There's More to Living Than Being Alive

99 Red Balloons

2012-01-06T16:59:00.000-08:00

I have the cutest fiancé in the whole world! We were on our way home from the temple this morning, and he was like "Hey, we get married in 99 days. Do you wanna go buy 99 red balloons?" I thought it was a super cute way to count down to our wedding! So we went to Zurchers and bought 2 bags of "50" red balloons. Then when we got to my house, I was making lunch and Gordon was making a list of some sort, but wouldn't tell me what it was until he needed help with it. It was a list of, 99 things/activities to do. We came up with a list, some of which being duplicates, some of them being blank and we can do something random, and cut them up into little strips. We put a strip of paper in each balloon and so we pop a balloon have to do something every day so we aren't bored! I put 50 in quotations above because as we were getting close to being done blowing them up, we realized we didn't have enough balloons. That's right, we had 97 balloons, so we called the store and they gave us 3 for free.

Our list consisted of things like:
-Ice skating
-Bowling
-Babysitting our nieces and nephews
-Making crafts that I find on Pinterest,
-Reading a good book
-Starting a 1000 piece puzzle
-Go to a movie
-Harry Potter Party
-Make a healthy meal (body for life worthy)
-Make a treat from Pinterest
-Make a new dish from Pinterest
-Write a song together
-Learn a new duet
etc etc.

We tied the balloons on strings. Two balloons on each end of each string like this

We did that so we can put them in bunches like this.

Or hang a whole bunch from just one string like this.

Pennsylvania

2012-01-02T20:45:00.000-08:00

On Christmas afternoon, Gordon and I flew to PA to visit his sisters and their families. It was a super great week! The only downside to it was that my brothers and their families were in town for the holiday, and we haven't been together fro Christmas in 5 years I think. But it's not my fault. Gordon and I bought our tickets in the beginning of October, which was before there was any mention of my family being together for the holidays.

Anyway, we got to PA at about midnight their time and Gordon's brothers-in-law were super super kind and came all the way to Philadelphia to pick us up. It was about an hour and a half to two hour drive. We slept and Heather and Spencer's house. They made a very comfortable place for us to stay and accommodated us. The first day, we went to Nancy and Scott's house and met my future nieces Anne and June, went to Chocolate world, played fun games and ate yummy food.
Tuesday was rainy but beautiful! I LOVE rain in the East! So much! So naturally, we went on a walk in the rain. It was cold. And we got SOAKED! I kinda loved it though! Through that experience, I learned the purpose of eyebrows. They aren't just for decoration, they keep water out of your eyes! We made pizzas, played more bored games and then watched Super 8. Heather and Spencer left before we started the movie cuz they were tired, and Gordon and I left before the movie was over cuz we too were pretty tired. It was super foggy that night because of the rain. It was like a scary movie because there are a TON of dead people in PA. Like every mile, there is a cemetery.
Wednesday was nail-painting for the girls, Spore for the boys, more yummy food (Indian food. Mmmm) and more games, Oh and more Seinfeld. I didn't mention that Scott and Nancy gave Gordon season 7 of Seinfeld so he and I would stay up watching that on my laptop every night.
Thursday, I woke up and tried to straighten my hair so I could not look like a wild animal in Gordon and my engagements. That was almost impossible because I didn't pack my straightener, so Nancy so kindly lent me hers. Thing is, I have spoiled myself with a semi-expensive straightener, and hers couldn't really handle my super thick un-manageable hair. But that wasn't too big of a deal considering it started snowing during the picture taking and it ruined my hair anyway. But surprisingly, I don't care! Nancy did an incredible job taking the pictures and the few that I have seen post-edit and just amazing, I can't wait to see them all! Later that day, Gordon and I joined Heather and Spencer for dinner (and yes, games) with their friends the Ellsworths. We had some delicious home made pot-stickers, Awesome! And we played Taboo and then this one game Carcassonne which I didn't understand, but somehow won...

One of these days, I can't remember which, Anne (2 years old) was playing with a toy near the bathroom and hear someone in there. She looks up at her aunt Heather, and without any expression on her face says "someone's raining." It was the funniest thing I've heard in a long time.

Friday, we went to Amish-Country and ate a lot of pretzels. That pretty much sums up the Amish experience though. haha! Delicious pretzels. Then went back to Nancy and Scott's, ate some yummy shrimp pasta, played games and then Gordon and I went to the store and bought some pepperonis and go-gurts to replenish Heather and Spencer's supply since we were kinda indulgent over the week. We also bought bacon because we discovered that that day (Dec 30th) is bacon day. The next day, he and I were going to leave for the airport really early, so we thought "Let's just pull and all-nighter and sleep on the plane" So we made and ate a whole case of bacon. 12 oz. total, and drank some Diet Coke Lime and watched Seinfeld until, naturally, Gordon fell asleep.
I fell asleep about 45 min later, and had to wake up about 1 hour after that. Then Scott and Spencer so kindly sacrificed more precious sleeping time to take us on another almost-two-hour drive to Baltimore so we could go home. Gordon was able to sleep a few hours on the plane and of course, I wasn't. Danny Oka came to pick us up from the airport, and of course, Gordon got some shut-eye on the drive home.

The things I learned from this trip: Gordon can fall asleep anytime anywhere as long as I'm there. And he snores. (even though he says he doesn't)

Gordon and I would like to thank Nancy, Scott, Heather and Spencer for their kindness and hospitality. We had a wonderful time with you guys! We love you and can't wait to see you again in April! And Spencer and Scott, thank you so much for driving us to and from the airports during hours you'd rather be sleeping. We really appreciate it!!

I'm engaged!

2011-12-04T08:34:00.001-08:00

That's right! It's official! I can now get started on the bigger aspects of planning the wedding. Oh boy..

Here's the story:
For the whole story of how we met etc. read the whole thing.
For the whole engagement story, start at Green wording.
For just the proposal, scroll down to the blue.

Here we go!

Gordon and I figured out who each other was while in our singles ward. We were officially introduced at Sub Zero when we went there with common friends after FHE one week. I didn't really notice him too much except for his uncanny impression of this guy...http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EF8GhC-T_Mo.
But we really became friends when he started going to the open mic night at Cybergate Cafe in Provo. I used to go to that every week, and then just as I started to go a little less frequently, he showed up once and played. He was good! But then when he sat back down, I saw that he was with some girl. So I didn't think much about it. Then a month or so later, he showed up again with a mission buddy, so I went up to him and asked if he would be playing that night, but he wasn't planning on it. I suggested that he and I perform together sometime, so right away he was like "what songs do you know? We should play tonight" So we played and sang Green Eyes by Coldplay that night and then we decided that we should actually plan songs to sing and practice together and such. So we did. The next week when we were going to perform, he brought a different girl. At first I thought she was just a friend, but then I saw him put his arm around her so I was like.. okay... But then we kept playing and practicing and such and then hanging out without practicing and we started seeing each other every single day until he FINALLY put his arm around me during a movie. (I later learned that things with the-girl-who-he-put-his-arm-around kinda just died down to nothingness like a few days after she came to the open mic night with him)
As we were dating, we would always make hypothetical jokes about "when we're married, we should....Hypothetically speaking" or "our kids are gonna...hypothetically speaking" Anyway, when we started becoming more serious, I was like "It doesn't sound so hypothetical anymore." Well, we seriously talked and prayed about it a lot and it felt right. So we decided we were going to get married (I know it's a little backwards since he hadn't proposed yet. but oh well.)
So Last night (Dec 3rd) I had a work party up in Midway. Of course, I brought him with me. When we got in the car, (I decided I would drive since my car is a whole lot cheaper to drive. And a whole lot more reliable) he was saying how he had homework he had to do, so blah blah blah and he needed his back pack from the car. The reason I say blah blah blah is because my mind went off to "does that mean that he wants to come home early from the party? Why didn't he do homework instead of watch Malcom in the Middle when he was Danny's earlier today?" Anyway, He put his back pack in the car, and we drove up to midway. On the way up I was like "dang it! Why didn't I grab my glasses!? They are pretty much just for driving at night!" and he was like "Do you want me to drive home?" I said no and that I could see fine. Then later in the drive I was talking about how I hate driving along edges like by cliffs and he again offered to drive home. Again, I declined the offer.
We got to the party, and when I got there, I was like "You know what would be funny?" And I pulled out a ring that I had in my purse.-- It is a ring that my grandma gave me with a few diamonds and pink jewels too. And it's gold.-- and said "we should trick everyone and I can wear this! That'd be funny!" I don't remember how he turned down the idea, but we didn't do that. Well at the rest of the party, we ate a LOT and had a grand ole time. Then we went home early.
Driving home, I asked him for some chapstick. I had him grab my purse and told him which pocket it would be in. He fished around and couldn't find it. Then as we got closer to the mouth of the canyon, he was like "Hey is that look out that we went to close to here?" Its the look out by the Orem Cemetery. We went up there about 2 months ago and danced, later that night we had a conversation that brought us a whole lot closer. So I was like "Ya, kinda. Wanna go up there?" and he was like "sure!" then a few seconds later, I was thinking "he's going to do it! He's been pretty sneaky today, but I really think he's going to do it. That would be beautiful! I wonder how he's going to do it. Stop, what if he doesn't do it? You don't want to be disappointed and bummed out. Stop expecting it."

