H1N1! Swine! Flu!

Feast upon EFY? Why, yes I did!

This past week was my first week of EFY this summer at the U of U and it sure was a blast! My kids were SO fun and SO insightful with the gospel...it was mind-boggling! The first day of meeting all of them I knew the week was going to be incredible!

By the time Wednesday rolled around, I already felt as if I had 33 younger siblings, which was great. I've missed having youngins around, especially boys (since I don't have a younger brother). Games and pizza night were fabulous. The huge pizza we got from The Pie was so tasty! And to my surprise, I found out that Spencer was Jon Schmidt's son! Wahoo for talented kids! He and Chantel were asked to sing in the Friday night fireside, and they did one heck of a job!

On Thursday afternoon, Emily was able to perfrom in the variety show. Who knew she had so much talent?! Thursday night was testimony meeting, which meant many tears passed. The Spirit was incredibly strong and it was great to see and hear how much the youth had learned and grown over the week. I love seeing the effort I've put forth (which MUCH of the Lord's help) was worth it.

When Friday came and I realized it was my last day with my new friends I did everything I could to make it the best day yet (which wasn't hard with such great kids!). Dinner and the dance were hilarious, and I became engaged to my co-counselor, Sam. I didn't expect to find a husband at efy!!!

Needless to say, this past week was one full of fun, new friendships, and the Spirit. I hope I can make it through the rest of my summer not being too disappointed if I don't get the same caliber of kids...which might be hard to do!!! They rocked it and I cannot wait until I get to see them again!

I Had a Dream

So...

I have a dream that one day my children will be able to relish in the music of Peter Breinholt...LIVE!!! I have been so blessed to attend many a concert over the past couple of years, and I don't want to deprive my children of that same happiness.

In fact, just last night I was able to sway along to the soothing sounds of the summer with Peter B. Thanks to David Tolk's facebook status (another great local artist), Brooke and I were able to discover a free concert in Draper featuring Peter B., David Tolk, and Craig Miner (aka Banjo Boy of the Ryan Shupe band). Despite Peter's huge local fan base, there were only families with small children and your occasional token grandparent. Pretty sure Brooke and I were the only two representing the college scene, but we liked it that way.

We even got to see a fly-by of some sort of military plane and its teeny weeny escorts!

Soon after Peter started playing, it started to drizzle. This was mine and Brooke's solution.
After about an hour, Draper City decided to end the concert because of lightning. Pretty sure there was no lightning, just flash photography from the fans and paparazzi. And soon after we got back to the car, the rain created rivers from the sidestreets! There should have been a flashflood warning. Anyway, because the concert ended early, Peter and his band decided to talk with the fans. Of course Brooke and I were the first in line to chat and get a picture with him...it was fabulous! (Now he even knows my camp name from Oakcrest. We are going to be best friends before you know it.)So I had a dream to meet Peter B (again), and it came true! Between the semi-spontaneous nature of the event, the rainstorm, and the picture which started a great friend ship, last night definitely had to be the BEST NIGHT EVER!

Give Me a Piece of that KitKat Bar!

So I'm way behind on blogging, so this post will be solely dedicated to catching all of my fans up on my life (besides my NY adventure) the past month or so. Be prepared for a mouthful.

First, school ended! Yay! Wahoo! And Yum! It's tradition every year to hike the Y during this time, so we did just that. It was a lot harder than I remember it being last year, but it was still great! Here's a picture of us hiking the Y. Or maybe two pictures.

Second, Tiff, Audge, Darin, Josh, and I surprised Ben for his birthday. Here's the car ride before we got stuck on I-15 for an hour.

Next, Siri's wedding. She married Michael Alemany. That's all you really need to know. I believe she has her own blog anyway.Then was NY.

After NY I started working full-time at my job: Budget Assistant at the BYU Physics Department. What my job sounds like is a boring desk job full of paper work and money transactions, right? Well, my job really consists of baking, scrapbooking, making cards, cleaning, running errands, more baking, etc. It rocks.

Just this past weekend Tiff put together a bonfire up Provo Canyon. It was fab. S'mores, (root) beer, and Starbursts. Need I say more? Plus cuddling because it was cold. Talk about a perfect night.So that's the latest. Soon I start EFY which means plenty of blogs will be coming from there. Then Moab, more EFY, mission homecomings!, etc. Be prepared for a crazy summer of blogging!

KOWABUNGA!!!

The past month was INCREDIBLE!!! First, it started out with Siri's wedding! Oh how I love that girl! She looked beautiful and she and Michael sure looked happy. They're in New York City for the summer while he completes an internship, then they'll be back in Provo. How I miss her!

The night after Siri's wedding I flew out to New York to meet up with my parents for a few days. Even though I didn't get much sleep on the red-eye, as soon as I hit the ground I was runnin'! I ate lunch at my dad's office in Tribeca, met his "people", took a few "tourist" pictures with the Statue of Liberty and World Trade Center, saw West Side Story, and ate at the most incredible restaurant: Duane Park! We even got free desserts out of it because the waiter loved us. Delish!

