Live, Love, Laugh, and Learn!

This is how the Robb Family watches a Movie

2011-12-20T01:18:00.001-08:00

Yup. It's 2:00 in the morning. We decided to turn on a movie right before going to bed. Did anyone actually last through it? Never. It's just not our style. I guess I did manage to stay awake, but that's because I was working on my craft projects at the table. The big debate now is... do I want to wake them or just let them sleep on top of each other all night? I mean they do look so gosh dern comfortable right?

45 days of bliss

2011-09-21T22:39:00.000-07:00

Ok... So I officially lived back in Las Cruces, NM for a whopping 45 days! I haven't lived here since I graduated from high school in 2003. Now I am back, and it has been a total dream and for one main reason... (ok, there are multiple reasons, but I am going for dramatic effect here)... GREEN CHILIES!!! Yes... I live in the land of green chilies! They are amazing and pure goodness. If I could describe them to you I would, but there are no words fit for them. Now if you are thinking "well I've gotten hatch green chilies in a can and I don't see what the big deal is" get that thought of your head right now because those canned chilies are not even close to what I am actually talking about right now. They are worlds apart.

One of the joys of living in a place that is the 20 mins from literally the "Chile Capital of the World" is that you can go anywhere and get good chilies on whatever you want. I am being completely serious... want a burger from McDonalds with green chile? Yup, you can get that here. Want to order a pizza from Papa John's with fresh green chile? Also totally on the menu. Even our local custard place used to sell green chile as a topping for their custard sundays. It is everywhere you go, and I will never complain a second about it!

This is literally the view from the front door of my house. Those are all just miles of chilies. So beautiful huh?

So speaking of which... what did I do with my night tonight? Well, after I came home from work and the gym, I put 35 lbs of fresh roasted green chilies in freezer bags and stuck them in our freezer. That's another way to keep the goodness last all year long. You literally can go to Walmart here, buy a 20 lb bag of chilies in a garbage bag, go to the parking lot, and pay a guy $4 to a guy to fresh roast them for you on the spot. It's a beautiful process.

This is what they look like before...

This is the roaster.

This is what they look like after. And they smell like heaven!

So have I gotten you excited to come visit me here in NM yet? Sure hope so!

More evidence that it is the chile capitol of the world! Even the water tank says so!

So since we are on this topic... I might as well confess something... remember how I said I have lived here for 45 days now? Well that also means that today was my 45th day of eating Mexican food at least once a day since I've gotten here. Yup... I have eaten Mexican food for 45 days straight. Not for every single meal, but at least one meal a day is a burrito, taco, torta, green chile enchiladas, etc... It has been great! Just don't ask me about how all of my pants are fitting me right now. I got a gym membership last week to help remedy that dilemma.

So there it is... my first blog post from NM. And it was also about one of the greatest foods on earth! Next time I might actually try and talk about teaching and all the other stuff going on in my life :)

Most Recent Development....

2011-07-15T13:57:00.000-07:00

Ok... so when you go to school to get a degree in something, the whole idea is that one day you will actually get a job doing that thing you studied right? I know... it's not that complicated of a concept, and yet when all is said is done... it doesn't ever turn out to be that simple of a process. While sparing all the nitty gritty details about all of my jobs and thought processes over the last 5 years, let me just jump to the conclusion which is... I'm finally going to be working in the job that I've dreamed about and spent years trying to train for!

I am moving in a 2 weeks back to New Mexico to be the new orchestra director at Mayfield High School. So if you don't know the history already here it is... I actually went to Mayfield High School and was in the orchestra program there all four years under the direction of Kathy Dollahon. That means I left the school as a student in spring 2003... Kathy always joked about me coming back to teach at Mayfield when she retired, but that seemed like something that was so far off in the distance that it really didn't even seem like a real possibility... I mean how would I know that I wouldn't already be married, or living in a different state, or working in another school... the list of factors was endless.

Even when I found out she was retiring early in the year, I really didn't think that it was going to be feasible for me to apply and take the job. I am half-way through my master's program and I love my life here in Utah. For a little while it didn't even look like the job was going to post either because the district is currently in a hiring freeze. I have been in life decision limbo for the last several months and it has been kind of crazy, but I do think that a lot of growth can happen during times of uncertainty.

After my application was turned in, there were four of us that were invited to come and interview. The other applicants all had very impressive resumes and in most instances, a ton more experience. Fast forward even further... (I am leaving out a ton of details)... when I found out that I got the job, not only need it feel right to accept the position, but it seemed even sillier not to. This means I start teaching in the middle of August and will be finishing up my master's program over the next couple of summers.

My Faculty Staff Badge

In case you were wondering, will be moving in with my parents and will be sharing a room with my 11 year old sister for the next couple of months while I figure out what to do for a more permanent housing. So yup... that's my life update.

My bedroom for the next little bit... little sister and all :) My bed is the one on the left.

Let me just quickly clarify... life is not always a bed of roses

2011-04-28T23:43:00.000-07:00

Alright. Here's the deal. I finally wrote my semester summary on Sunday talking about all of the things going on in my life... it was filled with lots of really great exciting things that fill my life right now... school, work, trips... but just so I'm not being completely deceitful here... here's the rest of the story:

Deers hit in my new car? - 1
Car accidents in my new car? - 2, but they both happened within 15 minutes of each other. And for the record they weren't my fault
Times my car was booted?- 1
Times my car was impounded?- 2
Hours I spent late nights in the library?- too many to count
Number of assignments I did not procrastinate on?- none of them that I know of
Number of credits taken this semester?- 18... not very wise to do as a grad student
Number of life changing decisions that I had to make?- currently in that process and I'm not a fan

Here's an example of a normal Lindsey-type crisis... So just this last Monday night... even though finals were done the Thursday before, I still had one last research paper to write. I was so grateful for the extension on the paper that our professor gave us, but after enjoying a beautiful Easter weekend with the family, I left myself only 2 days to complete the research paper. But since I knew the library was open both Monday and Tuesday night till midnight, I figured it wouldn't be a problem. So Monday I go to work till 5 like any other day, go get an ice cream cone from McDonald's to help motivate me (naturally) and head back to campus. By the time I park my car and walk to the library it is 5:50pm. I walk through the front doors to hear music blasting through the speakers, which only can mean one thing... the library is closing! I turn to look at the door, and sure enough there was a notice posted that the library would be closing early due to the in between semester break. I don't even know what to do! I run to a computer knowing that if I didn't at least check out books and start my paper that night, there would be no way to survive. My chosen topic was on the historical background of Shostakovitch's Symphony no 10. I notice that all the books for Shostakovitch are in German. I don't read German. Next plan... change topic quickly... and... Stravinsky! Didn't exactly what particular aspect I would research about Stravinsky yet, but I knew I needed to grab books and grab books fast! Ten books on Stravinsky... check. Arms full. I notice it's pouring rain out! Didn't even matter. The library was closing in approximately two minutes. I finally get to my car now wet and frustrated. As I set the books on my car and dig through my purse for my car keys I realize they are not there. Oh no, the Library!!! I leave the books just sitting on the top of my car (no worries about the rain though because I parked in the parking garage) and run back to the library. It's sealed shut! I knock on the door. I can see a security guard off in the distance but he neither hears nor notices me. I can my bff to ask advise. She suggests the police office to get let back in. I hang up the phone. Just then a kid walks out of the library. I snatch the door before it closes. The kid set off the alarm so I security guard is now running after him. It didn't matter though, I was in the building. The other security guard let me back upstairs. I luckily found my keys and returned home. When arriving home to work on my paper however, I do realize that 2 of the books I grabbed on Stravinsky were also in German (I was just too rushed to think about checking the languages). I also discover that my internet is out in my apartment. I know I needed to research online some more just to help give my paper direction and to help me pick a topic.... Thank goodness for bff's though. I was able to drive 35 mins to Britt's parents home in Pleasant Grove where she was staying the night and I was able to use their internet. It was 10:30pm when I finally got there. My paper wasn't even started yet. Rest of the story in a nutshell is... Monday night all I accomplished was picking the topic and knowing what direction to take my paper. The good news is... after long hours in the library all night Tuesday and all morning Wednesday, I did get the paper turned in.... and it was mostly done :) The end.

