Saturday, December 31, 2011

Here we Go

Tonight.
We are young
So let's set the world on fire
We can burn brighter
Than the sun



Tonight. 
Or 2012.
It's all the same. 

This is a big year. 
You know, minor things like graduating from college. 
This is the year I grow up
This is MY year. 

I don't do resolutions.
They're often forced, then just forgotten about. 
My sweet friend Stephanie calls it her to-do list
and that's exactly how I think of it. 

PHYSICAL
I know it's cliche to strive to lose weight at the beginning of the year.
Mine is different though. 
I'm not going to set a number on it.
Not on the pounds lost or the sizes dropped. 
It's all about the health factor.
I just want to feel healthy.
I want to feel pretty. 
I want to feel confident.
All the time. 

SPIRITUAL
Lately I have been really terrible at staying consistent in my personal prayer and scripture study. 
It's one of those things that I know is necessary. 
I know my life goes a lot more smoothly when I do these things. 
I need to be better about making it a priority to go to Institute. 
I will pay my tithing when I get paid.
That way I won't forget about it and will stay on top of it. 

EMOTIONAL
Like I said, this is a big year.
There are a lot of changes coming up.
I don't like change. 
Especially big ones. 
Any time I think about it all, I get terrified.
I stress out . I think of all the things that could go wrong. 
I just need to remember that it will all be alright. 
Everything that needs to will work out.


"Seize the day boys. Make your lives extraordinary." 

The world is on my side
I have no reason to run 

(thank you Fun. for the lyrics)

Thursday, December 22, 2011

Lessons Learned the Hard Way

Hey husband of mine, whoever and wherever you are,

Ready for what I decided today?

It doesn't matter what your job is, how messy it may be, or how physical it is.

You will wear your wedding ring at all times. Even if we have to buy you a cheap-o one that we don't care gets scratched. You need something.

I'm just protecting you. You know, from girls like me.

Here's how we females work.
We see an attractive man.
Step one? Do a quick glance for a ring check.
Step two, assuming of course that the magic finger is empty, turn in the charm.

When someone isn't wearing a ring, it's instinctive to assume they are single. Or at least not in a permanent relationship.
At that point, they're fair game.

Sometimes, you find yourself in a situation where you think an attractive man you are about to spend a significant amount of time with (say, your friendly neighborhood tow truck driver) is single. He isn't wearing a ring, why think otherwise?
So you spend 40 minutes chatting, flirting a bit, making comments to make sure he knows you're single.
Then comes the phone call.
That's right, from his wife.
Talking about their children.

Obviously at this point, I tone it down. Talk less. Adjust my tone and body language.
Fifteen minutes later he says "You doing alright? You got quiet there."
"Oh yeah, I'm fine," I reply.

Just have no reason to be so chatty anymore.

Moral of the story?
You'll wear a ring. All the time.
I don't want to share you with girls like me.

Love, your protective and cautious, eventual wife.

Tuesday, December 13, 2011

What it Means

Yes, I should be writing a paper right now, not a blog.
But I have bigger things than intercultural communication on my mind.


In the time I have been associated with our football team, I have never seen these boys this happy. The smiles on their face are infectious and excited. They have put in so many years of work and are so proud to see their goals achieved.  
Maybe it's silly, but this, of all videos that have been posted these last couple of weeks, made me cry.
It's a little thing called Aggie Pride. 

It has been 14 years since Utah State football has made it to a bowl game. 
14 years.
To finally be in this situation, with a bowl game just a few days away, Aggie Nation has come together like I've never seen. 
It's magic, really. 


Here's the thing about Aggie Pride. 
It's real.
It's deep.
It's beautiful.
It's something that is there, no matter what. 
Whether we're winning or losing, no matter what season it is, Aggie Pride is there. 

It is in the unison of "I Believe."
It is in the spirit of the Fight Song. 
In the silly, yet traditional actions of the Scotsman.
It is a coach who gets the team's logo tattooed on his shoulder.


It is the power behind which we bond together.
The way we show our love and dedication for our school. 

After 14 years, the hard work has paid off.
Our boys are going bowling.
We couldn't be more proud. 
We couldn't be more excited. 
(in my case, I couldn't be more upset to be missing it.)

To be an Aggie is an incredible experience.
It's something that is with you forever, no matter where you end up in life. 
To be an Aggie is more than just an education. 
It is what makes us who we are. 


Good luck this weekend, boys. 
Make the Aggies proud. 


Wednesday, November 30, 2011

As I See It

Tonight was the ever-popular Victoria's Secret fashion show. 
Not my thing, I didn't watch it. 
However, it was interesting to follow the reactions on Twitter. 
Thank you boys, for making us feel great. 

Charley put it plainly.



How depressing, yet true, is that?
How many girls are going to hit the gym and start starving themselves tomorrow?
All just so they can look like the girls they think we are all supposed to look like?


I mean, really?
These girls have nothing on them.
They don't even look healthy. 
When was the last time they ate a carb? Or anything with sugar?
How many hours a day do they spend working out?
There's a line between being healthy and being crazy.
They have definitely crossed that line. 


