Summer in a Nutshell

Aside from the things I've already posted about, so much has happened this summer and I just don't have the time to fully expound on how wonderful each event was. So here's a little summary of a few happenings of my fantastic summer.

The best senior trip ever with the girls to Park City. It was the perfect week to eat, sleep, talk, shop, swim, soak up the sun, and basically do nothing. Thanks to Melissa and her family for letting us use their timeshare. :)

Rebecca turned 12 and was able to attend girl's camp for her first time!

My cousin Shalona won tickets to an early showing of Harry Potter 7.2 and invited me and a friend! We also went with her sister and her friend. It was incredible. And how appropriate to end my childhood with the ending of my favorite childhood series. This was also the day I cut 15 inches of my hair.

Summerfest! Mom and I volunteered one night, and Karissa and I enjoyed the dancers and music the next night. We bought matching Indian bracelets to wear and later went to a movie in the park and watched, "Tangled." It was a good girl's night out while the rest of the fam was at girl's camp.

Fish Lake. :) The Regis' are so awesome and let us stay in their cabin. It was a great few days to just relax and enjoy nature, as well as go boating and fishing a few times, too. We also took family pictures! First time in like 6 years. Wahoo!

Two days after Fish Lake, we went backpacking in the Uintahs. It was the first (and only) time I was able to go backpacking all summer and I was glad I could go. We had lots of fun, and Rissy did a great job on her first ever backpacking trip. 

Melissa, McCall, Lisa, and I spent one last morning together before we all head our separate ways around the state. We enjoyed a delicious all-you-can-eat french toast breakfast at Kneader's and didn't rush our time in the slightest. Who knows when we'll all be together again! It better not be too long... 

My summer flew by so fast I don't think I even blinked. Last night I got a fortune cookie, and the slip of paper read to me ironically, "You are just beginning to live." Tomorrow I'm headed off to college to start new adventures, and I guess, 'begin to live.' So here I go! Wish me luck as I leave the nest, spread my wings, and fly. 

Lately, I Like...

• Going to the park and lying on a Levi blanket to study.
• Listening to someone play the guitar on the bench while studying at the park (makes me feel like I have background music to my life. Something I've always wanted).
• The new "look" of my outfits with my haircut.
• Facebooking my new roommates.
• Getting into all the classes I need to for fall semester after being on several wait lists.
• Playing guitar and learning songs from this guy.
• Melanie and Marko on SYTYCD.
• Writing in a gratitude journal.
• Classy things.
• Surprising Becca with a cell phone.
• The smell of my stethoscope.
• Pulling out all the stops while playing the organ.
• Guys in glasses (not the nerdy kind).
• Whole wheat bread.
• My new graduation gift (laptop) for school.
• Workouts with Melissa.
• Anything Aggie related.
• Learning everything CNA-- even after 12 hours of classes and studying each day.

P.S. I think I stand for most my age when I say I feel my childhood has come to a close after watching the final movie of the final book of the most incredible series I grew up with since Elementary. Ah! It was amazing. 

Snip Snip Snip

Well, some lucky child is going to have 15 inches of my hair because today I did a little chopping. This will be my third time donating to Locks of Love. It feels so good!

I love how every time I chop off my hair, there's always someone in the salon watching because they're waiting for their hair to dry, color to set in, etc. They always make some comment. Today, a lady said, "You are one brave soul." I was thinking the same thing as Maureen said, "Okay, ya ready?" as the snip snip snipping of her scissors went across my hair. "It's okay," I thought. "I've done this before and it'll grow out." When I got in my car after the appointment, I just looked in the mirror and stared. Then I kinda whimpered/cried out loud. My hair is gone!! Ah! But it's okay. It's completely worth it for a child who has leukemia or any other disease that prevents them from growing their own hair.

Before and after. It's gonna take some getting used to, but I love how light and healthy my hair feels now. Another great thing... this prevents me from getting married. I want long hair when I get married, so this gives me at least 3 years. ;)

Whoppin' 15 inches!

This is the first time since I think my first year of life that my hair is now shorter than my mother's. Weird... mark this momentous moment in your book of world records.

Happy 4th

I know it's late, but happy Independence day! I had a wonderful weekend with my family and friends. Saturday I went to Stadium of Fire with Melissa (super awesome), and Monday I spent the day with the fam camping outside, hiking Ensign Peak (the long way), Orange Leaf frozen yogurt, playing games, and watching movies and fireworks. It was great way to spend the holiday.

I also happened to watch this I'm a Mormon video on the 4th. It gave me the chills. I'm so grateful for all the military men of the past, present, and future who sacrifice so much to ensure that we, as Americans, are free.

And speaking of I'm a Mormon videos, my super amazing friend Lisa is in one! You can see it and read her profile here. What a great way to build the Kingdom. I love how she's in New York City on billboards, being a missionary without actually being there! It makes me so happy. She's incredible.

How to Be a Tourist in Your Own Town

1. Decide from where you are visiting and speak in an accent the entire time.

{Mayfair, London, England}

2. Strap on a backpack, bring a water bottle, wear a big cheesy grin, have a camera in hand, and create a sweet foreign hairstyle.

3. Tour with a cousin, friend, or anyone of your choosing from that town to obtain the most experience possible.  

4. Get super, fantastically excited. 

5. Take many photos with your touring buddy. 

6.Take pictures of buildings, landmarks...

7....old books... 

8...nature... 

9...the beauty of the patriotism of the town/state/country you are touring... 

10...famous places, tan lines from shoes, beautiful skies, and anything else you can think of! 

11. And don't forget to end with a smile and a summary of the what you learned on your tour. 

"We are all about making your own decisions in Utah." 

College is Coming!

This is a picture of my future roommate, Brooke (on the right), and me in front of our future dorm! Miss Brooke came up from Vegas last week with her friend Megan. We spent an evening roasting s'mores and having epic adventures around my hometown. The next day we ventured to Utah State campus to explore and get some Q's answered. It was just a party and a half knocking on our dorm door, to discover an old lady living there who wasn't going to give a second thought on letting us in, savoring Aggie ice cream, touring the Institute building, talking to advisors, and exploring the beautiful campus. We also took a side trip to see the Logan temple and eat at The Bluebird. Going up to Logan with Brooke got me pretty pumped for college. I also talked to a girl on Saturday who's doing the same nursing program through USU/WSU that I'm planning on doing. She was super sweet and answered a gazillion of my questions, and now that I somewhat understand what I'm doing, I'm even more excited! Being a nurse is going to be the greatest.

Washington

Boise Idaho Temple

Blessed bathroom break

Columbia River Temple

Gum Wall at Pike Place Market

Delicious Russian Piroshky

Asparagus is big up there right now

Seattle

Old antique shop

Gig Harbor

Ryan and Megan's Wedding!

Snapshots at the wedding

Some waterfall I can't remember the name of...

Leavenworth...cute little Bavarian town

The real Australian Tim Tams. So good.

Someday, when I can cook, I'll say this. ;)

Tractors!

Cute lil' farm

Aplets and Cotlets tour

Cousins!

Shoshone Falls in Idaho

For a complete, accurate, funny description of the trip, visit my sister's blog.

Some pics via Savanna