2011 In Review

Things I did this year...

RACES
1. Jacob's 5K
2. Mud Run 10K

3. Turkey Triathlon
4. Nearly Naked Mile

BOOKS
1. The Peacegiver
2. A Passion for Excellence
3. 10 Stupid Things Women Do to Ruin Their Lives
4. The Hunger Games
5. A Farewell To Arms

TRIPS
1. Italy, Greece, and Turkey

2. Las Vegas Road Trip

3. Lake Powell

MISC. ACTIVITIES
1. Learn how to make a skirt
2. Learned how to rock climb outside

3. Went on 18 first dates
4. Rode on a bullet bike
5. Fell in love with sushi
6. Played with these incredible girls

7. Ski dived and surfed indoors
8. Got a new job
9. Started dating this handsome boy :-)

I think it has been a very good year! And today is the last day. BOOYA! Bring on 2012!

11-11-11 at 11:11

The Nearly Naked Mile! It occurred on 11-11-11 at 11:11pm. A charity event in which you must donate items of clothing to register for the race. We took the clothes right off our backs and then hit the ground runnin'! Naturally this left us nearly naked in 30 something degree weather (we were actually quite a bit more dressed than most people - I'll spare your eyes from pictures of them though). We completed with a time of 7:36, a little slow but I blame the cold.

We did free t-shirts though - censored of course ;-) Thanks to my lovely friend Kelsey and all her work into organizing the event, I was able to convince Jake to run around barely clothed with me in the freezing cold. Super fun!

Facebook is...

...a public display of how little attention American's pay in English class. Let's think about the average American for just a second. We have spoken American-English since our first words at a few months of age. Then, at the age of approximately 5, we begin school, where we study the English language each year for the next 12 years. Not only do we speak it, we write it, we understand it, and we communicate with it, correct? How come, after at least TWELVE YEARS of study, and 20+ years of speaking, do people still struggle with correct grammar?? And why do we display this lack of intelligence across the internet?? It's no wonder we get the "dumb American" stereotype! Can we be just a little bit better? Try just a little bit harder?

It is embarrassing to read people's Facebook statuses, knowing that they were allowed to graduate high school although unable to correctly diagram a sentence before vocalizing it. I'm not saying that I am an English expert by any means, I'm just asking why people don't know how to maintain the correct tense, use the correct conjunctions, and form grammatically correct sentences for something as simple as a Facebook status. Am I being orgulous? Absolutely. I just think we need to step it up act more educated.

September Already?

Things I experienced for the first time this summer:
- Going out of the country :)
- real rock climbing

- an Aussie repel. INCREDIBLE.
- actually loving a new job
- working two jobs
- riding a true road bike with clip in shoes - and falling quite a few times
- became the VP of the Student Interior Design Organization
- volunteering for the Utah Diabetes Association
- declared a double major: Interior Design and Marketing
- running 6.5 miles one lovely morning :) it's a wonderful feeling. I'm running my first official 5K this Saturday.
- Attending the National Kitchen and Bath Industry show in Las Vegas - road trip!

- learning how to swim like a swimmer - and drinking way too much pool water
- losing my respect for government funding in relation to medicare, medicaid, disability pay, etc.
- being surprisingly nervous on a date with very admirable/cute/fun boy. I don't generally get nervous...
- stripping wire
- buying real running shoes

- sanding and re-staining a deck
- multiple dates with 7 different boys. haha. It's not as great as it sounds.
- backing up a trailer - oh baby! This one I'm quite proud of.
- sewing a skirt
- sanding and re-staining/painting some new shelves for my bedroom

I'd say it has been a pretty successful summer :) Now that school has started and I'm taking 17 credit hours on top of my two jobs I've got a whole lot more to keep me busy... But I sure love being busy!

