Longboarding...

Jake and I learned how to longboard. We found this lovely trail that ran down Provo Canyon that wasn't too steep but had enough of a hill.

 We made our first attempt last Friday night. About 5 minutes into it... I biffed it. It was definitely not graceful...

We decided it would be best if we practiced first. Practiced how to bail that is. And before we went out again, I made us go to the store and purchase knee and wrist pads for me.

It was fun. And a beautiful ride (turns out our longboarding speed is slower than our running speed... pretty pathetic. But we'll get there). We even went again this weekend for a nice four mile stint.

This may become a regular mode of transportation for Jake and I this summer...

The Start of Something Beautiful...

Today has been a day of excitement, sadness, overwhelming accomplishment, and gratitude.

Today I graduated with a double Bachelor's Degree from Weber State University.

As I sat in the bleachers of the Dee Events Center listening to Jon Huntsman, Jr. speak about doing our best but always listening to our hearts and Fan-Ya Lin, the student graduate speaker, talk about the late nights she spent practicing the piano even with blistered fingers, it was all I could do to keep the tears at bay.

Today is an incredible day - and the amount of time, effort, sweat, and tears that have gotten me to this moment make it all the more incredible. 

As I walked back into my apartment after the commencement exercises, I paused for a moment to just reflect on where I am and how I've gotten here. I felt that I needed to write my feelings down, so here I am... yet I am at lose for words.

How does one describe so many different emotions?

Am I sad?

Ya, I'm sad to leave this behind.

Am I excited?

I had spontaneous fits of dancing throughout the day yesterday because I couldn't contain the excitement.

Am I nervous?

Sooo nervous.

But most of all, I feel like I have accomplished something great - something that will affect the course of my life for the better...

The Genius of Kraft...

I love love love that my man does not feel the need to eat meat and potatoes every meal to prove his manliness. Jake is a very health conscious person - sometimes more than me, which is surprising. I love this about him. He's not afraid to eat a salad as the main entree. And because of this, we had this delicious southwest chicken salad for dinner last night.

(okay, this isn't actually a picture of our salad, it's from the internet. But it did look that good, I promise)

This great salad recipe came from a genius creation by Kraft. It's called a Sizzling Salad Dinner Kit and it has been the the catalyst for a few great meals.

The kit comes with a sauce for your meat, dressing for your salad, and a recipe on the back with recommended ingredients/toppings for your salad. It also has alternative ideas for changing the recipe into a wrap or substituting the meat. Although it is a bit pricier than I would like, it is sooo much better than eating the same old chicken salad where all I know how to do is change the dressing. I have enjoyed some great salads from these with some delicious meat!

If you're feeling stuck in a salad rut this is a fantastic option to spice up your collection :-)

Jackson Trip...

Jake took me on a surprise trip to Jackson Hole, Wyoming this week! He called me Tuesday morning and told me to get work off because we were flying to Jackson in a few hours. As a girl that likes to have a plan and follow a schedule, I was a bit stressed thinking I couldn't missing class (I only have 3 weeks left!) and how on earth was I going to get work off so last minute?? But Jake did I very good job convincing me that this is the time in life that I need to be spontaneous and that college is a time that I need to have fun. He was right, and I'm glad that I was able to go.

Here are just a few sneak peak pictures of our trip.... more to come later if Jake ever gets them to me...

We took a 6 seater Beachcraft Bonanza. Jake was even able to get a few more flight hours on his record.

It was a nice, short flight and we even enjoyed the sunset after we took off.

I've never been to Jackson Hole and boy is it beautiful! We spent all day Wednesday on the mountain. I ski and Jake snowboards. Jake's brother James was in town from Hong Kong set up the entire trip. His girlfriend Jane has never seen snow before so it was fun to be with her for her first experience.

This was our view for lunch! How incredible is that?!

Jake rocked the GoPro most of the day so we have some fun action shots and more pictures of the trip. Hopefully I'll be able to post those soon!

Lake Havasu...

I spent the weekend in Arizona for the collegiate triathlon championships. I didn't compete because of a shoulder injury, but I went down to support my team... and maybe to enjoy this....

and this....

...while everyone back at home in Utah had snow. Ha. We went on a bike ride the day before the race to get a feel for the course - it kicked my butt (as you can see I'm the only one sitting down).

Glad I didn't have to race the next day. This is just one of the many hills they had to face as part of their 24 mile ride...

Yikes!

Watching everyone set up on race day made me wish I was competing, but then as the wind picked up I was pretty glad I didn't have to. 20 mph winds with 35 mph gusts! They were swimming their 1.2 miles in whitecaps and almost getting blown off their bikes! And the last 1/8 mile of their 6 mile run? Oh my! Not only did they have a brutal sand run, but they were running against a headwind that was so strong it was sandblasting everyone (it did not feel very good and I wasn't even racing).

Poor things! My teammates did well though. We didn't qualify for nationals, but everyone survived, and that's a pretty big accomplishment. 

My biggest accomplishment on the trip? Being the only one that knew how to back up a trailer :-) Thanks mom - for not letting me be a helpless girl!

The boys...

Every Saturday night, the boys go bowling. And by every Saturday night, I mean EVERY Saturday. And by boys I mean all the boys that live at my parent's house on the weekend - my two brothers and my two cousins from Texas. They're inseparable it seems. Guess they're just making up for all the years we wished everyone lived close together when we were younger so we could play. 

Jake and I joined them this time and had a blast...

We had three lanes (these guys are serious about their bowling) and hung out for over 2 hours. Turns out Jake isn't half bad at the bowling thing with 6 spares and 2 strikes in one game that led him to beating everyone. Which of course made me loose our bet and I had to make dessert for everyone.

On Sunday, Jake and I couldn't get enough of the beautiful weather! 45 degrees may sound cold but it was sooo perfect for our first hike of the year. We didn't even need jackets. I'm quite proud of myself for thinking to take a picture - even though it's just one and makes Jake's shoulders look oddly large. You can't even see the view, but it's better than my usual no-pictures-to-document-anything side... I'm getting there.

Can't wait for more of this spring stuff!

Just Hanging Out...

I started my spring break with a nice relaxing weekend with Jake. We had plans to be productive but then we decided to just relax and have a date night. We enjoyed dinner at the Sonora Grill, a fancy Mexican restaurant in Ogden. We ate swordfish. Who knew that was a Mexican dish. Then we went to a movie.

This is the newest zombie movie. Don't worry, it's not like all the others out there with the blood and gore. It's a comedy and it is definitely funny. Lots of laugh out loud moments. I would definitely see it again. And you can't watch that movie without thinking... waiting a second. Is that the twilight girl? It can't be.

Feast your eyes on Kristen Steward (the twilight girl) and Teresa Palmer. No way they are not twins - I mean look at them!

We ended the weekend with a delicious plate of angel food cake with strawberries and whipped cream. If the weather is nice, we may find ourselves in Moab next weekend... but Jake doesn't know that yet ;-) We'll see...