"J" is for J e s s i c a

Updates

2011-07-16T21:45:00.000-07:00

Grad school is finally over and I have my life back! Which means I'll be catching up on the past year SOON!!

Stay tuned....

Officially a Missionary!

2010-04-17T10:14:00.001-07:00

Austen is officially a missionary!

Just after getting set apart.

Waiting at the airport on Thursday morning just to find out that his flight was canceled due to vocanic ash in the air...what?!

Now we're waiting at home patiently for the skies

to clear over England so he can fly out!!

Say a little prayer!

Carowinds

2010-04-10T23:00:00.000-07:00

Me, Austen and Christian went to Carowinds!

Riding the Intimidator!

Yes, I am a chicken and I am perfectly ok with that.

The Scrambler is more my speed!

Me and my boys : )

Hippity, Hoppity

2010-04-06T22:23:00.000-07:00

The Easter Bunny found us in Richmond!

The girls beat the boys in the egg hunt : )

Even Linus had an egg to find!

Lots of cousins!

Cupcake Fun

2010-04-02T11:30:00.000-07:00

Me, Janelle and Christian had a great time making cupcakes!

They were pretty...special...to say the least; )

The one in the center was made by Christian and is entitled,

"It's always greener on the other side [of the mountain]."

And the one with the candy lips was created by Janelle and is entitled,

"One eyed, one horned flying purple people eater."

Yes, that is a waffle...

Proud artists!

Hurricanes Game

2010-03-17T14:54:00.001-07:00

Cheap tickets for being a teacher+great seats+great company+one fight broke out on the ice=great night! We lost, but still... : )

The Temple

2010-03-15T17:48:00.000-07:00

Austen went through the Columbia, SC temple!

It was a most beautiful day : )

Spring Has Sprung

2010-03-07T19:35:00.001-08:00

A BEAUTIFUL, sunny afternoon in Duke Gardens:

(Don't you just want to eat that?? : )

It's Official...

2010-03-05T13:03:00.001-08:00

I'M A TAR HEEL!!!

I was accepted into the Masters of Education in School Counseling Program at UNC-Chapel Hill and I'll be starting on May 24th!! It is a 14 month program.

AHHHH!!!!! I am so shocked and ridiculously excited!!

To celebrate this momentous occasion, Christian decided that the only way to really celebrate being accepted into UNC was to go to the Tar Heels basketball game, which just so happened to be the very next night after I found out I was accepted AND the last home game of the season! Christian scrounged to get tickets and he was very successful so away we went! We won the game and everything!! It was so fun to be there and cheer "my" team on!!

My game day earrings : )

That night was their 2,000th win!

It snowed a lot on the way back! It was so pretty!

Snowflakes : )

Love Day

2010-02-17T14:41:00.000-08:00

I had a wonderful Valentine's Day!

I felt pretty special : )

Beautiful roses and Thin Mints (in lieu of chocolates--smart man!!)!

(This is my pageant pose in case you couldn't tell.)

And a fancy dinner at Elaine's On Franklin.

Heavenly.

[He even told me he spent 30 minutes shaving to get it just right--that's love ; )]

Hopefully I made him feel special too : )

I sure am grateful for all the love in my life!

Post-Post-Interview

2010-02-15T16:16:00.000-08:00

After my interview Christian and his mom (who was in town for a few days) treated me to my favorite restaurant, P.F. Chang's, and a UNC hoodie!! Hopefully it will bring some good luck!

Post-Interview

2010-02-13T08:09:00.001-08:00

So professional.

I never get to look like this so I thought I'd document it : )

Think it was sucking up much to wear a Carolina blue shirt??

It was purely coincidental, I promise. ; )

I will find out in mid March if I've been accepted...keep those fingers crossed!!

Cross Your Fingers

2010-02-09T19:14:00.000-08:00

Gather your 4 leaf clovers, lady bugs, rabbit feet, horseshoes and say a little (or big) prayer...

I'm interviewing for grad school here on Friday!

Yeehaw!

2010-02-09T19:02:00.001-08:00

Red Robin for Holly's birthday dinner...mmmm!

The celebration continued the following weekend at The World's Toughest Rodeo. First experience at a rodeo...it was definitely entertaining!

My favorite part was the "Mutton Bustin'."

Ouch! I don't know how some of these guys are still alive!

Meet Bandy. World's Toughest Cowboy!

Snow Days!

2010-02-05T18:48:00.000-08:00

We had just a little bit of snow this past weekend...

so much that the roads disappeared!

This much snow (in NC)=mall closed on Saturday, church delayed Sunday, no school Monday, teacher workday Tuesday, schools delayed Wednesday and Thursday. Pretty awesome. : )

Called to Serve

2009-12-28T13:17:00.000-08:00

My brother Austen got his mission call for Christmas!

He is going to the England London South Mission!! He reports to the Preston, England Missionary Training Center (MTC) on April 16th!!

I'm so proud of him and I'm so, so excited for him. He will be a fantastic missionary!!

A little video I put together of the night he got his call:

This Is How We Give Thanks

2009-11-30T15:06:00.000-08:00

Grandma cooks the BEST homemade Thanksgiving dinner.

Including...

crescent rolls from scratch,

candied yams (my fav!), green bean casserole, mac n' cheese, cornbread dressing, mashed potatoes, turkey, ham, gravy...

and can't forget the cranberry sauce. : )

We slice the turkey.

Then we FEAST!

Afterward, we feel so full. We laze about.

When we've recovered,

we do FUN things, like have wheelbarrow races,

find awesome geocaches on trees,

and go horseback riding around the yard.

Most of all though, we enjoy our time together as

FAMILY.

Utah

2009-11-12T16:18:00.004-08:00

My trip to Utah was so great!

I loved seeing & spending time with family I rarely get to see.

Loved the beautiful weather and gorgeous fall leaves.

Loved spending time with forever best friends from Primary days...

and meeting new(ish) baby Jonas!

Loved going to Tucano's for the first time.

And getting the hookup on Brazilian lemonades : )

Loved trying Cookies N' Cream Milk from the BYU Creamery.

It did not disappoint!

And loved, loved, LOVED meeting up with Christian

in Temple Square for a day and getting to do a session

in the Salt Lake Temple for the first time.

Did you see the leaves today?

2009-11-12T16:18:00.001-08:00

Absolutely stunning.

See Jessica Cook

2009-10-18T17:46:00.000-07:00

I've been experimenting in the kitchen!

A while back we went to the farmer's market one Saturday as part of a Relief Society activity and I got some fresh okra to try my hand at some good ol' southern fried okra. It turned out amazing. See photos, the recipe, and more details here on my friend Bradley's blog.

