ok - so we've only played twice, but it's alot of fun, and Matt is a great teacher who is very patient with me and my lack of coordination!

AND... my favorite show ever is back on again - So You Think You Can Dance! YAY!!! We get together with a bunch of friends on Thursday nights and watch all the dances an everything [minus commercials - thanks Tivo!!] and pick our favorites. Always a good time!

That's about all for now! I've actually done quite a good job of blog posting lately! This is like my second or third post this month!!

2009-06-05T18:09:00.001-07:00

I am convinced that there is not a problem in this world that can't be fixed with a good pedicure!! There's just something about sitting in that big, black chair that makes all your problems go away!! Maybe it's the massage. Or maybe having someone rub your feet. Or the nice calf massage and oil rub that they do. Maybe it's the gossip with good friends, or maybe it's that final wax-dip! Maybe it's just the warm towels and brightly painted toes that make me smile. Whatever it is... I'm just glad that I can go to my local little pedicure place and escape from it all for a little while!

Ah.... I already want to go back!!

Canada, eh?

2009-06-03T16:39:00.000-07:00

I spent the past week in Vancouver and Victoria Canada with my Family! It was a great little family trip – lots of pretty driving, pretty scenery, beautiful weather, and good family times!

Warning!! There are a ton of pictures in this post!!

A cool bridge right outside the Washington/Canada border

Dad, me and Dave at a cool waterfall

downtown Vancouver at some cool, really old clock

eating lunch at a park

a view of Vancouver as we left on the Ferry.

me and Dave at the Chinese Gardens

family photo! right outside Whistler - where the 2010 Winter Olympics are going to be

Dave and I did a zip-line tour. There were 5 zip lines, and it was awesome! The longest one was almost a half-mile long!!

dave on the zip line

me and Dave at one of the tree balcony things

self-portrait while on the zip line!

Dave up-side-down!!

Me up-side-down!!

me and my mom!

me and Dave touching the freezing cold water off Vancouver Island!

Dave giving Mom a piggy-back ride. How cute!

view from another ferry ride

is there ever such a thing as TOO much ice cream?!?!
[obviously the pre-wedding diet has NOT started! haha]

views around Vancouver Island

A cool Castle tour in Victoria, Canada

family bike ride along the water in Victoria

Great family trip!

....here comes the bride......

2009-05-20T09:57:00.001-07:00

we're engaged!!!!!!!

that's right - Matt proposed last night, and I said YES!! And we are getting MARRIED!!!! There are not enough exclamation points in the world to explain how excited I am!!

We are getting married on September 19th in the Bountiful Temple! The 19th is a special day for us, and September 19th, 2003 was our very first kiss - way back when we were freshmen in college!

DISCLAIMER!!!:
apparently this is not my real ring! The diamond is the real thing, but there were some problems with the band, so this is just a temporary one. Matt just wanted to propose on the 19th, and I'm leaving on Friday, so the real thing will be finished when I get back. I promise to post pictures as soon as we get it! So just ignore the weird band for now!
The proposal story is nothing super exciting. It was sweet, simple, and meaningful - just like I've always wanted!! So when Matt came over to my place yesterday afternoon, I was watching Garden State [remember this post! haha] - which is our favorite movie, for many reasons. I think we both see certain characteristics about ourselves and each other in the main characters. Honestly - I don't remember exactly how it happened, but it was at the end when it's playing one of our favorite songs, and we started talking. We were just sitting on my living room floor, and all the sudden, he got up on his knees and started reaching into his pocket. In my mind, I was thinking "Holy crap - is he really going to propose right now?!?!". And he DID!! He said all sorts of sweet and wonderful things, and then asked if I would marry him. And of course I said YES!!! Afterwards, he took me to dinner at my favorite place ever - Noodles & Co. On the way there, we got pulled over for Matt not wearing his seatbelt, but once we told the officer that he had just barley proposed and I flashed him my ring, he let us off with just a warning! Pretty funny that the first person to find out that we were engaged was some random police officer!! haha!

And now begins our lifetime adventure together!!!!!

[ps - have I mentioned how much i LOVE this boy?!?!]

TWO years!!

2009-05-15T09:50:00.000-07:00

Two years ago today, I packed up my car and moved to Portland!! I never thought I'd love Portland as much as I do!!!! I love the city, the scenery, but most of all, I love all the wonderful people that I've met since moving here!

As much stuff as I could possibly fit into my car!!Here's to the next few months being the best summer ever!!

completly unrelated

2009-05-12T13:44:00.000-07:00

Wasn’t I just adorable!

Best movie ever:

I have probably watch this movie atleast once a week for the past 2 months. LOVE it! Zach Braff is great, and I just love Natalie Portman! The soundtrack is also excellent!

[It's Rated R, so you can borrow my edited version if you want to watch it!]

Quote of the Month:

“Once upon a time there was a boy who loved a girl, and her laughter was a question that he wanted to spend the rest of his life answering”

From the book:

west side!

2009-05-06T19:46:00.000-07:00

He's here!! Matt's here! We're both in Portland and despite the rain, everything is great!! Yesterday, we went to the coast - and even though it wasn't the best weather, we had a good time! We went to dinner, and Matt had some of the best crab legs he's ever had! He was talking about them the rest of the night!!

Cute houses along the coast at Cannon Beach

Matt touching the water on the West Coast!

not so sure about the face that I'm making - but I love these new shades! :)
... and Haystack Rock in the background

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2009-04-21T13:36:00.000-07:00

ELEVEN DAYS!!!

That's right - only 11 days until this cute boy is moving to Portland!!

We've survived the past Six months of long distance, and now we finally get to live in the same place!! No more nightly phone calls lasting until the wee hours of the morning. No more Skype dates. No more only seeing eachother every 3 or 4 weeks. No more sad good-byes at the airport. No more worrying about the time-zone differences. And no more not being able to get a hug when you really need one!

Just US, the wonderful city of Portland, and a summer that's bound to be full of adventures!

happy April!!

2009-04-01T10:25:00.000-07:00

OK – so I realize that I’m the worse blogger ever! And it’s not that I don’t have anything to blog about – it’s more like I have too many things to write about, so I just don’t write about any of them!

I should post pictures from my trip to San Francisco with my mom – which was a blast! Or from the short trip up to Seattle with Matt over his Spring Break. But there are just too many pictures to choose from! Next week, I’m heading to Utah for my friends wedding! And then no more trips planned until I head to Washington DC for the Fourth of July! I absolutely LOVE fireworks, so I can’t wait to be in DC on the Fourth! How much more patriotic can you get?!

Matt is now a certified Phlebotomist Technician. Congrats to him!! This means that he can draw blood from anyone- and he's certified to do it in all 50 States! He had to take a month long class, and take a written test as well as get a certain amount of ‘pokes’ by taking blood from other people. I’m scared to death of needles, so he has yet to poke me! But if any of you need your blood drawn, I know someone who would love to do it for you!!

And here is the most random assortment of a few pictures from my last couple weeks:

SAN FRANCISCO WITH MADRE:

Mom and I rented bikes and rode across the Golden Gate Bridge - in the wind and rain! But it was still awesome and totally worth it!

The Tour of Alcatraz. Very, very interesting!

Best store ever!! I always spend way too much money there!

SEATTLE WITH MATTHEW:

Matt and I at the Aquarium in Seattle

Space Needle!!

Happy April Everyone!!

2009-02-24T10:30:00.000-08:00

he's cute :)

birthday ideas??

2009-02-09T17:40:00.001-08:00

My birthday is exactly Nine months from today. I'm sure that some of you are already wondering what to get me this year..... so here are two ideas:

a Nissan GT-R

or a Porche

Either one will be fine - I like them both equally :)

2009-02-01T21:10:00.000-08:00

i just changed my background to Audrey Hepburn. i love her. seriously - she's gorgeous.

i can't wait until i have a room to scrapbook in, cause i'm totally getting a big picture of her to hang in there!

my week of Skiing!!