Taste of Heaven!

2011-04-25T13:25:00.000-07:00

Ok... so I don't know if this is the high quality stuff that most people blog about, but I really just need to describe the sandwich I am eating right now (it is made from all of the Easter leftovers)...

This is not the actual sandwich fyi

Fresh Sourdough Bread- enough said
Smoked Ham- smoked by Papa in his smoker
Fresh Roasted Red Peppers- had roasted by Auntie Lani
Smoked Gouda Cheese
Brie Cheese- what can I say? I just LOVE cheese
Avacado
Fresh Basil Mayo- also made by Auntie Lani
Fancy Tasty Yellow Mustard
Organic Green Lettuce Mixture- product of Costco

I'm not even joking... it is like Heaven in my Mouth! Thank you Easter!

Semester Summary...

2011-04-24T23:31:00.000-07:00

This was like the quickest semester I have ever experience! It just flew by all so quickly I've hardly been able to catch my breath. Here's just a few notes on everything that's gone down since December.

Christmas Break-
Spent with the family in New Mexico. It was a wonderful time as usual filled with all of my favorite traditions. The best part being the fact that we just stay in our pajamas all Christmas day long and play with each other while continuously snacking on Christmas goodies.

New Year's-
I left New Mexico just a couple of days after Christmas to hurry back to Salt Lake for the wedding of a roommate. Such a great wedding. So happy for you still Melissa and Danny! (Little side note, Melissa and I actually tried setting Danny up with another one of our roommates. So glad that didn't work out).

The actual night of New Year's Eve was spent with two of my favorite girly girls ever! The activity of choice ended up being dancing our little booties off at the coctail lounge Spark (Provo Style). Greatest truth ever sung in lyrics... girls just want to have fun! We went, we danced, we conquered.

Other Choice Activities of the Semester-

Crafternooning!!!! It's true! Nothing hits the spot like an afternoon of solid crafts.... hence the term Craft-er-noon! This is a photo from our crafternoon marathon day during Christmas break! We did everything from decorating frames to decorating our notebooks for the semester.

Snowboarding!!!

Okay... so after living in Utah all of last year and only going snowboarding ONCE (and on the last day of the season) I decided there needed to be some major changes in my life! So what was done to resolve the previous year's crisis? Season Passes to the Canyons! DeeAura, Whitney, the two Jasons, Bend, Cody, David, and a few others all broke down and bought the passes as well. So what did we do with all of our free time? Yup, nothing but snowboarding! Almost every Saturday there was a group of us carpooling to Park City! It was such a great snow season. Powder powder powder everywhere!!! The first day we went we packed lunches which we took time to eat while sitting down in our cars.... we later decided to rethink that game plan and decided to eat all of our snacks while taking breaks on the lift to enhance our time on the mountain. We are addicts. I learned a lot about boarding this season. Some of the better moments happened through taking risks (no worries. I started wearing a helmet)... some moments resulted in exhilarating highs and others resulted in huge wipe outs. All part of the learning and the fun. You better believe a season pass will forever be a part of my winter vocabulary.

Schooliness!
Okay... I now understand why they consider 9 credit hours full time for a Grad student. Well, I unknowingly decided to literally double that number this semester! It was definitely a lot of work and I think I just barely survived (although I really did learn a ton and had a lot of fun). My classes this semester included the following:

Score Analysis- how to look at, identify, and interpret different musical scores
Orchestra Lit- wanna know what it feels like to be responsible for memorizing a hundred years of symphonies and be able to identify them all in a 2 hour listening exam? Take this class!
Philosophy of Music Education- In this class you'll read until your eyes start to bleed, but you leave the class with lots of new ideas and being highly enlightened
2 Different Art Education Classes- Don't remember the course titles, but they were classes that I wanted to take to be better prepared to write curriculum focusing on interdisciplinary arts
Cello lessons- this was the performance instrument of choice this semester. I learned lots and would even be happy to play for you the Breval Cello Sonata.
Fiddle lessons- I decided I needed my violin skills to be more versatile. It's a work in progress.
Beginning Tap- okay... so it has my life's dream to be the next Jean Kelley... I now realize that tap dancing like him will be just that... always a dream. Although I have great fine motor skills, I realize that my large motor skills are quite lacking. And it wasn't a pretty sight. That's all I'm going to say about that.
Folk Ensemble- I love my Celtic Band! This was my second semester with them, and I still think it's a blast. This semester I also incorporated a little bit of cello action into the group as well. It's just a whole side of music that I had never before been part of and I am quickly falling in love!

How I pay the Bills-

I love love LOVE being a student, but I do need to eat and also be able to pay for my fun-time activities! How do I do it?

TA for the String Education Department- grade papers for the class Careers in Music, take attendance for String Workshop, etc....
Teach 3rd and 4th Semester Sight Singing- I don't mind teaching that class, but am so glad that part of my education is done and done.
Assistant Conductor for the New Horizon's Orchestra- It's a beginning adult orchestra. It really is kind of cool. I love working with this ensemble. We make some killer music together. And in case you're wondering our oldest current orchestra member is 85 years old and going strong!
Nanny for Life- If I can pick up a weekend babysitting, I totally jump on it! One of the best jobs I have!
EFY Office Coordinator- Since I have to take classes this summer and can't be involved with EFY like I normally do, I decided working in the office would still be a great way to stay involved with this youth program! I love my job!

Sam's Baptism-

He's the final sibling to get baptized in our family so of course we needed to be there! We drove through the night on Thursday to get there and then drove back all day Sunday. It was definitely worth the 24 hours of time in the car. Sam is an Angel! No joke, all he wanted for his birthday was a Liahona (from the story of Nephi in the Book of Mormon) which you can see him holding in this family photo.

Aloha Hawaii!

Here was the initial conversation:

Uncle Peter to Me-"When's your spring break?"

Me- "BYU doesn't have one."

