Comings and Goings and Everything In Between

Camping and Hiking at Crater Lake (July 2 – July 3)

Six of us headed to the mountains for a fun night of camping and hiking the next day. Our adventures were complete with tin-foil dinners, delicious s’mores, a homemade hammock, and beautiful scenery!

I even got a bouquet of wild flowers!

Fourth of July

Independence Day is one of my favorite holidays. I am so glad I live in this wonderful country and this holiday is a chance to reflect on how truly blessed we are to call the USA home. We have so many comforts, freedoms, and privileges given to us. I went to a BBQ at a friends house that day and enjoyed some good company and ate a traditional 4^th of July hamburger. A group of us then met up for some fireworks that night. It was raining so hard, but that didn’t stop us from sitting in the car and watching through rain smeared windows while singing along to “Proud To Be An American!” Can you get more patriotic than that?

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Girls Weekend at San Juan Island (Thursday, July 8 – Sunday, July 11)

This was a fabulous vacation. Typically vacations are run, run, run and when you get home you need a vacation from the vacation! Well, I’m happy to say this vacation was truly how vacations should be… peaceful, relaxing, and very enjoyable! Aside from my oldest sister (missed you Jen!) all us girls were there. We flew in to Seattle and thus began our adventures. We drove onto the ferry and went across to the San Juan Island where we spent the next three nights in a cute little house we rented for the weekend. I will document our trip through pictures (there are a lot)!

On the Ferry Heading to the Island The house we rented was directly across from this gorgeous lavender field

Ashlee did a great job driving this huge people mover!

Lime Kiln was a beautiful place

Scrunch picture at Lime Kiln

Go Karate Kid Marcela!

We visited the American Camp and the English Camp while we were there. It was fun to learn some history

We enjoyed an evening of frolicking and picture taking in the lavender fields

Does vacation get any better then simply chillin'?

We even got a little golf in- Great face Jess!

First Haircut

More chillin'

We loved the big hay bails, so Katie had to get a picture!

Mom with an Orca

Loved the random speed limit!

We traveled on my birthday, so we partied the night before!

We met up with Ryan and Brent at a Park before we headed to the airport. It was great to see them for a couple hours!

I came home to a sign and delicious cinammon rolls. It was a fabulous end to a great birthday and trip!

Cassie and Kirk’s Reception (Mom in town) (July 15 – July 19)

I always enjoy when Mom comes into town. We have such a good time. I was bummed I had to work so I didn’t get to maximize my time with the Momisita, but we did get some good hanging time in. The reason for her trip to Colorado was Cassie and Kirk’s wedding reception on July 17. Annie was up past her eyebrows in wedding planning and Mom was able to lend a helping hand and I’m sure provide some encouraging words. The evening turned out beautifully. Congrats Cassie and Kirk!

Sunday Jared, Katie and the boys came over for dinner and games. I enjoyed spending the evening with family!

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Relay For Life (July 22 – July 23)

As you know it has sort of become a tradition for me to be a Team Captain for the annual event, Relay For Life. This is a fundraiser for the American Cancer Society where you get a team together and a member of your team has to be walking around the track all night long! It goes from 6:30pm on Friday until 6:30am on Saturday. It really is an all night party! I think I got a total of 30 minutes of sleep that night and that was spread out between 2 different cat naps! It really was a fun time and this year was definitely a success. My team (there were 31 teams in all this year) had 38 people show throughout the night. My team’s total fundraising effort came to $523.62! $228.62 of that amount came from our on-site fundraiser, “Quarters for Change” where we requested donations and lined the track with quarters to see if we could make it all the way around. Well, we didn’t make it all the way around, but we did make it about ¼ of the way around which I guess was quite fitting! Yes, some people donated change that was not quarters, but we’ll take it! It was a fun event!

It was a Pirate theme and my Team name was "Scallywags"

Help! I'm stuck in a tent! There was water we were trying to dump out.

The few who made it to morning!