2009-01-29T10:50:00.000-08:00

I love skiing!! I think my parents put me on skis pretty much as soon as I could walk! Last year was quite a tragic year - it was the first year in my life that I didn't go skiing one all season!! Determined to not let that happen ever again, I scheduled a ski trip to make sure that I got some good ski-time in this year!

I was in Utah for 7 days, and went skiing for 5 of them! Not too shabby! And the sore legs are totally worth it!

Day One: Snowbird with Madre.
It was sunny and warm for most of the day - the only day we had like that!

Day Two: Alta with Madre
Cold, windy, and pretty bad lighting. But the snow was great, and we found a few awesome bump runs that we did over and over and over until we couldn't walk anymore!

Day Three [Friday]: no Skiing
I got up early and went out to breakfast with Sheri, then hurried back home to change and head to the Draper Temple Open House with my mom and Grandma. Matthew and his sister met us there for a tour of the beautiful new temple. Back up to Matt's house to get some stuff for him for the weekend, then visited my friend Kevin, and back to my parents house for a quick nap before dinner with Scott and Emma!!! [sorry for the lack of pictures of anything else this day. My camera battery died at the Temple!]

Day Four: Skiing at Snowbird with Davie and Matthew.
It was a pretty cold day, and was snowing most of the day, but we still had fun. Poor Matt doesn't like being cold, but he was such a good sport about skiing with me all day! After skiing, we showered and got ready, then went on a double date with our friends Lacey and Nate. We went to dinner at Teppanyaki [no idea how to spell it!] and then bowling. We all had a blast, and it was probably one of the funnest dates we've been on in a long time!

Day Five: Happy Birthday Matthew!! It was great to be able to spend the whole day with Matthew - especially since he was in Portland for my birthday! Went to my home ward in Alpine, then headed up north to be with his family. When to church with them, and then had all the birthday celebrations - Dinner, presents and cake! His mom made Matthew and I these shirts cause we love the movie Wall-E!! After the festivities, Matt and I went to his aunts house and relaxed in the hot tub. And wow did it feel amazing on all my sore muscles!

Day Six: Skiing at Alta with Madre and Matthew
It had snowed pretty much all day on Sunday, so the snow was great!!

Day Seven: Skiing at Snowbird with Madre
My last day of skiing, and it was SO windy! In the above picture, those are not clouds, it is the snow blowing off the top of the mountains!! When we woke up Tuesday morning, it was 4 degrees at Snowbird - but the sun was shining and we had on extra layers, so we stayed plenty warm!
Me and Madre on my last ride up the chairlift for the trip!!

Even though it was cold most days, the skiing was great! Maybe I'll have to try and squeeze in a Spring skiing trip to enjoy some warmer days on the mountain!

2008 in review

2009-01-03T16:35:00.000-08:00

. What did you do in 2008 that you'd never done before?

Lived on my own, saw Cirque du Soleil, bought food to feed 1,000 people, went to a professional Lacrosse game, rode in a limo, was in a few photo shoot, actually dressed up for Halloween, spend Thanksgiving without my family

. Did you keep your New Year resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
For the most part. And yes, I made really good ones this year :)

. What countries did you visit?
None :( so sad. This will change in 2009!!

. What would you like to have in 2009 that you lacked in 2008?

Foreign countries - haha! And trying to have less stress in my life

. What date from 2008 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?

May 9^th – a surprise visit to Utah for Mother’s Day

August 25^th – the day we left for Hawaii

October 11^th – the beginning of something I wasn’t necessarily expecting to happen ;)

. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
Surviving life on my own – and not burning down my new apartment

. What was your biggest failure?

I can’t think of any HUGE failures, just multiple little ones

. Did you suffer illness or injury?
With the exception of getting sick on Christmas, nothing. Well, there was a painful root canal in January, but I’m not sure that counts!

. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
My own apartment, visits from a certain Boy, and vacations with friends

. Compared to this time last year, are you:
i. Happier or sadder? Happier times five!!
ii. Thinner or fatter? Probably about the same

iii. richer or poorer? Um… about the same

. What was the best thing you bought?
Hm…. A plane ticket to Hawaii, my kate spade bag, living/dining/kitchen furniture and stuff

. Where did most of your money go?
Playing :) [includes eating out with friends, going to multiple shows, Seattle, Hawaii, and a few trips to Utah]

. What do you wish you'd done more of?
Meeting new people, reading

. What do you wish you'd done less of?
Wasting time online

. How did you spend Christmas?
With family, and Matthew, playing in the snow and being sick

. Did you fall in love in 2008?
yes :)

. What was your favorite TV program?
So You Think You Can Dance – I can’t wait for it to start again this year!!

. Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year?
Weird question. But I don’t think so

. What was the best book you read?
Believing Christ. Secret Life of Bees. Stargirl.

. What did you want and get?

My own apartment, a big bookcase, amazing friends, and a boyfriend!

. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
Spent it with Matthew, Church, and spent the evening with my friends – I turned 24

. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?

If Bri didn’t have to spend 2008 in Idaho, and could have been here in Portland!

. What kept you sane during the year?
Friends, laughing, and keeping the Bigger Picture in mind

. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?

I love Reese Witherspoon. Love her!!

. What was a valuable life lesson you learned in 2008:
The greatest think you’ll ever learn in just to Love and be loved in return

let it SNOW!!!

2008-12-15T18:10:00.000-08:00

it has snowed in Portland. Real snow. it's amazing, and beautiful, and cold, and i LOVE it!!
church was canceled yesterday - for a 1/2 inch of snow!

i went on a great walk in - i don't have snow boots, so i wore 2 pairs of socks and my rain boots, and it worked great!all the snow! [view from my back deck]

it snowed all day yesterday - we probably got 3 or 4 inches by the end of the day - pretty impressive for Portland! a few friends came over, and we played games and watched movies. the boys brought dinner, and i made cookies. what a great snow day!

let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!
[as long as it stops long enough next week for me to fly home!!]

another great weekend.

2008-12-08T22:57:00.000-08:00

This past weekend, Matthew came up to visit again. I forgot to get most of the pictures off his camera, so I only have a few. Saturday night, he cooked dinner for me! Not only is he an excellent cook, he also did all the dishes! And I think he might look better in my apron than I do :)

the Holidays!

2008-12-03T21:14:00.000-08:00

OK - I'm combining 2 holidays into one post!

First things first - Thanksgiving! This year, I was in Portland, and wanted to keep things as simple as possible. So Megan and I opted to hang out at my house, and make Turkey Sandwiches. They were amazing!The feast!! Yes, all this food was finished by two girls!

This is the fullest my fridge has ever been! Look at all that food!Megan and our awesome Chocolate Pudding Pie!
[There are no pictures of me. I had a traumatic experience with some hair color earlier that morning. No worries - it's all been fixed now!!]

And now, for a few pictures of Christmas decoration.My Corner 'o Christmas! Since I'm not going to be in Portland this year, I didn't go all out. Besides, the tree is so little that it's hard to decorate it too much!

Hands down - best Christmas book. Ever.
How cute! This little reindeer is probably older than I am! I got it from my Grandma's house, and I love it!

Random thoughts for a Monday morning

2008-12-01T12:36:00.000-08:00

Friday night, I was hanging out with a few friends, and we started asking some 'Would You Rather' questions. Last night, as I laid in bed, not able to sleep, I couldn't help but ponder one of the questions:

Would you rather link little fingers with someone for a whole year, 24 hours a day for a million dollars or continue life as it is?

I choose that I would link little fingers with someone [assuming that you get to pick who it is] for a million bucks. I know a million bucks doesn't get you as much as it use to, but a million bucks would sure be nice to have!

