you have stolen my heart.

Dear Cedar City,

You have stolen my heart.

I never could have guessed that four years ago when I first visited campus as a high school senior that you would eventually play such a HUGE role in my life. I remember sitting for a presentation in the Starlight Room & looking out at the red rocks surrounding this little place.

A distinct thought came to me: "This is where I'm going to school."

What? No. I shook it out of my head. That wasn't my plan. BYU. That's where I planned to go. Yet, time and time again (3 times to be exact), I visited campus & left thinking, "I really liked it again, dang it." I was upset that where I was supposed to go was somewhere down south in a town I'd never heard of in between Parowan and Kanarraville (which I'd also never heard).

 Now, I have less than a week of class. Just three finals. And I'll be done with my degree. An SUU graduate in communication & Spanish. Wow.

Time really flew these past 3.5 years. I can't imagine my life without the dear people I've met at SUU in it. My best friends. The professors who chat with me on the way to class, in Walmart, who take my class to IHOP for international pancake day, sing Christmas carols while horseback riding, or write a special note on my test because I didn't do as well as they knew I could.

The roommates (and non roommates who practically are roommates) who have become my best friends ... who have seen my SILLY, crazy, weird side & still spend time with me (SHOCKER). The people who have given me rides to countless places due to my lack of transportation, endured an hour in the grocery store with me so I could price match ads, who invite me to Taco Tuesday, Krave, and St. George Temple trips.

I thought I was a pretty outgoing person in high school, but even that changed in college. I shared my talent (and had friends who would listen, offer feedback, and encourage me to continue writing music) at SUU Idol, open mic nights, SUU's Got Talent, Miss SUU, backyard concerts and ward/stake talent shows.

I tried new things. Newspaper. Editing. Presidential Ambassador. Certified tour giver. Tele-counselor. Department representative. Intern. Radio show host. Horseback rider. Rock climber. Graphic design wannabe. Traveler.

I fell in love for the first time at SUU.

I fulfilled a dream of studying abroad, which influenced my decision to minor in Spanish.

I could go on for hours sharing memories of this town, this school, these people who have impacted me so greatly.

But, I think I have made my point -- how glad I am that a silly high school crush convinced me to attend an event at SUU. If he hadn't been an ambassador, let's be honest ... I might not have even given a thought to going on a campus tour. But he was, and I did.

Cedar City, a little town, holds a very big spot in my heart.

**I also posted a blog about SUU that has some favorite photos on the tbirdnation blog. You can read it here.

A Provo Getaway.

This weekend, I escaped to Provo with my friend Rebekah (also known as Reba, Bekah, Reb). We didn't have definite plans, which was perfect. It was relaxing, fun, and a great break from thinking too much about midterms and this semester. 

First, I was able to visit my dear friend Sam, who was here on an unexpected visit home from Texas. I was happy to be able to actually speak with him (and eat Ben & Jerry's) over a medium other than FaceTime or Twitter.  Weekend success #1. 

Bekah and I decided to try on her brother's belts & take silly pictures. This, for some reason, led me to start doing the "Boot Scootin' Boogie" on his front porch. Who knows? Random dancing. Weekend success #2.

Saturday afternoon we drove around Provo and up to the Y-trailhead to see the beautiful leaves (it's one of my favorite parts of fall, you know). While at the trailhead, we had a spontaneous photoshoot. Weekend success #3.

After church on Sunday, we decided to make chocolate chip cookies because her brother had only-the-best chocolate chips (Guittard) in his cupboard. I realized that I was kind of being Andrew's shadow in the kitchen. I couldn't help it! I really wanted to eat some cookie dough. Reb captured this candid moment of me leaning over Andrew's shoulder. But, the cookie dough was divine. I had to wait about six hours to eat a cookie because I was in a self-induced sugar coma. Don't you worry, the cookie was tasty too. Weekend success #4. 

So, all in all, I had a fantastic time! And this weekend is fall break, which means even more great adventures. Hallelujah. 

the roommate bakers.

Amanda and the vegetables from the backyard garden!

With zucchini, tomatoes, and squash out of our ears, Amanda and I embarked on a baking journey on Saturday.
First, we used zucchini for brownies. Yes, brownies. And they are delicious. You can't even taste the zucchini, so don't stick your nose up at the idea.

Then, we made zucchini spice bread. Also delicious. In turn, I was way too excited for fall after the smells filling our kitchen Saturday afternoon.

We had buckets of tomatoes. Salsa? Good idea. After a quick trip to the store for a can of black beans & a can of corn, we made a variation of "cowboy caviar" & also a spicier salsa with jalapeño peppers, but also peach. They were both delicious. And now they are both gone.

Finally, we cooked up a spaghetti squash for dinner. I had never had it before ... um, yum! Who doesn't like veggies? You are really missing out on some finer things in life.