I also got some sweet corn. And let me tell you, that was like heaven on a cob! I've never had corn that tasted so good! I wanted to try this recipe that I just happened to stumble upon one day. See photos for a comparison...yeah. I couldn't get the mixture to stick together so needless to say it was pretty messy. But at least it was tasty!

Last but not least, all this crisp, cool weather has been putting me in the mood for pumpkin! This morning I made some pumpkin waffles and my grandma's homemade maple syrup. It was delish! Next time I have buttermilk, I'll try this one.

I Never Win Anything

2009-10-05T20:39:00.000-07:00

BUT I DID TODAY!!!

Imagine my surprise when I opened my email inbox and it says:

"Congrats f/4 Point & Shoot Contest Winner!"

So exciting!! AND I get a prize!! OK. Now click here.

Ingrid

2009-09-22T05:52:00.001-07:00

Ingrid Michaelson.

Cat's Cradle.

Absolutely Amazing.

We got to Cat's Cradle a bit early and were the 2nd or 3rd group in line. As we were waiting, we heard Ingrid just on the other side of the door doing a sound check. Then out of nowhere she just walked outside to the bus and back in her red t-shirt, hair up in a pony tail, and iPod in her ears like it was nothing. We were like 2 feet away from her. That was pretty cool.

The concert was really awesome. And she was pretty funny too. Because we were some of the first in line and because we had an experienced Cat's Cradler (thanks Bradley!), we got some rockin' seats which were amazing because we didn't have to stand for so long AND we got to sit up on the back of the bench and were able to see over the whole crowd. It was great!

"Be OK"

Funny version of "Maybe"

Elementary Musings

2009-09-02T10:10:00.000-07:00

Part 1:

Me: "Your shoes are on backwards. Did you know that?"

Zeppelin (as in Led, that's right) (6 years of age): [With straightforward face and dead serious eyes] "Yes. It's because I'm an alien."

Part 2, a question:

How is it that the "less behaved" kids end up with names like "Jesús" and "Zion"?

OBX

2009-08-01T21:50:00.001-07:00

My first trip to the Outer Banks! Here are just the highlights:

DAY 1:

Aquarium

Fort Raleigh

Monstrous, blood-filled mosquitos

(I smacked one and let's just say I ran to the bathroom to wash [and dry] my hand and leg. It was disgusting.)

DAY 2:

House from Nights in Rodanthe (horrible movie, but cool house!)

Bodie Island

(pronounced "body" as we learned from the locals)

Hand Stands : )

Cape Hatteras

Cartwheels!

Ocracoke Island

DAY 3:

The BEACH!

Jockey's Ridge

Sand Dunes=Insanely Huge

Kill Devil's Frozen Custard!

Margaritas!

(They really were virgin...despite what you may think ; )

Wright Brothers Museum and Memorial

Birdies

2009-07-21T07:51:00.001-07:00

I have pet birds! A friend of a friend was giving them away. I've kind of always wanted birds so I decided to give them a try : ) Now these little guys need names. The one on the left is a boy, the one on the right is a girl.

Ideas?

efy

2009-07-03T20:23:00.001-07:00

I was a counselor at EFY (Especially For Youth) for two sessions this summer at Southern Virginia University in Buena Vista, VA. I had been twice before as a participant when I was in high school, but this was my first experience as a counselor. It was SO amazing!! I watched hundreds of youth reading their scriptures, praying, doing good and living the gospel with exactness for one whole week and as a result, I witnessed many miracles! My testimony has increased tremendously. The gospel REALLY IS TRUE!

The theme for EFY this year was "Be Thou an Example," which comes

from 1 Timothy 4:12. Both weeks I had my own group of 8 or 9 (amazing!) girls and two (awesome!) co-counselors (a girl and guy) and their groups. All together we made up a company. Here are some of the highlights:

WEEK 1

16-18 year olds

Our company name was Sure Foundation, which comes from Helaman 5:12.

The banner our company made.

Service project--coloring car mats for kids.

(Nick Jonas was in our company!! See the guy in red? haha. His name definitely wasn't Nick, but that's what everyone was calling him by the end of the week : )

Co's! Andrew and Kayla.

(Who ended up hooking up by the end of the week and are currently still dating! ; )

My girls!

Our crazy guys ; )

Sure Foundation!

WEEK 2

14-15 year olds

Our company name was Dig A Pit (weird, I know). It comes from 2 Nephi 28:7-9.

Our company and banner.

Co's! Jon and Cat : )

In "algea" : )

Pizza Night!

My girls!

Dig A Pit!

Our Cheers!

I Love to See the Temple

2009-06-20T21:13:00.002-07:00

Today I went through the temple. It was so, so wonderful! I was very blessed to be able to have my family and some dear friends there with me. I have never felt more love for my family than I felt today. It was a day of pure joy!

Best Day of the Year

2009-06-16T00:20:00.001-07:00

I love my birthday! This year it fell on a Friday so I got to celebrate on the actual day! The partying commenced with dinner at P.F. Chang's--one of my favorites!

Me and the girls

Me and the boys

Then we headed back to my apartment for my favorite birthday cake: Maggie Moo's ice cream cake--cheesecake ice cream with strawberries mixed in and vanilla cake on the bottom--it's to die for!

I also got a rousing rendition of "Feliz cumpleaños" : )

Partying continued at our pool where we had fun chicken fighting and doing cheerleading stunts and tumbles!

After we were tuckered out, we went back to the apartment for games and more cake : ) It was a really great birthday and I'm so grateful for all my wonderful friends who celebrated with me and helped make my birthday special!!

I even got my birthday wish ; )

Wisdom Dust

2009-06-02T07:14:00.001-07:00

I got the good ol' wisdom teeth removed last Thursday. It was sort of terrifying sitting in that stark white room with beeping monitors hooked up to me, laughing gas over my nose and an IV in my arm. It was all over in what seemed like the blink of an eye though.

Recovery has been fairly quick and easy. I'm on good pain meds and have good caretakers who give me amazing Sonic milkshakes and vanilla pudding : )

I'm just hoping the "wisdom dust" stays now that the teeth are gone!

Marshmallows

2009-05-22T08:21:00.000-07:00

In first grade today, we got on the subject of marshmallows. There's no telling how. I explained that I do not like marshmallows--only on s'mores. Then Kellam, as cute-as-a-button with his bright blue eyes and blond, blond hair said,

"What are you thinking woman?!"

I laughed

and laughed

and laughed.

Gavin DeGraw. Enough Said.