And then the potential problems that I though about as I was trying to fall asleep last night:
-it might be easier if I were linked to someone who was a lefty. Like Jessica. Or my Dad. OR.... it would force me practice writing with my left hand, and I could become ambidextrous, which is one of my life goals.
-sleeping might be a problem. We would both have to sleep on our backs. Or on our stomachs. But curling up, or other sleeping positions may create an obstacle.
-linking fingers would create one of the worse pinky-finger cramps imaginable! And what about when you are sleeping - as your fingers relaxed, they would un-link. Solution to this problem: tape your fingers together instead.
-typing would take some getting use to if you didn't have use of one of your little fingers.
-you would really, really get to know someone if you were with them 24-7. For an entire year. And there would be no 'Emily' time. I'm not sure that I could handle that!
-driving. The same person would always have to drive, which is fine. But how would you get into the car? Both climb in the same door?
There were other things that I pondered late last night, but this is all I can remember for now. But the more I think about it, the more I think that the million dollars might not be worth it!

To everyone who is reading this, I ask the question: which would you pick? And why?

this years list

2008-11-27T12:36:00.000-08:00

My friends mom challenged everyone to make a list of 100 things we are grateful for. So, in no particular order, here is MY list!

The Gospel of Jesus Christ
My madre for all her amazing-ness
My padre for teaching me the value of doing hard things, and how to save money
My little [but much bigger] brother for his constant humor and silent strength
Peanut butter, peanut m&m’s, and pretty much any peanut related food
The alphabet – so that I can more easily organize things
Starbucks mint hot cocoa
A gentle confirmation that Someone is watching over me
Emma Lucy and her constant friendship
my Matthew
Traveling and the cultures of the world!
Weekends
afternoon naps
really warm, soft blankets
Christmas
new shoes
AMAZING friends – Diana, Bri, Nic, Sheri, Jon and Megan – who all teach me by their amazing examples
the smell of rain
Portland
The internet and it’s ability to keep in touch with people
the excitement of what the future holds
Dr. Pepper
Music and those talented enough to perform it and share it with those of us who are not musical!
Pictures
Digital cameras
Microsoft Word and Excel
Temples – and having always lived so close to one
kissing a cute boy on New Year’s
Summer 2005 good times with Jess – concerts, staying up way too late, and eating lots of ice cream!
scrapbooking
The Book of Mormon and the Bible
New socks
Fireworks
my own apartment
A car that’s paid off
Soy chocolate milk
ex-boyfriends and lessons learned
Snow
Skiing
Holiday memories with my family
my YSA ward
Having a job [some days more than others!]
My Grandparents
freedoms that I take for granted daily
the extra pounds that I’ve gained – which means I have plenty of food to eat
Clean, warm sheets [especially since mine are red!]
Blogs
Chapstick
My extended family
Contacts and glasses
Concerts
toothbrushes
hoodies
The Ensign
a warm shower
Disney movies
Institute
mittens
tulips
people who are still reading this list
a college education, and Utah State University
good health
text messages
airplanes
the Word of Wisdom
pedicures
mountains
my home ward in Alpine, and all the people who helped me find my own Testimony
Brother Rose, my 9^th Grade Seminary teacher
a cute purse
hair color
family memories
laying in the sun getting a tan
Patriarchal Blessings
Ben and Jerry’s Half Baked ice cream
my cricut
Snapfish.com
YouTube
flip flops
a good book
a good fortune inside your fortune cookie
pay day
curling up by the fire
Macaroni and Cheese
new haircuts
Facebook
doing service for those who need it
a good sale
Diamonds ;)
clean clothes and doing laundry
French fries
Lone Peak High School
freshly shaved legs
a gym membership that I need to actually use
getting letters in the mail [old school, I know!]
co-workers
Sunday walks
NetFlix
the perfect Little Black Dress [which I have yet to find, but I know it’s out there!]
mascara
good hair days
Turkey sandwiches on Thanksgiving!!

quote of the week

2008-11-18T22:25:00.000-08:00

Maybe the most any of us can do is not quit,
play the hand we've been given,
and accessorize the outfit we've got

[I think this quote pretty much sums up the past week or so of my life! Love it!]

2008-11-12T22:06:00.001-08:00

Visitors are always the best – especially when it’s a cute boy! Matthew came up to Portland to visit me last weekend, and it was great! He flew in Thursday night, we hung out downtown and when to dinner at a nice seafood restaurant! Matt ordered crab, and I had some amazing salmon!

Friday, we spent the day at OMSI [Oregon Museum of Science and Industry]. We went on a tour of a submarine, learned all about the human ear, saw a show at the planetarium, and had a blast in the area that was actually for younger kids – but we still had fun!

[in a rocket ship - all ready for take off. isn't he cute?!]

[right outside the submarine tour - it's the background]

[the beds that the soldiers slept on. i would never have survived!]

[in one of the control rooms]

After fighting traffic to get home, we and hurried and changed, then to dinner and the Opera with my friends Megan and Diana. The Opera was pretty good, and it was nice to have something fun to get all dress up for!

Saturday, we went to the 'Living Room Theaters' – which was awesome! It's just like a normal theater, but instead of normal chairs, they have these big lazy-boy type chairs, with foot rests, and if you order food, they bring it right to you! We saw a documentary that was about this guy who tightrope walked between the roof’s of the Twin Towers. It was crazy!! After the movie, we ran a few errands, then some of my Portland friends came over to play games and such!

Sunday was my birthday, and it was a great one!! Matt and I went to Sacrament a my ward, then I took him to the airport so he could fly home. We had such a fun visit, and I was sad to see him leave.

After dropping him off at the airport, I went over to Diana's for a birthday dinner - manacotti! - with all my friends. It was really yummy, and lots of fun, and an amazing cake!

[me, Diana, Andrew, Nic, and Megan]

Overall, it was a great weekend! I love having visitors, so next time you’re looking for a vacation, come see me in Portland!!

2008-11-03T17:12:00.000-08:00

I AM 1/5 DARKNESS.......

Or atleast I was. That's right, I actually dressed up for Halloween this year!!! My friends and I were a league of Super Villans - 'Darkness'. We spent quite a bit of time on the costumes, which means that I have a Halloween costume for the next few years!! We made multiple trips the to the fabric store, did some paper mache [yeah - haven't done that since elementary school!!], and took full advantage of my friends vinyl cutter and heat press. We had lots of fun making the costumes, and even more fun at the Dance Party that we went to! We even won the prize for Best Group Costume!

The Distractor

The Devistator

The Deliberator

The Danger

The Deluxe

(Disclaimer: We took these pictures at about 2am - after dancing all night!! Please pardon the dark circles under my eyes!)

Hilarious!

2008-10-07T11:35:00.001-07:00

Oh man - I can't stop laughing!!!

normal?

2008-09-25T08:14:00.000-07:00

A month ago today [almost exactly at this same time] I was boarding the plane for Hawaii.

I can't believe it's only been a month since we left.

And really weird - I'm STILL peeling! Is that even normal?? To be peeling a month later?!! O-well, it was worth it :)

impulse buying at its finest

2008-09-18T14:41:00.001-07:00

Check this out!! I am now the proud owned of this old school beauty! In the back of my mind, I've wanted one of these forever - and for whatever reason, today just seemed like the day to buy one! I'm so excited for it to come!

Thank you OutKast for these ever-inspiring words: "Shake it like a Polaroid picture"

Long live the Polaroid!!

[I'm fully aware that they are discontinuing the film, so I'll just have to stock up now! And the camera itself is just awesome! Totally worth it!]

Phase Two....

2008-09-15T21:00:00.000-07:00

Phase two of my living by myself is complete. I have a living room, with furniture and everything! I'm still working on getting a new TV, so if anyone is wondering what to get me for my birthday, a normal sized TV would be nice!

Here's the view when you walk into the living room from the entry way - the big window is my patio - with my patio furniture [and big plans for plants next summer]!!

See - I wasn't lying about needing a bigger TV!! Once I get something decent sized, then I'll probably do some re-arraigning and hanging more pictures.

