2013 in Review...

So it may be January 20th, but I am finally getting around to reviewing my last year (it takes a lot of thought to remember everything great that happened in an entire year). So here we go!

SCHOOL:

Placed first in a 48 hour design competition

Presented my senior project in the Utah Conference for Undergraduate Research

Graduated from college!

TRIPS I TOOK:

Jackson Hole Wyoming Ski Trip

Moab Climbing Trip

Havasu, Arizona

Lake Powell

Tuacon Theater with the fam

Midnight Wendover Trip

BOOKS I READ:

Uncle Tom's Cabin

Anne of Green Gables

Pride and Prejudice

Beowulf

War and Peace books 1 and 2

War of Art

The Five Love Languages

EVENTS I WENT TO:

101 Inventions at the Leonardo

Utah's First Annual Comicon

BYU football game

Real Salt Lake game

Tulip Festival

Havasu, Arizona Collegiate Triathlon Championships

Races:

color me rad

Other:

Started a rocking new job as an interior designer at VCBO Architecture!

Moved to Sugarhouse

Went on many trips to 7 Peaks

Had the BEST halloween costume

Celebrated Jake's 30th

Went to my first drinking party (we watched...and then left early)

and learned to longboard.

It has been an incredible year with so many exciting changes! I am loving where I am at and look forward to more adventures :-)

Feeling Powerful....

This moment in history marks the time that I will never again have to submit a paper, assignment, or take an exam for my undergraduate degrees. This moment right here will never happen again... and I couldn't be more thrilled!

"Didn't you graduate in April...?" You ask. Well, technically yes and no. I finished my Interior Design degree in April. I had three more classes to go to finish my sales degree. Yes, I could have taken the classes during the previous semester and killed myself, but instead, I saved them for the summer. They were all available online and there were only three of them, so what the heck.

I turned in the last essay at 10:30 this morning. So today marks the day that I am officially done with my undergraduate degrees! 

I'm excited, relieved, but most of all, I feel powerful. Maybe a strange thing to feel. But even before I hit "submit", the feelings of excitement started to bubble up inside of me. I had to keep from shouting hurrah! I swear I could have run a marathon right then and there. So I threw on my running clothes and went running. I didn't quite make it 26.2 miles, but I didn't once feel exhausted and ready to give up. I was pumped! 

I feel like I have officially arrived. I got a glimpse of this when I got offered a design job the week before graduation. I got another glimpse while I was sitting in the auditorium in April listening to someone say how wonderful I (and however many other hundred students there were) was. But today combines all of those moments into a seriously rockin' feeling of accomplishment. If I could feel this powerful everyday can you image what I could do with myself?? 

I know this feeling won't last forever, but while it's still here I have a lot to do with it! First I need to figure out what my next big goal is....

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...

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!

Undergraduate Research...

Back in November, I submitted the abstract for my senior project, with the encouragement of a professor, to the Utah Conference for Undergraduate Research. The title is pretty self explanatory... undergraduate students submit the abstracts from their research to be reviewed and, if their work is accepted, they get to present at the research conference.

Well...

My project got accepted! As did my sweet friend Kelsey's. Pretty cool! We spent our entire Friday up at Utah State presenting our research to students and professors. We also enjoyed wandering around the beautiful campus, eating Aggie blue mint, and studying.

I will be having a portfolio review in April to present my project again, as well as my portfolio of work, with my graduating class. Stay tuned ;-)

New Year's Resolutions...

As I was typing up my New Year's Resolutions for this new year, I quickly read through my resolutions for last year. I did okay on most, but completely failed on some of them. I guess this is to be expected - especially since I didn't look at my list of goals again until last night. I still think it is a good idea for me to express my resolutions publicly so that I'm more likely to keep up with them, but I think another thing I need to do is read through them more often. Anyways, here are some goals for the 2013 year...

PHYSICAL:
- Compete in four triathlons. I've already planned out which ones I'd like to do, I just have to be patient with the recovery of a shoulder injury... I'm most excited for the collegiate championships in March and the Olympic length triathlon in St. George in September!

WORK:
- Have a design job when I graduate college this year. Not just any job, but a job in the field that I have been studying for the last three years. I really don't want to graduate college and be stuck at my current job living at home... blah. This goal might be a tough one, but I've got my sights set high!

SCHOOL:
- Place top of my design class and first on my senior project
- Graduate with honors

MENTAL:
- Read four additional books not related to homework

FINANCIAL:
- Get car repair paid off by the end of the year
- Get my student loans paid off by the end of the year. (originally my goal, since I started college, was to graduate without student loans, but with the unexpected car payment, it looks like I am going to have to modify the original goal and shoot for the end of the year)

TRAVEL:
- Travel somewhere for a triathlon
- Go on a longer vacation (not just a weekend getaway)

2012 In Review...

Things I did and learned this year...

TRIPS I TOOK:

- Went to California with Jake, Anna, and Nick

- Family trip to Florida and cruise to Bahamas, St. Thomas, St. John, and St. Maartin

- Road trip to Wyoming

RACES I COMPETED IN:

- Herriman Triathlon (placed 3rd!)

