My Life As of Late

This has been an eventful week for my family. Stephen entered the MTC this past Wednesday, where he will spend the next 10 weeks of his life learning Mandarin and preparing to serve his mission in Taiwan. Sometimes I hate living on the east coast. I don't like to miss out on big events such as this, especially when the entire family gets together! Fortunately I got to spend a couple of weeks in Washington with the fam earlier this summer. Best of luck to Stephen...man I will miss him a lot!




I got in my first accident Wednesday night. Alright let me rephrase that..my first bumper kiss. Yes, it was my fault. The woman was very kind, but turns out she is trying to claim injuries. Seriously?! People these days...they really do want to soak you for all it is worth. I have A scratch on my car, that is hardly noticeable. Her car appeared to be fine, with maybe a few scratches. It was at a stop light and I was going under 5mph when I dropped my directions, and reached to pick them up and bumped her. Stupid, I know...but I guess things like this happen. It could have been worse. If you look closely, you can see the damage on my car...


My good friend Kellie decided to come visit me this week for a couple of days. I miss this girl in my life. We got up early and headed to Tj Maxx and perhaps spent a little too much money. That store stresses me out usually, and I detest digging through piles and piles of clothes to MAYBE find what you are looking for. However, we were in luck and had piles and piles of clothes in our shopping cart to try on! It was a successful shopping day :) Then we headed to the pool, and Georgetown later that evening. Kellie treated me to dinner at Martin's Tavern, a quaint little restaurant where JFK proposed to Jackie years ago. We also headed to the Lincoln Memorial, which is just fabulous. I get the chills every time I go there and read President Lincoln's address.



Anyway fun times this week...and definitely looking forward to an exciting weekend! Yea for Friday!

Hilarious!

You need to check this out! Not funny...but So funny!

Sugarhouse High Prom: Last Chance for Summer Romance

One of my favorite girls recently blogged about our Valentine's Day Adventure 05', which you can check out here My year in SLC consisted of many crazy memories, including the Prom my roommates and I hosted. Krista's brother was able to promote the event in the BYU newspaper. We got a sweet ballroom located in downtown Salt Lake, thanks to our graphic designer friends. We sent out invitations, purchased food, decorated for the event, and even had a real photographer there to capture our success! DJ Hebe did an excellent job with the music. We spent weeks preparing for this event. I am pretty sure TJ Max, and Ross became our new best friends. The girls would bring home piles of new dresses and every night became a fashion show. Don't you just love girls?! Some of the best memories came on Prom day. Mel, Nici, and I drove to Orem to get our hair done. Oh man, I am laughing out loud right now as I write this post. Let's just say, the day got a little stressful. The madness began after we left the hair stylist's place. Nici was not thrilled with her hair, and started taking bobby pins out in the car. I think I remember the ipod being dropped once or twice on our way back to SLC :) Nic and I were stressing a bit, and Mel just sat back and enjoyed watching us get worked up. Next we headed to the Mall to get our make-up done. The phrase, "What counter are you going to use?" actually slipped out of my mouth. Who am I, P Hilton?! Mel headed over to MAC where she fell in love with her gay make-up artist. Krista and Nat showed up, with their hair half way curled. Ahhh such a funny day. Overall, we were pretty happy with our make-up, except nic had issues with her purple lipstick and immediately took it off. I am seeing a pattern here! All and all the night was a success. We danced, took a million pictures, named King and Queen, and even went to Dee's afterwards for the after party!

I am trying to get some of my friends here to plan a big dance...but I don't think it would come close to the party we put on in SLC. Good times with these great girls!

And...We Made It!

This past weekend was quite an adventurous one, I tell you what! Camping is a must in the summertime. Erika, Joe and I headed out on the road, listened to about 3 full songs, and pulled into our campsite. I haven't laughed that hard in a really long time. We are new to the area, and didn't realize our campsite was so close to home! So much for our weekend road trip! We set up our tent and then headed down the road a few miles to the grocery store to buy ourselves some dawgs to cook. I was feeling rebellious, so we stopped in at McDonald's for a supply of ketchup. Joe was in charge of the fire, and Erika and I gathered the sticks. It was a great night for camping, and I need to go again soon! My favorite part of the trip was sleeping next to Joe in the tent :) I introduced Erika and Joe to the "would you rather" game and "rank order". I now know what physical attribute Joe looks for in his women..."oh, I know!"