So we got to the look out and parked where both of us could see everything. He made some comment about how it was like the whole city is Christmas lights and how they all decorated just for us or something ridiculous like that. Anyway, I took off my seat belt and sat back and listened to the music playing (nickel creek.) Then I turned off the car cuz I didn't want it to die, and he said "so six kids huh?" and I was like "what?" And he said "You want at least 4, right and so do I, then we can see how you feel and how I feel and how Heavenly Father feels about us having more" so I was like "ya!" Then he was like, "I wanna share a segment of my Patriarchal blessing with you." so I was like "do you have it with you?" and as he was reaching in his back pack he said "I have my english with me all the time and my spanish ones at home." Which didn't make sense. so I was like "...... Oh! Your english and spanish scriptures!" and he confirmed. (he keeps his scriptures in his back pack.) Well he asked me to turn on a light and he shared a part of his blessing about the woman he would some day marry, and then he took out a ring box and I hardly noticed because I was just looking at him and thinking "I can't wait to be her!" and he was opening the ring box and said "Will you be that person?" and the ring he started putting on my finger was the ring my grandma gave me that I had in my purse so then I thought he was just pretending to propose and being silly, so, not wanting to get super excited about something that wasn't real, I said "wait, are you being serious?" to which he looked a little disappointed. And I said "wait, really? Are you asking me?" and he was like "yes." So I was like "Of course I will!" then I cried a little and hugged him and kissed him and it was cute! And now we're engaged! My ring was supposed to be ready yesterday, but it won't be ready until Wednesday, but he didn't want to wait till then to propose, so I am going to be wearing the gold ring until then.

He just makes me so happy all the time! ALL the time! You know how when you're in a bad mood and someone tries to cheer you up, and it just makes you even more annoyed? (maybe that's just me.) When he tries to cheer me up, he ALWAYS succeeds even when I don't want him to. He spoils me. Not in a material way, but he treats me so well. He never lets me forget how much he loves me, he never keeps anything a secret from me, even if I want him to. :) He's my best friend and I love him. Those of you who haven't met him yet, you'll love him when you meet him. He is HILARIOUS! You know how "for every time you laugh, 2 seconds are added on to your life" I'm going to live FOREVER! He and I are perfect for each other. We think the same things are funny, no matter how nerdy or stupid it is. It's great!

Anyway, That's it! YAY!

Lists

2011-10-28T09:21:00.000-07:00

I miss.....

Having sunshine from 7 a.m. to 8:30 p.m.
Warm enough weather to wear shorts
Being warm without a jacket
Summer
Laying out
Scooter-riding weather
Arielle Harrison
Working only 3 days/week and spending the other 3 days at the gym
The way I looked and felt when I was doing the previous
Kate Darowski and Racheal Curley (a lot! Especially right now!)
Effron Fridays
Having fun at work
Eating whatever I want, whenever I want and not being affected it any way
Watching multiple episodes of Grey's Anatomy every night with my mom
My mom
Making forts for sleep overs with my blondie girls
My blondie girls (K'annie and Penny)
Did I mention Summer?

Well There isn't really a point to this post, it's just a list. Here's another list...

WINTER IS SO CLOSE! (angry, not excited)

Pros

No allergies
Christmas lights
Cute winter clothes
Snowball fights
Hot chocolate
All encompassing Christmasness
Fireplace Cozies

Cons

Always have a cold
Being cold
No sun
Getting out of my warm bed
Driving in the snow
Being cold
Having to put on shoes to go outside (even just to get the mail)
When you put on your clothes and they make you colder because they're cold
Scraping windshield
Being cold in general
Always tired
Less motivated to do anything
It lasts WAY TOO LONG
Being cold
Can't/wont run outside
Having to take 5 min to bundle up before going out the door
Still being freezing after bundling up
Being cold

Clearly not a fan of the winter time

NOW new things in my life that I appreciate!

Gordon
Kiersten having enough time for me again
Having Joseph and Kasey sit with us at work
Cameron, Danny, and Zach (in alphabetical order)
Being back in my gym habit after 2 months (sheesh I got really out of shape)
The fact that my parents are letting me buy the Civic from them
Making more money
That today at work is slower (yesterday was crazy!)
Skyler being a Zumba instructor
The way my hair has been looking even though I haven't done my hair in weeks thanks to the way that Gina Luke cut it.
My kick of watching The Office
The insane amount of laughter I have experienced in the past 24 hours

Life really ain't so bad. :)

Septiembre

2011-09-30T18:44:00.000-07:00

So, I think you have learned better than to expect frequent posting from me. Here is an update. The past couple of months, I have spent an immense amount of time with the following: (in alphabetical order) Ancestry (work), Friends/Gordon, Guitar, and last but SURELY not least Pinterest!

This is where I work. I take calls for the 1800 number. I am now working full time and am not taking any classes this semester, but I do plan on taking a few next semester while still working full-time. Having benefits will be a really good thing for me. Anyway, no, it's not the most glamorous job in the world. Frankly, knowing I have to get up and go to work makes me cringe a little bit every morning, but I have a feeling it won't be any different with any other job I have. I just don't like working. But then there's pay-day. :) Love that! Best 2 days of the month!

Friends! I went to Lagoon with Arielle a few weekends ago. She got to go for free with a guest because Alexis works for Nu Skin and they rented out the park for the employees. It was CLEARLY a blast! We went on wicked 5x in a row. Yes, in a row. We got off the ride and ran right back to the end of the line. We ended up making friends with the boy who assigned seats. His name was Ralphy. :) It was so fun but also SO nauseating! The samurai was closed which was a bummer because that is what we were going to go on first, just to keep my streak up. This trip to lagoon was my first one where I didn't go on the Samurai first. But we clearly made up for that! Who wouldda thought I would ever like roller coasters? Not me, but I do!

Kiersten and I have had many-a late-night chats lately. It has been really fun! When we are both done with our nights, one of us with go to the others house (she usually comes over here) and we will sit in someones car and talk for hours! It's fun! We say hilarious things!

Another group of friends and I spend many nights at....... dennys...

No, I'm not kidding. I feel so ashamed. The worst part is one time I ate this......