St. Mary’s Glacier RS Hike (July 23)

The Saturday that Relay ended was also the day of our RS Pioneer Day Hike. So, of course, I went even after only getting home and getting a short hour nap before heading out the door again. We went to St. Mary’s Glacier. It was a really short hike, only about a mile round trip, but it was a good climb though. It was a pretty area and a pretty day, good times!

The other thing that is new for me is the calling I recently accepted to be an Ordinance Worker at the temple. I work the Wednesday evening shift. I started on August 21^st. I think I will really enjoy it. I love the peace and the respite from worldly concerns that the temple provides.

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That is all from me folks. Hope everyone is enjoying the summer! Love you all!

Motivation

Victory! I just ran down that mountain!

I’ve thought a lot lately about motivation and what causes certain things to become priority over something else. I’ve come to the conclusion that priorities are constantly shifting and motivation can be a number of factors. One constant priority to me is service. That one is a an easy one, but what takes priority in the remaining little bit of time you have? Lately, it seems that getting in shape has been my top priority. Even when I get home at 10pm I have to get my workout in. The interesting thing is I feel great, I have more energy, and I am way more awake during the day even though I get less sleep. What’s my motivation you ask? Well… there are a number of reasons but the main reason is I don’t like who I am when I can’t even run a mile without dying! Yes, it was that bad, and it took a drastic measure for me to get motivated to do something about it… I hired a personal trainer. Audra is a friend of mine and she is awesome. I’ve met with her twice, and yep that was exactly what I needed to get me working out on my own. I’m not going to lie though… I absolutely dread working out with her… I feel stupid and embarrassed that a “basic” workout kills me so bad. I am happy to report though that I am in much better shape now then I was a month ago and I even weigh less now then when I graduated from High School- crazy! Don’t worry, losing weight was NOT one of my goals, so don’t think that was why I wanted to get into shape. Anyway, I guess the real test will be how I do in the next training session… stay tuned!

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So, in my attempt to get in shape I ran the “Run the Rockies 10K race on June 12^th. This is only the 2^nd 10K I have done in my life, but it was awesome! I finished in record time- 57min and 24 seconds! The fact that the race was entirely downhill, and in a gorgeous mountain setting running alongside the creek definitely helped! For not training and hating running I was very pleased with the result.

Megan, Ashlee, and I who ran the 10K

Before the race... scared to leave the warmth of the car!

I’ve also had some marathon days like last Monday (June 21^st) when I went straight from work and worked out with the R.S. Exercise Group (playing basketball), attended FHE, played some ultimate frisbee, played some tennis, played volleyball, and ended the evening with a nice refreshing drink from Sonic hanging with some friends. It was a fabulous day! I got home at 10:55pm- I love days like that!

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Every Thursday is tennis night where I encourage everyone, regardless of skill level, to come out and play. It is always a good time. I even got to play tennis a couple times with Jared over the past couple weeks- love that!

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On Friday, after taking Jared to the airport at 6am I decided to go on a bike ride and enjoy the beautiful Colorado morning. A long bike ride turned longer when I got lost, but overall the 16-17 miles were very enjoyable. The very next morning I met up with a friend at 6:45am to do another 15 mile bike ride. Again the weather was perfect and I couldn’t think of a better way to start the day!

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So, you can see I have made working out a priority and I’m loving it! Here are some other things that have occupied my time aside from the times I am going to for run or getting a quick workout in:

Cassie’s Bridal Shower

Aubrey’s Bridal Shower

Jamie’s Baby Shower

(Three showers within a week’s time… I’m kinda all showered out!)

Special Ward Temple Trip

Bowling- Best Score Ever at 187! I even got a turkey (I think that is a first)!!!

Hanging with Jared. He made a delicious dinner! I invited him over for dinner the following Sunday, but his dinner was much better!

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YSA Roadshow- Yes, I even had a part where I was on stage! We modified the Little Mermaid story to be a funny YSA dating skit. I was one of the waitresses in the “Kiss the Girl” song where they were on a first date. There are some very creative and talented people in my ward.