2009-05-01T09:11:00.000-07:00

Tuesday night was pretty much the best night ever. Me, Elizabeth and Brett took a little road trip to see Gavin DeGraw in concert at The National in Richmond, VA!! Let me tell you, he is AMAZING and the concert was SO good! We had a great time!

Singing "I'm In Love With a Girl":

Finishing up the concert:

Creative Juices

2009-04-19T19:09:00.000-07:00

Somehow I got on this creative kick and decided to experiment with cupcakes!

First attempt: Ladybugs for a picnic!

Round two: Flamingos for my aunt's birthday!
I found these awesome little appetizer picks and was inspired!They didn't turn out exactly how I would have liked, but they're not bad for only a second attempt : )

He Lives!

2009-04-11T21:54:00.000-07:00

Where my thoughts are turned, especially this weekend:

On the Living Christ.

Sweet Victory

2009-04-07T22:53:00.001-07:00

It was a VERY exciting last couple of days here in Chapel Hill! The UNC Tar Heels made it to the championship game of the NCAA Tournament!! A group of us went to the Dean Dome to watch the excitement on the big screen with thousands of other fellow Tar Heels! They played Michigan State and pretty much dominated! (I think I may have helped out a little by finding these earlier that day ; )After the game, a bunch of people rushed the floor of the stadium then we all rushed Franklin Street--it's tradition after a Tar Heel win! This was my first Franklin Street experience...it was pretty crazy with people jumping fires and climbing street light poles and ripping down street signs! And I have to admit I was scared for my life a few times...especially when the fat guy was trying to get on the roof of Starbucks but failed miserably...wow. To see what it was like, check out this video taken by the Daily Tar Heel Newspaper. I was somewhere in all that madness!

Dean Dome, to my right.

Dean Dome, to my left. Watching on the big screen!Rushing the floor after the big win!Middle of the street! Utter chaos!Jumping fires!Luckily we all survived! Post-Franklin St. madness at the Old Well.

179th Annual General Conference

2009-04-05T22:33:00.000-07:00

General Conference was this weekend-it was wonderful and so very uplifting.

One of my favorite talks, the short version:

The full version in text.

Or the full version on video.
-Click "Sunday AM" and scroll over to "Elder Jeffrey R. Holland"

Talk about powerful...wow. I loved this.

What do YOU think?

Family Feud--YSA Style

2009-03-29T19:55:00.001-07:00

We (the Durham Institute) hosted a Family Feud activity last night. The turn out was great and the activity was a blast!

Best line of the night:

"Name a popular breakfast cereal...."

"EGGS!"

It's All About the Rosebud Earrings

2009-03-15T21:20:00.000-07:00

These simple delights brought much joy and happiness this weekend : )

We think they are grand!

Life Lesson

2009-02-27T13:13:00.000-08:00

Check out what the Lord can do with a little bit of faith...

Alma chapter 58

What can the Lord do for you with a little of your faith?

Want one?

Life is Beautiful.

2009-02-27T08:19:00.000-08:00

How does that happen when nearly every aspect of it is going wrong--or not necessarily going wrong, just not going how you'd like it to...?

Beats me.
But life really is b e a u t i f u l.

Birthdays are the Best

2009-02-24T07:03:00.000-08:00

Friday was Carla's birthday! A few of us went to the Hurricanes hockey game that night (my first hockey game ever!), which was so fun! The Canes won 4-1 and we even got to see an all out brawl in the middle of the rink! Saturday we celebrated with dinner at P.F. Chang's and had fun times after playing Catch Phrase, leg wrestling, and girl talking...such good times ; )

Reflections on Love

2009-02-14T10:07:00.000-08:00

There are many, many things that I love in this world and in my life. And many people, too.

But there are only a handful (ok, maybe two handfuls ; ) of people who mean the absolute world to me and who I care about more than anything. I hope with all my heart that you know who you are.

Today I am thinking about you.

I love you.

28 Things

2009-02-09T10:51:00.000-08:00

1. Anthropologie is my all time favorite store. I wish I could afford this love affair.

2. If I went back to school, I'd study Cultural Anthropology...a little ironic?

3. I'm decently good at a lot of things, but not extremely good at anything. Sometimes I like that, sometimes I don't.

4. My biggest fear is snakes.

5. I've never had the chicken pox.

6. I have recently acquired this intense determination/desire to get better at the things I do...currently it's football, expanding my vocabulary, being a better friend, volleyball, being a better person in general, fixing my mistakes, etc.

7. I love to play the piano, especially when I'm sad or mad--even though I'm not great at it (see #3).

8. I never had a formal piano lesson. Everything I know I taught myself. I'm pretty proud of that.

9. I have an affinity for nature and love being outside.

10. I love hugs.

11. P.F. Chang's and Tyler's are my favorites.

12. I love being around fun people...those who can find fun in anything they are doing.

13. Night swimming is awesome.

14. I love music. I have an appreciation for all genres.

15. I am really good at fitting everything into the dishwasher.

16. I don't know why, but I really like kids books--Skippyjon Jones might be my favorite. Good illustration is key.

17. I really love my birthday. It might be my favorite day of the year.

18. I have a lot of good friends whose names begin with "C." Crazy.

19. Maple View's Coconut ice cream is the bomb.

20. I like to organize things.

21. I'm always ready to blow the car horn if I anticipate something could potentially happen. I have my hand on there, ready to go, so I'm not flustered when something happens and miss the opportunity. It works!

22. I am really grossed out when people chew with their mouths open.

23. I thoroughly enjoy and find satisfaction in editing papers/documents...but I DESPISE writing them.

24. I am a slight perfectionist (which may explain why I like to edit...)

25. I have come to really enjoy and appreciate still, small, silent moments.

26. I have been to 4 continents. Only 3 more to go!

27. I really love it when my room is clean and my bed is made...although it's not very often!

28. My very first car was an electric blue Volkswagen New Beetle. Santa Claus brought it with a big red bow on top : )

Hollywood

2009-02-07T20:59:00.001-08:00

We celebrated my roommate Holly's birthday last weekend with dinner at the Cheesecake Factory (yum) and a party! The theme was "Hollywood." (Get it?) It was complete with a red carpet, fancy attire, and a little Italian soda "bubbly" ; ) It turned out to be a fantastic evening.

"Swervin' all day!"

2009-02-07T18:52:00.000-08:00

Today we went to see Elder Walters' wheelchair rugby game! He is on the Raleigh Sidewinders team. It was a pretty intense game. They lost by only a couple of points, but they played really great!