Enter, my dear friend Ryan. 

    
Fact. 
Ladies, don't you forget it. 
You don't have to be stick skinny, size 0 to be pretty. 

Be your own, beautiful you.

Monday, November 28, 2011

Complaining

Here's the thing.
Overall, I feel that I have a very high pain tolerance.
When I broke my arms (yes, plural) when I was seven, we didn't even think they were broken because it didn't hurt that bad.
My junior year when I got bit on the face by my dog, I just wanted to see inside all the layers of skin and everything.
I kind of love the pain of sore muscles that come from from an intense workout.
But you give me a mouthful of cankers/cold sores and I turn into a wimp.

When my mouth hurts, I feel like everything hurts.
I'm starving because I can't chew, or even swallow.
When I'm starving I get cranky.
I can't talk and my life requires too much talking for that to be the case.
I can't brush my teeth without bursting into tears.

I finally went to the doctor this morning to see what's really going on.
I thought it was an allergic reaction to something, but the doctor said it's probably more like a version of the virus that cause cold sores.
He said it was "the worst crop of sores he'd ever seen." (real comforting, right?)
I'm waiting on some prescriptions to make it hurt less, but apparently there's not really much I can do at this point. Things can only be done when I feel them start coming on.

So I will sit here and continue to be miserable.
And I'm sorry if you get tired of me complaining.
Lots of soup, ibuprofen, and a swollen face.
Chewing and swallowing aren't important anyway, right?

Friday, November 11, 2011

Christmas Movie List

Obviously, I love Christmas. 
This is a list of all the movies that need to be watched at least once before Christmas. 
You'll notice there are some that are not necessarily "Christmas movies," but feature enough Christmas to count.
If you have any that I'm missing, please let me know!

Elf
Santa Clause
Santa Clause 2
Santa Clause 3
Love Actually
Little Women
White Christmas
Miracle on 34th Street
Muppet Christmas Carol
Charlie Brown Christmas
The House Without a Christmas Tree
Christmas Story
The Holiday
Frosty the Snowman
Home Alone
Mr. Kreuger's Christmas
Meet Me in St. Louis
Rudolph
Mickey's Once Upon a Christmas
Family Man
Polar Express
You've Got Mail
Sleepless in Seattle
While You Were Sleeping
It's a Wonderful Life
all of the cheesy made-for-tv movies on Hallmark and ABC Family
Four Christmases

Thursday, November 10, 2011

On Being a Grown Up

This week I had to get used to saying "I'll be out of town for work this weekend."
Say what? Me??
Truth.

But here I sit, in a hotel in Laramie, Wyoming.

Turns out my bosses like and trust me enough that they chose to send me as the traveling SID with our women's basketball team.
It's their first roadtrip of the year and I get to be a part of it.
Tomorrow they play the University of Wyoming. Then it's off to Brookings, South Dakota to take on South Dakota State.

Now, yes, it means I'm missing tomorrow night's home game vs. BYU. Only a game I've been looking forward to for two years, but sometimes you have to make sacrifices, right?
Because hello, this says huge things about how my bosses feel about me.
Plus, this will be the ultimate test for if this is really what I want to do as a career.

I'm nervous as heck, but also stoked for this weekend.
Lots of basketball, lots of travel, lots of food.
All things I really like.
And all for free.
Love it.

Wish me luck!

Monday, November 7, 2011

Writing

Basically, all I do is write. Sometimes it feels like it's 24/7.
The problems come in the fact that I'm trying to do four styles of writing.
News, sports features, magazine features, press releases.
There are rules. So many rules.
Do this, not that. Oh, but on this story do that, not this.
It's all very complicated.
So I'm sorry, little blog of mine, that you get neglected.
Because the thing is, the writing that comes with grades and deadlines have to be the priority.

I'm getting really good at this game though.
Like today? Four feature football stories. Grand total of about four and a half hours spent on them.
Pretty impressive, right?
Now my brain is about to explode, but it's fine.

And now, I'm going to go celebrate my lack of deadline.
By doing absolutely nothing.
And then on Thursday, I will go to Wyoming and South Dakota.
(more about that later, basically, that whole "grown up world" is getting closer and closer.)

Saturday, October 29, 2011

When I woke up this morning, I felt...
out of sorts.
I've been dealing with some stuff for the last couple of days and it was starting to get the best of me.
Whenever that happens, I know where I need to go.
I called the temple and talked them into squeezing me in. 



My trip there today was perfect.
I love walking in, greeted by the friendly old man checking the recommends.
Today, even the women were friendly and in good moods.
I didn't feel rushed (which doesn't usually happen at this temple).
As I perused the scriptures, I kept happening across the ones I really needed to read.
Afterwards, I took a walk around the grounds and felt nothing but peace.


I got a chance to clear my head, and think of absolutely nothing.
Particularly the things I'd been stressing about.
As I drove out of the parking lot, I felt a thousand times better than when I'd driven in.
It was exactly what I needed. 