Yes, that is the Big Daddy Patty. It is kinda a grilled cheese meets ham burger meets Mac and cheese. Luckily, I ate it in the morning so I had time to burn the calories, and more luckily, I only ate half of it. You guys dont even understand how much I regret eating it, but you might once you see this...http://www.hulu.com/watch/273858/late-night-with-jimmy-fallon-monologue-thu-sep-1-2011

YEEsh. I apologize to all of you! But I will never do it again! I promise!

I am going to go ahead and clump Gordon and guitar into the same thing because it's almost rare to have one without the other. This is what we do when we are bored, and it's really how we became friends. He and I are in the same ward which is how we initially met, but then he started coming to the open mic night that I used to go to every week. So I suggested that he and I sing and play together sometime, so with no more than 5 min of prep, we sang Green Eyes by Cold play that night and decided to keep singing together, we had a lot of fun while practicing during the summer and then we just started hanging out literally every day. Tonight we were supposed to go perform at his friends back yard concert thing, but that didn't really end up happening which is why I am taking the time to post on my blog.

And well Pinterest is the best. Nuff said!

The past 2 weeks

2011-08-25T19:46:00.000-07:00

I have been super duper busy the past two weeks. Here is why:
On the 7th of August, I got a third calling, that's right, three callings. Before then I was the ward chorister, and I was a librarian. I am now also the Relief Society Meetings Coordinator. That means that I am in charge of all of the relief society activities or meetings that aren't Sunday meetings. WELL, that calling put me in charge of a relief society camp-out that was on the 18th and 19th. So I had a week and a half to plan a camp out, and I had to plan pretty much the entire thing. The only thing they had planned in advance was when and where.
Well, after a lot of thinking, planning, shopping, and praying, the camp-out came. It went better than expected. We didn't have a large turn-out, but I didn't expect one because no one made the camp-out a big deal. It was mentioned in relief society, but not with details. Anyway, I think it turned out to be a pretty positive experience for those who went. There were only seven girls that spent the night including myself, but two girls came up on Thursday evening and left when we all started getting ready for bed. I feel like those who went got to know each other on a new level. For me, that was a pretty big deal because I have had trouble adjusting to this ward, but I got to get to know these girls and have some laughs. It was nice.

Last night

2011-08-15T14:14:00.000-07:00

Last night, our sky looked like this:

(this is not a photo taken by me, but this is the one that I found that most closely resembled last night)

    Anyway, with the beauty of the lightning, and all the light streaming through the window, there was NO way I was going to be sleeping through that so I texted some friends Gordon Steele and Zach Steele, (They are cousins of each others and they are both cousins of the steele fam that we know) to see if they wanted to watch the storm with me, and they did! So, I asked them to come pick me up and we went and picked up another girl named heather.
      Then we went by the lake, told scary stories and watched the storm. I was so scared though when Gordons car wouldnt start for like ten min because it started to fit perfectly into a scary story that I had JUST told, but it started eventually and we were all safe. It was a lot of fun actually. I dont know why but I have a love for lightning. I just think it's so facinating and pretty.
     Well, I got hope pretty dang late and got very little sleep. especially since one of the stories had to do with someone taking pictures of someone else who was sleeping (creepy) and the flashing lightning made me feel like my picture was being taken. So I slept through both of my alarms and woke up at 7:40 to my darling mother opening my door, and I was still on time for work at 8. I have been so sleepy all day though, until I finally decided to splurge and buy a Diet Coke. That has been my best friend all day. :)

Fin de Julio

2011-08-09T21:14:00.000-07:00

I went swimming at the Jenkins with some friends,

Then I went to the midnight showing of the last Harry Potter movie with Arielle, Alexis, Alexis’ boyfriend Matthew, and her roommate Andrea. We got bored waiting and waiting, but we turned it into a fun time! (for more pics, check my facebook)

Then on the 15^th I went to St. George with Arielle, we met up with Heather who stayed with us at the Condo. She lives down there because she is going to Dixie. We had SO much fun.

My favorite thing to do in SG

This picture is funny because we crossed this bridge to get to the spot where we took the above picture, but Arielle did NOT remember this on the way back. She was too scared to walk across the bridge and insisted that there must be another way.

Look at the little buddy we found!

What a cute couple!

Peace and serenity.

Heather came back to Orem with us to visit her family and stuff. It was nice and we made great time on the way home. Even with all the construction.

I'm really bad at this Blogging thing. Sorry!

2011-08-05T12:19:00.000-07:00

SO! July was fun and pretty random. I did a lot of family stuff. Especially while Brad and Cynthia and their kids were here. But you all already know about all of that, so I will post you on the things that I have been up to since.

I went to Seven Peaks with Arielle.

Had a little camp out with the Mills girls in their back yard. Nick helped us make our fire, and then stuck around until we put it out. I think he was worried about our fire capabilities.

Had a dance party in a parking lot with Noah, Arielle, and Heather. Arielle Heather and I became good friends at the end of our senior year (actually, Arielle and Heather were already really good friends and they welcomed me in) and we hadn't done anything all three of us since then until this. It was a lot of fun. Here is a little video that Noah made of us dancing in random places around Orem. Click on this link to watch it.

Update of June: New York!

2011-07-01T19:19:00.000-07:00

So, June was nice! On the 6th, I went to New York with my mom and Rhett. It was a lot of fun. We spent the 7th walking around doing general touristy things, then on the 8th we went to the Jimmy Fallon show. It was so much fun! On the 9th we did a little shopping and then went to the airport. That is where the real story comes in. We got to the airport just after 2:00 p.m. and there was a really long line to check luggage. When we were waiting in line, we had the joy of being entertained by a little chubby boy (about 3 years old?) in a black wife beater. He started off by rolling around on the floor, taking off his shoes, spinning while laying on the ground etc. I was so grossed out wondering why his mom would let him touch the nasty airport ground. Then he started running! He was running through the people and the mom didn't even watch him. She just stood there talking to her mom. He was weaving in and out of the people in the line dodging legs and jumping over luggage. I thought it was hilarious. When we finally got to the front of the line, we learned that our flight had been delayed by about 4 hours I think. maybe 6.
So we went to our gate and my mom joined us affter her little run-in with Chauncey Billups. We sat and waited and tried to sleep, listened to music, played games on our phones, and wishing so badly that I had brought my guitar. Anything to kill the time. Luckily the little boy was at the same gate. He would run really far away from his dad who was sitting on the ground, turn around, scrape his feet on the ground like a bull, and run as fast as his chubby little legs would carry him. His dad would catch him and kinda toss him in the air. Then we finally got on the plane at 11 p.m. While we were waiting in line to board, we had a grumpy man behind us who looked just like this:

Anyway, he was standing behind us saying "This airline is NEVER getting my business again. Never ever ever ever ever ever ever." And this was after a few nice ladies told him off explaining that it wasn't the airlines fault.

Well after the grueling, sleepless (for me) plane ride, (too bad the chubby boy was sleeping) we arrived in AZ. Having missed our connecting flight, we had some paradise bakery for "breakfast?" is it breakfast at 3 a.m.? Anyway, while we were there, we had the joy of watching a lady taking pictures of her sleeping son and husband. She thought it was hilarious! She put a cup in her husbands hand to make it look like he was holding it when he fell asleep because he was sitting up. Afterwards, she sat down and was flipping through the pictures cracking up. She thought she was the funniest thing in the world! Then we went downstairs and waited for it to be time to get in line to check our bags. We were trying to get comfortable when I realized: "We have an inflatable mattress in our bag! Why don't we inflate it?" Rhett also saw this as a brilliant idea, but Mom wouldn't okay it. She thought it would be trashy looking or something. I personally couldn't have cared less. So instead we lied in the middle of the floor and waited for 5 a.m. to roll around. Well the rest of the story was kind of uneventful, but we got home safely and really tired.