A Rare Occasion

2009-01-20T13:41:00.001-08:00

One of my favorite things in the world is waking up first thing in the morning and seeing everything blanketed in fresh, stark white snow. I think it's absolutely breathtaking. I don't get to experience that very often...maybe once a year...but it's what I woke up to this morning! And the snow was even coming down steady for most of the day. It was gorgeous.

This is what it looked like at UNC:

(This amazing photo was captured by the ever impressive Jamie Morgan!!)

Thank you Martin Luther King, Jr.!

2009-01-19T23:58:00.000-08:00

Today most of us had off work for MLK Day. We decided to go hiking and have a picnic!

The girls.The guys.BFFs.Picnic lunch by the river.Carla in all her glory.; )

Skating on Ice

2009-01-11T23:22:00.000-08:00

For our friend Brooke's birthday we went to dinner and then ice skating! It was way fun! I hadn't been in a long time. I didn't fall down once!

This Is How We Do Christmas

2009-01-08T23:00:00.000-08:00

We go to Georgia--all 32 and a half of us (one baby is on the way). We all cram into one house. We do lots of fun things.

We paint faces.

We play games. LOTS of them.

Like Killer Bunnies.

We turn the front yard into a parking lot.We sleep wherever space allows...that includes the RV outside.We have our very own "garage" band.
In addition to the frige, two freezers, two ovens and stove we have in the house already, we put an extra frige & freezer and oven & stove in the garage. Because we definitely need it.Then we stock the refrigerators with all the necessities :)

We play with smoke bombs. And flash grenades that we thought were smoke bombs--
and we learn that the hard (but very cool) way.We bake! A LOT... from cinnamon rolls to fudge to pecan pie......and then we feast!

We play Wii in the foyer.We play the baby grand.We take family photographs.

And we think it's funny to do "Blue Steel."

We shoot guns. Big ones. And we don't miss.We stay connected.We stay up way past our bedtimes.We pile our shoes by the back door.We hula hoop and play guitar on the breezeway.We ride around on the golf cart with Grandma.

Or whoever will drive us.On New Year's Eve we...
bundle up,

play with sparklers (or "sprinkles," whichever you prefer ; ),
and shoot off big fireworks in the back yard under the stars.

We love. We laugh. We cry when it's time to go.

And then we do it all again in three years!

Christmas Cheer

2008-12-21T21:37:00.000-08:00

This is fantastic! I especially love the end!

Simply Beautiful

2008-12-19T18:15:00.000-08:00

I love this song:

My Kindness Shall Not Depart From Thee

For a little while
Have I forsaken thee;
But with great mercies will I gather thee.
In a little wrath I hid my face from thee
For a moment.
But with everlasting kindness will I gather thee,
And with mercy will I take thee ‘neath my wings,
For the mountains shall depart,
And the hills shall be removed,
And the valleys shall be lost beneath the sea,
But know, my child,
My kindness shall not depart from thee!

Though thine afflictions seem
At times too great to bear,
I know thine every thought and every care.
And though the very jaws
Of hell gape after thee I am with thee.
And with everlasting mercy will I succor thee,
And with healing will I take thee ‘neath my wings.
Though the mountains shall depart,
And the hills shall be removed,
And the valleys shall be lost beneath the sea,
Know, my child,
My kindness shall not depart from thee!

How long can rolling waters
Remain impure?
What pow’r shall stay the hand of God?
The Son of Man hath descended below all things.
Art thou greater than He?

So hold on thy way,
For I shall be with thee.
And mine angels shall encircle thee.
Doubt not what thou knowest,
Fear not man, for he
Cannot hurt thee.
And with everlasting kindness will I succor thee,
And with mercy will I take thee ‘neath my wings.
For the mountains shall depart,
And the hills shall be removed,
And the valleys shall be lost beneath the sea,
But know, my child,

My kindness shall not depart from thee!

Little Christmas Tree

2008-12-07T19:39:00.001-08:00

What is it about a Christmas tree that is so magical?? What is it that draws you near and makes you want to turn out the lights and curl up on the couch and stare at the beauty and splendor of it all? (Even if it is a Charlie Brown tree ; )

Is it the lights?

Is it the ornaments?

Or just the Christmas spirit?

(My favorite!)

Let me set the scene...

2008-12-02T06:34:00.000-08:00

Name: MacKenzie

Grade: Kindergarten

Features: Very petite; high-pitched, mouse-like voice, absolutely adorable

Time: 8:00am, Spanish class

Out of nowhere:

"WOW! My December is fantastic!!"

It certainly made me smile : )

Bold & Daring

2008-11-20T19:51:00.001-08:00

I love it! I know this is a horrible picture but it looks way better in person, I promise!

I love my rockin' hair dresser, Drew, too. He did a great job. As always! It is fun and edgy and I love it! It's SO easy and the best part about it is it doesn't take me forever to blow dry : )

(I'm LOVIN' my new red coat too! A big thank you shout out to he who helped me pick it out! : )

Grandfather Mountain

2008-11-02T14:12:00.001-08:00

Christian's co-worker has a house near Grandfather Mountain in Linville, NC (which is right outside of Boone). She basically offered it up to Christian so we took advantage of the opportunity, got some friends together, and took a little weekend trip! Somewhere along the way, some of us got to thinking we were going camping or staying in a cabin or something of the sort, but little did we know it was actually a house in a gated community on a golf course! The house was pretty awesome. It had tons of bedrooms all with their own bathrooms, there were a couple of common areas, a great porch overlooking a little creek--it was so cute and quaint!

Saturday we made a big breakfast in the morning and headed out to do some hiking. We did quite a few little hikes and took TONS of silly pictures in the woods ; ) We saw Linville Falls and ate lunch on the grass in the warm sun. The weather was absolutely perfect.After looking in multiple books about the area earlier, we came to the conclusion that we had to go see the Viaduct--considered "the most photographed section of the entire Blue Ridge Parkway." It was built over a span of 52 years and from the top down! There is a certain picturesque photo that can be found in all the books about the area so we wanted to try to find that spot. After trekking through trails and huge rocks we finally found it! And got some pretty sweet pictures, too : )

Sunday we attempted to go to church, only to find when we got there, there were ZERO cars in the parking lot. We double checked the time and we were right, but found out after a little investigating that Stake Conference was that weekend. So unfortunately we didn't make it to church but we had some fun marveling at the cute little building. When we got back to the house we held our own "church." We all prepared a spiritual thought and had prayers and songs to boot. It was actually really great. After that we cleaned up and got on the road to head home. We had a scenic drive back--the further down the mountain we got, the brighter and more vibrant the leaves were! We barely missed the major color change up in the mountains, but the drive back came close to making up for it.

We really had a great weekend away. Friends were so fun and nature was so beautiful. What more could you ask for?