- Cahoots Duo Challenge

BOOKS I READ:

- Ender's Game

- The Princess Bride

- In Praise of Idleness - Bertrand Russell

- The Hunger Games Series

- Started a book club

SCHOOL AND DESIGN THINGS:

- Designed homes for people of Haiti

- Reupholstered a chair for charity
- Volunteered at the boys and girls club
- Attended a Fashion Show

- Designed Tibbitt's Family Pharmacy
- Designed picture wall for my mom and my aunts

NEW SKILLS I LEARNED:
- Long-boarding
- Paddleboarding

- More rock climbing

- Started learning to play the guitar
- Snowboarding

- Took Scuba diving lessons with Jake
- Slacklining
- Indoor surfing

OTHER ACTIVITIES:

- Attended my first Real Salt Lake game

- Voted in my first presidential election

- Kayaked across Utah Lake

- Moved into a new apartment

- Joined the WSU Triathlon Club

- Got a 0.52 cent raise at work!

- Had my own Thanksgiving Dinner with Jake

- Slept in a cave during a thunderstorm

- Went to my first bar and my first club

- Watched a lot of UFC fights with Jake

- Midnight hottubbing

- Completed the P90X Challenge with Jake

- Continued to spend time with this boy - and we celebrated our one-year anniversary of dating :-)

I'd say it has been an excellent year! I learned a lot of new things, had a lot of fun adventures, and loved spending time with Jake. Looking forward to the exciting things to come this next year :-)

New Home...

I moved up to Ogden last week to be closer to school and work. The 3 minutes commute to class (15 if I'm walking) and 8 minute commute to work is absolutely divine! This is my cute little house...

Isn't is just so quaint?! I have one roommate, her name is Madi - she's been great! We each have our own room and lots of empty space. I'll take you on a quick walk through...

This is our very empty front room. I will eventually buy some furniture for here, but I spent enough on my own room this month so it will just have to wait. Also, be prepared for very barren walls... art needs to be purchased.

Next we have our nice white kitchen complete with empty cupboards. Madi and I really only use 2 cupboards and 3 drawers... Our old wooden table is behind me in this picture as well as a washer and dryer! Right on site! Hoorah!

 Here we have our newly remodeled bathroom. It's actually quite nice. My only complains are the nonexistent counter top (how is a girl suppose to get ready?? although this does help keep it clean... hmm...) and the fact that the fan turns on when the light turns on. I've never quite understood why someone would think this was a good idea. The bathroom is not only for the use of the toilet.

I don't have a picture of Madi's room so I will just move on to mine. First we have the before pictures. Notice the lovely blue green carpet... (it's not quite as bad in the pictures)

And of course, my favorite: peach and green wallpaper chair rail...

I HAD to come up with a way to cover this up - without clashing with the carpet. So this is what I did...

You will have to image the colors a little bit better than this pictures portrays. I used a blue-green slate for the wall fabric, chocolate brown for the bed, and rust accents on the shelves and pillows. A few things you will have to overlook: the throw is suppose to match but doesn't right now, the unpainted side of the bookshelf (I may get around to this, I may not), and the missing art. The plan was to have three pieces of artwork hanging above the bed on top of the fabric so as not to overwhelm anyone with fabric everywhere, but it turns out the off center window I was covering up (yes, there is a window hidden behind all that) got in the way of picture hanging. I'm now in the process of looking for a new piece of art. Aside from that... what do you think? Much better than the chair rail, for sure!

I love this cute new home and already feel so comfortable in it! You will have to stop by sometime and visit me, but plan on a lack of seating for awhile ;-)

Here We Go...

Tomorrow begins the first day of the last year of my education. I start my senior year for my bachelor's degree. This time next year I will be done with college and working at an architecture firm in Salt Lake City (this is what I keep telling myself until it happens).

I'm nervous. I don't know what to do with myself. The senior year in the interior design program is intense. All I've heard from past students are horror stories, and yet I'm jumping in with both feet; and then some.

For the last couple of weeks I've been exciting and nervous all at the same time and it has caused some weird butterflies to fly inside. Regardless of how I feel - it all starts tomorrow. Deep breaths. I can do this. I can do this.

As Of Late

I finally finished the semester!! Saturday at about 11:45pm; 15 minutes before my last final was due... ha! The relief wasn't as sweet as I was hoping though... summer semester starts in two weeks :-( What am I thinking?? I have to constantly remind myself "You want this Kyra. This is your choice." But graduation next year will be a beautiful thing (if I ever make it). Sometimes I think I'm crazy. But I'm mostly just crazy for this guy...

This pictures if from an interior design fashion show we went to last week. It was a unique experience. The goal of the participants was to create dresses made of a certain percentage of design/building material. Elements included carpet, duct insulation, chair wheels - it's pretty crazy but they did an incredible job. My favorite part of the evening? Spending time with Jake. I just can't seem to get enough of him (plus, he bought some new clothes and oh.my.goodness. Let's just say I couldn't keep my eyes off of him! haha). 

Other than that I've been enjoying the simple things in life. Jake is teaching me to play the guitar, we've enjoyed wonderful hikes and walks in the beautiful weather, working out together, making plans for summer camping and rock climbing trips, and just enjoying late nights of homework for me and work for him. Even though we are both pretty immersed in our work, I kind of just love knowing that he is sitting right next to me...

The Charitable Chair

Check out this link! I was in the newspaper!

Have a seat at charity event | Getting Out! by the Standard-Examiner

It's about time some of my design work was noticed! haha just kidding. But it's cool to see this event that we've been planning and working on since October get some community spotlight. Read the article to learn more and get an idea of what the event is all about - it'll be pretty cool! As part of the event Kelsey and I spent last Friday at the Boys and Girls Club helping them make edible chairs to go along with our charitable chairs. They were cute kids, and very creative! We had a blast.

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!