Monday, October 24, 2011

Two more hours...
In two hours I will officially be 22 years old.

Now, I love my birthday.
Easily one of my favorite days of the year.

For some reason, though, 22 is scaring me.
It seems so much more "grown up" than 21.
It's like I actually have to grow up and stuff.

A lot of big things happen with the year of 22.
And by a lot, I just mean graduation.
But still. That's big, right?

But here's to you, 22.
I ask you to be great.
Be epic. Be exciting. Be an adventure.
Bring me wonderful things.

I know a couple things are for sure.
There are great people in my life who will make it great.
And I'm going to look great celebrating tomorrow with my early birthday presents from both Mom and myself ;)

Monday, October 10, 2011

Vent Sesh

Even though I'll be 22 in just two short weeks, every once in awhile I have those "I want my mommy" moments. Admit it, you have them too.

The fact that I'm feeling overwhelmed, yet completely in control.
That I feel as though it's not possible to please everyone I need to be pleasing all at once.

That I'm exhausted and can't ever feel like I'm getting enough sleep.
That I should be sleeping right now, but have too much on my mind.

That my 18-year-old brother has a better dating track record than I do.
And that he reminds me of such often.
That my only ex is engaged married and there are no other obvious prospects.
That I have no idea what I'm doing wrong.
That I see certain girls as obnoxious and doing things wrong, yet they are the ones with multiple dates every weekend.
But I don't want to be them. It doesn't seem worth it.
That I haven't been on an actual date in over a year.

That I turn 22 in two weeks and it's kind of freaking me out.
It seems like it should be so much more grown-up than 21 and I don't know what to do about it.

That I spend all my time doing everything.
And then just come home.
To nothing.
All my close friends are married/dating/working too much.
That they're the only ones I ever hung out with.

That I forget to eat because I'm constantly running.

That I'm scared of growing up.

The fact that it's so ridiculous that this blog is the only thing I have to spill and cry to because I couldn't possibly show some actual emotion in real life.
That I suppress these feelings because expressing them would show weakness.

That my car keeps costing me an arm and a leg.
And that I'm too independent to ask for help or demand immediate payment from the other half.
That life in general costs so much money.

That everything will be OK...
That I have words like these, from wonderful men of God, to get me through...

"You are not invisible to your Heavenly Father. He loves you. He knows your humble heart and your acts of love and kindness. Together, they form a lasting testimony of your fidelity and faith.
"Please understand that what you see and experience now is not what forever will be. You will not feel loneliness, sorrow, pain, or discouragement forever. We have the faithful promise of God that He will neither forget nor forsake those who incline their hearts to Him. Have hope and faith in that promise. Learn to love your Heavenly Father and become His disciple in word and in deed.
"Be assured that if you but hold on, believe in Him, and remain faithful in keeping the commandments, one day you will experience for yourselves the promises revealed to the Apostle Paul: “Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.”
"Brothers and sisters, the most powerful Being in the universe is the Father of your spirit. He knows you. He loves you with a perfect love."
- Dieter F. Uchtdorf, General Conference Oct. 2011 -
And that is all I need to know. 

Tuesday, October 4, 2011

FALLing in Love

You guys. I adore October.

It starts with General Conference.
Football continues and basketball begins.
The leaves start changing and the air gets crisp.
My birthday happens!

It's amazing how a little decorating and fall-ifying can brighten up a mood and bring roommates together.
Our house smells and looks like fall.
I wanted an excuse to put up Christmas lights, so instead, we have "harvest lights." Use the white lights, throw in some fall leaves, and you have yourself a glorious window.


This is me, falling in love with fall. 

Monday, October 3, 2011

Quick Letters

Today there have been a few people (who I don't know) that I've wanted to call out... So here we go.

Dear snotty girl in zumba,
We can tell you were a cheerleader in high school. Keywords? IN HIGH SCHOOL. You aren't anymore. In fact, you look like you've been out of high school as long as I have. Enough with the cutsey hair, Soffe shorts and tank tops, and old cheer shoes (that was a new one today... Really!?) You don't need to push your way to the front to try and show off and prove to the teacher that you know how to dance. Have you noticed she doesn't care?

Dear housing/freshmen,
Humans v. Zombies again? Really? I'm not a fan of being caught in the middle of these "attacks." Oh, and no, we aren't going to give you a whole story in the Statesman. It's not new or that big of a deal anymore. The first time, ok. But you're no longer newsworthy :)

Dear seller of Diet Coke,
Just because you apparently don't want to be at work today doesn't give you the right to be rude to people purchasing stuff. It's not the end of the world if my friends and I stand off to the side to chat for a few minutes. No, we weren't ready to be helped. And just sayin', I've never had anyone hand me my change that forcefully before. Cheer up! Mondays aren't that bad. You have a job that could be really fun and awesome if you'd let it.

Dear iPhone,
I love you.

Sunday, October 2, 2011

The Future

I love Conference weekend.
This time around though, I got a little excited about the whole future thing.