Momma

2011-05-08T01:30:00.000-07:00

Loving, Funny, Honest, Patient, Smart, Giving, Loyal: These are all just a few of the words that describe Erundina Maria Dayton (sorry for using your real name Mom.) My mom is the best one out there. You guys can choose to disagree if you want, but you'd be a little wrong. She is the best mom for me. If I had another woman for a mother, she just wouldn’t cut it.

In the past, my mom and I had a very mother-daughter relationship. She was my caregiver for whom I have always been grateful, but over the past few years, she has become my best friend. She and I spend a lot of time together doing silly things like watching Grey’s Anatomy, or Parenthood, or just hanging out. She is the first person I go to when I have a question or a complaint. A while back, my ringtone for her was Basketcase by Green Day because of the line “do you have the time to listen to me whine?” cuz that’s what she does for me. I come to her and complain and she helps me through things. Even when she thinks I’m being silly or dramatic, she stands by my side. She will ALWAYS have my back and I don’t know if I will always be able to say that about my friends my age.

At the beginning of this post, I underlined the word “patient” for a reason. She and my dad have raised 6 children. They had their struggles with each of us, but my brother Rhett, and I have given them more grief than the rest of their kids. But they still love us. The poor people still live with their two hardest kids, but they don’t let it bother them. My mom had to change her parenting style for me. I wasn’t and still am not an easy child to raise, but she hasn’t given up. She has had to do so many things differently to raise me the way Heavenly Father has directed her to, but she has not given up on me. She has learned to accept the things about me that she just can’t change, and has worked hard with me to be the person that I need. The other day, I promised I would clean my room, so I did. She said later, talking to someone else “Catalina said she would clean her room. And she did to her standard, and I just have to remind myself that she didn’t mean to leave her slippers in the middle of her floor, she probably doesn’t know they’re there.” And she was right. I had no clue, but she doesn’t let that bug her.

My family’s favorite memory of me is Sunday dinners. I would get mad, run to my room, and scream at the top of my lungs “I HATE YOU MOM AND DAD! I’LL NEVER LOVE YOU AGAIN!!!” who does that? But they didn’t get mad at me. They knew I was just being dramatic. If my child said that to me, I’d feel hurt, but my mom knows me better than I know myself and I’m so grateful for that. Just the other day I was upset about something and I asked my mom “Mom, is something else bugging me? Cuz I’m getting more worked up about this than I would expect.” I do this with her all the time. She has always been able to give me the best answers to everything in my life and I am and always will be in debt to her.

I love you so much Mom! Sorry for all of the pain and frustration I have caused you for the past 19 years but I just want you to know that all of your efforts and sacrifice have not gone unnoticed. I love you! Love C-A, Toad, Lovey, Bug, etc. etc.

2011-04-14T23:56:00.000-07:00

So, I was just talking to my parents and I realized something. I noticed that I was feeling glum because I didn't get all I wanted out of the past year. Like I didn't do much with the last year of my life and my dad asked me what I expected out of this year and I didn't know what to say. Now I know what was bugging me. I'm single. Pathetic huh? I let the fact that I am single bum me out on my birthday. that is so messed up. I have always been a little boy crazy, but I didn't know that it was going to be a problem as I get older. That's when I realized what my goal is going to be for the next year. NO it is NOT to get a boyfriend. It is to set "boys" at a lower priority level. like bottom of the list. In the past year, I put so much energy into dating, and I put so much emotion into caring about guys and whether they liked me or not. Like it sickens me to read my journals because that is all they are about. It's really dumb.
anyway, I'm not totally going to avoid dating, (like I'm not going to say no to everyone that asks me on a date for a whole year) But I'm not going to go seeking opportunities like I used to. I have put myself out there so many times, I've asked guys on dates, I've been the one to make the first contact with a lot of people and it's just dumb. You're probably wondering why I put this on my blog. Why would I say all of this in public? mostly because I am just a very straight forward person, and because I could use support. If my close friends and family know what my goals are, they can help me out. SO, the things that I do want to do this year are as follows:
(In no particular order)
-prepare for my future (mission, family etc.) by earning and saving money. I want to have at LEAST $10,000 in my bank account before I'm 20. I know that might not seem like much, but if you knew where I was starting, you'd understand.
-I want to visit my nieces and nephews in Arizona quarterly. I haven't been down there for 5 months. I'm going down in May, and I need to go more frequently.
-Take better care of myself. Go to the gym at LEAST 3 times per week. ideally, 5 times, but we all have lives.
- Keep going with my weekly temple visits.
- Finish the Book Of Mormon and read it again.
- Write in my journal weekly. (And not about boys)

Anyway, that's it. I would love any support anyone has to offer. Even if it is moral support, still I appreciate it. Wish me luck! :)

Late: Goal!

2011-03-08T11:17:00.000-08:00

My resolution for this year was to select something to work on each month. In February, I had along list of things to do instead of just one. Here's how it went:

-Get out of bed when my alarm goes off instead of laying there trying to not fall back asleep. I did this for like the first week, then I gave up.

-Read 2 chapters of the Book of Mormon each day instead of 1. I did it every day!

-Not get on Facebook. (expect a lot more blog posts this month.) DONE!

-Burn a hundred calories per day more than my January average. (I couldn't figure out how to word that) I haven't done the math yet. and I didn't wear my body bug every day. so...

-Get my assignments done before the day before they're due. Yeah, I didn't do this at all.

-Not talk about things that make me sad unless talking about it is going to fix it. DONE!

Feb 25-26th

2011-03-02T23:25:00.000-08:00

Well, heres another weekend update:
Friday

I slept in until like 10, went to the temple, came home, got ready for work, went to work at 2, and worked until 10:30. yikes, I know! BUT I sit by Olivia and her friends and we got to have a lot of fun. it wasn't very busy that night. luckily because pretty much no one stayed as late as we did. Anyway, after that, I was goingt o go and play some good ole broom-hockey, but I was super tired so instead, I watched a movie at C.J.'s house. we built a fantastic fort. I'm pretty sure I'm a professional fort builder. Forget Marriage and Family Therapy, I will build forts for a living! Anyway, we watched The Man Who Knew Too Little. I had never even heard of it but I guess it's C.J.'s favorite movie. Or up at the top of the list. I Loved it! I dont know how I had gone my whole life never seeing it! So funny, and super clever. I suggest that you see it sometime soon if you never have, cuz it's just great!

Saturday
I slept in again (I love weekends) organized some music on my computer, got Costa with my parents, and then came home and watched the first few episodes of Grey's Anatomy, Season 6 with my mom. Then I decided I wanted to go buy lipstick. Usually I would say that I'm not very affected by the media. I don't usually do my hair or wear clothes like celebrities, but since I've started watching Grey's, I've tried parting my hair in the middle and then i decided I would go buy some red lipstick. Not so sure how I feel about it yet, but we'll see.

This Last Weekend

2011-02-22T11:10:00.000-08:00

Friday

I started the morning by going on a date with a guy named Phil. He is an incredible musician. He comes to open-mic might each week and does a great job. Anyway, we went to the temple, and then we went to breakfast at Denny's. It was really good!

Immediately after that, I went to the bank and got out the money for my new Ibanez guitar!

I saw it on KSL and I fell in love! I didn't want to go alone so I asked C.J. to come with me and he kindly accepted. We went up to SLC and got the beauty, it came with the following :Guitar, amp, chords, microphone, microphone stand, guitar case, and hard case for the guitar all for $500. It was a steal! It reeks of cigarettes though. especially the microphone. But hey! I got it all cheap!