Peter- "Well we have an extra room in our condo in March"

Me- "Oh well if that's the case I definitely have a spring break that seems to be the exact same week you'll be in Hawaii. How convenient."

Yup, I couldn't handle not having a Spring Break or missing out on that opportunity so I made one! Whit, Mom, Dad, and I all went to Kauai to meet up with Peter and Kristen for a magical week in Paradise! Our week's activities included lots of snorkeling, hiking through the jungle, kayaking, driving around in our Jeep Wrangler with the top down, paddle boarding, and jumping off waterfalls. It was an Amazing week!

"I drove all night to get to you...." (literally)

If you do not recognize those song lyrics they are from a more recent song by the legendary Celine Dion. Now I'm not gonna lie, seeing Celine Dion in concert was never on the top of my personal top 10 list, but I am all about supporting friends living out their life-long dreams! So Celine it was! Britt, Emily, and I made the journey together to Vegas for this iconic show. Due to our busy lives it was quite the legendary trip. I worked till noon on Wednesday, met up with Emily and Britt, got sandwiches from Kneaders, and we hit the road. As soon as we reached Vegas we went to our favorite store, H&M! Slightly detrimental to my bank account, but way worth it! We then hurried to the Celine concert which really was a killer show. We then hit up the Cheese Cake Factory for some food and made a quick stop at Anthropology before hitting the road again. We drove through the night getting back close to 8am and right in time for us to be in our Thursday classes! Now that's what I call a road trip! Oh the joys of being young (although it did take a few days for my body to recover). Next Vegas roadtrip goal: Beatle's Love!

Well... this is all I can think of to share about for now... Life update? Check!

This time I mean it...

2011-04-23T00:55:00.000-07:00

Okay... I know I've been horrible at this whole blogging thing, and every time I post I seem to make empty promises about trying to do better. Well.... this time I hope this promise isn't an empty one. Really, I've decided it wouldn't be that hard to just take 10 min once or twice a week to write down a few thoughts. Yup, this time I'm going to be better for reals!

The reasons for this newly restored determination are 1. I never document anything about my life 2. It really is fun and a great outlet for expression 3. This summer I am going to have more free time than I've ever had before 4. I do get quite envious of all of my friend's cute and witty blogs (not that mine will fall under either of those two descriptions) and 5. I'm tired of being the last blog link on my best friend's blog page because mine is never updated.

Britt... get ready for my blog to finally have a purpose and for it to no longer be in "last place."

The End.
But only for tonight. More postings to come soon. Real soon.

Thoughts from the Library

2010-12-08T21:37:00.000-08:00

Yup... it's that time of year. The time of year where school work is at its peak the brain in on overload! The ironic part of it all is that it is also that time of year where there are endless social event, dance parties, ugly sweater parties, tree decorating parties, cookie decorating parties, concerts, and pretty much any other distraction you can think of! And yet here I am sitting in the library... trying to write a paper.

Bff Brittany just left, which made me think my productivity would increase... but since I am here writing on my blog (something I rarely do), I'm assuming that wasn't the case. So here are some random thoughts while I sit here trying to re-focus on the real task at hand (my paper on principles of learning).

First off, kudos to the girl that wore her onesie pajamas to the library and is sitting Indian style in the chair. I am jealous of your comfort.
I have decided that I am like a "moth to the flame" as my friend Britt so kindly described... I know that whenever I eat Taco Bell for dinner I feel gross afterwards, and yet ever time I'm hungry and walking by the Cougar Eat I think "Taco Bell sounds good right now." How do I so easily fill my head with such lies? I should know better by now. And then the result is that I gripe about it for the rest of the day... like I'm doing now :)
It is also difficult I decided to motivate myself to write papers, when the device on which I need to type my paper also happens to be the biggest distraction of all in itself! Even if I make a point not to get on facebook, there is also some other random thing I find myself googling about.
Thank you BYU for placing a Christmas tree up here on the 5th floor. It does make the place feel more cozy.
Thank you random girl that is sitting across from me for sharing you chocolate advent calendar with me. It was a great little pick me up!
Thank you other girl sitting at my table who decided to bring a crystal pitcher with her to help her refill her water bottle when it gets empty. Classy touch.

Ok... I think I'm ready to start tackling my paper again. Basically, I just love people and could watch them all day! Oh the things that one sees in the library! And oh the stress and joys of finals week!

Year in a Nutshell

2010-11-11T20:56:00.000-08:00

Ok... so it's been a very long time since I've posted about my life. And if fact, one of the last entries talked all about my summer... in 2009! So here we go... life since then in a nutshell.

Moved to Salt Lake City, Utah. No job, but after my summer working EFY, staying here just felt right.
Started volunteering as an early morning seminary teacher at Jordan High School.
Found a job teaching 5th and 6th grade orchestra at an elementary school in Provo.
Started two other orchestra programs at elementary schools in West Jordan and Riverton.
Got a job being a substitute teacher on my days off from my other jobs.
Started a private piano and violin studio.
October road trip with the extended family to Newport, Cali.
Had a blast living my life in both Salt Lake and Provo. Not a huge fan of the drive though.
November road trip with two dear friends back to Arizona and New Mexico.
December 2009 I turned 25! Milestone, I know!
Crazy road trip with my brother Jonny in a giant snow storm back to New Mexico. It really did take like 20 hours to get home going 30 miles an hour almost the whole way there.
January 2nd decided to randomly pack my belongings and move from SLC to Provo. Quick (literally made in a day) decision, but it just felt right. Moved in with the most amazing roommates ever!
Last minute decision to turn in a graduate school application to BYU.
Got hired as a student teacher for the CES seminary program. Started also teaching 2 periods at Brighten High School during the day along with all of my other schools and jobs.
Got accepted into grad school at BYU.
Beginning of summer road trip with the bff to Cali to see Glee Live! Did it also include Disneyland, H&M shopping, and the beach? Heck yes!
Stopped teaching seminary on Friday (summer finally had arrived) and started my job with EFY the next Monday.
Worked for EFY (I still just love it so much!)... 1 week in Montpillier, ID, 3 weeks in Logan, 4 weeks in Ogden, 1 week in Provo, 2 weeks in Nauvoo! 11 straight weeks total! That's right baby!
July 29th picked Whit up from the airport in Salt Lake! She was finally home from Italy! Joyous reunion!
Flew to New Mexico from Nauvoo to be with the fam. Stayed for a few days, bought a new car, and then drove home to Provo.
Got re-hired as a seminary student teacher at Alta High School in the fall.
Decided to resign from the seminary program in order to better focus on grad school. (not an easy decision).
Had a few days to unpack my belongings and chilled for a weekend in Park City.
Started school as a BYU student getting a Master's in Music Education!

Well there it is... the last year of my life in a total nutshell. Obviously I left out a lot of details. It really was a great year filled with fun, friends, family, lots of road trips, heart break, self discovery, growth, and everything else that life throws at you. But looking back I wouldn't change anything about it. I lived, I loved, and I learned!

So this is what happens when you get a full nights rest...