Hours of baking, chatting, and laughing with one of my best friends ... and some great food too? It was a perfect Saturday. Amanda is moving to Las Vegas in the near future (to be with her sweet fiance), and I'm embracing all these last, little bonding moments before she leaves.

This might be a tangent from being Betty Crockers, but I feel so lucky to have such a great friend & roommate. It's those nights that, even when I intend to fall asleep before 11, we end up talking until midnight. It's those half delirious comments. It's the little heart-to-heart conversations we have that make me realize how blessed I am for having amazing friends.

And sometimes, it's the moments when you have a friend who will mix up recipes, not measure everything exactly, and allow you to substitue wheat flour for the white flour :)

cowboy caviar & jalapeno/peach salsa

trying out the zucchini brownies. yum!

The top of the world.

 Come on, who thought of The Carpenters with that blog post?

"I'm on the ... top of the world, looking down on creation & the only explanation I can find..."

 On Saturday, as a final hurrah to our summer, Bekah and I hiked Mount Timpanogos. Now, we invited at least 50 people from our school and BYU ... but no one wanted to join us (insert tears here).  Even though we were a bit saddened by this news, we figured it meant that everyone else was intimidated by the hike & our mad skills.  Heehee. Or so we kept telling ourselves that afternoon. Because, really. Who wouldn't want to hang out with us? We're funny. And semi athletic? But surely we are entertaining company!

14 miles. That's a long hike. I think that's the longest I've ever done, though I know there are more intense, longer hikes in the world. But, though I did have to remind myself a few times that the view would be "worth it," I can promise you...it's an incredible feeling when you reach the peak!

 I've heard of people hiking to the peak and arriving just in time for the sunrise. Now, that would be beautiful! Bucket list item? Maybe.

DIRTY. That's what 14 miles of hiking through dust, rocks, and dirt gets you.

Have you ever hiked Timp? Or does it sound like the last thing you'd want to do for fun?

solar eclipse & brick oven pizza

This summer has exceeded my expectations thus far. I'm having a great time meeting new people, enjoying not having the "cliques" you see during the school year, and having adventures nearly everyday.

On Sunday, there was a solar eclipse and the best place in the world to view it was practically my backyard. We drove about 15 minutes away to Kanarraville, a town that has a few more than 300 people and doesn't have a gas station. We saw quite a few cars from Nevada, Colorado, Arizona, and California. Dedication. It was a cool experience though, and one that won't happen again in my lifetime. Check out awesome pictures here.

The group of us watching the annular solar eclipse in the "sweet spot"

Then on Monday night, a few of us cooked pizzas in a friend's adobe brickoven. It was delicious. Definitely the best way to eat pizza!

My pizza getting ready to enter the brick oven.

Cooked & ready to devour. A chicken, artichoke, red onion, pepper, olive pizza? How can you not think that looks divine?

I have a summertime bucket list and I'm already crossing off items. There are adventures everywhere I look and I don't anticipate that stopping anytime soon. On Saturday I head to California for one week with one of my best friends, Rebekah. We're staying at her house, swimming in the ocean, and having a lot of fun in between :) I can't wait for this little summer vacation!

a little fact of life.

have I ever told you that my family is awesome? because I basically think we are. And I always love when people meet my family members, because they generally think the same thing too. For the next few days I'm helping take care of my nieces and this is what happened Sunday when I went to take photos before church with my oldest niece, Lizzie:

here we are semi-normal looking.

 then the following directions from Lizzie: "scared face"

 "mad face"

 "kissy face" (although I don't think I look quite that way when I kiss)

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In other news, my best friend/"sicolega"/.5 soul sister/cousin/mi cosina (just a few of our names for each other) opened her mission call last night! I surprised her in Provo for the occasion and couldn't have been happier about that. Hollie and I have been nearly inseparable since I moved to Utah eight years ago. We talk nearly every day (and sometimes multiple times a day). I've been lucky to visit her so much this semester! Well, anyway, she will be an amazing missionary. I can't believe I won't talk to her on the phone, but she can definitely count on many lengthly letters from this girl.

 

here we are, pre-call opening

And after she opened her call. She is going to the Brazil Salvador Mission -- say hello to Irma King. 

PS. I just passed the 4-year mark of my blog! So, Happy Birthday, blog. 

three friends.

i have many best friends. i think that's allowed. but, these are two of them. i'm lucky enough to not only call them best friends (and crazies) but also roommates :)

we went to the temple today. and i love, love, loved. it.

the end.

now i get to wait for 45 minutes and then register for classes! hoorah!

i knitted you a hat..

