It only comes once a year!

What's that you ask? My birthday! lol. On May 13th I turned 23 years....young. :) Well, actually I can't get used to the 3 looming after that 2... yet. I don't know why it feels so much older than 22. Oh well. I got to celebrate all weekend long.

So, on my actual birthday I went out to Texas Roadhouse for dinner with my grandparents. They had never been there before.  I think that my grandpa really enjoyed the atmosphere actually. They almost let it slip to the waitress that it was my birthday, but I stifled that revelation before it could be uttered. I did not want to sit on that saddle and be whooped at!! haha.

Then Grams made me an angel food cake with strawberries and whip cream. So good! And, my mom sent me some flowers. They made my whole apartment smell wonderful! I even got a few presents, and that always makes you feel special, doesn't it? Dad actually got me my new snowboard, which is fabulous. Thanks Dad. :)

Then on Friday I convinced my friend to take me for a motorcycle ride. Yay! I love those rides. Someday I will get my little dirt bike working so that I can really learn how to ride for myself. And, I went that night with a huge group of friends to see the new Robin Hood movie. Honestly, I did not expect much, what with Russell Crow portraying my hero. But, I was pleasantly surprised. The movie was good...not my favorite by a long shot...but good in it's own right. The scenes of the English countryside made me think of Landon.

Saturday was the fun day, though. The weather FINALLY shaped up. The sun came out. The rains ceased for the day. The temperatures reached up to 70. I was so stoked. We had decided to celebrate my day with a BBQ at my grandparents' house. I think about 25 of my friends showed up. We grilled hamburgers and hot dogs, played badmitton and volleyball and ladderball, hung out in the backyard, and played Just Dance on my wii inside. I must say, I love my friends so much. They made my birthday pretty darn fun. I've attached a video of the festivities for your enjoyment. :)

So, I also like my cousins' birthday interviews...but I will modify mine a little bit to fit me. :) Here ya go....

1. Height and Weight: 5' 7" and 130lbs...This hasn't changed in years, and I'm totally good with it. :)

2. Favorite Color: Purple and green.

3. Favorite Movie: Lord of the Rings for sure! But, my favorite movie of this year would have to be How to Train Your Dragon... I loved it!

4. Favorite TV Show: Hmm...can't say I watch too much TV. But, I do love LOST. I'll watch Chuck and the Big Bang Theory when I can find the time, as well.

5. Favorite Music: Fall Out Boy.... yes, still! Nickel Creek and Sugarland come in a close second and third, though. I will really listen to anything besides rap and grungy junk.

6. Favorite Food: Pasta, yum! and bread. I love bread.

7. Favorite Hobbies: Snowboarding for sure in the winter. I also like hiking and going to the beach. I love reading. My favorite book of the year was Life of Pi. I love to play the piano, my guitar, and flute. I love country swing dancing and trying new things. Is it weird that I miss going to school, too?

8. What do you want to be when you grow up? Can't I just find Neverland?? Well, I suppose I can't, so someday I hope to have a job that I love, but more importantly...someday I will get married and be a mom. Of course, I see that happening no time in the near future...but it is the end goal and I'll look for the opportunities to get there. :)

9. What makes you happy? Being with my family. Being with good friends. Being with my cats and my rabbit. 

10. What makes you sad? Simple...being away from my family for long periods of time.

11. Where would you go on vacation if you could go anywhere? Australia! I would surf and go to the Great Barrier Reef. Go down under in the outback. Learn the accent and maybe catch myself a really cute Aussie. ;) If I could, I'd sidestep to New Zealand and see the sites of Lord of the Rings, as well.

12. Thoughts about the past year: It's been a whirlwind of a year! Landon and I got close when we was living here in Logan with me. It was a little sad to see him leave in August. But, I know that he will be a fabulous missionary, and I know that he is having a really good time in England. I took my last semester of college in the end of 2009. My feelings on this are sooo mixed. I was ready for a break from classes, but I miss being on campus and being around people my age all day long. Entering the "real world" came by way too quickly for me. I am considering going back to school, once the money is saved up, to get my teaching degree for English. Do you think I could handle teaching? I'm giving myself just a little time to think, so that I know what the right choice is for me. I moved out my grandparents, and it has actually been a really good experience. I like the independence. I bought my first car. I love it, even with its quirks and shortcomings. I got a second job. It really pushes my comfort level, and I am learning a lot. I keep trying to play the dating game, but I've come to the conclusion that it's a lot of dang work. I seem to attract a lot of creepers, haha. Overall, the year has been good. Time has passed slowly and I continue to look for the good things and the growing experiences. I can't wait to see what the next year brings me! :)