Beauty

"I find the whole concept of being ‘sexy’ embarrassing and confusing. If I do an interview with photographs people desperately want to change me - dye my hair blonder, pluck my eyebrows, give me a fringe. Then there’s the choice of clothes. I know everyone wants a picture of me in a mini-skirt. But that’s not me. I feel uncomfortable. I’d never go out in a mini-skirt. It’s nothing to do with protecting the Hermione image. I wouldn’t do that. Personally, I don’t actually think it’s even that sexy. What’s sexy about saying, ‘I’m here with my boobs out and a short skirt, have a look at everything I’ve got?’ My idea of sexy is that less is more. The less you reveal the more people can wonder." - Emma Watson

This is absolutely beautiful. Why can't there be more girls in this world that are as comfortable with themselves as Emma? And why can't more men in this world support that? I admire Miss Emma Watson. She's the kind of example both girls and boys need nowadays...

From Nanny to Stripper

I've decided to switch jobs for the summer. Instead of being a nanny and cleaning up after and taking care of kids, I've chosen a more womanly field - Stripping. My dad got me into it. Jeremy says I'm a real woman now. Mom even taught me the song "I Am Woman" by Helen Reddy which I often sing as I leave for work.

I am woman, hear me roar

In numbers too big to ignore...

If I have to, I can do anything

I am strong

I am invincible

I am woman. 

(look it up - it's a very woman empowering song)

See pictures below...

Oh... did I mention that I'm stripping electrical wire?

MANthority

This is what Jeremy tells me I need to successfully run a home - some Manthority. It cracks me up. Every time he says it, "manthority" sure has some man attitude behind it. Jeremy and my mom have been my saving graces this weekend. Stopping by to check on me. Giving me hugs. Bringing me a candy bar just because. Offering to come over and be the manthority that I need. Making me laugh. I sure love them.

I've been babysitting the Wood children all weekend while their parents are in San Francisco. I've been told by some mom's in the ward that these kids are probably the hardest. My own mom says to not be so hard on myself... but I just want to be a good mom figure. Yet being a mom, even after just a few days, is HARD WORK - mostly emotionally. It's not easy transitioning into the one in charge, the one responsible, and the one that's suppose to know and fix everything. I watched the same kids last year for a week and by Wednesday I was sitting on the floor crying and calling my own mother. I didn't even make it two days this time. I sat on the bench in sacrament and just cried. I couldn't stop. My mom even sat by me and the kids to help but I was overwhelmed. My mom's advice, "laugh about it". I've always thought I was a pretty positive person but I didn't even know how to find anything worth laughing about. I wasn't getting anything right.

Today has been better. A few things have definitely brought a little giggle. I've had a smile all day. Although I didn't have a man to add the manthority, I maned up and implemented some myself. TV privileges? Gone. No negotiating. Ignoring Kyra? Not any more. Did they hear about how I felt about them disrespecting their swimming teacher? Oh they sure did. Gently but very stern. I even let Britton know that his behavior was unacceptable for a boy about to receive the Priesthood. I'm still trying to decide if that was too harsh or not... but at the same time, if he's old enough to have the Priesthood he's old enough to understand the responsibility, right?

I absolutely don't believe it yelling at children unless absolutely necessary but I've learned that they need a little authoritative parenting to know who's in charge and who to respect. I've got that 'stern mom look' down pat. I've had a quote by Machiavelli running through my head all day - "Is it better to be feared or loved?" Now my question is, how do you teach kids that respect equals love?

Maybe I'm getting there. I guess I shouldn't expect to know how to parent after a few days, or ever for that matter. Maybe the fact that Marissa was comfortable enough to snuggle up in my arms and cry, or that Britton accidentally said "okay I love you" before running out to see friends means they do like me and respect me. I've asked my mom so many question this weekend and she just smiled and told me that even now she doesn't have all the answers.

**But one of the best part about today so far? Figuring out how to install a printer onto my computer and successfully printing something (all by myself I might add). I don't care if this is suppose to be an easy task, it was a very proud moment for me :)

Abide with Me

Abide with me! fast falls the eventide; the darkness deepens.

Lord, with me abide!

When other helpers fail and comfort flee, help of the helpless,

oh, abide with me!

Swift to its close ebbs out life's little day,

Earth's joys grow dim; it's glories pass away.

Change and decay in all around I see;

O thou who changest not, abide with me!

I need thy presence ev'ry passing hour.

What but thy grace can foil the tempter's pow'r?

Who, like thyself, my guide and stay can be?