2010-01-19T21:03:00.001-08:00

Have you ever just had one of those amazing days where you accomplished everything on your lengthy "to do" and then some? I must admit, it rarely happens to me so this feeling of pure joy is quite rare for me. To be honest, I think it has a lot to do with the fact I actually slept for a full 7 hours last night (which is a good deal more as far as sleep goes than the normal 5 hours I get most nights). I guess I will go ahead and just share a little of what I actually accomplished today.

7:30 am- woke up in Provo and ate breakfast (normally I wake up at 4:45 and teach early morning seminary, but today I had the day off)
8:30 am- arrived at Marie's house (in Salt Lake) where I babysit her 4 year old, 2 year old, and the 4 month old twins (while the children were napping I even emailed my sister Whitney who's still on her mission and who has her Preparation Day tomorrow)
1:30 pm- I arrived home and cooked a pot of soup that will hopefully last me the rest of the week
2:00 pm- wrote the 2nd essay needed for my graduate school application which is due at the end of the month
3:30 pm- start my letter of intention which is also part of my grad school application
4:00 pm- taught violin lesson (in Riverton)
4:45 pm- picked up my computer (from Sandy) It crashed over break and thank goodness my uncle was able to help me repair it
5:15 pm- did my reading assignments for my Institute class
6:30 pm- arrived at my Institute class (which is the 2nd pre-service class for future seminary teachers in case you're curious)
8:00 pm- arrive at my aunt's house to babysit my little cousins while they go to the U of U basketball game
8:30 pm- write out my seminary lesson plans for the next 2 days
9:00 pm- complete all grading of my seminary students from this last term
9:30 pm- complete the "additional information and work experience" portion of my graduate app
10:00 pm- have time left over that I don't know what to do with so I decide to blog about it!

Seriously though, this NEVER happens to me! All I had hoped to accomplish today was write the 2nd essay needed for my application. Everything else up on that list was a total bonus! (which I can now proudly cross off my "to do" lists from other days :) And somewhere in all of that I even had time to fit in an episode of Hannah Montana. I guess the point of this story is... sleep is good! The end!

Oh Sweet Summer!

2009-12-19T13:01:00.001-08:00

I know we are already in December, but since I have been horrible at keeping a journal I really want to document all of my events from the year somehow. Thus, I am starting with everything that happened this summer. Once I get this out of the way I can start keeping my blog updated with things that are currently going on in my life!

Graduation (por fin!)

Yes, I graduated! And it was a great feeling! I now have my degree in Music Education! Whoo hoo! (what I ended up doing with my degree though is a whole different story).
My parents came down to Tucson and I graduated Saturday, May 16th. Sunday, May 17th, I loaded my car with my things (well basically just my clothes and stuff) and drove to Salt Lake City to move in with my grandparents. Monday, May 18th I flew to Spain to visit my mission!

España (Home Sweet Home)

Spain was great. I spent the first couple of days on my own just visiting various places and people from different areas.
Katie Whitlock, a very dear mission companion, flew over and met up with me in Madrid. We traveled and visited places such as Alcalá and Salamanca. Another companion, Estefania Torres, from Barcelona, also met up with us. It was a lot of fun.
On the very last day of my trip, my trainer from the mission, Randilyn Nordstrom, flew in and we were able to spend the day in downtown Madrid together.
During my 10 days there I got to visit with my mission president and his wife at the mission home, visit recent converts, attend church in two of my old wards, attend a special fireside celebrating the 40th year anniversary of the church being in Spain, go salsa dancing with some of my friends, and several other memorable activities. It was a great way to remember and in some ways add closure to the year and a half I spent serving in that wonderful place!

EFY (My Oh My!)

Saturday, May 30th, I flew back from Spain to Salt Lake. Sunday, May 31st, my EFY team came and picked me up from my grandparents' house and we all drove to Montpelier, ID.
I honestly had absolutely no idea who I would even be working with this summer until just one day before we started our 8 weeks together... could I ever have imagined a better team though! Heck no! Our team this summer was a total dream team... no our team was more than that... we were family! The team consisted of David Kidd (good friend from the previous summer) Staci Meacham (girl I definitley didn't know, but we shared a bed our first week together so I got to know her real quick!) Christian Hong (no one knows more about Disney than this kid) Brooke Betenson (we shared a dear mutual friend and now we're dear friends ourselves) Ryan Stewart (1. He's a Stewart 2. Is his best bud one of my favorite peeps? You betcha) Elle Bray (one of the biggest & best surprises of the summer, we worked together the summer before & she was the only person in the history of EFY who was too young to be hired as a counselor but still met the BC qualifications!) Oh how I love my team!
We worked a grand total of 8 weeks... one in ID, three in Sandy, three in Taylorsville, and one in Ogden. All glorious, each with it's own funny moments, random experiences, awesome youth, (a few annoying kids), interesting challenges... but overall there was nothin but good times!

Backpacking Bliss

Who doesn't love a few days in the mountains with just your best buds, a back-pack, millions of mesquitos (ok well that part was unfortunate), surprisingly good camping food, gorgeous mountains, beautiful lakes, and fly fishing rods! We only had one week off of EFY and boy did we use it wisely... our little camping crew consisted of Ryan, Ryan's freshly returned missionary cousin Carson (super swell kid), Staci, Elle, Chase (one of our favorite summer counselors), and me!
Were scary stories told, do I now believe is Sasquatch, did we see an actual UFO, did I de-hook a fish all by myself in a rescue mission, did we play in the beautiful but ice cold waterfalls?... yes to all of the above and I loved it!

California Dreamin'

It's our annual family vay-cay! One week + 7 Kids + Newport Beach + Marriot Resort = Endless Adventures... because let's be honest... we put the fun in dysfunctional!
This year there were obviously only 6 kids because my dearest sister Whitney is still enjoying an amazing time as a missionary in Southern Italy... we missed having her but are still oober proud of what she's doing.
This year's activities included the X Games for the boys. Wicked for the girls (plus dad). Deep Sea fishing like every year. And lots and lots of beach and pool time!
Did I wear sunscreen the first day like a good girl?... oh yeah sure thing! But did I forget to re-apply that sunscreen during the day like I should have?... sadly I did not :( I got so sunburned day 1 that it really made it kind of rough the rest of the week, but it's okay... I'm over it! (now that the flesh eating pain is no longer fresh in my memory) :)
Other than the bad sunburn (of which my brother Jon was also a victim of) everything went pretty smoothly (no lost children, no sting ray bites, etc...) Oh yeah, exept for the fact that when I plugged in Newport Beach into my GPS, and without me realizing it, it did not register as Newport California. And since I've never driven to California from Utah before it never registered in my mind that I was driving in the wrong direction. I didn't even know I was going the wrong direction till my mom called to see where I was and I told her Wendover, ID. I then spent the next few hours driving across Idaho to get me back on the correct route to our condo. I honestly have no regrets though. It was a beautiful little desolate freeway and I saw a whole lot of Idaho that I probably would have never seen (EVER!) in my entire life if it weren't for the destination GPS mess-up.

Wild White Water With the Ward (if that's not alliteration I don't know what is)

That's right... my little Single's Ward is so cool that at the end of the summer we all went up to Jackson Hole to do some camping and white water rafting. It was great fun & made some great friends.