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Attended a Dance Competition to support Kimberly, a friend. Marlies, another friend, and I had to leave my house at 6:15am to get there in time. Kimberly did great and it was a lot of fun. We couldn’t stay long though, because we left straight from there to head to the all day YSA Conference. The YSA Conference was complete with Keynote speakers, workshops, and a dance. Good times!

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Attended a baptism for a gal who is now officially a member of our ward. Valerie is awesome, it surprises me that she hasn’t been a member her whole life! I really do enjoy attending baptisms, there is always such a great spirit.

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So there you have it. Life is still crazy, but life is good. What should I be motivated next to tackle… finances??? With Sean’s help perhaps I can!

Flyin' High

Hello all! So, I have to tell you of my adventure last night.... it was my friend Megan's birthday and she wanted to do something fun to celebrate. So, she chose to go Indoor Skydiving and invited a couple friends to come along. I FLEW! It was way fun! My friend Tina said I looked like a walking highlighter. The flight suit they gave me to wear was extreemly bright! The video doesn't do it justice... I'll get some pictures posted later. Anyway, here are a couple vidoes of me flying. It was much harder than I expected it to be, but it was super fun!

I loved bouncing across the wind tunnel to the exit. It really was fun!

Quick Trip Home

So, last weekend, (Fri, May 21^st - Sunday, May 23^rd) I went to Utah. It was so nice to chill at home… I enjoy being home to spend time with Momasita and see Jess and her cute kids. Such a great family I have! Jess picked me up from the airport and I just hung at her place and the mall for bit before she took me to Bountiful to meet up with Mom. After Mom and I did a little shopping we heading home.

It wouldn’t be a trip to the mall without a stop at Chick-fil-a! Love that place!

Saturday Mom and I did yard work, ran errands, baked a cake, watched a movie, put the flag in the display case, did dishes, and relaxed! I know you will all be shocked to learn that there was no Scrabble played this weekend- it was very sad, but there is always next trip! :^)

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Sunday, Mom had to teach Sunday School. I’m glad I was home for that. She is so talented and such a great teacher. She did a great job! After church Jess, Sean, and the kids came out. Sean treated us all to a fabulous dinner of wantons! Thanks Sean! Sadly though my time in Utah did come to an end and it was back to the airport for me.

There was no plan this weekend, there was no agenda, there was no schedule. It was fabulous! It is always a welcome change from the normal comings and goings to simply chill with people I love! Thanks for a great weekend!

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This past week has been nothing out of the ordinary…

Monday I worked and then went straight to exercise group, FHE, and volleyball.

Tuesday I worked and got to be home for all of 45mins before heading out to employment night.

Wednesday I worked and went straight to dinner with a friend and then I helped stuff envelops for a friend’s wedding until 10:45pm.

Thursday I worked and went straight to the courts for tennis night.

Friday I got to enjoy the day running errands and then met up with a friend to work out.

Saturday I ran errands, planted tomatoes, helped Ashlee clean her apartment, went to a movie and ended the day, and the week, by sitting in the hot tub… does it get much better then that?

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So, its been an eventful, productive, and relaxing week. Love it! Enjoy your long weekend everyone!

New Toys and Fun Weekend

I know, shocker that I am updating my blog and it’s only been a week! I have a few minutes before heading to a dinner, so I thought I would share my fun weekend stories. Before I do that I wanted to give a shout out to all you Mothers out there. Thanks for your endless selfless service! Have a very HAPPY MOTHERS DAY!

I had Friday off work since I worked 4- 10 hour days this week. It makes for long days, but I definitely enjoy my day off! This week it worked out that I since I had Friday off I was able to attend Brandon’s Graduation Luncheon. It was held at Cinzzetti’s which is an Italian buffet. It was pretty tasty and the company was great. I gave Brandon a pin that says “Me, Meeee, Meee Meee!” since it was his day. Congratulations Brandon that is quite the accomplishment!

