2009.

i hope everyone had a prosperous and exciting 2009.
it's so weird to me that it is almost new years..! where did this year go? it flew by!

but this year was still a good one. i had a great year of living in logan, meeting new friends, saying goodbye to old friends, making goals, going to school, and such.

here's some of the great memories of 09:

st patrick's day at adam's

we got both our dog and cat this summer
(within a week of each other!)

met some hippie friends while road tripping in montana.

i gave away sweet zeusers in may <3

i miss this boy with all my heart.

hung out at bear lake, at casey's beautiful cabin

(with a great view!)

finally saw the redwood forests (that's been a goal of mine for quite some time)

got to go camping with the family i used to nanny for. it was great.

learned to play the guitar.

so far i can play pink floyd, jewel, rocky votolato, green day, and lynrd skynrd.

went to sand hollow for some cliff jumping, camping on the beach, and good company.

discovered logan's amazing hiking trails one june day.. in the rain.

pine view with my favorite girls.

not to mention i got to  move into a cute little house with my best friend!!

and we've had many adventures.

i hope everyone's 2009 was all you hoped for. and i hope that 2010 is better! i'm in the process of writing up some new years resolutions. i want 2010 to be my year.. my year of being the best i can be!

cold beauty.

the best pizza...

can be found at salt lake city's the pie.

it's 40 inches of sheer greasy, cheesy, meaty goodness.

and we love it.

also, i've decided that mixing kaysville and logan friends is a good idea.

it was a very fun christmas break overall. i loved hanging out with my family, watching a christmas story, sharing a bed with my littlest sisters..

my favorite gift?

my nebraska cornhuskers snuggie. so warm and so comfy. haha. a few people have made fun of me for getting one, but i was super excited about it.

hope everyone had a fantastic christmas!

happy christmas eve.

christmas is a great time of year. i am excited this year because it's going to be a smaller christmas for my family. usually we have pretty big christmas's but this year is going to be a little different.
and to be honest, i'm excited.
it will be nice to remember the true meaning of christmas.


i will be going home to see my wonderful family tomorrow, and i am so excited!! i've been up in my little snow town working, and on the lookout for a new job that will give me more hours. also working on writing cover letters and essay entries for internships and schools.
yikes.
tonight, however, i got to have a little fun. thanks to a great christmas present from my good friend alex, i spent the evening making a pretty rad light fixture for my bathroom.

it took FOREVER but i totally love it! here's a close up of what each individual light piece looks like:

i sure do hope my roommate, miss emily beth, likes it! we will see when she gets home from new york/colorado. lucky gal.

here's who i've been spending the break with:

my little meow meow.

seriously.

she meows all day, every day.

think about it.

"One of the penalties for refusing to participate in politics is that you end up being governed by your inferiors."
-PLATO

christmas is in the air..

winter is actually kind of beautiful.
who knew?
:]

birthday pictures!

a bit late, i know... but here are pictures of me & some of my family on my 21st birthday...

rachel, kylie, my dad, me, & casie

this is why my family rocks.

:]

this weekend was a lot of fun because i got to go home to see my family for our sibling gift exchange. my niece grace drew me this year (aka my sister-in-law vanessa, haha) so i got a super cute jacket from her. i picked rachel so i got her some perfume spray and eyeshadow. i've decided 12-year-olds are impossible to shop for. do they still want toys? or makeup? what kind of makeup is even cool for a 12 year old? hahaha. it proved to be difficult but i think rachel ended up liking what i gave her. :] 

the best part was getting to see my family. i love playing with my nephew, holding my niece, talking with my sisters, joking with my brothers, and seeing my amazing mom & dad! even though i only live an hour away from them, i don't get to see them very much so it is a lot of fun when i do get to hang out with them.

  i love them to death!

this week in general was great. my friend hannah has been nice enough to hang out with me a lot since my roommates are gone.. we've watched tons of movies, made lots of popcorn, and made christmas break in logan a lot of fun thus far!

happy holidays!

thoughts on love.

"Love is a temporary madness. It erupts like an earthquake and then subsides. And when it subsides you have to make a decision. You have to work out whether your roots have become so entwined together that it is inconceivable that you should ever part. Because this is what love is. Love is not breathlessness, it is not excitement, it is not the promulgation of promises of eternal passion. That is just being "in love" which any of us can convince ourselves we are. Love itself is what is left over when being in love has burned away, and this is both an art and a fortunate accident. Your mother and I had it, we had roots that grew towards each other underground, and when all the pretty blossom had fallen from our branches we found that we were one tree and not two."
-St. Augustine

feeling a bit stir crazy..

thanks to the awful stomach flu

i've had to call in sick the past 2 days for work.

at first i thought it'd be a nice break, to watch movies, catch up on LOST (which i'm obsessed with, btw), but now i'm feeling really really cooped up!!

anyone want to come entertain me?

i've watched all my movies.

and caught up on lost.

my house needs to be cleaned, but i have no energy. it seriously takes all i have to stand up. what is this awfulness?!?!

ugh.

:[

winter wonderland.

logan is a ski town.

you think i'm kidding, but only in logan:

-do you see a kid on a four-wheeler pulling his siblings down the busiest street in logan 

(which was totally dead due to the crazy storm)

-could you hitchhike a ride to beaver to hit the slopes

-do you have to sweep off your car every single time you want to drive. this includes the time it takes to run inside smith's to buy a drink before work (roughly 5 minutes).