When we got back to Utah County, we went to Pizza Pie Cafe and C.J. had a plate/bowl of pasta and 12 pieces of pizza including dessert pizzas. I can't believe I thought I could challenge him.

Then we went back to my house to test out my new baby and all of the equipment but then C.J. got a text from his friend Ben. The guy I was going to be recording for. So... we went to Provo to record. Ben as a cool setup in his back yard. kind of a sound-proof shed. It was a lot of fun. I am going to try to post the song on my "music" blog. Check it out. maybe...

Then I went home for dinner and such and then I called my visiting teaching companion, Barbara, and asked her what she was up to, she asked me if I was going to go play ice broom-hockey. I was planning on it, so she asked me for a ride. Barbara and I had a lot of fun chatting it up while we waited for the boys to show up. We went with my cousins Jason and Skyler Carr, and C.J. The next day, everyone was so sore, and some of us bruised. It was so worth it though. So fun!

Saturday

Saturday, I woke up to my mom saying "wanna go get breakfast at Costa?" it was after 11. Awesome. So, we went to Costa and then we went to the massage school to set up appointments. Then my dad and I went to Walmart and got some coffee ice cream, and some Symphony bars. Then we all went and got our massages. Mine was AWESOME, the guy had really warm hands and did a great job. I'd suggest that everyone go get a massage within the next month. you'll love it!

I went home, watched some Grey's with my loving mother (it's getting intense!) Then I went and got some free "hot chocolate" (it was more like melted dark-chocolate.) I couldn't finish mine cuz it was so strong, so C.J. had to "prove his manliness" and drink all of his and then all of mine. After that we went to his house and played some BS with his mom and sisters and we enjoyed some no-bake cookies. I had never had no-bake cookies before but I fell in love that night with no-bake cookies. While we were playing, Amanda -C.J.'s youngest sister- put C.J.'s mullet in a ponytail.

Then Izak Lowe, Nick, and Beau came over and we played some Scum, and then after Izak, Nick and Beau left, we all played the Car Game when Janna Mills came over. I love her lots. That Car Game was so much fun! My abs were actually sore the next day from laughing so hard!

Sunday

I taught relief society on Sunday. It went really well I think. Who wouldda thought things would run smoother when you plan them out. I was still nervous though. Then I went home and had some delicious Papa Murphy's pizza and Diet Coke Lime. mmm :) Then I showed my family the youtube video on the Media part of my blog. They loved it! It's hillarious! but it takes some time. you want to set aside time to watch it because all of it is hilarious! Then I had to do the talent at ward prayer. So I took my Ciguitar (cigarette guitar) and played and sang More by Tyrone Wells. I was SO NERVOUS! Love my new guitar though!

Later, C.J. invited me to go to Izak's house and play some more Scum. When I got to C.J.'s though, he said Izak and them were done playing so instead, he and I just sat in his living room and he made me play the song that I sang at ward prayer. And then we just sat in there talking forever while C.J. played his guitar and then I realized I was tired, he looked at the time and it was like 1:50 a.m. yikes.

It was great fun! Fun stories.

Sorry this post was FOREVER long! It was just a loaded weekend!

Catalina 101

2011-02-17T12:02:00.000-08:00

101 Things that you probably already knew about me but oh well.

This took a long time, but it was really fun.

1. I would rather listen to music than to my own thoughts

2. I want to be a marriage and family therapist when I grow up.

3. I love having a job cuz spending money, and still watching the numbers go up in my bank account. :)

4. I love blankets and wear them around the house (even in the summer) and my mom hates it.

5. I'm not a good multi-tasker.

6. I wish I was better at playing the piano but not enough to actually practice more.

7. When I get done at work, I struggle talking on the phone like a normal person.

8. I lack motivation to really try to do things because when I was younger, things came to me easily.

9. I fake-bake in the winter to make me happy (and to tan)

10. I cry a lot. Especially when I'm sleep-deprived.

11. I have dyed my hair at least once a month since October. (but I wont this month...Maybe)

12. I want a dog more than anything but I wouldn't want to sell him when/if I go on a mission.

13. In my brain, all dogs are boys. It is actually really hard for me to call a dog "she" or "her"

14. I love having a clean room, but i never clean it.

15. I love getting mail. Even e-mail if its for just me. It makes me happy.

16. I come up with a lot of fun ideas but rarely go through with them.

17. I want to cut my hair short!! I'm SO CLOSE to having "long hair" but I just see girls with cute short hair and it makes me want to cut mine

18. I love FRIENDS! I have every episode memorized. I'm barely exaggerating. I'll say a line before they do, but I'll still laugh after they say it.

19. One of my front 2 teeth is fake. It's not hard to tell which one.

20. I have ALWAYS wanted to play the flute but I have never tried it. Even thought I've tried so many other instruments.

21. I love sweats!

22. I go on kicks. like for 2 weeks I listen to tons of music by the same artist and I love eating the same thing and such.

23. I eat like a 3 year-old. Mac and Cheese, Chicken Nuggets... :) yum!

24. I have an amazing ability to lose track of time.

25. I just started parting my hair down the middle every once in a while. I hope everyone doesn't hate it. Rhett says i look like I did when I was little.

26. I spend my free time sitting on my bed with my guitar in hand and with my laptop supported by my open drawer.

27. I tend to stay friends with the best friends of the guys I'd dated. Here's a list: dated Cory, friends with Wes; Dated Caleb, friends with Noah; liked Breton, friends with Aaron; liked Mark, friends with Bronson and Kendall.

28. I get along with boys much better than i get along with most girls but I'm workin on it.

29. I believe in ghosts/spirits. like I believe that the veil is thinner in some places than others.

30. I love facials :)

31. I bake when my mom goes out of town. idk why

32. I have new, strong relationships and Friendships with people in my family that I didn't think I would have. like my mom and I hang out a lot and Olivia and I are better friends than ever. Plus, Rhett and I have gotten along really well this past while even when my parents are gone.

33. I love corduroys!

34. Sometimes I don't match my clothes on purpose.

35. When I was little, I HATED Sundays. The whole day was a disaster, from getting ready for church to dinner. Sunday dinners are my siblings favorite memory of me.

36. I've always been a picky eater. When I was little, we'd be sitting at the table and I wouldn't want to eat my vegetables so I had to sit at the table until they were gone. So I would do one of two things: put the vegetables in my mouth and go to the bathroom and spit them out in the toilet, or get up and run to my room as fast as i could screaming "I HATE YOU MOM AND DAD!! I'LL NEVER LOVE YOU AGAIN!!"

37. I've had arthritis since I was four years old.

38. I like jackets. A lot. Layers are the best!

39. I hate shopping but I like shopping online cuz I don't have to try things on.

40. People have thought I was at least 2 years older than I am since sophomore year. A few weeks ago, someone thought I was 22. I'm 18. I always thought this was weird cuz it couldn't be because of how I dress, and its not like i wear a lot of makeup.

41. I hope they call me on a mission.

42. I moved into a new room about a month ago, but i still walk to my old room when I'm not thinking about it.

43. I love gum and chapstick. One of my friends actually gave me those two things for my birthday.

44. When I was in high school, I would learn more listening to the radio in the half hour it took to get ready than I would learn in the 6 hours of school.

45. I got my license on a Friday and my family went to Arizona without me the next Monday. I couldn't go because I had finals and they didn't want to wait for me I guess.

46. I have never been pulled-over but I ALWAYS speed.

47. I try to not laugh whenever I realize that what I'm saying sounds like my grandma Linda.

48. I have never broken a bone or been seriously injured in anyway.

49. I make a lot of faces when I talk.

50. I was supposed to be the shortest in my family, like 5'6" but I'm 5'9" and get told all the time "wow, your tall" especially by short girls or by boys.