The 'art work' above the couch was suppose to turn out much much cooler than it did, but until I find something better to hang in it's place.
Nothing too exciting in my bedroom or bathroom yet. That's going to be an October project!!

Paradise!

2008-09-04T07:24:00.000-07:00

The whole gang - Waikiki Beach

Casey, Me, Diana, Matt, Beth and Andrew

Hawaii was AMAZING!! We all had such a blast! There was plenty to do to keep us busy, and plenty of time to lay around and do nothing! Time seemed to stand still while we were there, and it was wonderful! We took over 1,000 pictures!! Yikes! I tried to narrow it down to just a few, but I had a hard time! So here's a few.....

On the first day at the beach, the boys 'invented' this game called Beached Whales. It was SO much fun to both play, and to watch!

A view from the hike we went on - so beautiful!

Me, Beth and Diana getting ready to hike with our bug repellent!

The less than impressive waterfall that we hiked to - good thing it was a pretty hike! Casey was the only one who was brave enough to get in the water - and jumped off the little cliff as well!

We stopped in this little town to get shaved ice - since they were suppose to have the best shaved ice around. It tasted like all other shaved ice to me, but it was still really good!! (Andrew, Diana, Me, Casey and Beth)

The girls with our shaved ice

On Thursday, we went to the Polynesian Cultural Center.
The group at the Temple - Andrew, Diana, Casey, Me, and Matt (Beth had to go home early - she left earlier that morning)

At a lookout point in L'aie (by BYU-Hawaii) It was so pretty that it makes it tempting to go back to school :)

It doesn't get much than this!!

Me and Diana at Waikiki Beach - enjoying a day in the sun!

Saturday morning we went to Diamond Head to watch the sun rise over Honolulu

The boys - Casey, Matt and Andrew

Me and Diana getting ready to go parasailing. Last time I went, we didn't get wet, so I told Diana that we could wear normal clothes. I was wrong! We got drenched!

Casey and I went up first - here's the first time we went under water!

It doesn't look like we were up that high, but we were!!! Such a beautiful view from up there - you could see to the bottom of the ocean in parts!

Matt and Diana after their ride

Post-surfing! My arms were SO tired! We had to paddle out forever to get to the good waves!

Waikiki Beach... aka Heaven

The weather at night was perfect for night walks!! (Diana, Andrew, Me and Christian - my friend from BYU-Hawaii)

All dressed up and ready for church!

Matt and Casey flew home Sunday, so they dropped us off at church. And we walked home - 45 minutes in the heat! Andrew and I switched sunglasses so that my glasses and bag would match! What a nice guy!!

We rented a limo to get to the airport. It was old-school, and super tight!!

Check out the awesome interior - especially the carpet!

[oh, and my new kate spade bag :) ]

Me, Dr. Pepper, Andrew and Diana in the limo

Me and Diana on the plane ride home :(

I love vacations! Tropical Vacation 2009 is in the works!

TTT

2008-08-22T10:02:00.000-07:00

The

Triple
Threat

Man I love these girls! We went out to dinner on Wednesday night, and since the rain had stopped for a few hours, we walked along the water front too!

Check out the size of that chocolate cake!! Between the 3 of us, we couldn't even finish it!

And for reasons that I have yet to figure out, this has become my new 'favorite' pose! Sheri is always good for a thumbs-up!

Another wonderful night of fun in Portland!

copycat

2008-08-20T17:40:00.000-07:00

The following are 100 random things you probably never cared to know about me.

Enjoy.

1. One of my life goals is to go out with a boy for each letter of the alphabet. I have 'I' and 'X' left.
2. My favorite music group right now is The Weepies
3. I love skydiving. I have been twice
4. I want to go bungee jumping
5. I love Portland
6. I love big cities
7. I want to go to all 7 continents before I die
8. I've only been to 4
9. I eat a peanut butter sandwich for lunch every day
10. I hate my hair. Long or short. Just don't like it
11. But I love coloring my hair (current hair color - blonde)
12. My closet is color coded
13. And then within each color, it's alphabetized by what the tag says
14. I have enough underwear to go 3+ months never wearing the same pair twice
15. Same thing with socks.
16. I would wear flip flops every day if I could
17. I wish I was a more interesting person
18. This is harder than I thought it would be
19. If I could change one thing about my physical appearance, it would be the size of my head
20. Next, I would get good skin
21. Everything else would change if I would just work-out
22. I hate running
23. I like running in the rain
24. I don't want to be 24
25. I love numbers and counting things
26. Don't believe me? See my last post
27. My mom is amazing. I hope I grow up to be just like her!
28. I'm still not quite sure why I'm doing this!!
29. I think sleeping is a waste of time - I wish we didn't have to sleep so much to function
30. But I love naps
31. And I only like sleeping in on Sundays
32. I save all my letters and notes
33. I like to save text messages too
34. Back in the day, I loved Boy Bands. I still occasionally jam out to them in my car. And I still know all the words
35. I love macaroni and cheese
36. I love high heels, even though I am tall to begin with
37. Peanut m&m's are my favorite candy
38. I've never been in a limo
39. I wish I cared about politics
40. I could sit in crowded places and watch people for hours
41. I'm scared of being outside at night by myself
42. I'm going to Hawaii in 5 days.
43. I wish that I was going somewhere else that I haven't been before
44. But it will still be a lot of fun, and a much needed vacation
45. Putting this much stuff about myself on the internet makes me a bit nervous
46. I love pictures
47. I wish I had more time to scrapbook
48. It's my secret guilty pleasure in life
49. I don't like chocolate
50. I'm half way done
51. I like my initials
52. I can't survive without mascara and chapstick
53. I wish I was smarter
54. I also wish I was musically talented
55. I have insanely oily skin
56. Which I hate
57. I can't wait to get married so that I can always have the Priesthood in my house. Something I've never had before.
58. Fruit snacks are my new staple food.
59. I love motorcycles
60. I'm going to by my husband one for his first birthday after we're married (assuming that he doesn't already have one)
61. I usually trip going up stairs
62. I only almost broke my ankle while skipping home from a football game
63. The doctor told me that I had the most flexible ankles he had ever seen!
64. i LOVE snow!
65. Its the only thing I miss about living in Utah
66. I've been skiing practically since I could walk
67. This past winter was the first season I've gone without skiing. It was tragic
68. I haven't paid for my own cell phone bill for over 5 years (thank you T-Mobile family plan!!)
69. I graduated from all 4 years of seminary, even though I was only a member for about 2 months of that
70. I wish that life would slow down sometimes
71. I like tall boys :)
72. The only thing I've ever won was concert tickets to Kenny Chesney
73. I've always been blessed with wonderful friends
74. I don't like pulp in my orange juice
75. The only seafood I like is salmon
76. I'm really good at remembering dates - especially birthdays
77. I could only shop at one place for the rest of my life it would be Nordstrom
78. I love exclamation marks!!!! I totally over-use them in e-mail & texting
79. I am not pregnant, nor am I planning to be anytime soon. (haha - that one's directly from Emma's blog!)
80. I graduated from Utah State University in 3.5 years
81. The past 6 months marks the longest amount of time that I've been single since my junior year of High School
82. I love Facebook
83. I love roller coaster
84. I can count the number of baby diapers that I've had to change on one hand
85. I don't like my job
86. I like dressing up to go out
87. My dream car would be a Audi or a Porche
88. Occasionally, I actually like pictures of me
89. I hate traffic
90. I love dancing in my car
91. I have received more flowers from people since I moved to Portland than I have in my whole life. Times five
92. I eat Eggo waffles frozen
93. Ben and Jerry's Half-Baked is my ultimate favorite ice cream!
94. I collect thimbols
95. I love the tv show So You Think You Can Dance - so sad it's over for the season
96. Black, white and red will always be my favorite colors
97. I hate big key chains
98. I love shopping...
99. Unless it's shopping for jeans
100. It's taken me all day to think of 100 things

[Thanks Emma for posting this so that I could copy you!]