El día de los muertos

2008-11-02T14:11:00.001-08:00

As you probably already know, I work as a Spanish teacher at an elementary school. Being a Spanish teacher, I get to teach about fun Hispanic holidays like el día de los muertos [The Day of the Dead]. We did some pretty cool things to learn about it. In my 1st grade classes we talked a lot about the monarch butterfly and how at this time of year they migrate to Mexico. It's actually pretty amazing. Check out some pics here. I had them make their own monarch butterfly and they turned out beautiful! Aren't they adorable??

In my 3rd and 4th grade classes, we decorated sugar skulls. I made about 100 sugar skulls and they brought in icing and decorated them. They turned out really good this year! It's probably their most favorite thing to do in Spanish class. Ever. Seriously. The first week of school they ask when we're going to do it and the last week of school they ask if they get to do it again next year. So if they don't learn anything else from Spanish class, at least they'll know about sugar skulls! [Which will be oh-so-important and useful when they get into the real world; )]

Frankenstein!

2008-10-30T13:28:00.000-07:00

The amazing jack-o-lantern Christian and I carved:

I think it resembles Christian a little, what do you think??

hehe, jk!

Soulja Roy

2008-10-25T20:34:00.000-07:00

Last night we went to Late Night With Roy, an annual event that kicks off Tarheel basketball season. It features the Tarheels themselves and their coach, Roy Williams, doing crazy skits and dances, etc. It was pretty entertaining, to say the least. My favorite part: "Soulja Roy"
hahahahahahahaha

Deep Fried Deliciousness!

2008-10-23T19:51:00.000-07:00

Last night we ventured to the North Carolina State Fair! It's a pretty big deal around here and tons of people go. They come back and rave about the assortment of fried foods! I had to check it out and see what the big deal was about a fried Milky Way!

We ate:
*Al's french fries (supposedly the best around)
*Fried Oreos (to the left)
*Fried Milky Way (above)
*Roasted corn on the cob
*Fresh lemonade
*Frozen banana dipped in chocolate and sprinkles

I think the corn was my favorite with the Oreos coming in at a close second :)

We rode:
*The ferris wheel (which was a lot scarier than I expected!)
*The roller coaster (This was a pretty decent sized roller coaster. It is dubbed as "the world's largest portable roller coaster." It didn't look like much, but it was pretty intense! The funny thing was that Christian was too tall to ride it! But the ticket taker man said he could ride anyway...which scared me to death! He pretty much just squeezed his legs in and ducked the whole ride ; )
We saw:
*Duck race
*Pig race (SO cute!!) *Come back soon to see the video*
*Fireworks!

Definitely a fun night to remember! Next year I'm going for the deep fried pecan pie on a stick ; )

It's A-MAZE-ING!

2008-10-19T15:36:00.002-07:00

One of those things on my list of "Things to do Before I Die" was to go to a corn maze. One down!

Saturday night we got a few people together and traveled about 40 minutes down the road to Ken's Korny Corn Maze in Garner, NC. It was a blast! Seriously the most fun I've had in a while. They did a pretty good job with the whole set up! Besides the corn maze, they had other fun things to do for little (or big!) kids like slides and big wooden tractors and height charts to compare your height to corn (we almost made it!). They also had awesome corn dogs ; )

The maze was way fun. We split into teams and they gave us a flag to carry around (notice our AWESOME Charlotte Hornets flag!). The objective was to go through and find all the stations where you had to hole punch your card and then find your way out as fast as you can. Our group finished in an hour and 9 minutes and we got stickers that said, "I conquered Ken's Korny Corn Maze." It was way fun and even a little challenging! The weather was nice and crisp and everything about it reminded me of Autumn. Loved it!

Ode to October

2008-10-17T09:51:00.000-07:00

October

October's the month

When the smallest breeze

Gives us a shower

Of autumn leaves.

Bonfires and pumpkins,

Leaves sailing down -

October is red

And golden and brown.

(Unfortunately I did not write this and do not know who did. Just came from a random website.)

Trick-or-Treat....Give Me Something Good to Eat!

2008-10-16T14:04:00.000-07:00

It's October! One of my favorite times of the year. Christian and I had a blast making and decorating sugar cookies for a friend the other day. It was so much easier than I thought! Except for the mixing of food coloring to get the right colors and shades....how in the world do you make black?! We tried mixing everything together...that turned a nasty brown (see owl, little moon and coffin/football). It took us a bit to realize that you have to start with chocolate icing, not white! I am obviously not an artist. Despite the nasty shade of brown, they turned out pretty cute! Though I'm pretty sure you can tell which ones I decorated and which ones Christian decorated ; )

My favorite? The candy corn! Runner up goes to the white ghost : ) Which is your favorite??

My New Favorite Animal

2008-09-26T14:44:00.001-07:00

The baby sloth:

Precious!!

A Word of Caution

2008-09-20T10:20:00.000-07:00

Do not be fooled by the colorful, fun game board or the cute little elephants and camels--this game is the devil. Do not play with your best friends. Or your boyfriend. May lead to intense anger and violence. Have rules on hand.

: )

Elder Holland

2008-09-11T20:08:00.000-07:00

Elder Holland gave an awesome fireside to the young single adults:

http://www.lds.org/broadcast/ces/0,7341,395,00.html

Loved it!

Round Two!

2008-09-11T20:07:00.001-07:00

Linda and Cesar had a second reception in Charlotte this weekend! Christian and I made the trip there to celebrate! It was great fun!

Here Comes the Bride!

2008-09-02T20:13:00.000-07:00

Linda and Cesar got married in the Portland Oregon temple! I got to be a bridesmaid and fly out to Portland for a long weekend away! : D

It was so fun to see and hang out with some of my best friends who I haven't seen in ages! We had such a blast! It was also fun visiting a new place I had never gone before!

Some highlights:

Tillamook Cheese Factory-best ice cream I've EVER tasted!

Seaside Beach-soooooo cold!

The wedding, of course!

The rockin' reception!
The Angels' reunion!

I Want Jack Johnson to Make ME a Banana Pancake!

2008-08-13T12:28:00.000-07:00

Jack Johnson rocks my socks!!!Carla and I went to the Jack Johnson concert and it was fantastic! We had decent seats, but they weren't awesome so the pics and videos aren't that great, but at least we got some! Check 'em out! Jack is in the red shirt in the middle with the guitar.

My two favorite Jack Johnson songs:

"Banana Pancakes"

"Better Together"

"I'm Gavin..."