I had this little vision... (nothing crazy - no angels or anything, just one of those "ooh.. that's what it will be like" moments)

I pictured me and my super-cute husband sitting on the couch in our cute starter home, covered in fall decorations.
Our sweet, though mildly rambunctious kidlets are finally settled down coloring the squares of Conference BINGO, because they don't have the patience to just play the game.
Saturday night, the boy goes off to Priesthood session with his friends while I clean the house, play with the kids and get the cinnamon roll dough ready for the next morning.
Between Sunday sessions we bust out whatever our Conference tradition meal will be (that's of course to be determined when I have more details... haha)

Life will be sweet and wonderful.
We'll have the gospel and our family :)

Now, I know, I know, life isn't always going to go that beautifully.
But oh well.
It can happen if we work at it and it can be wonderful.

Today, I'm not scared to grow up.

(up next, why I'm scared to death of turning 22 in 22 days...)

Friday, September 16, 2011

How Do They Do it?

I don't understand the people who go all anorexic on themselves.
This week I accidentally tried it, and let me tell you, it's not fun!

I've always gotten really bad canker sores (like ALL the time, it's not even fair.)
But this was the worst it's ever been.
Hands down the worst pain I've ever been in.
(yes, even more than the time I broke my arms or not bit in the face by my dog.)

I had 15 at once.
Yeah, you read that number right.
15.

They were all over the place - my gums, lips, tongue, everywhere.
Absolute misery.

Due to this infections from hell, I couldn't really eat.
At all.
For like a week.
A week living off yogurt, applesauce, noodles if I was feeling brave.
All I could drink was water and Crystal Light. (no Diet Coke for a whole week!!)

I tried every remedy out there and nothing was working.

Finally, here we are.
I'm down to just one little bitty canker.
I can eat again.
But all my clothes are too big.
Apparently eating 400 calories a day while still working out makes you drop weight real quick.

Wednesday, September 7, 2011

The Sharp Knife of a Short Life

I never imagined the words of this song would really be relevant to my life...


Today I got one of the worst phone calls of my entire life. 

Death.
Dead.
Gone.

Such frightening and permanent words.

It wasn't supposed to go like this. 
I should not have friends taken from me.
Friends who have struggled for so long.

Jessica and I went through a lot together.
When I moved to Tucson, she was one of the ones I clicked so well with.
I was there through her discussions and conversion.
I was there when she changed her mind. 
She was one of my best friends.

Eventually Jess started struggling. 
She got mixed up with the wrong crowd. 
She got into the alcohol and party scene.
She was where she thought she was "happy."
Her life slowly spinning out of control. 

But now she's at peace.
In the arms of our loving Heavenly Father. 

I keep telling myself to stop dwelling on the "why?" and the "what if?" questions. 
What if I had called her on Saturday when I was thinking about her?
Why didn't I see her the last time I was in town?
Why couldn't I help more?

From the moment I left institute talking to my dad, 
I couldn't talk. I couldn't breathe. I couldn't think. I couldn't process.
I walked around in a daze all day.
I wanted it so badly to be a horrible rumor. Or just a terrible nightmare.
Holding back tears, holding back the anger.
When someone would ask "How are you?" it took all I had to just say "good" and continue on my way to class.
The classes where every professor said something that reminded me of her or of the way I was feeling. 
I'd be ok for awhile, then those awful, scary, permanent words would come back to my mind. 
I'm home now. And the tears are finally coming.

Tonight was for you, Jess. 
Tonight's workout soundtrack was New Found Glory's album Coming Home. The one we listened to every day on the way home from school.
I thought of those drives. The time where we hit the rattlesnake. The time the car broke down on the way home from mutual. 
I came home to find leftover chips from Chili's. Along with the wonderful avocado ranch sauce you introduced me to. 

I wish you happiness.
I wish you peace.
I wish you comfort. 

Love you girl.
Please know that.
Please know you'll be missed. 

look unto me in every thought. doubt not, fear not.

Saturday, September 3, 2011

Life in a College Town

I love Logan, that's no secret.
I love that everything centers around the Aggies.
When someone asks, "Did you see the game?" There's no question what game you're talking about.

Today we lost to Auburn.
But we played an incredible game and were winning until the last three minutes of the game.
Later on as I was at lunch and running errands, any person who was wearing an Aggie blue shirt would see mine and strike up a conversation.
At a gas pump, there were five of us talking about the game while we filled up our cars and washed our windows.

Even over a disappointing subject, we came together as a town.
Can't beat that.

Wednesday, August 31, 2011

The One That Ended Up Rambling, So There is No Title

Here's the deal, folks.
Once I finally get my butt into gear and actually work out for once, I absolutely ADORE it.
Before, during and after all feel wonderful. Mild pain, but in an excellent sort of way.
So the question I pose to you.
Why in the world don't I do it consistently?
I'm really really good at finding excuses to not, but then when I do, I feel so much better about everything.
It is a stress reliever. Even after just one workout, I feel much more confident and prettier. It's just great.
My p.e classes for the semester started today. I'm taking zumba, and oh my lands people, I'm in LOVE. It's going to kick my trash (which isn't necessarily a bad thing). I'm also taking flag football. Add in a little country dancing every week, and I'm telling ya, this is it. This is the semester to kick myself into gear.