Twenty-Six point Five

2008-08-18T07:16:00.000-07:00

26.5 is the number of stop lights on my way to work. According to Google [the source of all knowledge] - the drive is only 10.1 miles! A bit ridiculous if you ask me!! But that's just how they do things here in Oregon! [The .5 is for a 'Fire Signal' - it's always green, but I guess that one of these days, there could be a fire when I'm driving by, and it would be red. I decided that it only counts as half a light]

Totally random thought for the morning! Happy Monday!

Phase One!

2008-08-15T06:16:00.000-07:00

Well, I've made a bit of progress on my new apartment! My bedroom and living room are still pretty boring, so I'll post pictures of them later!

This is my kitchen table before I painted it! It's the perfect little table because it's small enough to keep against the wall, but when I have someone(s) over for dinner, I can un-fold the other side and it seats 4 people!

Before:
After!

Here's the kitchen! Behind that frame is my breaker-switch box thing. It was really ugly, and oddly placed on the wall - so the frame was the best idea I could come up with for covering it! The pictures in the frame are from my trip to Thailand last January with my mom. I figured some food shots would be appropriate for the kitchen!

So there you go - a sneak peek at the new place! More pictures to come....

Only 9 days until I'll be boarding a plane for Hawaii! I can't wait to sit around and do nothing for 8 days! Tomorrow I'm going to see Phantom of the Opera - which will be awesome! I saw it in NYC with my mom quite a few years ago, so it will be great to see it again!

Happy Birthday Allyson!!

2008-08-06T16:23:00.001-07:00

Fondue.... yummy!!!!

Last night, we celebrated my friends birthday by having a Girl's Night Out at The Melting Pot! We just ordered 'cheese and chocolate' - and it was SO yummy!

Allyson - the birthday girl! The big 2-1!!!

Jenne, Janna, and Danielle
[PS - no pictures of my half of the table cause I was struggling yesterday! haha]

The dessert! We got 'The Original' chocolate dipping - which had crunchy peanut butter in it - AMAZING!! The cheeses were also good, but we forgot to take any pictures of the cheese because we were too hungry!

Very fun and yummy night!

the moving part is over...

2008-07-21T09:38:00.000-07:00

Saturday was moving day, and thanks to my wonderful friends, everything went very smoothly! Between 9 people, 2 trucks and 5 cars, we got it all done in about 2 hours. My new place is now nicely decorated with cardboard boxes and piles all over the place! I bought a couch and bookcase that will be delivered on Saturday, which will help with all the unpacking and arraigning! My bedroom is pretty liveable, and so is the bathroom. I still have a few more loads of new dishes, pots, and pans to wash before the kitchen is unpacked. And then it's time to decorate! Hopefully I'll get everything set up and decorated before Hawaii - so stay tuned for pictures!

After a quick trip to IKEA, a few friends and I headed downtown to see the Sand Sculptures in Pioneer Square (with a name like that - you'd think I still lived in Utah!) They were pretty amazing!
The details and everything were amazing! After the sand sculptures, we hit up Nordstrom's Anniversary Sale! It was great - I got an amazing red pea coat, and now wish that it wasn't July so that I could wear it! I think after a little bit, the boys realized that Nordstrom's probably wasn't the best idea of ways to spend the evening! But I'm glad we went, and can't wait for it to get cold enough to wear my new coat!

Overall, it was a great weekend! Now if I can just survive this upcoming week of craziness!!

New apartment. New adventures.

2008-07-17T14:43:00.000-07:00

If last night was just a glimpse of what's to come.... I'm not sure that I'm going to survive living by myself!

So, yesterday, I left work a little giddy about my new apartment! I got to the office, had to sign a zillion pages of paperwork! I did a walk-thru with one of the managers just to make sure everything looked - but since I'm the first one to live there after the remodel, everything is brand new! After she gave me the keys and left, I couldn't help myself from doing cartwheels in my new living room! I had to run a few errands, met up with my friend Megan, and the two of us headed off to the grocery store to pick up a few essentials. It was a little difficult trying to decide what to make for dinner when I didn't have any pots, pans, plates, bowls, utensils, nothing! We decided on a frozen pizza - and made sure to get one that we could stick right in the oven - seeing as how I didn't have any cookie sheets. We bought some paper towels, and some soap to wash the glasses that I had bought about 15 minutes earlier!

On the drive back to my new place, I realized that I didn't have a knife to cut the pizza with. Megan and I agreed that it wasn't essential that we have a knife, so we continued home! After carrying in a few things, we decided to let the pizza cook while we unloaded the stuff that I had packed in my car. So I turned on my oven while giving Megan the grand tour! I could smell something a little funky, but didn't really think much of it, until I started back toward the kitchen, and realized that it smelt like something was burning.... and sure enough, I look in the oven, and there's FLAMES! I freaked out for a second, then hurried and turned off the oven and opened the door! Anyway... me, being the brilliant one that I am, didn't check the oven before I turned it on, and since it's brand new, it still had some cardboard in there, the instruction booklet and some other paperwork - which caught on fire pretty quickly when it turned on! So - Megan and I we laughing pretty hard - but still trying to figure out what to do about the flames in my oven! I didn't have anything in my kitchen besides the pizza, some OJ in the fridge, and the box of cereal that Megan had just bought. So I turned on my sink, and started cupping the water in my hands, and 'throwing' it into my oven! It was pretty funny!! Once the flames were out, we pulled out the manual and the bottom of it is partially burnt!! We managed to get all the paper and plastic things out of the oven, and then turned it up as hot as the oven would go, and left the oven door open to try and get rid of the little puddle of water in the bottom of the oven. We managed to eventually cook our pizza, and get it out of the oven without too much drama! I remembered that I had some scissors in one of the boxes that I had brought in, so we literally cut the pizza! It's probably one of those things where 'you had to be there' , but Megan and I had quite a bit of fun!

A little later, Sheri and Diana came over too. Sheri had made a cute little cake (from scratch!) She even frosted it and wrote 'Welcome Home'! We had a fun evening of girl talk and laying on the floor of my empty living room!

I can already tell that this whole living-by-myself thing is going to be quite an adventure! And I couldn't be more excited!

This year needs to slow down!!!

2008-07-15T15:27:00.000-07:00

I can't believe it's already the middle of July! What is happening to 2008?! I have really been slacking off on my blog posts, although I'm not sure how many people actually read my blog, so I'm not sure that many people really care. Life has been really good lately, with lots going on. It's interesting to sit back and look at life and where it takes you and the experiences we each have. Here's a little catch-up of the last few weeks!

Tomorrow, I'm moving into my new place! Ok - so I'm going to get the key and do all the check-in stuff. Saturday is the real moving day! I found a cute little one bedroom place - newly remodeled, in the area I wanted! I'm really excited to finally have my 'own' place! Although... I don't own any furniture (besides my bedroom stuff), so I have lots of stuff to buy in the next few weeks! And it's amazing how much STUFF I have! This is the longest that I've lived in one place since I moved out of my parents house - 14 months! I've managed to accumulate quite a bit of stuff in those last 14 months. And unlike when I lived in Logan, I can't easily store stuff at my parents house anymore! But I have some friends coming to help with the moving on Saturday, so I have until then to get everything (or most everything) in boxes!

This past weekend, my friend Megan and I went up to Seattle! She has a friend who is doing an internship up there, so we visited him, and spend Saturday playing in Seattle with him and 2 of his friends... more pictures to come!

(a view of Seattle from the ferry)

Other things going on.... This next weekend (July 26th and 27th) is our multi-regional YSA Summer Conference. There is about 1200 YSA that will be coming, but luckily enough, I don't have nearly as much responsibility as I did for the Winter Conference! And then August 7-9 is our Ward Campout! I'm really excited, although I've never planned a camping trip for 30+ people! It should be interesting! And there's always plenty of other things going on each weekend - people having get-togethers, BBQ's, things happening downtown, outdoor movies and concerts. All sorts of fun and exciting stuff!