2008-08-03T17:54:00.001-07:00

On Friday, Christian and I headed up to Richmond, VA to go to a Gavin DeGraw concert in a really cool venue called The National. It was AMAZING!! I absolutely loved it!! We even (unexpectedly) liked the opening act, Marié Digby...so much that we went out and bought her CD the next day : )
The concert was in a smaller venue so it was pretty intimate. We had an amazing spot, front and center, about 6 people back (it was standing room only). Gavin and I made eye contact quite a few times during the show...we're practically BFFs now ; ) One of the best parts was getting to meet him after the show!!! And all I had to do was buy a $25 t-shirt to get a special yellow wristband! I was feeling bad that Christian had to wait an hour while I was in line...until I realized that he got to stand right outside the door and watch Gavin and fans the whole time! I think it's so funny you can see him standing post right outside in this pic!Too bad I was so focused on what he was going to sign and how I was going to get a picture that I acted so dumb! We got through the hellos but then I forgot to introduce myself until he was like, "I'm Gavin..." hahaha, memories for sure.

We stayed at my aunt and uncle's house in Richmond and got to spend a fun and special weekend with lots of family. It was great!

Ain't no 'bull' about it....

2008-07-28T09:58:00.000-07:00

...you're my 'Ballantyne'!!
haha, this was definitely the quote of the weekend : D

Christian and I went to Charlotte this weekend : ) It was so much fun! We stayed up late, watched movies, slept in (gotta love 1pm church! ; ) ), introduced Christian to the Queen City, and hung out with the family. It was a really laid back, fun weekend away!

On Saturday we went to Discovery Place, a hands-on science museum, and we brought my sister along. We took the new metro into Uptown, which I had never done before! On the walk from the metro to Discovery Place, we got to play with these fun things on the sides of a building uptown! When you touch them, they light up and make fun sounds! Discovery Place was fun! I hadn't been in a loooong time, but it definitely brought me back to my elementary school days...we used to go for field trips almost every year! My sister definitely got a kick out of it, especially the virtual volleyball (demonstrated below)!
On our way back, we stopped in Ballantyne and played around outside with these ridiculously huge sculptures of bulls. It was way fun and the weather was so nice!

Sunday we went to church and then Christian and I cooked dinner for the family--Taco Sunday!! It was so delicious! Well...except for the waaaayyy too salty beans. I told him it was a LOT of salt... ; )

But despite the salty beans, it turned out to be one fantastic weekend!! : D

Palmyra or Bust!

2008-07-17T06:33:00.001-07:00

One of the best things about being a teacher is SUMMERS OFF!! Since Carla and I both have the summer off, we decided to take a road trip to Palmyra, NY to see the Hill Cumorah Pageant and other historic church sites there since I had never been before.

We left early Monday morning with a loooooong drive ahead of us! As planned, we stopped in Baltimore, MD to go to the National Aquarium in Baltimore. I loved Baltimore! It was a neat city! The aquarium was pretty cool, too. We continued on to New York with only a few bumps in our path. At some point in PA we got stopped for at least an hour on the interstate because of an accident ahead! We made the most of it though, eating oatmeal creme pies, hanging out outside the car and enjoying the BEAUTIFUL weather and scenery!

Tuesday, we headed up to Palmyra from our hotel and toured the Joseph Smith Farm and the Sacred Grove. The weather was perfect and the grove was GORGEOUS!! Next stop was the Palmyra temple and the Grandin Printing Shop where The Book of Mormon was first published. We ate lunch next to the Erie Canal and did a little shopping. We then headed to the Hill Cumorah Visitor's Center and climbed to the top of the Hill Cumorah where the statue of Moroni is. The view was amazing! As we were waiting for the pageant to start that night, we got a picture with "Mormon!" The pageant was great!

Wednesday, we hit the road in the morning and stopped in Hershey, PA! We went to Hershey's Chocolate World and got free samples of chocolate : ) After that we continued on to home! On the way, we rounded a corner and saw the most beautiful thing...the DC temple above the trees! This picture isn't even close to doing it justice...especially through my buggy windshield : P

So thanks to true friendship, Cherry Pepsi, dark chocolate peanut m&m's, Mapquest, and "Sandy," our borrowed GPS, we made it back in one piece!!

New York, New York!

2008-07-10T14:53:00.001-07:00

Christian took me up to New York for the 4th of July weekend!! It was a BLAST!! He, his brother and I left Wednesday afternoon and 10 hours later arrived in Poughkeepsie, NY, where Christian is from!

Thursday we had a laid back day. I met the family, we did a little swimming, and Christian showed me around Poughkeepsie! It was SO beautiful there! We did things like go to Hyde Park (where there are a lot of FDR historic sites) and check out the Hudson River!

Friday, the 4th we had another laid back day. In the afternoon we all drove up to the city (which was only an hour away!) and we ate dinner in Times Square at ESPN Zone-yum! After dinner we headed over to the East River to watch the fireworks! Despite the rain and limited visibility and an annoying group of girls behind us, it was still great-I love fireworks!

Saturday was my favorite day! Christian and I drove up to the city again and spent the day there. One of the highlights of the day was seeing The Lion King on Broadway!! It was incredible!!

Another highlight was going to Top of the Rock and watching the sun go down and the lights come on in the city. The view of the city and the Empire State Building was beautiful. I loved how it was red, white, and blue!

Sunday, we went to church and had a nice day at home. We all played Monopoly (which lasted FOR-EV-ER!) and had the best lunch EVER--it was Taco Sunday--oh-so-delicious!! Mmmm!!

Monday morning we left to drive back home. I had SO much fun meeting Christian's family and seeing parts of New York I hadn't seen before! It was a great trip!!

Old Salem

2008-06-27T09:56:00.000-07:00

Carla and I took a road trip to Old Salem yesterday! I had to meet a friend in Winston to pick up some paintings that he matted and framed for me so I figured I'd make the most of it and check out Old Salem while I was there! It was fun! And my paintings look amazing!! (Thanks Jared!!)

Birthday Festivities

2008-06-19T08:09:00.000-07:00

My birthday is one of my favorite days of the year and I had a fantastic birthday week!! On my birthday, I went to dinner at my favorite restaurant, PF Chang's, with some dear friends...it was amazingly delicious and fun! My friends are the best! : )

Friday night was the ward campout at Jordan Lake. Fun times camping, swimming, camp fire-ing, s'more making, guitar playing, and boating!!

On Saturday night I had a party at my house with some more friends! We had fantastic ice cream sundaes and my cake was the BEST-a Maggie Moo's cheesecake ice cream with strawberries mixed in ice cream cake!! I got some really fun gifts that were all so thoughtful! I loved them all!! After ice cream and cake, we went bowling which was also a blast!