Well folks, that really is all I can recall from this summer. Of course I'm sure there were a ton of random, awkward, potentially funny moments that would have been great fun to blog about... but alas, since it's January 1st and I'm finally just getting around to blogging about my summer, those memories have faded like dark denim jeans in sink of bleach.

I'm back!

2009-12-19T11:11:00.000-08:00

Ok... So it has been a really long time since I've blogged... a really long time. I am going to change that though starting today. The only really hard thing is that it's been so long I don't even know where to start. Life has changed so much since the last time I have posted (which was me packing up my things in Tucson and getting ready to graduate and move to Utah). I have now been a post grad for 8 months and life has taken me in directions that I never expected. Coming soon... My Life After College! (don't get to excited though... post graduate life isn't as exciting as one would hope!)

And the grand total is.....

2009-05-15T09:52:00.001-07:00

Well, I am in the process of packing and moving out today so I really don't have time to elaborate, but.... this morning while organizing all of my things I pulled out my shoes to make sure I had 2 of each shoe. Yes, I have a lot of shoes but until today I didn't realize how many. I counted them and how many specifically? 105 pairs! I know that's ridiculous! I find that completely disgusting. Where did they all come from? As one disclaimer, several of them are Whit's that she left with me while she's on her mission. Some of the shoes are absolutely hideous and left over from things like my high school winter formal. All I have to say though is that I am slightly ashamed and will be cleaning out my closet today for sure (although I will not be touching my collection of All-Stars or my Pumas)! The End.

And we lived after the manner of happiness....

2009-05-03T22:43:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite scriptures is 2 Nephi 5:27 "And it came to pass that we lived after the manner of happiness." Happiness has been a topic on my mind a lot recently. I am at one of those times in my life when everything is just super crazy. I am graduating from college, looking for a job, and need to basically decide where I want to go and what I want to do with my life for the next little bit. School has been stressful, life has been busy, and several other circumstances in my life that have presented a plethora of new experiences. Every week I receive a inspiring letter from my sister Whitney telling me of all her wonderful experiences as a missionary in Italy. It would be a lie to say that I am not envious of her and that I don't long to be doing what she is doing right now. I cannot express in words how much I loved my time as a missionary. It really was such an important time in my life. I did have a wonderful epiphany though last night while sitting in the adult session of Stake Conference. I realized that regardless of what's going on in our lives, we have just an endless capacity within ourselves for happiness. Regardless of all the craziness in my life, and even though I no longer have the wonderful daily joy of being a full time missionary, I realized that I am just as happy now, if not happier, than any past time in my life. There is no reason why we can't be a little happier each day than we were the day before. It is just such an amazing concept to me and I love it. I know that as long as I am doing my best from day to day I can continually increase in knowledge, understanding, and most importantly happiness! I am truly happy. There is a lot of uncertainly in my future but that's okay. I really do feel inside what this little baby is expressing on his precious face. I am living after the manner of happiness and I also know that even greater happiness is yet to come!

So many things to look forward to....

2009-04-29T22:32:00.000-07:00

This summer can't come soon enough! I can't wait! Here are the official countdowns!

I'll Finally Graduate in....

I return to dearest Spain in....

I start my summer as an EFY BC in....

Spends a week with her family in Cali in....

Pop Star!

2009-04-28T23:58:00.000-07:00

So it finally happened. Some agents heard my amazing voice and my incredible singing skills and want me to sign a contract with some record company and create my own album. The exciting thing is that because of all this new praise, I will be one of the opening acts for tomorrow's big Jay-Z/Kelly Clarkson/3rd Eye Blind Concert. FALSE: If anyone has ever heard me sing, they would automatically know that everything I just said was impossible and a total lie. Everything that is except for the part about me being in an opening act for tomorrow's big concert. That's right! But I am playing my fiddle... not singing. There is actually a small ensemble of us string players who get to backup some local rappers for the new Zona Zoo theme song. It's been really fun putting the song together and I'm really excited to get up on the stage tomorrow and do our thing. Supposedly 7,000 tickets have been sold. The best part is that we get to hangout back stage during the entire concert so I really hope to meet some cool peeps (esp Kelly Clarkson! I love her!). So no. I am not a pop star, but if you start seeing me walking around campus wearing a do-rag and some gangsta bling, you now know why!

You Never Know Who's Watching.....

2009-04-28T22:18:00.000-07:00

Yes, sometimes in the church we talk about the principle of "you never know who's watching you" in regards to setting a good righteous example etc... Tonight, I realized that this same principle can be applied when driving home and jamming out in your car.
So there I was. It was a very long day and I was finally making my way home for the 1st time since the early afternoon. The time was 9:30 pm. I climb into my car, pull out of the Institute parking lot, and turn onto Campbell. Just then the song comes on the radio from my Ipod, and for some reason this song lit a fire within me. It was Journey's "Separate Ways." The next thing I know all of my best 80's dance moves are being pulled out all at the same time. My head was banging, my arms flying, and I was singing at the top of my lungs. It was just such a wonderful emotional release after a long stressful day of school. Halfway through the song though I realize that I am sitting at a stoplight and while still dancing I glance to my left only to notice a very good looking black man sitting in the passenger seat of a slick gray convertible (which had its top down). There he was smiling... smiling and staring. The shock of seeing him there caused me to panic and freeze. I put both hands on the steering wheel, sat straight up, and stared intently at the red light. My cheeks were blushing. I glanced over again and he was still there as before with a large goofy grin on his face. Not only had he seen me, but I was positive he would have also heard me. I continue to stare at the light. It was the longest red light of my entire life. I really don't know why I cared so much about being "caught," but I really felt like I had revealed to this complete stranger my inner soul. I sat so incredibly still. Afraid to move. I kept hoping for the light to finally turn green again so I could return to my dancing. Finally, it did. I sped quickly away, started the song over again, and all was well in the world once again. Before restarting the song though, I could not help but to burst out laughing. Laughter really is the best medicine.
So there I was again. Slightly embarrassed (but not really... I was mainly just amused by the whole situation), singing along again to the wonderful sounds of Journey, and dancing like no one was watching. The End.

One Year Mark

2009-04-19T00:08:00.000-07:00

This entry is going to be short because it is late and tomorrow I have my Senior Recital which is kind of a big deal.... but I just wanted to say that today April 18th is exactly one year from the day that I was released as a full time missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I can't believe that it has already been a year. One full year! I still miss being a missionary and would drop everything in a heartbeat and return to Spain if I could. However, I do realize that life must go on and that there really is life after the mission. I honestly am so grateful for all the experiences I have had during this last year and I know that even more wonderful and exciting adventures still await me. Life's great! That's all.