I'm not one of those girls who obsesses over calories and cardio (obviously). For the most part I'm fine with how I look/feel, but the last few months (particularly last semester) were hard... Really hard actually.

I always kind of scoffed the people who claimed "season depression" as the root of their problems.
Turns out it's a real thing.
By February of this year, I was miserable.
I was tired. Tired of school, snow, cold and stress.
I lived life very much day-to-day, going to school, work, meetings, then just coming home and crawling in bed to watch of movie or something while I pretended to study.
I would randomly burst into tears and I usually am not the type to do that.
I was just feeling very blah about life.
Everyone was super busy and living their own crazy lives, so I had no one to really do anything with.
I was just mad at the world and I didn't know why.
The winter didn't seem like it was ever going to end.

The semester finally ended, and I was sure it would all be fixed right away, but then there was all sorts of drama the week after finals.

Summer was really good for me.
I got a break. I got some sunshine.
Then school started again. And that night before, I decided it was going to be different. I knew there were things I wanted to change so I'm going to make that happen.

ps. I love my internship. Greatest thing ever, and I know I've made the right career choice.
Also. I get to see some old dear friends tomorrow and I can't even wait. I haven't seen either of them in like 3 years. Not ok!

Tuesday, August 23, 2011

Do You Hear the People Sing?


K seriously. Does that give you chills, or what?

You guys, it's kind of ridiculous how much I can't stop watching this. 
I've watched the whole show 3 times in the last 5 days.
I can't help it.
It's incredible.

I went to YouTube in search of one song the other day, and instead happened upon the entire 25th Anniversary concert. 
incredible

Seriously. Go watch it. You won't regret it. 
It's always been one of my favorite shows, but this performance is unreal. 
p.s, yes, that is Nick Jonas playing Marius... who knew!? 
This Javert is brilliant.
And then at the end, the original 1985 cast comes out to sing with them (as you saw in that clip up there). 

The entire time I either had chills or tears or some combination going on.
For real though, from Empty Chairs at Empty Tables til the end, I'm just one sobbing mess.

I'm going to go watch again until I fall asleep. 
Enjoy yourselves. And feel free to sing along. No one will mind. 

Friday, August 19, 2011

3 Years Later... A Nashville Recap



Remember that I time I went to Nashville?
Oh hey, yeah, that happened.

the view from our hotel room on the 24th floor

Just like I promised, here's the blog post about it all.
I had a hard time deciding the best way to do it.
Day by day?
But I decided to go more by topic...

Conference
We'll start here, because after all, that was the point of the trip.
CASE/ASAP is an organization for Student Alumni Associations, Ambassadors and student philanthropy groups. There were around 600 college students there from universities all over the country, including many I'd never heard of.
We definitely clicked the most with the kids from the University of Utah (a few of whom we already knew), and the boys from the University of Rhode Island (I'd never met anyone from RI before!)
The days were filled with keynote speakers, breakout sessions, all that good conference kind of stuff.

Food
This might be the greatest thing ever. I definitely fell in love with southern food and culture while I was there. Everything they eat is very comforting and homey. Most of it is fried. Drinks are served in Mason jars. Love. Our adviser has a friend who lives in Nashville and she took us to this FABULOUS restaurant called SouthernBred. YUM! I seriously wish tea wasn't against the Word of Wisdom because sweet tea is kind of a big deal in the south.
Did you know fried green tomatoes are a real thing? Not just from a book/movie. And guess what? I ATE THEM! (if you know me, you know that's a big deal because I hate tomatoes.) They were great! They didn't taste like real tomatoes. And they were fried. And dipped in a yummy ranch sauce. Both things that make things better. I ate a bite of catfish too! (that's another big deal). Seriously, everything I ate was sooo good. Pretty sure I ate my weight in awesomeness those few days.

A Crazy Coincidence
Let me introduce you to our new friends Tyler and Ashlyn. We met these guys on our flight from Atlanta to Nashville. We overheard a bit of their conversation talking about Zion's bank, and a future in Logan. That caught our attention so we started talking to them. They are from Tooele and Tyler is planning on being an Aggie when he's done with high school and his mission. We assumed those few minutes would be our only time with them. However, the next day we ran into them down by the river. We met their aunt and uncle that they were visiting and they told us all about living in Nashville... Surely that was going to be it, right? Wrong. Two days later, we're at a concert, and lo and behold, who has the seats right next to us? That's right, the Cahoon's! Crazy things happen... 

Fun Things
Obviously this is the best part. There were so many fun things to do in Nashville!
Our hotel was right downtown, just a couple of blocks from all the stuff going on.

We spent a lot of time just wandering the streets of the city. There was so much to see! If you walk down the main road all the way to the end, you come to the Chattanooga River. There are boats in the water, a couple awesome bridges, and just across the water is LP Field, where the Tennessee Titans play.