I chopped my hair off - about 9 inches. I don't really like the cut, but I do like the color. I'm going in at the end of the month for a trim, and hopefully a style I'll like more! This is not a very good picture at all, but you get the idea! I'll probably keep it short for a few more cuts, then grow it out a little bit. Who knows!!

I'm not entirely sure why I'm posting these - maybe just to see if this link works... but about a month ago, my friend (Andrew) took these pictures of a friend (Matt) and I to model the shirts for his music magazine - Minute Morning. Matt and I had a blast, and were laughing during about 90% of the pictures. I'm not sure if Andrew got many good ones that he could use, but Matt and I sure had a good time! Anyway, someone who doesn't have Facebook should let me know if this link really works :)

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2172272&l=515cf&id=11508016

OK - that's all for now! Time to go home and do some more packing and cleaning!

I'm on a roll!!!

2008-06-20T11:16:00.000-07:00

Not only is this the second post this month, but two days in a row! Anyway, I took this Disney Princess Quiz, and I'm Ariel!! I'm not sure that I necessarily agree with everything it says (fiesty?!!), but Little Mermaid is my favorite movie, so I was happy with the results! Take the quiz and let me know who your Disney princess is!

You Are Ariel!

Headstrong and fiesty. You have a mind of your own that's full of romantic dreams about the world around you. Exploring exotic places is your ultimate dream, and although you can be a little naive you'll realize that there is something to be gained from your family's wisdom.

Which Disney Princess Are You?

It's official!

2008-06-19T14:42:00.000-07:00

I'm officially an Oregonian now - I finally got Oregon license plates!! I decided to spend the extra $20 bucks to get the Crater Lake plates since I'm not a huge fan of the 'tree' ones. I wasn't expecting them to just give me the plates when I went to the DMV, but they did, and as soon as I got home from work , I whipped out my tool kit and put my new license plates on my car!

I'm really bad at updating my blog! Life is crazy busy, but I love it - I wouldn't trade it for the world!! I've been doing plenty of playing - I really have the greatest friends ever! I've been looking for a new job, but haven't had any luck with finding something that interests me. My roommate is going to grad school in August, so I'm going to get my own place - I can't wait to live by myself and not have to deal with roommates anymore! I've been looking at places closer to downtown, and I think I found one that I like! Now just to find a new job, and I'll be set!

Three and a half months.... and counting

2008-05-07T15:23:00.000-07:00

On August 25th, me and 5 friends will be flying to Oahu, Hawaii to spend 7 days relaxing on Waikiki Beach!! This is a picture of the condo that we're staying in for the week. I went to Waikiki Beach in highschool with my family, and I loved it. I love 'people watching', and it's even better on the beach! Even though it's quite a ways away, I'm excited for some r&r in Hawaii!!

ekw

2008-04-21T18:08:00.000-07:00

One of my friends got some studio lights, so we've been playing around with them. I think he's probably taken over 600 pictures of me in a week! It was almost like having my Highschool Senior pictures all over again! The bottom 2 pictures are ones that we took for a friend of his - she had designed the shirt for her new restaurant (or something like that!) and needed pictures for her website. I'm not going to lie - being a 'model' is alot harder than it looks like! I had a hard time not bursting into laughter the whole time!!

Hoppy Easter!

2008-04-01T08:46:00.000-07:00

For Easter, we had a wonderful Easter dinner at my friend, Diana's house! We don't have church until 2:30, so Diana and I decided to have a 'lunch' with a few of our friends. We spent Saturday night making twice-baked potatoes, rolls from scratch, and chicken with ham and cheese. Diana lives in a studio apartment, so we had to rearrange a few things, borrow 3 card tables and some tablecloths, but after we got the table all set, it looked really nice! Diana got some beautiful flowers from Trader Joe's and I made name tags for everyone! Everyone brought side dishes, so there was plenty of food, and plenty of fun times!

(In the picture above: Megan, Andrew, Eveling, Jon, Brittany, Ben, Matt, Diana, and Nathan)

Cirque du Soleil

2008-03-19T10:45:00.000-07:00

Last Friday night, I went to Cirque du Soleil. And it was AMAZING! One of the best shows or performances that I have ever been to! The things that the performers could do with their bodies was incredible - things that should not be humanly possible! The show was inside a big tent that they had brought and set up for the shows. Next time I'm in Vegas, I want to see another one of their shows there! It was excellent!

the tents

Diana and Me

Leap Day's and Best Friends!

2008-02-27T08:31:00.000-08:00

Happy LEAP DAY!!

What a great holiday - it only happens once every 4 years, and I'm not sure how one celebrates a Leap Day, but today is a wonderful day!

Lately, I've been thinking a lot about friends, and how blessed I've been in my life to have the greatest, most wonderful friends ever!! They have truly been a blessing in my life!

Emma and Me

Bri and Me

Sheri, Diana and Me

Earlier today, I was listing all the reasons why today is so great.... and decided to write it down! And here it is......

1 - It's Leap Day.... which only happens once every 4 years, so you have to be happy
2 - It's pay day.... luckily this happens a little more frequently
3 - I'm drinking iced mint chocolate milk from Starbucks - my favorite
4 - The Church is TRUE!
5 - I have a cute boyfriend
5 - Tomorrow we're going to the factory stores, and I haven't been shopping yet this year
6 - Tomorrow is also one of the 2 times a year that our ward gets to go to the Temple to do baptisms
7 - I have the greatest friend ever (see above)
8 - Cameron has a show tonight, and I love watching him play :)
9 - It's lucky leopard underwear Friday!
10 - My hair is super soft today

Holiday fun!

2007-12-17T12:12:00.000-08:00

In honor of the holiday season that is upon us, we decided to throw a "Ugly Holiday Sweater Pizza Party"! It was a blast! Most everyone had success in finding an ugly sweater - Diana even found matching ones for the two of us! There was plenty of pizza and lots of people! After all the eating and visiting, we piled into the living room and watched Bourne Ultimatum!

Mike and Matt (I think Mike won for 'Ugliest Sweater'!)
Me, Diana, Christina and Ariel
Me and Jon (yes, I'm totally cheezing it!!)
Most of the girls

...it's beginning to look alot like Christmas!!

2007-12-10T11:52:00.000-08:00

Wow! It's been over a month since I have posted anything! November was a busy month! And now it's Christmas time and I can't wait to spend my first Christmas in Portland! My roommate and I went out and bought a real Christmas Tree - it's only 3 1/2 feet tall, so we just stuck it in the trunk of my car and brought it home to decorate with a variety of random ornaments that both Hilary and I have collected over the years. And the best part - my family is coming up to Portland for Christmas!!! This year, it's going to be a 'wet' Christmas instead of the normal 'white' Christmas!

2007-11-01T15:29:00.000-07:00

Is it already November?! Where has this year gone! After being away from Utah for almost six months, I decided to take a little vacation to go home and see family and friends! I landed on Thursday night, my parents picked me up and we went to dinner at Wingers – one of my favorites! Friday I headed up to Logan, where I met up with Emma! We went up to campus and walked around a little and met up with my little brother – Dave. Friday night Emma, Scott, Matt and I went to dinner and a movie. Saturday I stopped by the Cache Valley Mall to visit friends who I use to work with! Lunch with Dave, then headed down to Salt Lake City with Matt to go to Thriller! We met up with his brother and sister-in-law and went to dinner at this cute little restaurant called “Em’s” before heading off to the show!