On Monday, I went to dinner with my family at my other favorite restaurant, The Cheesecake Factory. I had dulce de leche cheesecake and it was amazing!
I'm so glad I was born! I have the best life and family and friends!!

School's Out For The Summer!

2008-06-10T08:10:00.001-07:00

FINALLY!! School's out!! I'm soooooo excited!! What am I going to do this summer, you may ask?

RELAX!! Take a couple of road trips, stay up late, sleep in!, go out to lunch, and probably do a little tutoring : D It's gonna be GREAT!!

Rockin' the Suburbs

2008-06-10T07:59:00.000-07:00

The Ben Folds concert was awesome!! He is amazingly talented on the piano...I'm slightly jealous : ) I went with my aunt and uncle and a few friends. We had awesome, close-up seats in an awesome amphitheater! Carla and I even came away with awesome T-shirts and some "flair"!
Here is a video I took at the concert, he's performing one of my favorite songs of his, "Landed":

Rocking The Vote In My Running Shoes

2008-05-06T19:54:00.000-07:00

I voted today for the first time ever! It was just the NC primary so I didn't think it'd be a big deal or that I'd feel any different--especially since I HATE politics--but it was kinda cool knowing that I had a voice--and that my voice will be heard. It gave me a small sense of pride in our great country. How lucky we are that we have the opportunity to vote!

I also went running today...and I did awesome! Running has always been difficult for me...I'm slow, have zero endurance and I don't like it. Usually I can't even go a minute straight without having to stop and catch my breath...ok, maybe that's exaggerating, but it's still pretty pathetic. Despite all of my issues with running, I know it's good exercise and I always feel great after I run, so lately I've been making an effort to run more--and to improve. My friend Amanda has been giving me tips lately and she has literally revolutionized my running! Seriously! It's amazing! I've been running like I've never ran before! So today was a huge accomplishment for me--I ran a really long way without even stopping and without losing my breath. It was a miracle! haha. I'm really proud of what I accomplished!

My next goal: run in a 5K!

A Graduate Again

2008-05-04T19:51:00.001-07:00

I graduated from Institute tonight! Yay!

88-Key Addition

2008-04-30T12:30:00.000-07:00

I am now the proud owner of a piano!! Thanks to some awesome D3 guys who volunteered their brains-n-brawn, we got the piano moved to my upstairs apartment! And for the record, they did an amazing job : ) I'm really excited!! I LOVE having a piano in my house!!

Now if only I could learn to rock out like this guy...

D(entist)-Day

2008-04-24T14:49:00.000-07:00

Today I had to go to the dentist. Conclusions:

1. I loathe going to the dentist. Probably more than anything.

2. My dentist is NOT ridiculously good-looking.

3. But he is pretty nice.

4. I can't feel a thing on the right side of my face. Grrrr.

Check-Up From the Neck Up

2008-04-22T14:01:00.000-07:00

I had my annual eye doctor appointment today. Conclusions:

1. I have abnormally big pupils....who knew??

2. My doctor is ridiculously good-looking.

3. And super nice.

4. I need new contacts. Thanks to my big pupils.

**Did you know: "...owls have control over the size of their pupils. They are forever adjusting the size of their pupils if they are really looking at something. And they adjust a zillion times faster than our pupils. They even work independently of each other, so they can have one large pupil and one small pupil at the same time..." (According to Karla Kinstler, owl expert)**

Your Claim to Fame

2008-04-21T21:31:00.000-07:00

Check it out!!!

http://www.randolph.edu/newevents/2008/2008-04-08.php

So exciting!!!!

WICKED Awesome!

2008-04-16T08:08:00.001-07:00

For Christmas, Mom and Dad surprised us kids with tickets to go see Wicked! My awesome dad went to the box office on the morning tickets went on sale and stood in line for hours. Thanks Dad!!! I've been dying to see it because I've had the soundtrack for a long time now and love it! I even have all the songs memorized! I've also heard so many good things about it.

S0 the day FINALLY came after much anticipation!! Last night I went to Charlotte to see it with my whole family. It was A-M-A-Z-I-N-G! I absolutely loved it and could see it again tonight. And tomorrow. And the next day. Wow. The set, the costumes, the music...all amazing. I can't wait to see it again!!

Music To My Ears

2008-04-15T16:00:00.000-07:00

I started guitar lessons! Finally!! It has been my dream to learn how to play the acoustic guitar for a looooong time. It is one of my favorite sounds in the world, I love it. I got a guitar for Christmas one year in high school, but never got around to taking lessons. I tried to teach myself but it was way hard. So I found out they have very reasonably priced guitar lessons through the Durham Arts Council so I signed up! My first class was good. We tuned our guitars and learned how to read tabs and learned how to play "Ode to Joy"--the classic beginner song for any instrument (I remember that was the first song we learned in band class when I started playing the flute in 5th grade). I'm really excited to keep learning!

My ultimate goal: Learn to play "Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)" by Green Day--it was the very song that made me want to learn to play the guitar!

Southern Roots

2008-03-30T12:38:00.001-07:00

Last week was my spring break! *The perks of being a teacher ; ) * I went to Augusta, Georgia (where I was born and lived 'til I was 8) to visit with family and friends, especially both sets of my grandparents, to get started on my family history work. I have to say that there is something so refreshing about the south. I love it. Dirt and pollen caked on your car. Pitch black, two lane roads at night with deer every few miles. Warm, humid air. Horse and cow pastures every mile. The accents! The horrible Sunday drivers. The clear night skies with stars twinkling and bright. Having to drive at least 30 minutes to get anywhere. Half a mile-long dirt driveways. Acres and acres of yard in front, back and on each side of the house. Porches with wind chimes and rocking chairs. The dinner bell. Crickets. Dairy Queen blizzards! Sometimes I really miss living in the south! I have many, many good memories there.

The start on family history was a success. I heard a lot of stories and saw lots of pictures and cool records, like this old family bible:

The pages inside were awesome:

My grandma gave me a copy of a picture of my great, great grandma, Granny Munger. I really love this picture, she was so beautiful:

It was fun to visit with my grandparents and aunts and uncles, especially since I don't get to see them very often anymore. I also got to see my cousin, Lauren, who I hadn't seen in a very, very long time.