Thru cloud and sunshine, Lord, abide with me!

We sang this hymn in church today and for some reason it really touched me. It seemed to have the same words and emotions as my prayers lately. After having finished Believing Christ I've had an overwhelming desire to have Christ in my life as much as possible. Every time I see the picture of Him in my room I pause and stare at it for a moment, as if waiting for him to tell me something. Often times I stand there and ask Him what he wants me to do; with just about everything. I want nothing more than His guidance in every decision I have to make. I get so scared thinking about the future but I know that my future is as bright as my faith. I know that as long as I ask the Lord to abide with me, he'll be there every step of the way .

May 18th - Athens, Greece

Athens actually wasn't anything like I expected. Our first stop was at the Panathinion Stadium - the end of the marathon.

From left to right: Kelsey, Stephani, Me, Kristina, Kinsley

Finishing my own marathon ;)

Our next stop? The Parthenon!

We climbed up these lovely marble stairs and made our way to the acropolis.

Beautiful view of the city.

Although this picture doesn't do it justice, my favorite part about Greece was the fact that every building facade was stark white against the beautiful dark green trees. The contrast was incredible. One the bus ride we even passed a few orange trees - can you image, green trees, white buildings, and oranges everywhere?? Loved it!



May 17th - Cruising

Today was spent entirely at sea. I woke up early and went to the gym - it was so weird running looking out the window and only seeing water on all sides. For a moment it made me a little nervous.

It was so much fun exploring the ship and trying new things today! There was mini golf, a sports court, ping-pong, rollerskating, rock climbing, a card game room, free ice cream, ice skating, a library, and cute activities all day. We got to watch a fun ice show and just enjoy the relaxation of the ship.

We did have class today though. From 10 to 3 with an hour for lunch. It was so much more exciting and easier to pay attention this time than in a classroom. It was so fun to listen to everyone's opinions and views. I feel so much more connected with all the students and teachers knowing the I've had the opportunity to spend so much time with them. Although last week in Italy was only 7 days, it honestly felt like we have been gone for a month with all the information we have crammed in and all the places we have gone.

Every night we have dinner at the same time and I realized today that it would cause us to miss the sunset our entire cruise. I was not okay with this. So right before dessert was served I "went to the bathroom" and snuck out to the deck to check out the sunset. I'm sooo glad that I did.

It was absolutely beautiful! And funny story. After snapping a few pictures I leaned against the rail to just enjoy the peace of listening to the waves and watching the sunset. After a bit I noticed that a small chinese man was standing maybe 10 feet behind be taking pictures. I apologized for being in his way and he in his thick chinese accent he said. "No no. My intention is to get your profile." haha so I stayed there. He even asked me face a different directions at a certain point. After a minute he motioned me over to show me the picture he had taken. It turned out quite nice. Glad I got to help him out ;)

After dinner everyone kinda did there own thing. My roommates had decided to watch a movie but there was no way I was sitting down in front of a television in a cramped cabin room when there was entire cruise ship at my finger tips. I headed outside and noticed a full moon. It was absolutely breathtaking! The waves were so still that the reflection of the moon and the trail of light extended from the horizon all the way to where I stood on the ship. I wish my camera could have captured how beautiful it was.

I honestly can't believe how blessed I am to have this experience; to travel to another country, be emersed in the culture, and enjoy the beaty of the world from a cruise ship. I am so grateful for the opportunity to learn, to travel, and to experience new things.

May 16th - Sicily

For our first stop on the cruise, we landed on the island of Sicily and had the day to explore on our own. ("never go on against a Sicilian when death is on the line!" name that movie.) I had decided not to book a shore excursion because I wanted to see how my foot was feeling and then gage my day based on that - plus the shore excursions were sooo expensive! My foot was still pretty sore but how often to do you get to be in Sicily? I didn't want to spend the day on a ship. So Kelsey and I joined a few of the professors and headed on our way. We just decided to walk the streets and explore the churches we came upon.

We made our way to the highest one we could find and the view was stunning!

It's still hard to believe that I've really been in Italy and this time and now I'm actually on my first cruise ship.