Sunday, I went to church, and just hung out at home! My mom made manicotti for dinner – which is one of my favorite meals! She even bought me my favorite kind of ice creme - Ben and Jerry's Half Baked! Monday, I went out to breakfast with my mom and her friend, then shopping! We mainly went to scrapbook stores because there are not any good scrapbook stores in Portland, but I also got a new sweater and some new shoes! Later that night, I met up with some friends from Utah State who live in Salt Lake, and we went rollerskating – and it was a blast! The top picture is me and Ben, and then me and Adam. Tuesday I spent at home packing, and just hanging out with my parents before heading to the airport. I met up with my friend, Kevin, who works near the airport, and we went out to dinner before I headed off to the airport and back to Portland! It was a great trip and a nice break from the stresses of work and life here in Portland, although I’m glad to be back!

2007-10-10T08:06:00.000-07:00

I'm not a huge fan of the Halloween holiday..... but carving pumpkins is only a once-a-year thing, so it's kinna a must! Besides, it will be a cute scrapbook page! And even though I didn't 'gut' my own pumpkin, it was lots of fun! Diana wanted to roast the seeds, but we didn't really know how, so we experimented and just added cinnamon and butter..... and they turned out pretty good!! Saturday is the multi-ward YSA Halloween party - it should be fun, but I still have to figure out what to dress up as! In the pictures - Me and Cameron with our pumpkin; Diana and the seeds; Rob, Me and Diana with some of the pumpkins; and some of the finished pumpkins!

All Growed Up....

2007-10-02T11:59:00.001-07:00

Well, I guess it was bound to happen sometime, I think I'm starting to grow up! I have been living in Portland for 4 1/2 months now, and I'm still loving it here! The rainy season has started, and so far, it's not too bad. We'll see how I'm doing in January when I'll be missing the Utah snow.

It's weird to think that I'll probably never go to school again, instead, I go to work everyday. I am now an official employee at Promopeddler.com - with a salary, full benefits, and best of all, I get 2 weeks of paid vacation!! It's a pretty good job, and for the most part I like working here. I'm planning on staying for at least a year, then possibly moving on to bigger and better things - like a job and a studio apartment in downtown!

I finally bought myself bedroom furniture! After 3 months on a blow-up mattress, it was about time! I got a queen size bed, a new mattress (that's not full of air!), all new queen sized bedding, a dresser, a desk (with red legs!), and 2 chairs for our patio! I feel very grown up spending my hard earned money on things like furniture and rent, and not new clothing or shoes! (not to say that doesn't still happen ;)

Life is good! :)

I've been tagged!!

2007-10-01T08:06:00.000-07:00

What I was doing ten years ago:
I had just started 7th Grade at Mountain Ridge Junior High. I'm pretty sure I had a perm and big 'ol sausage bangs! Oh, and I met Emma :)

Five years ago:
Just started my Senior year at Lone Peak High School, my best friend was Emma, and we were starting the LP Scrapbook Club!

One Year Ago:
Finishing my last semester at Utah State, trying to decide what to do with my life!

Yesterday:
Woke up to a rainy Sunday in Portland! Went to church, took a nap.... just the usual Sunday stuff

5 snacks I enjoy:
Wheat Thins, fruit snacks, OJ, peanuts, apples

5 things we would do if we had $100 Million:
Quit my job! And then go on vacations to Antarctica, Tokyo, Greece and Egypt. By then, I'm sure my money would be long gone! If not, I would save the rest of it

5 places I would love to run away to:
I love it here in Portland, but I would love to go on a trip anywhere really! Top of the list: see answer to above question. And, I would love to go back to Thailand

5 TV shows I like:
I don't ever watch TV, but I like The OC, Friends, and Fresh Prince of Bel Air!

5 things I hate doing:
Doing roommate dishes, sitting in traffic, dealing with annoying co-workers, making my bed

5 biggest joys of the moment:
the Gospel, my family, my friends (new and old), and living in Portland!

I now have to tag five (or so) people:
um..........

Weekend Visitor!!!

2007-09-25T11:10:00.001-07:00

This past weekend, my best friend Emma came to visit me! Emma got married in May, a week before I moved to Portland, and I haven't seen her since!

She flew in on Thursday night, and we played until she left Sunday morning! After picking her up from the airport, we went out to dinner, then back to my place and stayed up late chatting and looking at pictures. Friday morning we slept in, which was super nice for a change! After breakfast at Starbucks, we drove by my work, then went to the temple. It was a beautiful day, and we had fun walking around the temple grounds - especially watching the people on the steeples who were painting (notice the little guy sitting up there in the picture!). We spent the afternoon at the mall, then back to my house for a pizza party. Emma probably felt a little out of place with all the my 'single' friends, but she was a good sport about it!

Saturday morning, we rode the max into downtown Portland to go to the Saturday Market! It was quite exciting - it reminded me of the markets my mom and I went to in Thailand, only more expensive! Emma and I had fun trying on Red Hats at one of the stalls, and Emma got an elephant ear - a giant scone covered with cinnamon sugar. It was huge, so we ended up sharing it! We walked around downtown for a little, did some window shopping at Tiffany & Co, and then headed back to my place for a nap! Dinner at Costa Vida, then watched a few more episodes of The OC, season 4 - which Emma brought up for me to finish watching while I scrapbook!

Sunday morning, before taking Emma to the airport, we enjoyed a delicious brunch with her Aunt and Uncle who live about 15 minutes from my house. It was a short visit, but we had tons of fun! Now I just have to work on getting her and her hubby to move up here so we can play all the time!

Labor Day Weekend

2007-09-04T11:56:00.001-07:00

Three-day weekends are great!! I wish they were all 3 days long! I hung out with Bri pretty much the whole time - we went to bbq's, had sleepovers, and got her moved into her new place - which is much closer to me! Saturday, was filled with errands all day, a short nap, and a date in the evening. Sunday, after church, we had a Break The Fast, then back to my place and just hung out with some friends. Monday, we got to sleep in, which was nice! We walked down the street to Starbucks - I love their iced mint chocolate milk! So yummy! Went over to Bri's new place and did a little unpacking, then spent the afternoon in my 'project' room - I scrapboked while Bri painted! It was so nice to finally scrapbook, since I haven't in forever! Monday night we went to a BBQ and bonfire! It was lots of fun and a great way to end the long weekend! Below is a picture of Bri and I at the BBQ/Bonfire

Go Timbers!!!

2007-08-29T07:13:00.001-07:00

I didn't realize that I was a soccer fan, but we have gone to a few of the Portland Timber's games and they are so much fun! This was the third game that I have been to, but the first time there was a goal scored..... and it was really exciting! The crowd went crazy and the entire team dog-piled the guy that made goal! The final score was 1-0, but the win qualified us for the play-offs!! At the last game, we (Bri, Mario, Nic and I) all bought 'Portland Timbers' shirts, so now we look like true fans! Too bad that there are no more home games this year! Atleast I'll have some time before next year to learn a little more about soccer!

Me and Bri (top); The gang - Mario, Bri, Nic, Brian, Matt and Rich (top right); Me, Mario, Nic and Bri
(bottom right)

Ward Campout!!!

2007-08-15T07:15:00.000-07:00

August 9-11 was our Ward Campout and it was so much fun! I haven't been camping in years, so it was nice to finally be able to go again! It was just so nice to relax and hang out with friends and just chill for a few days - and it was especially nice to not have a cell phone for a few days! We had good weather, and even though it wasn't hot enough to lay out and work on our tans, it was still perfect weather. Friday, I don't think I knew what time it was all day long!! We went camping along the Clackmas River, which was about a 40 minute drive east-ish. We had campfires both nights, played by the river, played baseball and volleyball and frisbee, ate way too much, and my favorite part was laying in the middle of a field and watching the stars! We saw tons and tons of shooting starts - it was amazing! It was a great little get away and it was nice to finally have some time to start reading Harry Potter #7!!

The pictures... (left to right, top to bottom)
- Bri, Mario and I playing at the river
- The girls!! Me, Bri, Sheri and Diana
- Mario and I at the campfire waiting for our tin foil dinners to cook
- Mario and Nic playing guitars - they are amazing!
- Me and Bri!! (Saturday)
- Me and Bri again - on Thursday
- Friday morning at the Polar Bear swim - Bri, Sheri and Skyler were the only ones brave enough to go in - too cold for me! :)
- Laying in the field looking at stars - Mario, Daniel and Bri

Pizza and the Beach!!