I spent one fun and adventurous day in Atlanta and hung out with a friend, Jared. We went to the new Georgia Aquarium, the world's largest! It was pretty awesome. The most impressive animals were the whale sharks and beluga whales. There were also lots of touch tanks so I got to touch a shark, sting ray, sea anemone, and some other animals. Some of my favorites were the little Asian otters, the penguins, and the colorful, tropical fish. Here is one of the only good pictures I got from inside:

After the aquarium we stopped by the World of Coke store. Isn't he handsome? ; ) ha

After that we were walking back to our cars--which were not that far away, mind you--and witnessed a car being stolen from a parking deck right across the street! Ahh! It was crazy! Then we were heading out to go somewhere else and got stuck in major traffic...at 3:30 in the afternoon. 3:30 in the afternoon! Remind me never move to Atlanta. Despite that though, it was still a fun day...and at least we have a story to tell : )

Spring break wasn't long enough! I really enjoyed the time I had there. I'm definitely proud to call myself a Georgia Peach ; )

Drum Roll Please.....

2008-03-26T07:26:00.000-07:00

A couple of weeks ago I entered a photography contest for the first time ever! I got a call this morning saying that I had placed in the competition!! One of my photos won an honorable mention for the Landscape/Cityscape category! The prize is $25 (which covers most of my entry fee, haha)! It will also be displayed at a scholarship auction and gala dinner and will be sold that same evening via silent auction. It's not 1st place or anything, but I'm just excited that I placed in my first competition--especially since it was open to amateurs and professionals : ) Here is the award-winning photo itself. It was taken during our trip to NY over Thanksgiving. We were standing in line to get on the ferry to take us to the Statue of Liberty. I entitled it, "City Lights":

For Your Enjoyment

2008-03-25T23:06:00.001-07:00

My favorite music video...ever...hands down.

Habitat and Scripture Mastery

2008-03-22T21:04:00.000-07:00

Today our YSA ward volunteered for Habitat for Humanity! I've been wanting to do that for a really long time but have always missed the opportunities for some reason or another. Well, I finally got my chance! And luckily the weather was perfect!

At first there was not much for us to do. We did a little bit of lifting trusses and a lot of waiting around. I was a little disappointed, but towards the end of the day work picked up a bit and we got to lift more trusses! haha. I got to help nail in a truss and then we nailed some 2x4s to the wall for the cabinets. That was fun. Above is the house we worked on. You can see all the trusses we put on top and you can see the 2x4s through the middle window on the right wall. You can also see me in action with the 2x4s below.

In other news, on Thursday I finally finished passing off ALL 100 Scripture Masteries!! I started last fall when my Institute teacher, Brother Nichols, challenged us to memorize all 100 and taught us about the importance of doing so. It was a challenge that stuck with me; I really wanted to do it...so I did! Usually with long-term things like that the excitement fades away and I end up forgetting about it, but this challenge was different. For some reason it was really important to me that I complete it. Since then, I have worked hard to memorize and pass each one off. The scripture I am most proud of memorizing is Joseph Smith History 1:15-20. That was an exciting day, I almost cried when I finished. I don't know exactly why it meant so much to me. Probably because it's one of the longest scripture masteries, but also because it is so important to our religion and I have such a strong testimony of it.

I can honestly say that memorizing all those scriptures has changed my life--in small and simple, but very significant ways. I have truly been blessed. You should try it too! : )

Coconut Goodness

2008-03-09T22:44:00.000-07:00

So I've been wanting to make my mom's Coconut Sour Cream Cake for a while now because 1. it's SO DELICIOUS! and 2. I've never made it before. One problem--I didn't have a cake platter! So I went on a hunt to find a cute & unique, yet affordable cake platter. I looked everywhere. TJ Maxx had some ok looking platters for around $30 that I decided would be my backup if I couldn't find anything cuter and/or cheaper. I was just about to give up when I went home to Charlotte and stopped in at my all-time favorite store, Anthroplogie. They just happened to be having a killer sale...40% off things that were already on sale!! If you shop there you know that first of all, everything is ridiculously expensive (even on sale) and second, sales are kinda rare. So this sale was extra awesome! I was excitedly checking out the sale tables and happened to glance down and...there it was! Sitting there hidden underneath a stack of plates was the cake platter I had been searching for! I pulled it out, dreaded looking at the price tag, but flipped it over and...could it be?! It was originally around $60, on sale for $30 and 40% off that made it less than $20!!!!! It was definitely a miracle! haha, I can't tell you how excited I was (and still am!) about that. I love it : )

Now that I had my new cake platter, I was good to go! We had the missionaries over for dinner tonight so yesterday I got to make my first attempt at the cake. It was going well until I went to take the cakes out of the pans and found that they were stuck to the bottom of the pan (despite the shortening and flour I put on the bottom!). Shoot. I kinda freaked out for a second, called my mom and she assured me that I could get the cakes out, cut them in layers, piece them together and smother it with frosting to hide the imperfections. I did and it worked! It tasted delicious and no one ever knew!! Everybody seemed to love it : )

Here are some pictures of the beautiful cake along with my lovely new cake platter (p.s. that's a cute little grasshopper on the bottom right of the stand):

Making a Comeback

2008-03-03T12:49:00.000-08:00

high-five [hahy-fahyv] n
a gesture of greeting, good-fellowship, or triumph in which one person slaps the upraised palm of the hand against that of another.

The high five is totally making a comeback...and I love it! For some reason they just make my day. The best part about it is that there are so many different types of high-fives, so when someone high-fives you for the first time, you never really know what you're gonna get!

Types of high-fives I've experienced: the quick and forceful high-five, the soft and slow high-five, the extremely forceful and I-intentionally-want-to-hurt-your-hand high-five, normal high-fives, silly high-fives, up high high-fives, down low high-fives, and my personal favorite, the air high-five! Here are Pam and Jim (from my FAVORITE show The Office!) demonstrating the air high-five...

Love it! I hope this comeback lasts : )

Counting My Blessings

2008-02-24T16:28:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was a great day. For more reasons than one.

Little road trip.
Amazing friends--who truly care.
Good advice.
Realizations.
Awesome hush puppies.
Silly poetry and snapping.
Leg wrestling.
Uncontrollable laughter.
The Office.

It was so much fun : )

I am blessed.

Ready...Set...GO!

2008-02-12T19:57:00.000-08:00

So...I've decided to start a blog. Big step, I know. Why jump on the bandwagon? Well, mostly because I really want the people I care about most-my family (immediate and extended) and friends-to know what's going on in my life. For example: I studied abroad in Peru last summer. I don't even think half my family knew I was there until halfway through my trip. My family means the world to me even though I hardly ever see or talk to many of them that live far away. I really want to strengthen my relationships with them and make the effort to talk to them more and to know what's going on in their lives. And I want them to know what's going on in my life, too. So hopefully this will be a good start to keeping in touch with the people who matter most!

Let's just hope I can keep it up : )