Jacob was enjoying hanging with Shabi

I recently purchased a new table and was on a quest to find chairs. So, Friday afternoon after the luncheon Katie and I (along with the boys) went out chair shopping. It was a fun afternoon, I wasn't sucessful, but it was still fun. Friday evening wrapped up with Brandon’s graduation bowling party. I didn’t get a strike all evening, it was very sad. I still did okay though with scores of 125 and 121. I had a good time hanging with the Showell Clan.

Cayden's first time real bowling (The Wii doesn't count!)

So, Friday morning, my table got delivered… or was supposed to be delivered. They came, the delivered a table, but it wasn’t the correct one! So, I had to go back to the store and point out the table they delivered and the table I wanted delivered. They asked when I wanted it to which I replied, “I was expecting it today.” Friday was already booked and they were unable to fit another delivery in that day. So, they asked how early they could come on Saturday. I told them any time after 6:00am. They said they would get it to me by 7:00am Saturday morning… they were here at 6:35am! So, the good news is I now have a table!!! YEAH!!! I don’t have any chairs yet, but I’m working on that.

The WRONG table- its nice, but not what I bought! My New Table -the CORRECT one

Saturday morning a bike shope was having a big bike expo, so I went. Yep, I came home with a new bike and a helmet! Now that I have a vehicle that can transport a bike, it make is much more convenient to own a bike. I’m excited. It will be fun to go riding and enjoy the beautiful Colorado days while staying in shape!

Saturday evening was filled with mini-golf and a fun party. I did good mini-golfing… I got 3 hole-in-ones! One of those was because my friend’s ball hit mine in, but hey I’ll take it! :^) I got a score of 43 on an 18 hole course- Not too shabby!

My Group - Wrong Sport Chris!

The Other Group

After we had a our fun golfing we came to my place to party. There was a good group that came… about 15 people in all. I learned a new game… “4 people on a couch”. Pretty exciting title, I know. Anyway, it is easy enough to understand, but quite a challenging game.

Matt playing the Chicken Flying Game from Wii Fit Plus

All in all it was a fun evening. We also played catch phrase, wii, ate food, and visited. I don’t think it gets any better than that. I’m assuming everyone had a good time since people stayed until 12:30am!

Trista is all worn out from a fun party!

Now I’m off to enjoy dinner with friends. Have a fabulous week everyone!

Time Well Spent

Have you ever wondered where time goes and how in the world you are to get everything done that you need to, should do, could do, or want to do? I often wonder that and I have no kids! I can’t even imagine how all you mothers out there get things done- you are amazing. I’ve only been home five months, but it sure didn’t take long to settle back into my busy life. I’m not complaining, I quite enjoy my life since most of the things that occupy my time are quite enjoyable things. When you are constantly busy, it does, however, make it a bit more difficult to find the time to update your blog. :^)

Goofing off after snowshoeing- it was a beautiful CO day!

Anyway, here is a glimps into my life. This was my schedule from last week, and it was a pretty typical week in the sense that I had something going on every day:

Monday

7:00am – 4:30pm Work (I was supposed to leave at 3:30pm, it would be nice if that ever happened!)

6:15pm – 7:00pm Exercise Group

7:00pm – 8:00pm FHE

8:00pm- 8:45pm Volleyball

9:00pm – 10:00pm Dinner with a friend

Tuesday

7:00am – 4:00pm Work

7:00pm – 8:00pm Employment Night

8:20pm – 9:00pm Taxi service for someone to get home

Wednesday

7:00am – 4:00pm Work

7:00pm – 9:00pm Jared and the kids came over

9:30pm – Midnight Friends came over and we just visited

Thursday

7:00am – 4:00pm Work

5:00pm – 6:00pm Temple

*We were supposed to play tennis tonight, as I am starting up Thursday Tennis Nights, but the weather did not cooperate. I wasn’t feeling too great that night, so it was probably a good thing. It was actually a pretty relaxing night, I think I even read some of my book (Glimpses by Sister Hinckley)!

