Katie Jo Visit

This past week Katie Jo was in Utah for a soccer camp so she and I had a few days to hang out!  It was a lot of fun to go and watch her play soccer on Tuesday night and then to have her stay the night with me Thursday.  I love when family is in town and we get to spend time together, even if both of us were exhausted-me from just daily activities such as school and work and her from 8 hours a day playing soccer, so even though I worked on homework and she fell asleep while Seinfeld was on in the background it was still nice to have my little sister around for a bit because I wont see her again till Christmas.  So thanks for the fun time Katie Jo and can't wait to see you at Christmas =)

Sliding Rock

It has been a lovely week and weekend.  On Tuesday I spent the night at Uncle Kevin's house and spent time with the cousins, it is so nice to have family so close! Then I spent the fourth of july with them as well and Aunt Jan made a delicious dinner and made me a great black bean burger (she is soo nice =) ) and we spent the evening talking, eating ice cream and watching neighborhood fireworks. (See Drew's blog for those pictures)  Then Thursday after going to see "Hunger Games" with the cousins Megan and I came back to my apartment and just hung out.  We did the same on Friday night spending our time watching The Office and coloring pictures.  Then on Saturday after I worked in the morning she and I went to my ward activity at Sliding Rock.  It is this natural water slide up in the Alpine Village canyon.  It looks like it hurts, but it was actually a really fun slide.  Afterwards we grilled out at a local park and played Ultimate Frisbee and volleyball.  Good day and fun weekend spent with Megan who is my future roommate =)

 Amber Gordon and me

 Amber, Meagan, Me, Danny, Avery, and I have no clue about the other three girls

 Sliding Rock

Meagan and Me

Date

Also, and you'll have to forgive me for not being in this video at all, but I went on a date to Vivian park this past Friday with a kid named Ian Anderson, and it was alot of fun! The guys made us hobo dinners and we grilled pineapple and made smores for dessert. And a fyi this guy and I are just friends, but here is just to update in my blog =)  And sorry that the videos are turned sideways....I dont have the gift that Katie does....or the common sense apparently to turn the camera the other way....but enjoy.

Happy Parents Day!

Happy Father's Day Dadda! I love you so much and thank you for all that you do.  I am so grateful that Heavenly Father up in the premortal existence knew that I needed a father like you.  That showed me love unconditionally and always had patience when I was being  a little brat/diva.  I am so thankful for your hard work so that growing up and still I was able to participate and do things and have great memories.  I thank you for your patience with me and never ever getting angry.  I can't honestly remember any time you ever were angry...you have made my standard for looking for a spouse high.  I want him to be just like you, of course with his own "flare" but how strong you are in the gospel, how kind and loving you are to mom, how hard a worker you are, how quick you are to make us (all your kids happy) and just how amazing you are.  Thanks dad, I love you so much!  I know that if I remember all these things there isn't a way I can choose a lemon in the garden of love.

NOW, since I forgot mothers day, I gotta tell her how much I love and appreciate her.  Happy super late mother's day Momma! I love you so much! You have always been there for me and been understanding and kind, you have always let me know that you love me even though at times you have been disappointed in me.  I love how kind and quirky you are.  People wonder where I got that from and I proudly say that from my momma =).  You have helped me to know what I want to do for the rest of my life in education because you took the time out of your life to help and serve me.  You are the kindest person, the most genuine and the most willing to serve person ever!  You have always put your wants second to that of all of us! Thank you for coming to our soccer games so much, I love having you there, you and dad, I appreciate your honesty and your willingness to always help me.  I love you mom and I can only hope to be just like you some day when I am celebrating my own mother's day.

Memory Lane

This past weekend I ended up going back to Rexburg ( I miss it that much that I really can't seem to leave!) I spent time with Peter and Jill, Ayla and mostly Zach.  Zachary Pasche has become one of my best friends! We have known each other for just over a year now and he is who I spent most of days with when I attended the university.  I think the world of him! But we have this odd relationship where we have actually never dated, or gone on dates for that matter.  We go on dates with other people and tell each other about them...odd...  We simply enjoy being around each other so we just hang out all the time.  But this past weekend he decided he would take the initiative to ask me out on a real date.  The good thing about what he planned is that it was a date that could only be done after knowing someone for so long.  So on Sunday afternoon we spent our time going down memory lane and taking pictures of important places in our relationship.  Hope you enjoy the pictures as much as we did going through them the first time and taking and remembering them this time!

 We spent most (if not all) of our Sunday afternoons, after both of us were done with church, goofing off in his kitchen making banana bread and eventually watching either a football game or a movie.

 The first place we actually met.  There was a pick up soccer game one afternoon last spring and both of us went.  I thought he was cute and I talked to him and throughout the game we playfully made fun of each other.  We ended up staying for a couple hours after the game had ended and everyone had left talking and playing soccer golf.