Right in the heart of the city is the street of Broadway. It's far from the Broadway in New York City, though. Rather than theatre after theatre, this Broadway is honkytonk after honkytonk. Each of them have live music going on most of the day and definitely all night. Walking up and down the street was a blast and provided for some excellent people-watching. It reminded me a lot of Vegas, just less slutty.
Along with the bars there are your typical tourist shops and some of the best ice cream I've ever had. Seriously though. Red velvet with Oreos in it? Hello, awesome.

We spent one of the nights at the famous Wildhorse Saloon. They had some decent food, but by far the best night of country dancing I've ever experienced. It was mostly line dances, and all but two of them were brand new to me. They had instructors who would teach a dance every hour or so, but for the most part we just followed a couple of cowboys who knew what they were doing. Seriously, they had a dance for every song. Pretty sure half the time they were making it up as they went. After this, country dancing here in Logan will never be the same! It's always been one of my dreams to line dance in a Nashville bar... Done and done.

While we were there, we had to go to the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum. I'm a huge country music fan, you know that, so this was another dream come true. It was very Smithsonian-esque, but all centered around country music. It was full of clothes and instruments from different singers. Around every corner a new song was playing. There was a whole exhibit devoted to the legendary Hank Williams Jr. There are two full HUGE walls covered in artists' gold and platinum records. Then of course, the Hall of Fame itself.  Here are a few pics of the awesomeness...


 "hello, I'm Johnny Cash..."


 Elvis' gold Cadillac

the original manuscript to Miranda Lambert's White Liar.

Ok... Ready for the epic conclusion of this trip?


So as soon as we got to Nashville, we heard that Keith Urban was doing a show that weekend. I'd seen Keith live before, and loved it, and was not opposed to going again. However, we'd heard it was a sold out show and the only tickets available online were super expensive and not worth it. By the end of the week, we'd learned that scalping is a legal thing in Tennessee and were told to keep an eye out for tickets that way. We stopped by the arena on our way to dinner that night just to see, but we couldn't talk anyone down lower than $60 a ticket. We went by at 7:22 (for the show that started at 7:30) and still managed to find some tickets! We talked the guy into selling them to us for $45 and we were in!


Jake Owen, who is a sexy, sexy man, was opening for Keith so I was stoked to see him. And really, Keith is an incredible performer and I was thrilled to be getting to see him again. This tour was called "Get Closer" and definitely for a reason. Keith spent a ton of time out in the audience, bringing people up on stage, and really interacting with everyone. He's incredible really.


There was most definitely no better way to conclude this incredible trip.
I fell in love with Music City and can't wait to go back.

Sunday, August 7, 2011

A Tiny Preview...

Keith Urban (@KeithUrban) from the Nashville show at Bridgestone Arena on 8/6/11!

Get ready... more like, Get Closer... 

I'll be writing all about my INCREDIBLE trip to Nashville tomorrow.
But right now, I'm going to sleep.
Because I have to catch a 7:30 a.m. flight.

Wednesday, August 3, 2011

Epic Moment of the Day

Once upon a time I was at the airport. 
As I was standing in line at Burger King, a certain man named Jerry Sloan walks past me.
He and I were both on the phone, and not wanting to act like the obnoxious superfan I could have been, I chose not to do anything.
Then as I was walking to the bookstore to pick up a tacky tabloid, as is my flying tradition, I saw him again.
Turns out he's also going to Atlanta, just a couple hours before us.
This time, I got brave. 
(even though my insides were all sorts of nervous and excited.)
I walked past him and said "Hey Coach." and that was all. Then he smiled and said "Hey there, how's it going?"
And then my life was complete.
The end.

Tuesday, August 2, 2011

The Things I Ponder Late At Night

Miss Natalie is one of my favorite bloggers ever.
Her posts are hilarious.
She has a handsome husband and a darling baby.
Today, she wrote this post...




And as I commented on her post, I will now spend far too much time thinking about who I am. 
Even in sticking solely to Meg's characters, I have some of the qualities (or strive to have) in many of her characters. 
I have some of the same flaws.
I'm a hopeless romantic.
Nothing would make me happier than a bouquet of daisies or of newly sharpened pencils.
I fall for my best friends. (ie When Harry Met Sally)

I make hasty decisions (like when Kate flies off to France to win Charlie back), but like Kathleen, I can never find the words to say to someone in the moment of spite. And on the rare occasion I do, I immediately regret it. 
I could keep going. I could find the similarities between me, Kate McKay,Kathleen, Anastasia, Sally, Catherine Boyd, Annie, Maggie Rice...


However, when you look closely, I think I'm mostly Annie Reed. 


For one, I'm a journalist. Makes sense. I am not ashamed to admit that I do my share of online stalking (though it's much easier now than it was for her). I sing/talk to the radio when I'm alone (or not). I have my movies that I can quote verbatim, (ironically they are mostly Meg Ryan movies). And let's face it. I don't want to be in love, I want to be in love in a movie...


I'm sure many of you out there won't understand, but thinking about this tonight was absolutely fascinating. 
Who are you?
(it doesn't even have to be a Meg Ryan role, plus if you're a dude that could be weird. But we all have those movies in our lives.)