Friday

7:00am – 2:30pm Work

3:30pm – 4:00pm Made chicken enchiladas

5:00pm – 6:00pm Went running with a friend

9:00pm – 10:00pm Talked to a friend

Saturday

8:00am – 9:00am Paid bills, played on facebook, checked e-mail

9:30am – 11:00am Went on a bike ride with a friend

11:00am – 1:00am Went shopping and bought a new table (no chairs though... working on that!)

2:00pm – 3:30pm Helped a friend move

6:00pm – 9:00pm Went to the Stake Luau

9:30pm – 10:00pm Bought the ingredients to make a cake for the next day

10:30pm – 11:30pm Prepared my employment speech to give in Priesthood the next day

Sunday

9:00am – Noon Church

12:30am- 3:00pm Baked a cake

3:00pm – 5:00pm Wrote blog

6:00pm – 8:30pm CES Fireside with cake contest after

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So, it may seem like I have a lot of time, but don’t forget to account for travel time, getting ready time, the time to handle all the little unexpected things that come up, the time to stop at the store to buy a few things, and the random phone calls and texts from family and friends. I love it! Oh, and lets not forget the time to read your scriptures, the time to make dinner (or simply to find food), to do laundry, and time to keep the apartment in order! I don’t have cable, nor would I watch it if I did- who has time? :^)

Kuwait FHE presentation for the Laredo Branch

In addition to the normal, everyday stuff that occupies my time, I do spend a lot of time with friends and enjoy some fun events. Here are a few I’ve enjoyed since I’ve been home. I have a few pictures scattered throughtout this post from some of these events.

- Parties: Baby showers, Christmas Parties, Game Nights

- Skiiing

- Snowshoeing

- Luau’s (one was a YSA and the other was a Stake Luau)

- Iceskating

- Mammoth Game

- Dance showcase to support a friend

- Banff Film Festival

- Bowling

- Progressive Dinners

- Third Thursday

- Kuwait night presentations (3 separate times)

- Bowling

- Doors Open Denver (This is an annual event the city sponsors where you get to be a tourist in your own town- it was great to tour places that you see and hear of but have never visited all for free!)

- Movie Nights

Group of friends at the Mammoth Game

One of my snowshoeing trips... it was a very eerie looking day, but pretty! Remind me why the boys don't want to date me?!!!

Group of Friends at Myers Ranch Snowshoeing

Snowshoeing wouldn't be complete without Snow Angels!

I love being of service and enjoy the opportunities around me to offer service. I find that service is something else that often occupies my time. Service is one thing I definitely missed while I was in Kuwait (I did a little, but it was much harder to find opportunities):

- Helping people move

- Cleaning the inside of the church

- Taking care of the yard and grounds at the church

- Reviewing resumes or other "calling related" activities

- Attending the temple

- Baking cinnamon rolls to give away

- Letting people talk when they just need a friend who will listen

- Tending my cute nephews

- Giving people rides to the airport

- Baking food for the Luau and helping set up and clean up

- Visiting teaching

- Planning and inviting others to a social event

Bowling with friends- good times!

Syncronized bowling- yep still working on that

Friends at my luncheon between Conference Sessions

Tracy brought fun Easter Cream Cheese Bars to the luncheon

Doors Open Denver at the Firehouse Museum

Friends who attended the Doors Open Denver Event

So, that is my life. Like I said, it is busy, but that is my life and I love it! I was talking to a co-worker and the subject of cooking meals came up. I told her I don’t get the chance to cook very often since I stay pretty busy. She looked at me and said, “you need to get your priorities straight!” I couldn’t help but think, “I do!” I would much rather sacrifice my time for someone else then to selfishly use my time to cook a really nice meal. I do stay busy, but typically I attend activities and events not only because I know it will be fun, but mostly because of who I would let down or disappoint if I don’t go.

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So, whether every minute of your day is planned for you, or whether you have a few minutes to relax during your day, ask yourself is it time well spent? I hope the answer is YES!

All Aboard!! Model train at Union Station