 Our funniest moment together.  One evening we were walking home from the upper turf soccer fields (we spend the majority of our time there)  And instead of taking the long safe way around we decided to cut across the grass fields.  Again looking for any type of a short cut we decided to walk down the steep bank of grass instead of around on the gentle slope.  I told him about my knee and the difficulty I had with inclines but he insisted that he would help me.  As a gentleman he walked in front of me while holding onto my hands.  We were making good progress until he slipped and not wanting to leave me behind decided to pull me down with him.  We ended up sliding down the entire hill on our bottoms...and when we finally came to a halt we could not stop laughing!

 Our first fight.  This is the door to my apartment at the Riviera.  We had only known each other for about three days when he said something really hurtful without thinking ( I won't record it here) but I had honestly never been more hurt and insulted in my life and especially by someone I had only known for such a short time.  He knew he had hurt my feelings, unintentionally I might add (guys tend to have a hard time thinking before speaking)  But he told me goodnight and I shut the door.  I stood looking at my door hoping he would turn around and apologize but after 10 minutes of waiting I went to my shower and cried.  He later told me that on his way home he called him mom saying that he had said something stupid and that this girl he had just met would never want to talk to him again.  His mother lovingly told him that he had indeed said something awful and to go and buy me something and apologize with sincerity  (Wise words momma).  It makes a good story now.  But at the time it was a pretty gnarly fight.

Our first "official" date.  After knowing each other for a couple weeks and studying together (we had the same nutrition class) He decided to finally take me out.  We had a lovely walk to Jamba Juice where he bought me my favorite Strawberry Chunky Smoothie.  Good, classy, simple and fun date, even though we already knew each other pretty well.

Even though we have had our moments I am so grateful for his enduring friendship and kindness.  We have learned and grown together and I am so glad that I met him that random day at soccer.  He really is amazing and I am so glad that we have become the friends that we are today.  To many more of our "finest moments"!

Run Through

Since there has been many things happening in my life I think I will give everyone the  brief run through of everything.  I flew out to Utah on May 8th and stayed with Christie and Tyler and there three youngins' (all so cute).  Then I traveled Friday the 11th to Rexburg to say hello and goobye to past friends and gather all my belongings to be moved down to Utah.  But I stayed in Rexburg for a week with Peter and Jill.  They are so fun we were able to go to the park, watch tv, and celebrate Jill's birthday on May 16.

 (the sound cuts out so sorry about that)

I spent most of my mornings with Jill and Peter when they were not at work at school, but the remainder of my day such as the afternoons were spent either saying goodbye to some friends but mostly with Zachary Pasche and Ayla Deen.  They are both two of my best friends and I am sad to not be going to Rexburg anymore, but life holds surprises in all new challenges and changes. 

After a week flew by in Rexburg, Ayla was kind enough to drive me down on May 19th back to Provo to unload my many suitcases.  Her car was jam packed with all of my belongings, but alas we were able to get everything down safely and moved in.  After a long day of moving clothes in the closet and books to their shelves Ayla and I hung out with Shaquille and his fellow track teammate Connor.  We decided to build a fire at one of the parks in Provo Canyon and make s'mores.  By the end of the night Ayla and I were tired so we drove back to Pleasant Grove to go to sleep.

Now the weekend has settled down and I am settled in. I miss Rexburg, and new places are hard to be in.  I don't have very many friends here and I don't know where exactly I am when I go out.  But there is adventure in all things and even more so there are opportunities to learn and grow...especially in situations where you find yourself out of your comfort zone.  But one thing for sure is I cant focus on being lonely and uncomfortable, I gotta focus on going out and trying new things.  I forgot this is how I felt those first weeks in Rexburg.  But eventually Rexburg became a place I loved and  had people I came to care about.  So in time Provo will do the same.  Situations like this become what you make it.  So until this Sunday where I will go back to sharing one thing that happened throughout the week i hope y'all enjoy reading through my little run through of the last week.

Creating a Memory

I was able to go out and "create a memory" today.  Something my dad always said when we are about to go out and do something worth remembering.  It was such a good day, since it is my last Saturday here we all decided to go out on the boat and enjoy each others company.  We were able to catch some sun, wind, blue skies and creatures.  We really did not catch anything edible and caught a funny looking fish called a bat fish (at least that's what dad thinks...he does not know that for sure).  The bat fish looked like its parents were a stingray and a shark...so we will stick with the name "creature" as the best description of it.  I really enjoyed today! Though we mostly just lounged around on a boat-it was a great day.  I love spending time with my family and I am going to miss them when I leave.  I also will miss Savannah, though it does has its cons I realized that we do live in such a pretty place. I am so grateful for the opportunity to spend a beautiful day with great people whom I love.  I definitely created a lasting memory.