And now I'm going to put in a Meg movie and fall asleep. 


(also, go read Nat's blog! You'll laugh your head off, and it's all real!)

Sunday, July 31, 2011

My Children Will Do the Things I Never Got To

My children will do this...


Hope you're ok with that :)

Rodeos are my favorite things ever, so plan on going to as many of them as possible, mmk? 

If the first weekend of December came along and you said "Hey babe, let's go to Vegas this weekend," and that included a stop at the National Finals Rodeo, I wouldn't complain.

happy trails to you... 


Tuesday, July 26, 2011

Catch-Up

First:

:)
But that's another story. And we're going to see how it goes before I tell it....

I spent the weekend kickin' it with the fam at Camp New Fork.
Definitely one of the better weekends of the summer.
There was a lot of dirt and a lot of bugs, (leading to bites in the most random and uncomfortable of places) but hey, that's nature, right?

On the way home, I stopped at Target.
I controlled myself and only spent $60! Go me!

My room/house is a disaster area. Seriously, it's ridiculous.
One of these days I'll get around to cleaning it all up.

This summer has flown by, mostly with work.
I'm off to Nashville next week for a conference and I'm super stoked about it.
However, I just remembered that I'm supposed to have my part of our presentation ready by Wednesday...
Guess that's what I'm doing tomorrow night!

My room/house is ridiculously hot.
My roommates don't seem to believe in the power of the air conditioner.
I turn it on, and the second one of them come home, it gets turned off.
It really isn't that expensive to run it, and it's SO worth it!

My body is exhausted, but not the "I can fall asleep right now" kind of exhausted.
It was that way earlier, but an hour or so ago, the second wind came.
I want the first wind back...

The Lockout is over!
As a result, 3 more Aggies were added to NFL teams.
And one of them is headed to Dallas!
GO AGGIES!
Now the NBA just needs to follow suit...

Friday, July 1, 2011

A Day of Rest

Sundays are excellent days.
I loved this one in particular.

After church, I gathered up a blanket and a book. Diet Coke and leftover Chili's chips & salsa.
And then I headed up to First Dam.


This little spot in the canyon is great.
It's gorgeous. Especially during the summer.



I laid there in the shade, cruising through my latest book.
I napped a little.
I people-watched.

The family of 5. Whose parents just wanted to rest, while the kids wanted to share their excitement about everything.
The couple who clearly hadn't been together for very long. Excited about their blossoming relationship, yet still in somewhat of the awkward phase.
The elderly summer citizen couple. He, meticulously cleaning the car; getting every last spot off. She, reading the Sunday paper, while telling him "It's good enough" and wanting him to come sit with her. The best part though, was when he returned to their chairs, put in his headphones, and sang along to the classics, happy as could be.


After an hour or so, I gathered my things and took a spontaneous drive, halfway up the canyon.
Gorgeous.
Seriously.

Right!?

And then I drove to the temple.
(seriously, having a car rocks.)



Sunday was an excellent day. 

And I'm out. Time for fireworks round 1.
Then tomorrow in Provo.
Brigham City on Monday. 
Hands down, favorite weekend of the year. 

Sunday, June 26, 2011

Cowboy, Take Me Away

When a night starts like this, you know it's going to be good...



Our gracious and heavenly Father, 
we pause in the midst of this festive occasion, 
mindful and thoughtful of the guidance that you have given us.

As cowboys, Lord, we don't ask for any special favors, 
we ask only that you let us compete in this arena, as in lifes arena. 
We don't ask to never break a barrier, 
or to draw a round of steer that's hard to throw, 
or a chute fighting horse, 
or a bull that is impossible to ride. 
We only ask that you help us to compete as honest as the horses we ride 
and in a manner as clean and pure as the wind that blows across this great land of ours.

So when we do make that last ride that is inevitable for us all to make,
 to that place up there, where the grass is green and lush and stirrup high, 
and the water runs cool, clear, and deep -
You'll tell us as we ride in that our entry fees have been paid.

These things we ask,
 Amen
I love rodeos.
To me, they are the definition of summer.
Tonight was the first rodeo of the year, and it was beautiful.
I mean, it wasn't the best rodeo I've ever been to.
(they played more pop and rap songs than they did country)
But it was a blast. 

Also, I need  a cowboy in my life.
I've decided that really is the kind of guy I want.
Convenient that my parents just moved to Wyoming, eh?
(Mom, keep an eye out for me...)

Before the rodeo, we'd spent the day at the lake.
Apparently it doesn't matter whether or not I put sunscreen on, I'll still get fried.
The best part of the day was realizing how great of friends I have at work.

The fact that we all lived at work these last two weeks and still wanted to hang out with each other on our day off?
Pretty sweet.

Summer kind of got off to a slow start, but it's really here now. 
And it's wonderful.

