A Break and a Boat...

Words cannot describe the joy I experience every time I visit Lake Powell - so I'll let these pictures do the talking...

What a wonderful break from busy lives we all lead and a way for the soul to rejuvenate - aside from the lost cell phone... that's not very rejuvenating. It's probably on its way to the bottom of the lake...

The people and the laughs, the views and the sunrises, the HOUSEBOAT with a HOT TUB on top!, and the relaxation in such a gorgeous and unique place make these trips some of my favorites...

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....

Moab Trip...

Took a quick weekend trip to Moab with a couple of friends. It am seriously in love with red rock and blue skies! Although it was quite hot - Moab isn't necessarily the middle-of-summer-vacation-spot of choice - we had a great time relaxing and just enjoying the free time. 

One of our spontaneous activities included making music at this awesome park! Why don't we have these at home? Those bridge looking things are xylophones. There were drums, bells, chimes of all sizes, and tons of xylophones all over.

We met this odd gentleman who built his own bike - with two (maybe three) bikes welded on top of each other. Soon to be more.... of course.

We did other wonderful things like rock climbing, hiking, swimming in a watering hole...

...and snapping my very first instagram photo! Holla! (Yes, I gave in to the instagram world. I've been holding out for awhile. Maybe one of these days I'll blog about why I decided it was worth the time suck).

Definitely need more of these quick and relaxing getaways - fuels for the spirit....

Real in the Rain...

Last Tuesday Jake called me on my lunch break and asked if I was dressed warm. It was raining hard that day but I was wearing a skirt, heels, and a cardigan. I told him I was dressed sufficiently (seeing as I was sitting inside all day at a computer) and asked him why. He then told me to clear my schedule after work. Again, I asked why. After much probing, Jake finally told me that he had won tickets to the Real Salt Lake game for THAT night! I was so excited! Not just for the soccer game, but it's very rare that I get to spend time with Jake during the week!

I rushed home from work, changed, and grabbed some serious rain gear - it was going to be a wet and cold game. I made it to the stadium just in time. We had great seats! $100 tickets will do that for you! They will also buy you dinner! I wish this picture gave you a better idea of what the rain was like - it was coming down in sheets.

Luckily the design of the stadium kept us just out of reach, even with the wind. We stayed nice and dry :-)

I love when I get to spend unexpected time with this boy...

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 :-)