2007-08-06T07:58:00.000-07:00

This past weekend (August 3-5) was tons of fun! I started off the weekend with a pizza every few weeks, and it was my turn to be the host! We made 5 party at my house! There is a group of us that have pizza parties different kinds of pizza, and a dessert pizza! After pizza, we played games and watched Dumb and Dumber!! It was toms of fun - each time we have a pizza party, the group gets bigger and bigger, so that's exciting! Also, as you can tell by the pictures, I'm a brunette again! Everyone was quite shocked to see me with dark hair! I forgot that I moved here as a blonde, so no one has seen my with dark hair! The first picture is part of the Pizza Gang - Shari, Me, Evelyn, John, Diana and Mario; Me, Mario and some dough; Me and Bri

Saturday, we took a trip to the coast! It's about an hour and a half drive to Portland, and you can't say 'the beach' here.... it's 'the coast'!! The water is freezing cold, so we only got our feet wet, although right before we left, Bri and Clayton jumped in with all their clothes on! Crazy! It was way too cold for me!! There was 8 of us who went: Me, Bri, Mario, Nic, Clayton, Billy, Darcy and Mike! Clayton was a friend of Bri's who was in town for the weekend, and Billy is a friend of mine from work! We had a great time, even though it wasn't the sunniest of days! In the pictures ..... Mario, Nic and I running to the water; Me (in the green sweater); Bri, Clayton and Billy by the water.

Taking Back Sunday!!!!

2007-08-01T07:39:00.000-07:00

Thursday, July 26th was the Taking Back Sunday concert! It was awesome! The only way you could get tickets to the concert was by volunteering, so there were only about 250 people there, which means we were really close to the band! Bri and I were going to try and dress up 'punk' style for the occasion, but realized that we didn't have any clothing with skulls on it, no pink or orange hair color, and the fact that we had showered in the past week meant that there was no way we could pass as 'punk'!! Overall, it was an excellent concert - there was only a few songs that I didn't know. The lead singer was very entertaining and was always swinging the microphone around and stuff. Bri and I were trying to decide how often he hit his band mates! As they were leaving the stage, I shook hands with the main guitarist (the one in red)! I've never touched a famous person before! So it was pretty exciting! Overall.... great night!!

Weekend Fun

2007-07-24T09:44:00.001-07:00

Bri and I had a pretty fun weekend! Friday night, we started it off by feeding the Sister Missionaries. They are fun and the 4 of us had a good dinner! After taking met up with Alex and his brother Chris. Alex is in our ward here, and his brother was visiting before moving to DC to start school. We went downtown to VooDoo Doughnut's.... a famous Portland stop, open 24 hours a day! They have everything you can think of! You can get bacon donuts, ones with cereal on them.... whatever you want! I got one with oreo crumbs on it and chocolate and a peanut butter on it! So yummy! After our doughnuts, we rode around on a 'Pedi-Cab' - it was a guy on a bike with 2 rows of seats - it was way fun and a nice way to see Portland at night! We saw everyone who was out clubbing or at bars, and tons of people everywhere waiting for their copy of Harry Potter! There was a light mist all night, which just added to our 'Portland experience' for the night! :)

Saturday, we didn't get to sleep in much cause we went to a pancake breakfast hosted by the Stake in honor of Pioneer Day. After breakfast, we did a little shopping, then went to see Hairspray! It was excellent! The lead girl was amazing - the rest of the cast did an excellent job too! Saturday night, I got invited again to go out to dinner with the Sister Missionaries! Twice in one weekend! There was a group of 6 of us total, and we went to Sweet Tomato! Back to my place and watched some movies and just hung out (minus the Sister's :) )!

Sunday was Church, then we went to a Pioneer Broadcast fireside, which ended up being just a concert by the MoTab, but still very good! They sang a fairly random assortment of songs - my favorite number of the night was 'Somewhere Over The Rainbow'.

Good weekend! Now it's back to another week of working!

Pictures: Me and Bri inside VooDoo Doughnuts (top left), Bri and Alex enjoying! (top right), Alex, me and Chris waiting in line for donuts (bottom left), Bri and Alex on our 'bike ride' (bottom right)

2007-07-11T12:14:00.000-07:00

Happy 4th of July!! My second favorite holiday - I just love fireworks! Bri and I spent the day at the pool with a few other friends of ours, and got really sunburned! My forehead has been peeling the last few days and it's not fun! After spending the day laying by the pool, relaxing, reading our books and chatting, we went to a Portland Beavers baseball game. The game was fun, but after being in the sun all day, we were both really tired! The Beavers won, and then we went to the waterfront and watched the fireworks!! Overall, it was a great day spent with friends and just relaxing!

Ward Luau!

2007-07-11T10:29:00.001-07:00

The Singles ward here is awesome! I have made so many friends already! It's just the perfect size - big enough that there are lots of people to meet, but small enough that people notice a new face and everyone is friends. In the 2 months that I have been here, we have done lots of fun activities. These pics are from a ward Luau that we had. Bri and I decided it would be fun to dress up 'Hawaiian' style. They had a dinner, a little show with some hula dancing, and then lessons after. Bri and I were laughing too hard to learn much, but it was fun anyway.

We also have an activity every 3 or 4 weeks with the other two singles wards in the area. I'm surprised by how many people actually go to the activities! It's usually a bbq of some sort, and then lots of games and time to just 'mingle'. The biggest difference between the singles wards here and the ones in Utah is that there is NO pressure to get married! It's SO nice for a change! This weekend, we are having a boat dance on the Portland Spirit. It's a famous old cruise ship, and I guess they just cruise us up and down the river all night. I'm not way excited about being stuck on a boat and forced to dance for 4 hours, but I'm sure we will end up going!

The pics..... (left) Me and Bri; (right top) Me, Mario and Bri; (right bottom) Shari and Me.

Service for Concert Tickets

2007-07-11T08:31:00.001-07:00

On Saturday, June 30, Bri and I volunteered 4 hours of our morning and got concert tickets in return! We signed up with this company called Boost Mobile Rock Corps. They travel all over the US organizing service projects of different sorts, and then give you a concert ticket when it's all over. We joined about 200 other people to cut ivy off of trees. I didn't know this, but apparently, when ivy grows up the trees, it kills them. So they gave us some big cutter things and let us go to town! We ended up getting free t-shirts, a lunch, and best of all, concert tickets to Taking Back Sunday! It was tons of fun - I would defiantly do it again!

Chicago!!

2007-07-10T14:45:00.001-07:00

My mom and I went to Chicago for one last trip before I moved to Oregon! It was lots of fun, although a little rainier and colder than last years trip. This year we went to Wicked - which was awesome! We were not planning on going, but decided to stop by the box office one afternoon, and they still had tickets left for that nights show. Our seats were good and the play was excellent! We went to the Shedd Aquarium and the Alder Planetarium on one of the rainy days. The end of the trip was sunnier, so we rented bikes for about 4 hours and rode around Chicago! It was a little scary riding in traffic, but I had an awesome pink bike, with a basket and everything, so I was a happy camper! We spent some time at Navy Pier and took a ride on the ferris wheel and a boat ride to get a view of the amazing Chicago skyline! And of course there was lots of shopping!! We also went to Millenium Park to see 'The Egg' again - which has to be one of the coolest things I have ever seen! Another cool/random statue we found was of all these sets of legs - about 50 total, each one about 8 or 9 feet tall. So random that we just had to stop and take lots of pictures! It was another excellent 'Girls Trip'.

pics:
(top) Mom at Wicked; Me and Mom on the ferris wheel; (bottom) Our reflection in 'The Egg'; My cool rental bike; me at the Leg statue