Life is Just One Big Musical

2009-04-17T22:49:00.000-07:00

Okay, so that's not actually true. I wish everyone randomly broke out into song and dance during the day but that's not the case. Just a little random side note about me though... even though my life isn't a musical, I still have a theme song for everything. It doesn't matter what is going on in my life, I can guarantee that I have a song in my head to match it. (There are also certain people who I also have assigned theme songs for, but that a totally different story). Sometimes I like to play such songs in my car when driving and I just sing along at the top of my lungs to really express myself and let it all out. Don't expect me to divulge what such theme songs are on this public blog, but I will give a semi-recent example. There was this one time that I was at this party, and then I saw this boy. I met this boy. I talked to this boy (according to my sister I got my flirt on with this boy). I honestly thought I could have been very interested in this boy. Just a few days later though I found out that my really good friend was actually dating that boy. So much for that one eh? Well, you better believe that week one of my theme songs was "Goodbye My Almost Lover" by a Fine Frenzy. Life might not be a musical, but you better believe there is always a musical going on in my head... and who knows, you all might be part of it. Life's just a little bit more fun that way.

Ode to Pam and Jim

2009-04-11T17:27:00.000-07:00

Okay.... So if anyone knows me at all (or at least read my "25 things"), they would know I am a hopeless romantic. I will not deny it and I am not ashamed! I am an idealists and sentimental dreamer. There is a reason why I absolutely love reading Jane Austin and all of that good stuff. No I have never actually been in love myself and can only count on one hand the people I've ever been "in like" with at all. However, there are several couples who I am in love with and at the top of that list is Jim and Pam. This blog entry is dedicated to them.

Yes, I realize these aren't real people, but it doesn't mean that their situation can be real for the rest of us. I mean, in my opinion their situation is perfect (obviously minus the whole fact Pam was engaged to someone else for a while, and Jim was with Karen and all, but that just made for good TV). The thing about Jim and Pam is that they were friends first... but not just normal lame friends.... they were the type of friends that could just completely be themselves around each other at all times. They had fun just by being goofy, pulling harmless pranks, and entertaining each other with just pure randomness. I love it! Sitting on the roof in lawn chairs, eating yogurt, while watching cheap fireworks.... I don't think it gets much cuter than that. They just like every little quirky thing about each other. For instance, Jim thinks its way cute how Pam is a dorky dancer. They just have so much in common and like all the same things.

I know some people see love as this big passionate fall for each other at first sight kind of experience, but I don't really see it that way. I see it as having this amazing friend who you can tell anything and be yourself around. Someone who you can have fun with under any circumstance. Someone who just thinks your the greatest person ever despite your little oddities. Someone who just wants to be near you just because. In my opinion Jim and Pam = true love! Even after they start dating they still just love doing cute random things for each other. They are always so supportive of each other too. Man, I really could just go on forever : )but I won't.

In conclusion, one day I hope to have what Jim and Pam have. I would love to meet someone who likes me despite my dorkiness and embraces my more quirky qualities. I just want to meet my best friend and then let it progress from there. I don't need some drop dead gorgeous vampire who lights a fire of passion within me. I just want to meet someone who likes what I like and shares my same goals. Wow, this is a way sappier entry than I originally planned. So sorry to whoever is actually reading this.... I did include a video though to share a little bit of the Jim and Pam spirit. Enjoy!

The Little Random Things....

2009-04-09T23:26:00.000-07:00

I just love the little random things that happen on a day to day basis which are totally unexpected but humorous in their own quirky way. It's like how a few days ago while sitting in one of the computer labs on campus, I couldn't but help notice the boy in front of me laughing out loud hysterically. The room dead silent and the only noise that good be heard was this kid's out of control laugh. You would of thought he was watching the funniest thing in the whole wide world. Finally my interest was peaked enough to lean forward and take a glance at his computer screen. I almost burst out laughing myself when I realized that the source and cause of his laughter was because of funny images of cats on one of those weird cat people's websites (they were like the kinds of images you would imagine Angela from the Office being entertained by). I seriously loved the fact that this was what was driving this 22 year old boy into such a fit of laughter. One of the images he kept getting a kick out of was of a cat dressed like a pirate steering a home made cardboard ship that was sitting in the middle of the floor in someones living room. This wonderful experience of seeing the fanatical cat man in the library totally and completely made my day!
Today's random event was extremely unique and left me smiling for hours. Here in Tucson we have this giant park that is surrounded by a 3 mile walking loop. I love to go there to run and rollerblade. There are always such interesting people out and about whether it is the group of young mothers with their jogging strollers or the old men in their shiny jump suits. Today I chose to rollerblade the loop twice for a grand total of 6 miles. I love when I rollerblade because I really do feel like I am super fast or something since continually pass all of the walkers and joggers who are in front of me. I feel powerful. Today however something completely unexpected occured... while finishing up my 2nd time around the loop I saw this extremely buff Hispanic man jogging in front of me. I pass him with ease and start to continue on my way. The next thing I know and this same man has run up beside me and is keeping pace with me. We stayed there locked side by side for what seemed like a pretty long minute before I decided to go ahead and push forward. As I sped up, I noticed he sped up as well. I tried going faster. He ran faster. It then dawned on me.... we were in a race! I must admit I was amazed at how fast this man was running considering I was on rollarblades and keeping a pretty decent pace myself. I definitely never made it to top speed, mainly because I was smiling and about to burst out laughing because of the extreme randomness of the situation. We stayed locked side by side for what seemed like at least 200 meters or more, neither one of us being able to break ahead of the other. I must admit it was pretty intense : ) Seriously though. A race? Finally the man's endurance gave out and I continued the rest of the way to may car. I was just smiling though because of the complete randomness of the whole thing. I just love stuff like that! I just can't wait to see what little random things will happen to me each day. It just makes life that much more exciting!

Dumpster Diving

2009-04-08T21:40:00.000-07:00

So every Wednesday on campus all of the food vendors offer a special $3.00 student lunch. I must admit it is one my favorite days of the week. Lately my campus restaurant of choice is this salad place called Core. It has every healthy and delectable salad topping you could ever imagine (from fresh strawberries to artichoke hearts... it's just amazing!) So for the last several weeks my Wednesday tradition has been to buy one of these delicious salads, eat some of it during my big geography lecture, put the leftovers in the Institute fridge, and then eat the rest of it for dinner as soon as I finish teaching. This weekly ritual was really working well for me and there has never been a single problem with it before. However, today when putting my leftovers in the fridge for later, I missed the note taped to the door warning people about the "spring fridge clean out" that would be taking place this afternoon.
While sitting in orchestra later this afternoon I couldn't stop thinking about the beautiful salad that was waiting for me. As soon as I finished teaching violin, I raced across campus, trotted through the Institute doors, and v-lined it for the kitchen. I enthusiastically swung open the shiny white door only to be greeted by barren and empty shelves staring mockingly back at me. What!?! Where is my salad? I then talked to the missionary couple and much to my dismay I discovered that the fridge had been cleaned out just 15 minutes prior to my arrival. I left the institute building in total dismay. There was nothing I wanted more in that moment then my luscious, flavorful salad While walking through the parking lot to my car, I walked directly past the dumpster. It sat there smiling at me. I don't know why, but it lured me closer and closer. The next thing I knew, I was hanging over the side of the dumpster reaching for the black plastic garbage bag sitting on the top of the heap. (don't worry... I checked the parking lot first to make sure no one was watching because that would have been embarrassing). I rip open the shiny black bag to see my beautiful salad container sitting there right on top. I grab it. It is still cold. I climb down from the dumpster and start walking again towards my car. I just couldn't stop smiling. I was so proud of myself! You better believe I went straight to my car where I sat there gloating and eating my $3.00 salad. Did I dig through the dumpster today to find food for dinner? Sure did! And it was worth every bite!