The next morning we floated down the river on an inner tube with the institute. Got to love Butt's Tubes (not sure how I feel about that name). It was an interesting group of people...got to love Mormons! Anyway, this isn't a very exciting blog entry...but I am just not in the mood to blog lately! Another fun weekend in DC!

Sweet Reunion

Saturday was an eventful day. I woke up to home cooked banana pancakes and scrambled eggs. I knew it was going to be a good day from the start. I stayed out in Oakton, VA with my friend Erika and I finally got to see the movie Dreamgirls! Wow! That was an intense movie, I felt the need to breathe for them the entire time. Amazing voices and costumes! It was a beautiful day on Saturday so we decided to go for a run in the woods and managed not to get too lost. We did some pilates in the morning, locked ourselves out of the house, and even went swimming, and country dancing later that evening. BUT the best part of my day was discovering that my new friend and I share a passion for Rita's Water Ice! Yes, this will be my second post dedicated to Rita's. I google texted Rita's and found out there is one in the ghetto in DC. We about died! Of course we came home and google mapped Rita's and immediately began our journey there. What would we have done without google?! After getting of the beaten path once or twice, and driving through the ghetto (at least it was daylight) we arrived at Rita's. I got myself a Gelati and life was good again! The end :)

More Birthdays!

Wednesday was Cindee's (my roommate) birthday partay! We held a little dessert party for her at our house. Fun times. But the best part of the night was the after party. A small group stayed to have a dance party. Can I just say I love a random house dance party. There are few things that make me happier :) We moved out the furniture in our living room and busted a few moves. I think I need to go 80's dancing ASAP! Nothing better than a little Whitney, Erasure, Queen, Oingo Biongo! Ahhh...you can be sure there will be more of these to come!

Slurpee Anyone?

I was raised in a GREAT little town in southeast Washington. The area is often referred to as the Tri-cities. Kennewick was first home to the Chemnapum Indians. FYI, the name means "Winter Haven," an appropriate title as the tribe gathered in the mild climate to trade, fish and pasture their horses. Kennewick is now the largest of the three cities. Our history includes that of the infamous "Kennewick Man" a 9,200 year old skeleton unearthed in Kennewick's Columbia Park-a significant discovery receiving international attention. Well, there is some pretty exciting news as of late in this growing town. I got a phone call from my mom the other day and she informed me that a 7-11 store in KENNEWICK, is no. 1 in slurpee sales on the west coast. The 7-11 store is now offering 12 different slurpee flavors to it's demanding customers! You can read more about this amazing discovery here.

My hometown bragging rights list continues to grow...we now have the most slurpee sales and flavors on the West Coast. What, what!!!! Beat that California!

Saddle Up!

For those of you who know me well, remember that I am not the hugest country fan. However, as I get older I appreciate it more, and actually really enjoy it! Living in NYC, and now DC you don't see too many cowboys. But don't worry, after a Friday night of not feeling well, a group of my friends decided it was time to get out of the house and go country dancing! We went to this extremely classy pub, Nick's Bar, in Alexandria. Such a fun night! Erika and I spent the entire night on the dance floor learning the two step, and other fun country dances. I met myself a cowboy who I danced with the entire night. He was a really good teacher, and I think I may just have to go back! Randomness, but very fun! The country dancing was to prepare me for the Garth/Trisha concert on the Mall, to start off Live Earth. I was extremely excited to listen to Garth (he hasn't toured for years)!! I was a little disappointed when I found out they would only be singing ONE song. They sang We Shall Be Free (good song, but only one...seriously?!) Kind of an interesting choice in my opinion to kick off Live Earth. It was definitely a unique group of people. They introduced Garth, and the woman next to Lisa asked, "Who is that guy again?" Who in there right mind doesn't know who Garth Brooks is? He is only one of the most famous country singers of all time! Even if you don't listen to country music on a regular basis, you know who Garth Brooks is. That explains the crowd for you! Maybe I am a country girl at heart! I am ready to bust out my cowgirl boots, and belt buckle and hit up Nick's again for a night of dancing!!