It all started with last week's demolition derby.
Then today.
Next weekend is all the wonder that comes with the 4th of July.
Cache Valley Cruise-In. Fireworks. (three cities, three days, three sets of fireworks) Concerts from afar.
Later will come more rodeos and demo derbies. 
Throw in a trip to Nashville and all the temples in Utah and lots of hours of work (which translates to $$$).

I'd say we're in for a great couple of months. 

Wednesday, June 22, 2011

Stolen. Thrice.

This is a stolen thing.
I stole it from Katie. She stole it from Alyssa. And she stole it from Kelsey.
We're all on A-Team together. And love each other dearly.
The end.


So here we go.


Ten Things I wish I could say to 10 Different People (but don't say their name):
1. You're being stupid. And immature. You're making things weird for anyone who knows what's going on, but you're only hurting yourself and making your summer miserable.

2. Stop. You're annoying and obnoxious. Chill out a bit, k? You're cute and could be fun, but you're just too much these days. You don't need to be so loud and so needy, especially around boys. There's a time and a place. You don't always need to be the center of attention. 
3. I'm trying so hard to get over you. We're perfect together, but I'm running out of patience. I'm trying though, I really am. I'm not willing to give up what we already have.
4. I love you! I'm so excited for you in everything you have coming up in your life! (and slightly jealous ;) It makes me so happy to see you so happy! I love it!
5. For awhile there, I thought maybe I had a thing for you and wanted to be more than just friends. But then there was something I decided I couldn't handle. Your flaw? You're very critical. And if you see a problem with something, you're always telling everyone how you would do it better. That's great and all, but it's kind of  annoying. 
6. I miss you. I know they say that when people get married and stuff you kind of fall of the face of the earth, and it's true. And it kind of sucks. It makes me want to be married so that we can be married friends.
7. I'm excited for you to be an Aggie! I know you don't want to leave home and your friends, but I guarantee you'll love it up here. Get ready for the best years of your life1
8. After watching you on this one-on-one date, I don't hate you as much anymore. (Yes, directed to a man on Bachelorette... Pathetic? Maybe. haha)
9. I wish I knew why you were being so emotional. It's normal to be corrected and advised and stuff when you're new at something. You can ask for help. It's expected, even. 
10. You're super attractive and awesome. Too bad you're two years younger than me. And have a girlfriend. And are leaving on a mission....


Nine Things About Myself:
1. I hate tomatoes. (haha yeah, stole that from Katie too.)
2. My body is exhausted from work this week. And it's only Tuesday.
3. I absolutely HAVE to be staying busy or I go crazy.
4. I can't say no. It's so hard for me. Because of it, I often end up super over-committed to things. 
5. I like cleanliness. But not necessarily everywhere. It drives me crazy if my kitchen or living room are messy, but my bedroom is a completely different story.
6. I really have no idea what I'm doing with my life.
7. Sometimes I think I'll just move to New York and open a children's bookstore on the Upper West Side. 

8. Yes, that is a You've Got Mail reference. Showing just how much I love that movie. Ridiculous, really.
9. I want to go everywhere. But right now, I'm dying to go to Ireland.


Eight Ways to Win My Heart
1. Be completely yourself. 
2. Make me laugh. A lot. 
3. Let me vent and complain if I want to, but please don't push it. Sometimes all I need is some quiet and space. 
4. Call me Meg. Or Megs.
5. Be stalwart. Hold and honor your Priesthood, but don't force it. 
6. Watch one of my movies with me. And I'll watch yours with you. 
7. Be truly confident.
8. Sing to me. 


Seven Things That Cross My Mind a Lot:
1. Money sucks.
2. I love summer.
3. What am I going to do when I "grow up?"
4. I don't want to grow up.

5. I'm tired.
6. I'm hungry.
7. I want a man. (haha)


Six Things I Do Before I Fall Asleep:
1. Brush my teeth. (again)
2. Triple check my alarms. 
3. Watch an episode of something. Big Bang, HIMYM, whatever.
4. Pick the perfect playlist to fall asleep to.
5. Drink water.
6. Check Facebook one last time.


Five People Who Mean a Lot:
1. Madre

2. Daddy
3. Siblings

4. Best friends Amy and Erin
5. Aaron


Four Things I'm Wearing:
1. An XL Aggie football t-shirt
2. Black Soffe shorts
3. Underwear
4. And... that's it. Haha it's 1 a.m. That's what I wear to bed. haha


Three Songs I Listen to Often:
1. All My Life - The Band Perry
2. Honey Bee - Blake Shelton
3. shoot... Another one isn't coming to mind right now. I'll get back to you. 


Two Things I Want to do Before I Die:
1. Go to at least the Super Bowl, a World Series Game and the NBA Finals. I've been to the NCAA tournament, and to all of the professional games except the NHL. I want to continue it!
2. Read every book that has won a Newbery Award. 


One Confession:
1. I'm ready. Ready to fall in love. Or at least get on my way there. I'm tired of being single. At the same time though, I know I'm young. I know I have time. I know eternity is a really long time and I'm not in a rush to get there. It's just weird and hard to see all your friends growing up and getting married and stuff. It makes you want your turn. Ya know?