51. I rarely smile in pictures but I have a lame, but real reason: If I make a silly/or ugly face, I'm supposed to look silly or ugly. If I am trying to smile cute but it turns out bad, then I just look dumb. hahaha!

52. I eat when I'm bored!

53. I'd rather scrub my bathroom than clean my bedroom.

54. When I was little I would scream gibberish when I was angry, but then I would be worried that I swore in some other language and then I'd feel bad.

55. I spent a dime on a nerd. like the candy. one nerd.

56. I've always lived within the same church stake my whole life.

57. I've lived in my current home for almost 12 years and I still dont have all of the light switches memorized.

58. I have a cowlick in the middle of my forehead.

59. I am like my dad more than I'd like to admit sometimes.

60. I prefer the Atlantic ocean to the Pacific because it's warmer.

61. I am supposed to be left handed but I burned my left hand on a curling iron when i was little.

62. I love sleeping in.

63. I don't really like little dogs.

64. If you wake me up before my alarm, you're not my best friend.

65. I have had the chicken pox twice. No, really.

66. I can go cross-eyed with one eye while the other eye looks straight ahead.

67. Don't hate me, but I don't like fruit.

68. I could speak Spanish better when I was in fourth grade than I can now.

69. I don't really like sea food, but I love sushi.

70. I absolutely hate bananas! Just the smell makes me feel sick.

71. I really want to be a stay at home mom. The MFT is only if I have to.

72. I have switched my cellphone six times.

73. My first word was "slug bug" and I would hit whoever was sitting next to me in the car while I said "slugbug!" over and over. I didn't get how the game worked

74. I said my first word when I was 5 months old.

75. Out of all of the times that I've like a guy who liked me back, it has never been over valentines day.

76. If I had a SUPER power, it would be mind reading.

77. I Like jewelry but I never wear any because I'm not good at finding what goes with what.

78. I love bread!

79. I have trouble falling asleep with socks on.

80. I love wearing heels even though I'm already too tall.

81. I used to have a hobby of finding bands that no one knows.

82. I am quick to forgive, but I dont forget as easily to keep history from repeating itself.

83. I am a Utes fan.

84. My favorite color to wear is purple. Pretty much just because I've been told it looks good on me.

85. My favorite general color is blue.

86. I have spent over a week on this post cuz I only work on it during class.

87. I don't like left overs.

88. I can't blush. I hear the blood rush to my face, but you can't see it.

89. I love potatoes in all forms except hash browns.

90. After I turn off the lights at night, I jump from my light switch to my bed because I'm scared someone will grab my ankles.

91.I wear a lot of black and gray. You'll rarely see me wearing brown.

92. I wish I had blue or green eyes or anything but brown. I think colored eyes with dark hair is stunning.

93. I want at least 4 kids.

94. I love my last name so much that I want to name one of my sons Dayton.

95. I love blue candy. It's always the best flavor. Even blue M&M's

96. I wish there was a CTRL+Z in real life. Constant re-dos

97. Everyone has always thought that I was super outgoing. I'm actually pretty shy. especially when it comes to large groups of people.

98. I have always wanted a tattoo but I know I'd get sick of it, so I stick with Henna.

99. I am very passionate. A lot of time I'll say "I love this song!" when I actually really only like the song. etc.

100. I have a spot on my head where my hair is gray.

101. The scar on my chin/jaw was from getting 14 stitches. I split my chin on the pole of one of those spring horses.

Wow, you made it! You must be a good friend or REALLY bored!

Weekend fun!

2011-02-15T09:28:00.000-08:00

On Friday, I worked until 8 so when I got done, I didn't know what I wanted to do so I ended up just going over to a friends house and watching a movie and playing some Band Hero. (Guitar Hero's make of Rockband.) Saturday was a little more scattered. I was supposed to go and sing for this one kid who makes hip hop music and stuff but that ended up not happening cuz he had a lot going on that day, so what I DID do that day was go to the boat show. C.J. Turnbull had tickets and wanted to go but everyone that he had invited had bailed on him. One of the boats had a little bathroom with a radio in it. That is what you see me playing with in the picture below.

After the boat show, my friend Brooke texted me and wanted to hang out. We went to sub zero and got some Dutch Honey flavored ice cream. Then we went back to my house and a started to teach her how to play the guitar. She caught on really quickly. Before you know it, she'll be performing at open-mic night!

Sunday was nice. Kinda just chilled. We had a good random dinner.
Then Monday, I woke up at like 7:30 to little kids yelling and screaming outside my window. I was so confused because we don't live next to kids on either side. So I looked out the window and it was the little kids from the other side of the neighborhood. They were playing with the Haden's dog through the fence. Then as a almost fell back asleep, one of the Haden's car alarms went off and no one turned it off so it kept beeping until it turned off automatically. While it was going off, I just kept thinking "how can I make this alarm part of my dream?" because I wanted to get back to sleep so badly. Then I actually ended up sleeping through one of my alarms, so I woke up a little bit late, went to work, worked till 8 then came home to an empty house while my parents were at a movie and my brother, Rhett, was with his friends. When my parents got home, my mom and I watched episode 1 of season 5 of Grey's Anatomy and made sugar cookies. Later, C.J. was kind enough to come over after his family stuff and decorate cookies with me even though he had class early the next day. It was a simple but enjoyable night.

In the picture above, you see C.J. Sporting his new hair cut, then his plate of cookies, then my plate of cookies (bottom left) and then me!
Anyway, over-all it was a pretty good weekend.

February

2011-02-01T12:27:00.002-08:00

So February is going to be my month of pushing myself. I've made a list of things that need fixing in my life and how I can fix it, or just things that I already do well, but I want to be better.

This month, I will...

-Get out of bed when my alarm goes off instead of laying there trying to not fall back asleep.

-Read 2 chapters of the Book of Mormon each day instead of 1

-Not get on Facebook. (expect a lot more blog posts this month.)

-Burn a hundred calories per day more than my January average. (I couldn't figure out how to word that)

-Get my assignments done before the day before they're due.

-Not talk about things that make me sad unless talking about it is going to fix it.

Wish me luck!

1 Word Answers

2011-01-27T12:21:00.000-08:00

1. Where is your cell phone? pocket

2. Your significant other? None

3. Your hair? braid

4. Your mother? Nina

5. Your father? Daniel

6. Your favorite? Music

7. Your dream last night? None

8. Your favorite drink? Water

9. Your dream/goal? Mission

10. What room you are in? SA 308

11. Your hobby? Grey's

12. Your fear? alone

13. Where do you want to be in 6 years? Arizona

14. Where were you last night? Home

15. Something that you aren't? Motivated

16. Muffins? Poppy Seed

17. Wish list item? China

18. Where you grew up? Orem

19. Last thing you did? walked to class

20. What are you wearing? Toms

21. Your TV? Home

22. Your pets? none

23. Friends? yep

24. Your life? pathetic

25. Your mood? BORED

26. Missing someone? Yes

27. Car? Little

28. Something you're not wearing? Socks

29. Your favorite store? Online

30. Your favorite color? blue

33. When is the last time you laughed? Morning

34. Last time you cried? Lastnight

35. Who will resend this? EVERYONE

36. One place that I go to over and over? Cybergate

37. One person who emails me regularly? Arnie

38. My favorite place to eat? :) Sumo

39. Where are you right now? School

40. Where should you be right now? School

TOP 5!

2011-01-14T18:55:00.000-08:00

Okay, so in FRIENDS (my favorite show) there is an episode where everyone makes a list of 5 celebrities that they could sleep with if they met them and their boy/girlfriend can't get mad. So almost everyone in my family made their top 5 so I am making mine! My first three are SOLID but the last two I just changed like I said I probably would one of these days. A.k.a. 2 or 3 days later.