Instead of hiking back down the hill we decided to try and catch a public bus. it was quite the challenge to figure out where to catch one but after a few attempts to have conversations with different locals we connected the pieces of information and figured things out (I had decided that day to stay with Rob and Natalie (one of the professors and his wife) because Natalie is 25 weeks pregnant so everyone had to go slow for her and I didn't feel like I'm was the one slowing everyone down).

We finally caught the bus but after a few minutes it didn't take us long to realize that we were headed further up the mountain - not down like we intended. We hopped off - crossed the street, and waited for a bus to come the other way. Not too much longer a bus came - it happened to be the same driver. I'm sure he thought we were nuts. Although we didn't get to see the quaint city like we were planning, we got to enjoy the ride and travel like the locals. We finally made it back to the ship and were able to eat lunch and sit in the sun and relax. I loved it!

Kelsey and I did our best to lay out in the sun but it was soo cold and windy! I guess we should have known it would be windy on a cruise but I didn't think it would be cold.

For dinner tonight we had our first formal night. it was fun to be able to get all dressed up fancy - it's been awhile. I tried duck for dinner - a cruise is the perfect place to try new food because it's all included in the flat rate you pay up front so if you don't like something you can juts order another dish and not worry about paying more. I didn't like it. At least I can say I tried.

May 15th - Boarding the Cruise Ship

This morning began with a start! Our bus driver arrived 2 hours earlier than we had planned - luckily I had packed the night before. Once we found everyone - this was quite the hassle as some people had ventured into Rome for a last few hours and nobody had cell phones. Once we were on the bus we enjoyed another beautiful drive through the Italian countryside. You would think that I would get tired of these long drives but the view is absolutely exquisite! I could never tire of seeing Tuscany.

We arrived to the cruise ship and after an hour or so of much chaos - we finally boarded the biggest ship I had ever seen. (With the track around the top level, I estimated that it was about a quarter mile all the way around. Woah! I honestly don't know how it floats. I understand the whole buoyancy thing, but really??)

After locating our room and panicking because of the lack of beds (later we discovered that they come out of the ceiling - cool!) Kelsey and I explored the 14 decks of the ship. The weather wasn't quite ideal - there was a slight drizzle as we boarded the ship and a storm coming in by the time we took off. According to the captain the waves were 8 fight from trough to crest. The ship was rocking so much that I honestly couldn't keep my balance - but neither could anybody else. Chandeliers were swaying and everything was vibrating. Luckily I had taken some Dramamine before we even boarded the ship so I wasn't sick, just about to fall asleep the whole day. What a great way to start a cruise!

May 14th - Ancient Roman Forum

Woo! Colosseum today! (to be honest, Kelsey and I accidentally happened upon it yesterday while exploring. Who'd a thunk you could be wandering the streets of Rome and turn down one with the Colosseum just sitting at the other end? ;) We only glanced for a minute but decided not to explore to far with our tour being the next day).

Even after only being in Rome for 2 days, we were confident enough to take the metro all by ourselves today. World travelers already ;) (Rome only has two lines, they can't build anymore because Roman ruins still remain under the city). We came out of the metro station and BAM! there it was. The Colosseum right across the street.  It's weird to think that just right there at the entrance to the metro, surrounded by bustling streets is such a famous and ancient building. I mean, it's almost 2000 years old!

We met up with our tour guide and she gave us a wonderful tour THROUGH the Colosseum. Did you know that the area where the gladiators fought was covered in sand to absorb the blood and make it less slippery. The world for sand in Latin? Arena. That why we used the term arena when referring to a place where sporting events are held. Cool huh?

After the Colosseum we walked through the streets of modern day Rome in order to get to Ancient Rome. I may have mentioned this earlier, but the new city was literally built right on top of the old one which is why the entrances to ancient buildings are about 15 feet lower than the city streets today.

The forum was in more ruin that I anticipated. There were hardly walls standing for most buildings - just remnants of foundations. The reason some buildings still remained was because they were turned into churches and still used even after the fall of Rome. Kelsey and I hiked up the remains of Nero's palace to find a place to take a break and sketch. The gardens on top were beautiful and we had an incredible view of the city.