-do you have to sleep in snow gear, from the boots to the gloves to the winter coat. oh, and 3 pairs of sweatpants.

:]

winter in logan is quite the adventure.

i've been working every day up in good old logan. it's nice to be able to relax, not think about school. i need the break!

i'm excited to spend some time with my family, though. i'm going home for the sibling gift exchange this weekend, and also have 2 sisters with birthdays this month. my family is the greatest; i can't wait to see them!

on an unrelated note, all i do at my job is read. i just finished harry potter 7 in 2 shifts, much to my disappointment. 

i've also read the alchemist, which is a great  book. but what now?

what kind of books do you guys recommend?

ladies and gents...

THEY are coming.






& i could not possibly be more excited. should i buy my dad a ticket for christmas?? he is bound to be as excited as i am about this amazing news. 
ho hum.

he's back!

one of my great friends returned home from his mission todayyy.
and is probably going to come see his long lost logan friends this weekend.

woo kyle woo!

it is 2:30 am. and yet i am not asleep because i have work off tomorrow and therefore have NOTHING to do.. it feels nice. so here i am blogging and having a discussion with my good friend david stewart (over facebook chat). also, reading up on my favorite website. 

ah, the simple, stress-free week after finals.

you are my favorite.

it's about people.

The health care bill has managed to get past the House of Representatives, and is slowly going over the bumps in the Senate. I've been having a few discussions with the other Political Science majors from both parties. Most seem to agree that the health care bill is a good thing, and will greatly benefit citizens of the US. But I have encountered a few conservative friends (such as my dear roommate emily). As I've discussed with them I've listened to their arguments, given it a fair chance, weighed it out, discussed it with others, researched it. And I have yet to agree with those people who are against the health care bill.
First of all, think of the health care reform as car insurance. Everyone must have car insurance to drive a vehicle, so shouldn't every man have health insurance in order to work? Or survive, for that matter? 
How much should a person with limited income have to pay for an emergency room visit? 
Or how long can a person go without going to the doctor for a medical condition, because they can't afford it?
These are questions that citizens of our country ask themselves on a daily basis. Are they going to get by? What if one of their children breaks their arm; how will they afford it?
Some people I have talked with have expressed that doctors will suffer a noticeable pay cut if this bill goes through. That would be stressful and hard, but seeing how most doctors make over 300K a year, a cut back to 100K still puts them in the "upper class" boat, and still far more wealthy than the people who can't afford health care.
Another argument, and so far the most valid, is that it creates the Robin Hood "socialism" effect; by the rich supplying the poor. However, I've already seen many changes in the health care bill. By the time it passes through it will be quite different from the original bill, and far more conservative than one might think. Thanks democracy!
If you're wondering what all the fuss is about, take an in-depth look at the health reform website here.
You can also check out this article and this if you want to know even  more.

“Whether or not you have health insurance right now, the reforms we seek will bring stability and security that you don't have today.

This isn't about politics. This is about people's lives. This is about people's businesses. This is about our future. ”

- President Barack Obama

my empty house..

it's only been a half hour since two of my favorite ladies left to go home for christmas..

leah (from san jose, ca)

&

emily (from colorado springs)

:[

my house already feels so empty! i'm staying in logan for the majority of the break to work.. and it's going to be so quiet! 

luckily, i have some other friends who are staying in town for the break..

hooray!!

in other news, my finals are finally over! finals week is awful... i'm one big ball of stress! so glad that school is over with. even though over the break i am going to write several essays for internships.. it seems like school never ends!

i am definitely blessed to be in school though. it's been the greatest experience of my life! happy holidays.

my winter survival checklist.

1. Comfy boots to help you brave the walk to campus...

2. hot apple cider from the library coffeeshop. 

3. headphones, which serve as earmuffs AND entertainment while you study.

 4. good company :]

 

 

end of the semester.

two finals down, two to go.

& after this week, you're looking at a big bad senior at utah state.

:]

although i'll probably end up sticking around longer than i originally anticipated (due to changing my major in the spring). utah state is one of the greatest things that has happened to me. i've met so many people whom i've grown to love, and i've learned a lot about myself. 3 years living on my own has taught me so much! while i've learned a lot in all of my amazing classes, i've also learned a little bit about real life..

1. the dishes don't do themselves like i thought. (turns out that was probably my mom doing them when i wasn't noticing.)

2. you can't put tin foil in the microwave.

3. my favorite side dish requires FROZEN green beans... not canned.

4. you can't mix whites and darks in the washing machine. it just doesn't work.

5. air fresheners are one of the best creations ever. (they're constantly disguising the smell of burnt food, old shoes, and pets in my home.)
6. to jumpstart your car, connect the BLACK to the BLACK and the RED to the RED. reversing the two usually ends badly.

7. in logan, be prepared with a snow scraper ALL months of the year.

8. the kroger brand is just as good as the other big name brands.

9. always rotate your tires when you get an oil change, so that your car doesn't end up pidgeon toed (like poor Shaniqua did).

10. if you love life, life will love you back.

these little lessons, and more, are what has made the past 3 years of college WORTH IT. there have been so many excellent memories, and i sure can't wait for the next year or two of MORE amazing friends and times.