The next couple of days were full of more fabulous food and tourist pictures. Breakfast at Norma's was FABULOUS as always and dinner at Broadway Joe's was yummy. I even got a picture with my favorite commandante waiter. We were also able to go to the temple and do baptisms, take pictures in Central Park, get a picture by the big "LOVE" thing, and go to Top of the Rock. Oh man, was I worn out!

Friday was a bit more relaxed, which is exactly what I needed. We moved to the Theater District in Midtown to a hotel with our favorite bellhops (they're very good...looking!). We took a stroll past the New York Public Library, St. Patrick's Cathedral, and I bought my first real Starbucks (Tall Double Chocolately Chip Frappuccino)! Delish! As we were debating whether or not to wait in line for hours at the Museum of Modern Art, it started POURING so we quickly grabbed a cab and headed back to our hotel until dinner at Hard Rock Cafe (where I was able to get my favorite drink...Crushed Velvet Martini!)

Saturday was a long day! We walked to the Museum of Modern Art (in beautiful weather), back to our hotel (where we bought roasted almonds...yum!), packed, and met my friend Allie for lunch. (Allie and I thought it was pretty funny that we met up for lunch in Manhattan when we're both from So Jo.) I then bought another Starbucks (my fourth of the trip), some cupcakes from Crumbs, and Cosi for the plane ride home. A few hours later we boarded the plane in JFK and to my surprise I flew first-class!!! Free movies, free dinner, free candybars, free whatever I wanted! It was fabulous!

I've been secretly planning another trip back east to visit some friends, but it looks like the funds aren't gonna stretch that far. There's too much adventure for one summer!

May I put you on hold?

Whelp, it's officially been over a month since my last blog entry. I actually have a draft waiting to be published, but I haven't uploaded my pictures from my latest adventures and everyone knows that a truly great blog is incomplete without any photos. So you'll just have to wait until I can find the time in my crazy life to upload my pictures and add them to my blog. Remember, patience is a virtue.

Besides, it's not like any of you actually comment on my blog anyway, so what are you really missing out on?

Time for a Change

Tonight I had the great opportunity to go to a benefit concert for Paul Cardall, a local musician who is in dire need of a heart transplant. He has congenital heart disease, and his heart failed last August. Over his lifetime, Paul has had 28 surgeries, including 7 open heart surgeries, and has miraculously survived to get married and have a beautiful daughter, Eden, whom the concert was named after. All proceeds went to Paul and his family, which was a total of $40, 500 just from ticket sales! Among the local artists who played was my favorite, Peter Breinholt, as well as Ryan Shupe and the Rubberband, Kurt Bestor, and Colors. Each act was dedicated to Paul in love and hope.

Besides gaining a whole list of new records to buy, I gained a new appreciation for life. I realized how so many people, myself included, watch life pass them by without a second thought. Life isn't something to be whittled away on living for the future, we have to live for the now to prepare for the future. No one can say when this life will end or what it will bring, but we have to make sure we are living the best we can making as many memories as possible, in the here and now, so we are not caught off guard when trials and tribulations come.

My sister has a roommate who can never see anything good from her past because she has always looked towards the future. Currently, her life's motto is: Everything will be good when I move back home. She doesn't move home for almost a month, but yet that is what she is looking forward to. Think how much she will miss in the next month because she is planning weeks ahead!

This is my renewed vow, for all of you who follow this blog to witness: I will not live for the future, I will live for now and prepare for the future.

I'm not meaning to say goals and aspirations are detrimental and we should never look toward the future...it holds so many great things in store for us! But each successful goal starts with baby steps right now, which turn into great strides later.

All in all, I'm grateful for the opportunity I had to attend such an uplifting and inspiring concert. Paul's story is one I will not soon forget, and I hope you won't either as you find inspiration from his story. Check it out at http://mytricuspidatresia.blogspot.com/

Foot in my mouth

So I was wrong, Yao Ming does more than just stand there and put his hand up in the air to block shots. Don't mistake me, he still does that, but can also just put his hand up in the air with a ball in it and make a basket or two. So excuse me, all Houston fans, Yao just may be more an of asset than I orginally thought.

Beyond the fact that Yao was more impressive than expected, the Jazz game was still SPECTACULAR! Brooke and I had a goal to lose our voices, and although that wasn't the case, two days later my throat is still hurting so I feel pretty darn accomplished. I just love Jazz games! Playoffs...here we come!

Whilst at the Jazz game, Brooke and I saw ads for Britney Spears...and we're very tempted to attend. I've never bought any of her music, and I never plan to, but seeing her live may just be worth it. I'll have to keep that in the back of my mind.

Only 10 more days until Peter B! Just a reminder: he's incredible and the cause of the benefit concert is totally worth it! Come, come!