I love that although Rome is so populated and covered with buildings, there are still beautiful green trees surrounding everything! We were able to sit for a bit and enjoy the beauty of the forum and sketch (we also had quite the time keeping the pesky pigeons away from us that aren't afraid of humans, and apparently aren't afraid of canes).

After a delicious meal from the market (we finally found food besides panini's at a food stand!). We ate in our hotel room and then enjoyed a lovely nap with the windows open as we listened to the birds outside. The weather was perfect. When we woke up we could hear a rooftop concert across the street playing The Beatles. It was lovely :) The temperature had finally cooled down a bit so we headed back to Rome for our last evening. 

 haha they really do park bumper to bumper even with cars as small as smart cars!

Stephani, Kesley and I whipped out our maps and explored the streets and shops on our own. As the sun set we decided to find the Trevi Fountain to see how beautiful it was at night all lit up. After about 30-40 minutes of walking in circles unable to read Italian signs we finally found it.

Rome was so much fun! I loved the three days we've been able to spend here but I can't wait to get on the cruise ship and get off my feet!

May 13th - Vatican City

We started today with a 3 and 1/2 hour tour of Vatican City (the smallest country in the world located right in the middle of Rome - center of the Catholic church).

Our tour guide was phenomenal! She knew so much history and so many interesting facts. I didn't get bored at all. We walked through the entrance and the first thing you see are the beautiful gardens. They were absolutely perfect!

We soon headed into the Sistine Chapel. It's quite the maze of elaborately decorated hallways to make your way to Michelangelo's famous painting.

Each hallway was adorned with tapestries, frescoes, gold inlay, and mosaics. This is just an example of one of the many hallways we walked down. We finally made it to the famous painting in the Sistine Chapel. It's quite amazing. The room was absolutely packed full of people but we had the opportunity to find a seat and just enjoy the painting. Our tour guide did her best to explain quietly to us different interpretations of the paintings, but you're not suppose to talk while in there. This is just another one of those things you have to go see to understand.

After a bit, we were able to make our way out to explore St. Peter's basilica - the largest in the world. It truly is humongous. You don't quite grasp the enormity of the building while you're walking through but this is because the scale is sooo large and the proportion of everything is so exact. It's not until somebody tells you the dimensions of certain objects in the room that you just stand there in awe at how small you are in such a large basilica.

Just to give you an idea of the scale, that canopy in the middle is 9 stories tall! Inside the basilica! The letters in the gold band of the dome are each 6 feet tall! It blew my mind.

I had no idea the famous Pieta statue was in St. Peters. It was actually quite a bit smaller than I anticipated. It also has thick bullet proof glass in front of it so you can't even get very close. In my opinion this distracted from the power and meaning of the statue. But you gotta do what you gotta do when crazy people take a sludge hammer to the statue and almost destroy it. Just like in the statue of David, Michelangelo didn't do exact proportions. It's interesting to note, that n order to portray Mary's sorrow more, he made her quite a bit larger in proportion than Christ's body.

After the tour of the basilica, we were able to head outside and see St. Peter's Square. Oh my goodness it is breathtaking!

There are two rows of columns around the square that are positioned so perfectly that if you stand right in the middle of the square it looks like just one row of columns. It's really quite cool.

There are Swiss guards everywhere dressed in authentic outfits. The criteria for being a Swiss guard are as follows: must have Swiss citizenship, be male, unmarried, trained in Swiss military, between 18 and 30, and at least 5 feet 9. Funny eh?

The second window in on the top floor is the famous window that the Pope waves from when on television. I've never seen him do it but apparently it's a very common thing.

After the tour ended around 2, we had free time for the rest of the evening to head back to Rome and spend the day wandering the shops and exploring. Kelsey, Stephani, and I had quite a bit of fun. We headed back to the hotel, stopped at the local market for lunch (crackers, strawberries and pudding), and fell asleep on Kelsey's bed for a few hours. Those long tours are exhausting! When it had cooled down a bit we headed back into the city for some fun :)

Although we got lost and wandered around in circles for quite some time, we didn't mind in the least :) I'd get lost in Rome any day...