Baby animals galore

This past Saturday some friends and I went out to Wellsville to go to Baby Animal Days. There were little muchkins everywhere! and that's not including the little animals. ;) It was actually pretty fun. I'd never been out to the American West Heritage Center before, so it was neat to see all of the replicate buildings and people in costume. I'm a fan of history, so those kinds of places are fun for me.

We got to see lots of baby animals, which were scattered throughout the place. The little goats were so stinkin' cute. There was one that took command of the highest bucket in the cage, and he was so intent on keeping it for himself that he fell asleep up there.

There were little bitty turtles, baby lambs, and loud obnoxious piglets. There were also a couple giant snakes that you could hold for a dollar. I'm not sure what that had to do with baby animal days, but oh well. And, even though I didn't hold it, I want you all to know it didn't freak me out, my Dad just taught me way too well how to be a cheapskate. :)

We could even hold baby bunnies, chicks, and ducklings if we wanted.

What do you think? Should I keep him? If only they didn't grow up...

This year's highlight was the baby bears from Bear World up near Yellowstone. Well, they were the highlight for Heather anyways, lol...she gets far too excited when there are bears around.

I saved the best for last! The amazing WHITE peacock. We looked up and there he was, flirting with the four ladies surrounding him on the nature walk. Like a giant cotton ball, or terrible spider web, whichever you choose, in the trees. It was pretty cool.

A little bit of family time does a person good :)

So, my family came up to Logan for their spring break this last week. I was sooo excited to have them here!! I miss them a lot because we're always so far away from each other. I took my campus job off for the week, so that I would have more time to play with them.

Bryce and Kelsie had never been up to the wind caves in Logan Canyon, so we all hiked up there on Monday. It was the perfect temperature for a hike. Not so hot that you get all sweaty and gross, but not so cold that you have to pack up a big ol' coat. Woofy even got to come with us. It was fun to finally get outside after being cooped up in doors all winter long.

Dad told me that I had to take Bryce dancing with me on Wednesday night. Dad doesn't believe that I actually know how to country swing...I'm not sure why. So, Bryce was sent to be a spy, I guess, and maybe to pick up a few moves to take with him back to Forks. Jared tried to show him a few. And my cousin Michelle came along, too. Honestly, I'm not sure how much Bryce or Michelle enjoyed it...they kinda just sat on the walls all night, except for a few minutes when I taught them. But, I still love it, plus it's a good work out, lol.

Oh, haha, I also convinced Bryce and Kelsie that they had to come see How to Train Your Dragon with me, because neither one of them wanted to! But, I thought that it was good. It was predictable, but very cute, and in 3D it was awesome.

We were planning on going to Targhee on Saturday, but storms made that hard to do, so on Friday, we all drove up to Snowbasin to spend the day on the slopes. Logan decided that it would be a great April Fool's Day trick to dump snow the day before. I was so looking forward to Spring! But, the foot of new powder was fun to play in. I have missed snowboarding soo much this season! This was only my third time this year, when last year I went fourteen times. So, I got a little sore, working all my muscles again, but it is so much fun!

Bryce, Kelsie, and Dad even strapped on a board for the first few runs of the day, while I got to test out my new board. I'd been riding the same board for eight years or something like that, so it was definitely time for a new one that actually fit me. Dad took a few good wipeouts, so maybe now he will appreciate that snowboarding is not as easy as he likes to believe.

Mom's best friend from high school, Laura, also came to go skiing with us, which I thought was a way good thing for my Mom.

And, as my family has to undertake the long drive home today, Easter, I made them color eggs with me early. It's a tradition! You just can't not color eggs for Easter, no matter how old you get. My Mom even gave me some of my favorite flowers, purple tulips. :)

The next six months should be fun...

Notice anything different in this picture?

Good! Because you shouldn't! :-)

My mom decided that this would be the perfect time to put me back in braces. Yes, those fabulously shiney metal pieces glued to your teeth that do naught but cause pain as they push your teeth around.