World's Worst Blogger!

2009-03-08T23:26:00.000-07:00

I am such a horrible blogger and it makes me sad! I don't know why it is so hard for me to do. I can keep my statuses on Facebook updated like my life depended on it, but blogging... well, I'm working on it. It has been forever since I've written and so much has changed and happened... here's a list of just a few things.

Whitney got her mission call to Italy, has left me on my lonesome, and is now in the MTC. I miss her like a child misses their blanky, but I am also so excited and happy for her!
Since Whitney is going to Italy I started studying Italian and it's been fun. The Spanish background has done miracles with my new forming Italian skills. It's been fun!
Christmas break was a blast and a half! I just love my family, our crazy traditions, our matching pj's, snowboarding, and all that good stuff.
Running has become a new hobby of mine... not really by choice. I got talked into doing this relay with some friends and I'm so glad I did! I must say though... if I didn't have the Hairspray, Enchanted, or High School Musical soundtracks on my ipod it probably wouldn't be quite as enjoyable.
I have never ran that far in my life! The Ragnar Relay... 204 miles, 12 people, 2 vans... I contributed a total of 13 miles during the relay and I didn't die! One of the greatest miracles of my life! Plus I made some great new friends and talk about good bonding time while spending 30 hours in a van together.
Too much school! Can I just say I am glad that I won't have to sit through anymore classes after graduation in May for a little while? Why am I so crazy by taking 22 credit hours every semester?
Procrastination is never good... I really should have started practicing more consistently for my senior recital a little sooner. Don't get me wrong I've done an hour or two everyday but now this is where I double it. I am starting to crack down hard core. I'm just not going to let myself have anymore fun till after April 19th! If anyone want's to know where I am they can check the dungeon-like gray practice rooms in the basement of the music building.
Am I going to Spain after graduation? HECK YES I AM! I cannot wait! Two weeks of just seeing all my favorite people and the gorgeous country that I love! Then I'm off to Salt Lake for another fabulous summer of EFY!
Do I love game nights? Sure Do! Tonight we tried to step it out by having a crepe bar and I think it is safe to say it was a total success! It sure was tasty! Does our cute little house fit 50 people all at once. Sure Does! That's how many people showed up tonight and it really was just a good way to hang with all my friends here in T-ville (and I'm not even mad that some of my buddies poked fun at my love of High School Musical... I do not deny it and have nothing to hide!).

Well, I am going to try and get better at this whole blogging thing. I must say Bethany is one of my blogging heroes. She always just has something short and snazzy to say. Bethany, you are my blogging idol (and I say that in a non-creeper, non-stalker way). Keep up the good work girl you inspire us all!

Pretty Dang Lucky!

2008-11-28T22:44:00.000-08:00

Well, I was checking out my friend's blog, saw this list, and in the spirit of Thanksgiving and decided to do it myself. Sometimes you don't realize how much you've done till you sit down and see it written in a list. There are a lot of things I still hope to do before my life is over, but at the same time I realize how blessed I've been and how much cool stuff I've been able to do. I'm just a pretty dang lucky girl.

1.Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band (does orchestra count?)
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice (well we asked the guy how much one cost to ride and decided to use that money towards eating more gelato instead)
29. Seen an eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie (not like a big one, but making little movies in high school was always a fun past time)
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee

So there are some things on the list that I'm glad haven't happened to me in my life time, and other things that I really wouldn't mind doing sometime in the near future (such as #'s 4, 65, and especially 52)... but like I said earlier I have been very blessed and am very satisfied with my life thus far!

Semester in Review

2008-11-21T21:57:00.000-08:00

Well, I know the semester is not over yet but at the same time I can't believe how quickly it has flown by. Here's a little bit about what's been going on in my life the last few months. School started for me Monday, August 25th. I finished up with EFY and spent some time with the family and I actually ended driving back to Tucson and Sunday the 24th... yup the day before school. I wasn't worried though because I figured there would be lots of time to settle in after school started, but boy was I wrong. Whit and I have managed to travel about every other weekend and the weekends that I have been herein Tucson have been filled with activities, concerts, and whatever random stuff goes on here. For example I was in school for 4 days and then I drove with my sister, my roommate Heidi, and my buddy Fabio back to Salt Lake for Labor Day weekend. It was a blast of a weekend filled with water-skiing, visits with dear mission friends, a BYU football game, and lots of family. Long story short though... I never ended up "getting settled in" here and I spent almost 2 months living out of my suitcase and sleeping on the couch in the backroom (which I must admit was very comfortable). The good news is that I am back in a bedroom like a normal person and Whit and I are our sharing our silver bunk beds like the good old days. Well, so here are some other highlights and random facts about this semester:

I am taking 22 credits this semester which I know is a lot but that's what you gotta do turn a 5 year program into a 4 year program, and I am determined to finish up in May without having a crazy schedule my last semester.
I did it... I read the Vampire books (also know as the Twighlight series)... and the verdict? Honestly, it's like reading a book soap opera, and yet it is so addicting and I couldn't put it down. I am definitely not one of those Edward lovers or anything though... I actually thought Jake seemed more like a real person and I like him better most the time. So yeah, I read over 1,700 pages about Vampire romances during the first 4 weeks of school. Yup I am pretty cool.
I started practicing the violin and everything again. I mean that is my major, but after the mission I definitely was a little rusty. It's all coming back slowly but surely.
Whit and I have been pretty inseparable and I wouldn't have it any other way. This is our last semester together as college students (did I mention her mission papers are in... yup, next time we are together we will be young working "grown-ups".... It really makes me sad though... this whole growing up thing.
Las Cruces Trip # 1- family photos.... trying to get all 9 of us to be looking at the camera while also smiling was quite the crazy challenge and it's always an adventure at the Robb house. We also went to our brother Joe's orchestra concert which definitely brought back a lot of high school memories, mainly because most of that music we also played in a similar concert back in my day.
California Trip #1- Uncle Dean got married in the New Port Temple in October. Since we already needed to be there for the wedding we decided to make the most of our California visit by staying in a beach house right off the coast New Port Beach and it was amazing. Three days on the beach surrounded by all of my little cousins building sand castles and burrying each other... does it really get any better?
Jenny Visits Arizona- Utah EFY friends in Arizona? Heck yes!
High School Musical 3!!! I know that most of the people that are as enthusiastic about High School Musical as I am haven't even reached puberty yet, but so what? I love it, and you better believe that I saw HSM3 with Whit opening weekend.
Whitney turns her mission papers in- I am so super excited for her, but it does make me miss the mission even more. We should know where she's going this week!
Las Cruces Trip #2- Halloween weekend... Joe turned 16, Sam was dressed as a star trooper, Rock Band, I got to visit with Katrina (one of my favorite high school friends ever!), haircuts, pedicures, etc.....
California Trip #2- Friday- Disneyland-free, no lines, 25 rides in one day, plus it really the happiest place on earth-nuff said. Saturday- New Port Temple, Wahoo's Tacos, sitting on warm sandy beach while watching the sunset, and most importantly visiting with Hermana Cresine, my newly returned mission companion. Hermana Cresine's homecoming talk.