I returned from Spring Break on Sunday. I was sad. I was homesick. I quite didn't know (and still don't know) what I was to do with my life or where I was supposed to be. Then, one of my best friends, Kelly, came over. I don't know how many times Kelly has been there for me this year -- too many to count for sure! She has listened to my problems more times than necessary :) But, when she got to my house, she told me to close my eyes & hold open my hands. Then, she placed this beauty in them:

it's an owl hat. remember this post? I realized I now have the three things I posted about that day. Well, Kelly decided to make me a hat herself. Yep, she crocheted it. It was a late Christmas/birthday/MLK Jr./St. Patty's/etc. present & I love it. She is so talented. It makes me happy just looking at it! Thank you Kelly! :)

title post stolen from this song.

to my best friends.

thank you for being there for me.

for listening to me. endlessly. for enduring my never-ending stories about some boy or class.

for always letting me know i can count on you.

i have a lot of best friends. and i want you to get to know them. this started out as one post. but...i realized how blessed i was and that no one would read it if i put them all in one post. so, here is part 1.

here is a shout out to some of my best friends:

bff 1: hollie.

this girl is amazing. always thinking of others. so talented. gorgeous. and kind. i love "mi sicolega." we take amazing road trips across the USA and say funny things at 2 a.m.

we have inside jokes that sound odd to someone who might overhear us on the phone. such as: hdhtdt. my fave.

bff 2: jen.

my oldest sister jen has so many talents. a great taste in music. an ever-listening ear. blunt advice. honest opinions. an amazing cook. fantastic thrifter. killer style. jen & and i didn't really "know" each other very well until she decided to take a step and call me my freshman year of college. every week. and every week, i'd look forward to her calls. now i can't seem to go a week without talking to her or something seems amiss. i love talking to you jen. thanks for always listening to and caring about my life. and you have to love that old shot. hahaha.

bff 3: becky.

the sibling closest in age to me, becky is one of the strongest people i know. she has been through so much. and keeps enduring. becky is a traveler. she wants to change the world. and she will. becky is a peacemaker. always has been. she is motivated. determined. loves a challenge. becky thrives in new surroundings. loves other cultures. even though we are 7 years apart, becky has always been one of my best friends.

poolside chats when i was 10 and she was 17. talking about her latest crush. quoting gilmore girls. reba. making quilts together. it is also becky's BIRTHDAY tomorrow. i hope it's a rockin' day for her. i love you becky.

stay tuned for part 2.

it's not how many times you fall...

it's how many times you get back up.

folks, today was a crappy day. let's face it.

I was cranky. I was not in the mood to learn. Listen. Or do my work.

...

then, I talked to my mom. I cried. And things got better. I visited with a good friend. And things got better. I had another phone call (this time it was a nice boy asking me on a date). And you better believe things got better. I went to Relief Society. Things got better. I got to know the sisters just a little bit more. I felt happy. I laughed. And this time? I laughed until I cried.

...

so, even though my day wasn't going the way I wanted, a few kind words made it all better.

make it a goal to smile and say hi to someone new today (or tomorrow). or call up an old friend you haven't talked to in a while. send a facebook message to someone who you might have lost touch with.

it may just change their day.

sweet summer.

Well, it's been quite the summer! My friend did a bulleted list of some things she did this summer and I thought I'd do the same:

• drove across the country with my best friend/sicolega/cousin and my brother and SIL.
• discovered Charleston, SC with my SIL, went on a haunted tour at night of the city, and also visited Cypress Gardens
• stopped in Nashville, St. Louis, Nauvoo, Carthage, and spent too long in Kansas :)
• met "bug boys" in both Charlotte and Kansas at church. Went on dates which included bowling until 2 a.m. and a 24-hour pastry shop in NC and a motorcycle ride in Olathe, Kansas.
• started working at Kohl's again, full-time, in the shoe department
• worked as the "shoe supervisor"
• moved in new place with mom/remodeling/unpacking/organizing (still going on)
• started attending a single's ward
• car died
• purchased an adorable pink scooter
• studied, took motorcycle endorsement test, got Lucy inspected, practiced driving in church parking lot and down the street
• picked up license plate, got hit by car, Lucy totaled :(
• first date with NC "bug boy", who consequently became my bf
• many dates with Adam
• spent a week in Spanish Fork with my wonderful family :) Plenty of game nights (me losing usually), swimming in the afternoon, and quesadillas.
• went to fireworks multiple times with my mom and Saturday afternoon lunch dates with mom at Subway
• decided against a long-distance relationship
• mission farewells galore!
• swam in the pool at mom's new place
• visited Cedar for a quick mid-week getaway
• attended a fabulous tea party

Six more days...where did summer go? Well, that's my summer in a nutshell though I'm sure a left out a lot!

I will update soon with tea party pics. They're fabulous folks :)

new lyrics

Last night, a friend and I wrote a song together. He is so very talented (with vocals, guitar, and piano!) and I had a great time singing and writing music with him. Even more exciting is that we're performing our song on Saturday in Provo at Muse Music with his band. I'm so thrilled!