Number 1- Ryan Reynolds

He's so fine! EVERY picture of him makes me fall in love!

Number 2- Eric Dane, A.K.A: Mark Sloan, A.K.A: McSteamy

My mom and I watch a hefty amount of Grey's Anatomy and every time he comes on I lose my concentration!

Number 3-Zac EfronI have more of a chance with Zac Efron cuz Vanessa Dugens used to be his girlfriend and people say I look just like her. I Loved when he was in 17 again and he tells the bully off and then winks, It takes my breath away. He's so beautiful! I want to marry him!

#4 Josh Duhamel

He's just dreamy, isn't he?

and now #5 is: Rick Fox

I just think he is outstandingly handsome. Anyone else?

Update of my life and then, Christmas Adam :)

2010-12-24T11:30:00.000-08:00

Update: I am so glad that I am done with my first semester of college. I passed math 1010 (barely) but I passed and that is the important part. I now have a job at ancestry.com and I love it! I work with my lovely sister who got me the job in the first place. The environment of the workplace is so great. It has a healthy amount of stress because it is a job, but its pretty chill and they put a lot of work into making it a place that people want to work. I'm lovin it!

Ever since I took a weight training class last semester, I have fallen in love with lifting weights so now one of my favorite places is Golds gym. That is second only to my couch watching Grey's Anatomy with my beloved mom! We spend so much time laughing and crying while watching that show. I love it!

Christmas Adam (Adam came before Eve;) )

So yesterday, I slept in :) I love that! And I woke up, finished memorizing The Living Christ to complete a challenge of a friend. Then I went to the gym and saw like 7 people that I know,

then I went to Ernie's and saw 3 more people that I know. Haha! Then I went to blockbuster and picked up another disc of Grey's Anatomy of course :) and then I went and visited my friend that just got surgery on his torn ACL. Then Wes came over to my house and played my guitar for a while and then we went to Farr's for some frozen yogurt and he beat me at my own game :( He and I made this game up in April where you stick the spoon to your nose and you have to try to blow it in the cup. I kicked his trash the first time we played, but yesterday must have been an off day or something because I couldn't do it!

Then I ditched him for my little blonde girls Kate and Penny! I love those kiddos! They came over and watched 2 very intense episodes of Grey's and then We had some hot Cocoa (notice the ice cream in front of penny)

Then we got sleepy, played the ugly face picture game for a while, facebook stalked people, watched a bunch of youtube videos and then made a FORT!! In case you haven't noticed, I like having sleepovers in forts! :)

And yes, those are footie PJ's I'm wearing! they have Sock Monkey on the feet. :)

So that was my Christmas Adam. I would say it was a day well spent :)

TYRONE!

2010-11-25T18:02:00.000-08:00

K, so if you know me at all, you know I LOVE Tyrone Wells! Well, on Nov 1st, I got to go to his concert at the Velour in Provo. I went with Mark Garrett which was great! Mark saw one of his mission buddies in line who actually had access to 2 free tickets! Does it get any better? A little! Not only did I get to go see my favorite musician for FREE, but I got to meet him again just like last year! It was such a lovely experience! I love him so much! The local opener was Ryan Innes and he was really really good, and so fun to watch. The other openers that were on tour with Tyrone were okay, but they weren't as entertaining. It was a really great concert! I can't wait for his next album. He said it's coming out early next year! (Late Christmas present hint!) In the picture above, he is singing with his wife Elina. She's so beautiful! They have an album together that I'm not a very big fan of, but that doesn't lessen my love for Tyrone!

I'm In Miami!

2010-11-16T21:42:00.000-08:00

Day 1/2: The Flight

So, our flight was around 12:30 in the afternoon but we had a lay-over in BALTIMORE so it took us a while to get to Ft. Lauderdale. Our flight to Baltimore was pretty uneventful, but the next flight made up for all of that. Since we flew via Southwest, we didn't have assigned seats, so we all moved up to the very front row of the plane so we could get off SUPER fast when the time was appropriate. Well when you sit on the front row, you don't have a chair in front of you to put your bag under so I had to put my backpack in an over-head compartment. It had my laptop and school stuff and scriptures in it. So, we were sitting in our front row seats watching people come in and it was like a parade. We saw all sorts of people come on, most of which were dressed pretty snazzy. Well, this one guy comes on the plane, and he wasn't with anyone else. He tried to put his bag in an over-head compartment where it wasn't going to fit, so he tried somewhere else, and that wasn't working, so he turned my backpack and pushed it to the back of the compartment and shoves his bag in, but it wasn't really fitting so he hit it with both hands 4 times, kept one hand on the bag to keep it in, and closed the compartment, all the while, smashing mine. Olivia leaned over to me and was like "when you get your backpack, drop his on the ground and step on it a few times." So I laughed at that and watched everyone else come on the plane. WELL about halfway through the flight, my mom was standing up so I asked her to get my scriptures out of my backpack, so she gently moved the guys bag and pulled mine out. When she pulled mine out, something dripped out of the compartment and onto my dads arm. Then came the fish smell. I looked at that guy's bag and I could see something seeping into the fabric of his bag around the seams. I was so mad! My bag reeked of fish and so did everything in it! I was kinda being rude and loud saying stuff like "What the heck was in his bag!? This is disgusting?!" and I'm sure he could hear me because he was sitting behind my dad but there was no reaction on his face. He was just kinda looking around as if nothing was going on anywhere. Then, when it was time to get off the plane, my family and I all jumped up and got our bags really fast so we could be the first people off the plane. Well, this guy had a similar goal. He grabbed his fish bag and stood RIGHT next to us. All the while my mom is freaking out saying "Daniel! He's going to touch me with the fish bag! Don't Touch Me!" and then a drop of the fish water/oil/whatever-it-was dripped on my mom's foot! She is super sensitive to smells so this experience was like twice as bad for her as it was for everyone, so some of you can picture my mom saying "The fish water dripped on my foot!" she was almost in tears but laughing hysterically! It was horrible and my bag and I smelled like fish for the rest of the night. :/

Halloween and in between!

2010-11-05T10:58:00.000-07:00

So, the Monday before Halloween, my ward had a little costume party for FHE. I wasn't planning on going until after Rhett already left, I was sitting around in my sweats and had no make up on and I didn't have my hair done at all so I thought "I have the perfect idea for a costume!" so I put on a robe and put sponge curlers loosely in my hair and had the perfect Depressed-House-Mom costume. But then I realized I would be a little embarrassed like that because people in my ward don't really know me so it might not be as funny to them as it was to me. So instead, I was an 80's aerobics instructor or in other words Exercise Barbie! That was a really fun night!
On Saturday, I got in a crash. :( it wasnt very fun. I was approaching a stop light and the guy in front of me stopped abruptly, so I slammed on my breaks and didn't hit him! :) So right as I was taking my sigh of relief, I got rear-ended and pushed into the car in front of me. But the important thing is it wasn't my fault. and the even MORE important thing is, no one got hurt. :) but poor little Charlie (the car) isn't in very good shape! poor girl!

Immediately after dealing with all of that stuff, my parents and I went to my grandparents' house to see my cute little nephews in their costumes. Their whole family did Star Wars costumes. It was adorable! Adam was Hans Solo, Katie was Princess Leia, Sam was Darth Vader, and Jack was Luke Skywalker!Then, I went home and got in my costume and met up with Mark. We were Pocahontas and he was John Smith. It was kinda perfect! We didn't do a whole lot. We just went back to my grandparents house and visited with them. Then we met up with Greg and Bronson, Marks friends, at Arby's and then yeah. Those two went to a dance, so Mark and I went to his house and showed off our costumes to his family. That was pretty much it! Haha! It was a fun night none the less. Sorry there arent a lot of pictures. I'll post some more later!

