cruisin'.

good news for me....happy dance happy dance!

i just signed up for my LAST SEMESTER OF COLLEGE!

seriously though...i am so close to being done. & that means it's time to start planning my congrats to myself present!

luke & i are hoping to go on a cruise in may (depending on when sweeps are at my work, since you can't request vacation during that time) to celebrate me finally being done with 6 years of classes, homework, tests & headaches.

it's been a long time coming, & quite the wild ride, as i'm sure most of you will agree.

i am so happy to almost be done & close that chapter of my life...i'm sure you all are too hehe. going on this cruise AND graduating are crossing off two huge things on my bucket list, & i'm so excited!

before i grow up & continue my job, all while looking for opportunities elsewhere, we are hoping to hit up a cruise out of GALVESTON, TEXAS, so we can see my brothers & their families before we go.

anyone have any travel tips or tips on what kind of cruises you prefer? any suggestions on what places to visit, & why?

all suggestions are much appreciated. we can't wait for this! especially me, since it means i'll finally be graduated!
(well almost..i'll walk in the spring, & do my senior seminar over the summer. but still! it counts!)

seattle, part 3!

on top of the space needle.

finally at the chelsea game! (for those who don't know, that's the whole reason we went! chelsea beat the sounders 4-2, so all in all it made the trip a great success!)

back to real life.

ally & i sitting outside enjoying the utah weather.

did i mention i hate utah weather, officially? it is far too hot, especially for someone who fries in the sun.

either way, it has been hard to get back to real life. wish me luck, cuz i need a LOT of motivation to finish working at starbucks, finish freelancing at fox, & still work at criddle's, all at the same time.

Seattle, part 2: pike place.

Seattle, Part One

holy crap i love the emerald city.

& i have never been more sad to come home from a vacation, ever! be prepared for a lot of photo posts, guys. i took entirely too many while i was there.

watching the sunset our last night there (& eating ice cream.)

i tried crab legs for the first time! loved it.

at the chelsea vs seattle game.

luke took this pic RIGHT as i was about to divulge in a big old bowl of clam chowder. super attractive.

the library.

life decisions.

almost 10 years ago i fell in love.

i fell in love with the interstate surrounded by trees in neat rows,

the one-way streets of portland,

the jutted rocks of cannon beach.

i always told myself i would live there, someday. seeing how i'm most likely graduating in december (FINGERS CROSSED!) i'm starting to think ahead for these sorts of things. granted, i might wait to move until luke finishes school (yeah, i like him that much...weird) but oregon is on my list. (not to mention after 6 months in oregon, you get in-state tuition! rad!)
other states i'm considering applying for jobs in are colorado, nebraska (i would love to go back to omaha), as well as virginia or D.C. area.

i love you utah, but i think it's almost time for a change!

my awesome little sister.

my little sister casie leaves today for a 2 month adventure.
she is going to amsterdam, france, germany, italy, england, belgium...all over europe. she's doing it BY HERSELF, too. how freaking rad is she???
she leaves today, & i'm pretty sure i'm going to miss her, slash hate her for how awesome her life is, slash live vicariously through her.
if you'd like to live through her adventures too, follow her blog here. i'm hoping she'll post ALL THE TIME so that we can make sure she's still alive.


she decided a few months ago that she wanted to go on this adventure after a lot of issues with nursing school (why does college have to suck so much?) gave her a semester off. at first i was just JEALOUS. i mean, REALLY?? living abroad in europe would be phenomenal. 
so now i'm looking closely at how my sister did it, & it seems so not as expensive as you would think. she's doing WORK AWAYS, which is where you work at a home in exchange for free food & rent. i've been looking up some places in florence & southeastern france, & there's a lot: everything from hard labor to volunteering at "spiritual camps" to working at a bed & breakfast.
the places where she isn't doing a work away, she's staying at a hostel. hostels may have a scary vibe to them, but they're so cheap & a lot are right within public so it seems relatively safe.
with that leaves airfare, train fare, museum/recreation costs, & misc food (&, if i were to go, wine. my sister won't be doing that though.) she says her total cost will probably end up a little closer to 4-grand. but now that i'm looking at it, that's aiming high.


with that said, i'm starting to seriously consider copying her in a year. if i'm lucky, i'm going to graduate in december, & rather than immediately start working for corporate america, why not go on an adventure?!? i told luke about it & he's down to start saving his money. i won't know exactly when to go until i know more about when i'm graduating. it could easily be next summer before i go. but i'm making it happen..it's been on my bucket list for forever, so why not!?!
CHEERS TO EUROPE! i'm making it happen.

moab deux!

this is luke & his best friend amy. she is awesome! her grandma is one of the most adorable people in the world, and she was in daughters of utah pioneers with my grandma! amazing.

our first morning there. we drank mimosas and watched football. it was so relaxing!

luke kept being annoying & purposefully not looking at the camera...he loves pushing my buttons ha ha :)

the condo was so nice! very spacious...

shawn, amy & i.

like i said before....delicate arch is my favorite!

also like i said before, none of us really knew each other prior to this trip. but everyone was so much fun!

our condo also had a hot tub...EPIC. i got in it 2-3 times per day. here we are with bryce & lindsey on our last night there. (ps i love how pasty i am compared to everyone else. embarrassing.)

the second day there me, amy & leslie went into town to buy milk & ended up walking around the cute little city. 

see part one pics here.

MOAB, part one.

so last weekend luke & i went to moab with a bunch of random people. his best friend amy invited a few of her closest friends to her timeshare down there...we all knew amy but none of us knew each other. the other couples there were in their 30's, so i was kinda nervous that i'd be a little too immature for them..ha ha!

but turns out it was the best vacation ever. amy got such a great group of people to go...we all got along immediately & had such a fun weekend!! here are a few of my favorite photos:

bryce turned 34 while we were there..his girlfriend made him this delicious lemon cake. notice anything wrong with this picture? ha ha ha ha.

hiking.

loved the name of this little record shop in town.

possibly my favorite picture of the trip! seriously, the delicate arch hike is a MUST DO in utah. it's one of my very favorites!

laying under delicate arch.

more photos soon.