Here are my two favorite lines from the song (entitled "That Place"):

"When the walls came crumbling down, I found you're all that I need."
"So come with me, just take my heart. I'll give it to you, if you won't tear it apart."

It's a happy duet, folks! How I love music....

over & out!
{c}

Done.

This is the longest I've gone without an update in quite awhile (9 days!). Here are some of my past week's highlights:

-Finishing my first year of school

-Going repelling through a waterfall

-Looking up phone plans and making "grown up" choices about having my own plan

-Packing and sending things home for the summer

-Spending time with my roommates before we all go separate ways

-Singing in church

-Qualifying for the Woodward scholarship for another year :)

-Finishing up the last of the 34 issues for the paper

-Practicing patience!

-Getting excited for my summer trip, with my bff Hollie.

I leave tomorrow for home....I'm glad to be done, and will enjoy my summer. But I'm sad to leave Cedar behind and all my new friends. It seems like I've really started connecting with everyone here in these last few weeks — roommates, ward members, and other friends.

But, change is inevitable. And in 3 days, I will be in North Carolina :)

Goodbye freshman year! Hello summer.

i ate a robin.

[the best part of easter candy & robin eggs is dyeing your lips ... and finding people who will join you!]

blessed

this weekend i realized how truly blessed i am to have such great friends.

1. a friend trusted me with his car while he was out of town this weekend, so sam and i went on a mini roadtrip and had a blast shopping, talking, eating, and seeing the beautiful temple at night.

2. the temple

3. i've been taking pictures like crazy. this was 3 roomies and i before church, in our Easter clothes.

4. this was our post-church photoshoot (i took pics of sam i'll post later)

5. my friend scott is turning his papers in. i'm going to miss the kid like crazy, but at the same time, i know he'll be an awesome missionary. he asked me to take his picture to send in with his papers .... needless, i took a few more than necessary and had a lot of fun!

this one goes out to ...

my sister.

it's becky's birthday today. besides being an amazing sister and best friend, becky is also a rockstar. let me tell you why:

we picked her up from her mission in Chile, constantly have wonderful adventures, spend way too long in Kohl's dressing rooms, play dress-up, and are movie-quoting fanatics. If you ever watch a movie with us, beware.

becky is a great role model and continues to amaze me with all her talent, skills, and determination. not to mention she has a rockstar of a boyfriend (i don't talk to her as frequently because of him, but i'm ok with that cause he's a good catch).

{me & becky at a wedding reception}

{chilling -literally- at jake + angie's wedding}

{adventures in Antofagasta, Chile}

{becky + bf}

{this is a favorite pic of mine to this day.. we called it "Miss South America 2007"}

so, happy happy birthday sis. love you.

an adventure.

yesterday, a dear friend and i traveled for four hours to see a concert. It featured some favorite bands (SafetySuit and Parachute) and introduced 3 others. I was not fond of two of the three, but the other one, The Rouge, is awesome. They're a little crazy, but I like their music. I think they're gonna go far.

Anyway, it was quite the experience! Especially catching a drum stick, standing next to the stage, meeting all the band members, taking photos that don't look attractive cause it was so hot in there, driving through scary snow, playing game after game to stay awake in the car, and arriving back at 4 a.m. (I was able to get a few hours of sleep before school!). Here are some pics:



{after the concert with SafetySuit singer}
{I like their music. The Rouge}
{Me & Scott}
{I don't know why I like this pic of Parachute singer Will's legs...it just shows how close we were i guess}
{Parachute...Will. I met him too but he had a creepy face}

Anyway, i love music.

bye!

loved it.

My weekend??

Loved it.


Details to come.

a motorcycle ride.

VROOOOOOOOOOM.

Tonight I went on my.first.ever motorcycle ride! Pretty much....awesome. The boy I "had to" wrap my arms around (naturally) might have influenced that outcome :) It was freezing. We rode up the canyon to the "C" on the mountain here, and looked out on the city...an awesome view for sure! Then we sang on the way down the canyon and I think I had a speech impediment cause I couldn't really form words well.

Once we entered the city, we drove over and got some delicious hot chocolate (my first of the season!) and drank it up, happily. I think I burned some taste buds...my tongue still kinda hurts, but it was great!

So, anyway, life is goooood! And, yesterday I went with Sam to Richfield for her little brother's football game. It was a lovely drive. Lovely game. Good friend!! I'm so happy this weekend is nearly over and that Sam is coming home with me this weekend, and for general conference! Hooorah! Also, I got my speech grade back from my communications class and I did better than I expected. Yay!

This post is full of happiness!

Here's some pictures!

{Besties in Richfield}

{me & motorcycle boy}

{this is on the way back...very cold. I refer to this as the "Eskimo girl, ninja boy" look}