Well, this is some of the stuff that comes to mind at the moment. Life is dandy but busy. Honestly this blog entry is horribly long and probably horribly boring for most of you reading this (that is if you got this far), but I'm sure one day my great great grandchildren will be able to look back on this blog and learn a lot about their great great grandmother and her crazy collage life :)

EFY Junkie

2008-10-31T23:44:00.001-07:00

Okay, so I really want to catch everyone up a little bit about what I did this summer after the mission before I start blogging about all the current stuff going on in my life. The basic nutshell version is:

I came home from Spain and spent an entire month with my family in good ol' Las Cruces. (I literally spent all my time with them and it took me several weeks before I even started looking up all friends.)

I travelled to Tucson for the weekend to catch Whitney's amazing senior recital.

We went as a family to our annual week vacation in New Port, California. (The first time that I had worn a bathing suit or swam in 20 months). I just love the beach and we went deep sea fishing which was a blast!

Whit and I then went to Scottsdale to spend a few days at a resort there with uncle James, Kristen, and Katie plus all our little cousins.

Whit and I then headed with some of her friends (which are now my friends) to Havasupai in the Grand Canyon. We back packed 10 miles in, spent a couple of days jumping off of waterfalls, swimming in gorgeous blue water, and just having an awesome time. I then backpacked the 10 miles out at midnight so I could drive with a couple of friends to Utah to be there in time for my EFY training meeting.

Yup, EFY. When I was a participant during high school I had decided that I wanted to be an EFY counselor someday when I grew up. Well, the summer after the mission seemed like the perfect time to fulfill that dream. While I was still in Spain my dad applied for me for the job, but because I was still on my mission I was unable to have an interview for a position. When I got home in April they told me my only option to work with the EFY program would be to be a volunteer counselor in Salt Lake. So there I was in my 1st training meeting for what I thought would be my one week of EFY couseling experience. My plan was to do one week to say I did it and spend the rest of the summer selling baby clothes at my uncle's store. During that first night I was a little bit nerveous just because I still hadn't really been forced to be "social" since the mission and you know those recently returned missionaries have a pretty bad rapt of being socially inept.

Well, long story short. During that 1st week of EFY I fell in love! In love with the kids, the programs, the other counselors, the teaching, the testifying, the blue and green polos, the games night, the variety shows, the dances, the devotionals, and not to mention what we call EFC (especially for counselors). I felt like I was as close to being back in the mission as I could be without actually being a missionary again. I just felt good all the time. I felt like I could make a difference, and it felt good to know that I was literally just donating my time for what I considered a worthy cause. Well, one week turned to two weeks. Two weeks to three, etc... and the next thing I knew I had volunteered for all 6 weeks of EFY in the Salt Lake area and then the summer was over. It was just a blast though and I loved every minute of it! I spent my spare time visitting all my Utah family and just trying to live it up (including going on dates and stuff again which is definitely an adjustment from mission life). Nothing got me more excited though then starting a new week with the Sunday night counselor training meeting. I literally was addicted to EFY and I couldn't get enough. I was and still am an EFY junkie!

Best Decision of my Life

2008-10-03T21:38:00.000-07:00

So this next week is the 6th month mark of me being home from my mission in Madrid, Spain. It makes me so sad to think that I have really been home such a long time, but it is true that not a single day has gone by when I have not thought about my mission and my experiences there. I must admit though, my mission now feels like some strange wonderful dream, something from a past life, something that was not quite real. I think that is mainly due to the fact that a mission is such a different world then the world that we live in during our daily lives in just so many ways. My mission did really happen though and I am so eternally grateful that it did.

I really never planned on serving a mission. As a young girl in elementary school I did think I would serve, but only if I got sent to some really cool place like Brazil so I could take the Gospel to all the primitive natives living in the Amazon Rain forest. (I mean that would be really cool don't you think?... I imagined myself wandering around the jungle in sandals, wearing colorful cloth skirts, and eating lots of crazy raw meats and bugs and stuff). Well, as I got older and became more involved in my studies the idea of a mission seemed like something that just wasn't for me. I saw myself as a musician and a student who had a passion for humanitarian work and travelling, but I could not picture myself being the type of person who could ever serve as a full time missionary. People often asked about my plans when it came to serving a mission and my answer was always the same. "If the Lord wants me to serve, when I'm 21 he'll tell me." Well, I turned 21 one and life continued as usual. I will be forever grateful though for that moment which is still so vivid in my mind when I knew that I was suppose to serve. No questions about it. There were a lot of different emotions and tears, but I happily put my papers in within a week's time. One week after that I flew off on a plane to backpack Europe for 6 weeks with some girlfriends.
I know it wasn't a coincidence that the first place we traveled to was Madrid. The Lord actually has a sense of humor too considering he called me to serve in the place that I had decided would be my last choice as far as places I would ever like to serve (lets just say I didn't have a very good impression of Madrid my few days there). The Lord knows best though and 3 weeks later while in a train station in Vienna, Austria I called my brother from a payphone and he read me my mission call and I was shocked but knew instantly that Madrid was where I needed to be (mainly to redeem myself from the judgments I had placed on the people there). Now looking back I know more than ever that Madrid, Spain was the perfect mission for me.

I also ended up spending 4 and a half months of my 18 mission visa waiting in Texas which I also knew was the place where I needed to be at that time. Denton and Hillsboro, Texas will always hold a special place in my heart. Honestly, Hillsboro was like a foreign country to me. I have never been in such a small town with such southern culture before in my life ( I even had to learn how to understand what they were saying in their super strong accents and southern vocab). I loved every moment of it!

I really wish I had a way to accurately describe what my mission was like and what it meant to me, but that really is impossible. All you need to know is that I love the people of Spain (especially Madrid) with all my heart and the Gospel more than ever. I loved my mission President and his wife and I could not imagine having serving under the inspired leadership of anyone else. My companions were all wonderful and I have made so many new eternal friends. I have never felt like I was in "my element" more than while I was serving as a missionary. Although it was at times challenging, it felt like something so natural to me. I knew that's where I belonged. It were as if all of my life's experiences up to that point were preparing me for that year and a half. The hardest thing I have ever had to do was leaving Madrid, but I know that since the 1st day I arrived in the MTC I have changed in so many ways. I brought home with me a wealth of treasured memories, knowledge, and understanding. I gave all I could while I was there and yet still feel like I received more. It has been hard picking up where I left off here in the real world, but it has been worth all the sacrifices. Like I said, serving a mission was the best decision of my life.

I don't really know how to do this!

2008-07-14T22:39:00.000-07:00

Well, I hear blogging is quite the hit now-a-days, so I thought I would join in on the fun! Hopefully I can get this thing up and running soon!