Random everything and nothingness

2010-10-22T16:34:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I did a lot of stuff but it seems like I did nothing. I started off the day doing laundry and kinda cleaning my room. At about noon I went to see Inception with Jenny Washburn at the dollar theater. We didnt even finish though because she had to go somewhere, but we saw most of it and we had both seen it before, so we're okay. After that, I was on my way to another friends house when I saw Hunter Riggs walking home from UVU, so I gave him a ride. We spent probably an hour sitting and talking about whatever, people from high school, what we are doing with our own lives, ballroom etc. It was lots of fun.Later, I was hungry but didn't want to eat by myself, so I called a few friends but they all had more important things to do and so I called my "little sis" Penny Mills. We went to Wendy's and got chicken nugget kids meals and sat in the car playing with our toys while we ate. The toy was "are you smarter than a 5th grader?" Turns out, I'm not. Then we went and bought candy bars because I wanted to.
When I got home, my nephews Sam and Jack were over. My brother and his wife went out so the boys spent the night. While they were eating dinner, my dad was showing them a game on his iPhone. They loved watching him! Those kids admire him so much and were laughing at everything he did!
Later, I drove around aimlessly which led me to the Provo temple. Haha! so I parked there and just looked at it for a while. Then I drove around calling people hoping to hang out with someone but everyone was already doing something, or they were at the MV/orem game which MV won by the way 33-0! Finally, I called Blake Burdge and asked him what he was up to. I met up with him, Joel and Amy at the mall and we played ping pong for a while until we went to Aubry Madsens apt. because she made sugar cookies and frosting. They were so good!! We sat around talking and laughing a TON and Joel tried to do his joker impersonation which he is supposedly really good at. He decided he needed a knife to do a good job though and got a little too crazy and "accidentally" flung the knife against the wall and it almost landed in Hunters leg. That was the extent of that day. They all went to see Toy Story 3 afterwards but I was sleepy so I went home with Blake, and Aubrey Bench.

-~Happy Birthday Olivia!~-

2010-10-19T08:47:00.001-07:00

Today is my older sister, Olivia's birthday!
Happy Birthday Libby! This is a picture of her 22 years ago today!

Olivia has been my role model my whole life! She is such a great example of how to be responsible and still live life!

She has helped me with so many things. The other day, I was looking through my very first journal ever. I got it before I could write for myself, so Olivia would sit down with me, read the questions and write down my answers for me. She has always been such a great pal and has taught me so many fun games and tricks. Most importantly, she has been able to put up with my irrational not-wanting-to-learn-new-things and has found ways to get around that. Olivia, remember that one time I didn't want to learn how to play a certain game, so you asked me if I wanted to play a game called Key. I agreed to learn that game and loved it, then it turned out to be the game I didn't want to learn.

She has taught me so much about life and still continues to give me pointers. I remember the night before my very first day of first grade. I was so excited but I was a little nervous because I didnt know how it was all going to work, like getting lunch. We were laying in bed and she was coaching me through lunch, telling me what milk to get, to not get Hawaiian haystack, etc.

She has always been so considerate of everything that is important to everyone. This is a picture of the day of my graduation. She flew up from Arizona to see me graduate because she knew it would be important to me. Really? Who does that? My lovely sister. That's who!

Happy birthday Olivia! I love you so much!

UPDATE: Not so good at it, School, Time consumers Etc.

2010-10-18T16:40:00.000-07:00

So, I "decided" that i would start posting on my blog. I know i have said this before, but I will make a little more of an effort considering i check my families blogs a lot hoping they would add something, they're probably very displeased with my slackerness.

So here is my update. I am going to UVU even though i said i was going to be going to Dixie, so go Wolverines i guess? haha! I'm taking some random classes, but it's not so bad. I'm in a volleyball class that I LOVE! There are so many fun people in that class and I've actually made friends!On the other side of the spectrum of school, I spend a lot of time with this ugly little Devil (CLICK TO ENLARGE)

when the HECK will ANYONE EVER use this? EVER? if you can give me one example that doesn't involve further education or tricking your friends, you'll be my hero!
I have also been spending a lot of time with Mark. :) In case you haven't seen or talked to me in the past while, I like him, lots. Pretty sure all of my friends or anyone that would even glance at this blog, already knows that though. Oh well, thought I should mention it since he's pretty much the only person I'm not related to that I see lately.

Lately, I have been on an Anberlin kick. They help me get through my hours and HOURS of Mathematics that I have to do. This kick has been lasting a surprisingly long time though. They have a lot of REALLY good songs that I have looked over for years while only listening to the popular-ish songs like A Day Late, Paperthin Hymn, Time & Confusion, and Feel Good Drag. Songs of theirs that I now love are: Audrey Start the Revolution, The Unwinding Cable Car, Adelaide, Alexithymia, Hello Alone, and i absolutely LOVE their cover of There Is A Light That Never Goes Out - by The Smiths.
Thats All for now!

ALL GROWN UP!

2010-06-20T21:01:00.000-07:00

So, I decided that since i have now graduated, I will start posting on my blog now that I might have a life and I am away from my family and will be away fro him home for college, so the people that I usually am with, won't know what is going on in my life. so I will blog about it! :)

GRADUATION
I bet most of you still can't believe that I am all done with high school! I am now alumni of Moutnain View High School!

After graduation, we had the Sen10r all nighter of course! It was great fun! I got hypnotized along with like 15-20 other students. It was funny to hear all the stories and gradually remember it all. It was pretty dream like, but the videos are priceless!

SENIOR TRIP!
I took my friends Kiersten Wennerholm and Heather Peterson down to the condo for the week. It was way fun! But my camera broke when i got hypnotized and heather forgot hers. So we don't have any pics of all 3 of us, but this picture is of Kiersten and me and all the boys that we met. They were staying in the building right across the street from my condo and so we hung out with them and took them on the red rock springs hike. Unfortunately,there was construction going on at that time, so they blocked the water so there was no running water. Plus, there was no where to park, so the kind lady in the pink, gave us all a ride up and back in her truck. What a saint!

Just like old times, but different.

2009-06-22T17:04:00.000-07:00

Kate, Penny and i took pictures around UVU

Ballroom From a While ago.

2009-06-09T08:23:00.000-07:00

I figure that most, if not all of the people that follow my blog, are people that live in Arizona and missed my ballroom concert, so i have videos of my performances, thanks to my momma!

This is a solo that Josh Littlefield and I had. It is a Quickstep and it is really short because it was just supposed to be a team match number for a competition. But the competition got canceled...

Update!

2009-06-09T08:11:00.000-07:00

So, it has been a while since I have posted. I got a job at the Snowie Shack by Gunnies in Orem. I'll post a picture of it later. It's a pretty easy job, but it just gets so annoying. I get as many snow cones as I want while I work, but that can also be a bad thing cuz then I have to go to the bathroom! Haha! The weather has not been good one time that I have worked. But it is pretty chill and you make pretty decent tips as well.
This passed Saturday, I went disco skating with (from left to right) Sydney Willis, Kate Mills and Jessie Brown.

Choir tour.

2009-03-22T16:52:00.000-07:00

In my school, i am part of a choir called A Capella. every year they go on a tour. This year we went to Washington DC. We went to a ton if different sites and museums. We went on a tour of the white house where most of the people got to see Obama. CRAZY! Other places we went were China town which was really lame! We went to the air and space museum, a bunch of other Smithsonians, a tour of the Capitol, the Library of Congress. And one of my favorite places was the Holocaust Museum. We only got an hour and a half to go through it and i only got half way through. We also got to sing in the National Shrine Cathedral which was WAY cool! It was quite the trip. I LOVED IT! End of story.