"They're Coming to America"

What would the fourth of July be without BBQ's, pool parties, water fights, fireworks, and patriotic music? Being new to the ward, my friend Erika and I decided we were going to attempt to be social and party hop around the area. Our first stop was to Bishop Bryant's house in the DC 2nd ward. This brought back a flood of memories from when I interned, and attended the same party two years ago. I even saw the ladies man/intern smoosher that was in the ward when I was there. Don't worry, he was working it with the ladies and I am told he still has his convertible. My good friend Joe was there, we were just waiting for Mike, Mel,& Daveed to show up! We then headed to Virgina for an all out water fight and bbq. By the time this party ended, I was socially exhausted and ready to rest for a bit. It was a crazy day out on the Mall as people were evacuated owing to tornado warnings. Very happy I was not in that mess. My roommate Lisa works for the DOI and had tickets to watch the fireworks at a private event. Our seats were right on Constitution Ave in front of where they set off the fireworks. It was amazing! The party provided free food, a DJ, and great seats! It seriously was the best firework show I'd ever seen. Before the show began, Erika and I took a stroll around the block to get some great shots by the monuments. I don't think there is a better place to celebrate our nation's independence than in the district! Definitely a 4th of July I will not forget!

A Grateful Heart

Tomorrow we celebrate the independence of our country. The fourth of July is one of my absolute favorite holidays. On Sunday at church we sang the Star-Spangled Banner. I was overcome with emotion as we sang the last verse:

O thus be it ever when free-men shall stand
Between their lov'd home and the war's desolation;Blest with vict'ry and peace, may the heav'n-rescued land
Praise the Pow'r that hath made and preserv'd us a nation!
Then conquer we must, when our cause it is just,
And this be our motto: “In God is our trust!”
And the star-spangled banner in triumph shall wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave!

My thoughts were with the many serviceman serving our country abroad. I am so grateful for the men and women serving, protecting our country and fighting for freedom and peace. Both of my grandfather's served in World War II. I have personal copies of their histories, and journals from when they served in the war. I am grateful for their sacrifice and service. I am grateful for our founding father's. They truly were men of God, and were inspired men who acted upon the Spirit. Tomorrow may we honor those who've gone before, and those who continue serving our country.


"A morsel of genuine history is a thing so rare as to be always valuable."
Thomas Jefferson, September 8, 1817

Go Shorty, it's your birthday!

What a fabulous weekend I had! Yes, so maybe it was my birthday on the 29th and I am now the big 2-4! That's not too bad...right?! I think 25 could be a little rough, but I am pretty content with 24. Birthdays are great...but for other people! I am not sure I like the attention, nonetheless it was an excellent day, and am grateful for kind and thoughtful friends and family. My roommates took me out to a Mexican restaurant near the capitol on Wednesday night. Every time I eat Mexican food, I overeat. Does anyone else have this problem? You fill up on chips and salsa before your food arrives, but feel the need to keep shoving food in to finish off your meal. Anyway, this was the first time all four of us went out together...good times! We even dined with the infamous Rob Bishop, who was also seated close to us.

Lisa, Me, Cindee, & Patience

Kristan & I had a fabulous time on Friday doing what we do best: shopping, and eating. Kristan managed to find herself a couple of cute pairs of shoes and maybe a few more items! We met up later with a group of friends from my ward...to EAT, yet again! Laura & Tracy were so nice to organize a little get together...love those girls!

Kristan hit jackpot at Nordstrom!

Lisa made a delicious ice cream cake, that we maybe ate for breakfast the next morning!

Saturday morning we slept in, and then decided to have a photo shoot right after we got up. NOT a good idea.

People cannot take pictures. I seriously don't get it. It really isn't that hard. Behind us, is the WWII Memorial, and the Lincoln Memorial, but of course that didn't make it in the picture.

We had dinner in Georgetown, on the river! Afterwards we made it to Thomas Sweets for a little scoop of ice cream. Like Karen said, "It is the New York way!" We fortunately made it out of there, to escape the madness. There was a mysterious package...and M Street was almost completely blocked off... the place was crazy!

Saturday night we celebrated my "New York Birthday" Kristan made delicious banana creme pudding (the recipe from Magnolias). I then opened my gifts to find: NY chocolate, frozen hot chocolate packets from Serendipity, a PANTHER FOOTBALL t-shirt, for you FNL fans!!! Loved it! Then, if you can see in the picture there is a photo frame of pictures. If you look closely my wonderful friends went and took pictures at Koronet, the best pizza place in NYC that was a block away from my apartment. Mel and I would often pick up a slice and hmmmm it was tasty. Natalie claims they also have the best coke in the city as well! Great friends, great birthday, and hopefully a great year to come!