Oh well, I did have one crooked tooth on the bottom that was causing the rest of my front teeth to begin to tilt. The orthodontist said that it would get worse, so I figured better now than later. And the braces are only on the bottom, and it's only for six months this time! I suppose I can handle that, lol.

I'll remember to wear my retainers this time around...

And Then There Were Two

I got the job! Woowho! I must admit that I am slightly nervous, but that's what happens whenever I have to deal with a new change. It should be a really good thing, though. I am supposed to work for about 20 hours a week, mostly from home. I will be interviewing people and researching places and projects. It will be my job to create a blog and write about everything that is going on. So, now I have two jobs. I should be good to go, for at least a little while. :-)

I found out that I had the job last Friday I think, so I celebrated on Monday but going up to Beaver again. It was a fabulous day! No lines, the sun was shining, two new feet of snow, lots of powder....great day, even if I was up there alone. I managed to even land my first rail - it was sweet. We'll ignore the fact that it was a really small one, lol. ;-) I worked on jumps and tree runs, too. I literally boarded until my legs burned and gave out. :-) I've decided that I need to come down to Salt Lake sometime and go to a bigger resort. So, if anyone wants to go, you should let me know.

I'll eventually get someone to come boarding with me, so I can get some pictures.

The rest of my week was relatively unexciting...I cleaned, worked my campus job, played around. Did I mention I'm on a old movie kick? I think I watched three Audrey Hepburn movies this week, as well as "Some Like it Hot" with Marilyn Monroe, and it was hilarious! Plus, a magician came to FHE last, which totally brought back memories of Landon and I putting on magic shows. We had lots of fun back then. :-)

So there is a plus side to not having a full-time job....

.... you can play a lot more. :)

I don't really have any pictures from my adventures as of late, but it's been fun. I'll work on taking more pictures.

First, I finally got around to seeing Avatar this week. I had seen the trailer a long time ago, and I was excited about it.... fantasy and sci-fi movies tend to be my favorites... but I couldn't get anyone to come with me. Heather finally came with me this week, and I LOVED it. Admitting this may make me even more of a nerd, but that's okay. :) The 3-D was great, as well.

And then there's always dancing on Wednesday nights. I'm part of the country swing club at USU, and I must admit that it is some of the most fun I've had in Logan. I didn't think it would be at first, but I was proved wrong.

It also finally snowed this week!! yay! Over two new feet of snow in the mountains so I finally got to go snowboarding! It was so much fun to play in the powder with my friends. I'm a little bruised, but it was so worth it. I remember now how much I missed snowboarding.

On a side note, I had an interview this week. It's a historian position in town, so if I got the job I would be writing about the company's projects, updating the website, and things like that. It's actually the third one I've had with this company so wish me luck!

Now, I realize that blog posts need pictures, so here are some from my trip home a few weeks ago. :)

When Life Throws You Changes

Okay, so here's the deal... I've had this blog set up for literally years. I was just trying to avoid using it as long as possible, but then I graduated and got bored. So, I thought that using a blog would help me fill up some time, and it will at least help me keep up on my writing skills. :) I am actually kind of bummed that I'm not going to classes today on campus with everyone else.

Well, I graduated in December, with my lovely degree in English. I'm still not sure exactly what I will be doing now, but it will come to me. I have a very part time job as a Publications Assistant on campus, so I need to stay in Logan long enough to fulfill my commitment there. I'm currently looking for another job. One, so that I am not so bored all day long. Two, so that I can pay for all of the other changes in my life.

While my parents were in town for my graduation, my dad and I spent two full days car hunting. Man! I tell you, I never want to do that again. It's so much work, and sales people are so annoying! I did win overall, though. I bought myself a 2002 Ford Focus. The best part? It's an awesome green! I just have to re familiarize myself with driving a manual, but it's going well.

.

And, just this week, I moved out of my grandparents house, by the command of my father. I must admit that I have mixed feelings about this. On the one hand, I value my independence, so this is a good thing, and my roommate is one of my good friends. She's great and the apartment is in the Blackhawk condominiums in Logan and it's really nice. On the other hand, I have a very hard time dealing with change. And, I think it's kinda silly to move across town, away from family, to start paying rent when it's not necessary. Oh well. It will be a good growing experience for me and I guess that's what matters. :)