year in review

I've been thinking a lot about this past year and how fast it has gone. I've been trying to remember all that happened to me; all that I experienced that was life-changing, difficult, or just plain silly. Here is my run-down of the past year--2009--let's see how much I remember.

JANUARY--
I almost got in a car accident on Bangerter Highway (I hate that road). It was on the stretch between 10600 and 11400. To sum it up, road covered in ice...tons of break lights all of a sudden...cars sliding all over the place (including mine). I fishtailed and came really close to hitting the car in front of me. Luckily I didn't hit anyone and no one hit me. I was so shaky the rest of the drive home.

Also, my best friend Alicia left on her mission for Virginia. Sad to see her go.

FEBRUARY--
Nothing too significant here. It was my junior year in college. I was still dead set on finishing my communication major instead of switching back to psychology.

MARCH--
Nothing too interesting here except it was still snowing.

APRIL--
Easter was great. This year I got to play the Easter Bunny and hide all the eggs. I did a horrible job remembering where I put them all, though. Sadly, my brother-in-law's sister wasn't able to find all of hers (again, my horrible memory). However, we did find her egg a couple months later...it was way rotten.

MAY--
Mother's Day was the first day that my niece (who was a premie) could go out and mingle with other people. So we took her to church for the first time in her life. Everyone thought she was just a cutie (and she is a cutie!). I also learned about what it means to be a Daughter of God...good talks in Sacrament meetings.

I also found out that my best friend Candice got engaged. We had played phone tag for a while and she left me a message saying that she had something to tell me. I had guessed right away that she was engaged. Now she is happily married.

JUNE--
I started my first internship at USEE. I was a graphic design intern working on creating documents for USEE (a nonprofit). They had a small staff, but they were fun to work with. I just loved working with my supervisor, Autumn. I learned and accomplished a lot working there. I designed mail-outs and their 2008-2009 annual report. Here is a link for the annual report: http://usee.org/images/stories/Annual_Report_Design-CS4M.pdf

JULY--
The highlight of July was my trip to Maui, Hawaii. I went with my aunt Wendy and her family and my grandparents. They pretty much bought my ticket before even asking me if I wanted to go. They said I needed a vacation...desperately needed one, so they forced me to take one. I was glad to go...it was so much fun spending time with my cousins. You can read all about the trip in my Hawaii posts.

AUGUST--
I successfully finished my internship. Hooray!

I also bore my testimony for the first time in over a year. I've been struggling a lot with taht for the past year.

My friend, Jared, got married. Sheesh, all my friends are getting married all of a sudden.

One night I went to a Young Single Adult Summit Fireside. It was at the Tabernacle. Alex Boye' was the speaker there. He is a singer and the only black member of the Tabernacle Choir. He talked about his life and what we need to learn in life...and he was really funny, too...I mean really funny.

SEPTEMBER--Nothing much in September other than I turned 22. Let me think...nope, I've got nothing.

OCTOBER--October had some interesting things happening. I talked with someone I had been afraid of approaching for a while and it went well.

My best friend Candice had her wedding. She looked so beautiful. Some day I will get married...maybe...

I went over to my aunt Wendy's house to carve pumpkins and eat carmel apples (kind of a new tradition). It was fun. The next day wasn't fun. I ended up getting sick with the flu and was out for nearly two weeks after. It was sad...I didn't get to dress up for Halloween. :(

However, a highlight of October was my interview with a member of one of my favorite bands, Flyleaf. I got to do a phone interview with Sameer Bhattacharya...it was way cool!!!

NOVEMBER--November I was pretty much swamped with school. It was getting to the point where I really had to pace myself and manage my time so I could get all my school projects done.

Another great phone interview with another person from a band I like, Switchfoot. I got to interview the drummer, Chad Butler. He was pretty cool and very polite. I didn't expect that in either interview where I was just a writer from a school newspaper.

Thanksgiving was pretty good. I ate TONS of food...more than I usually eat. What can I say, I love turkey and pie, and both were present.

DECEMBER--The first of December was pretty much me finishing final projects and preparing for finals. I was so busy then. I did manage to get everything finished and turned in on time. I found out that I got all A's for that semester...Yay!!!

Christmas was fun. I wasn't sick this year for Christmas, but I did manage to get a little sick for New Year's. Oh well.

Well, that's my year in review. It's been one heck of a year and I hope next year is a lot better. Here we go 2010.

christmas

This is a continuation from my last post. Christmas was also great...probably even more fun than Christmas Eve (it sure wore me out, though).

Every year me and my grandparents get up really early and go see what my younger cousins got from Santa. It's hard to see some of them because they get up so early (as was the case with Hunter and McKenna this year...so we didn't get to see what they got until later...they got up at 5:30!!!).

I did get to see what my adorable niece got for Christmas. It is her second Christmas, but the first one where she somewhat understands what is going on. She was so cute when she woke up. Her hair was sticking straight up. In our family we have all the gifts from Santa spread out over the couches and chairs in the living room, then the kids walk out and get to see all they got. Well, when Karynne walked out she ran straight for my grandpa...kind of cute. Then we pointed to the toys and then she got the hint. She kept going for the books...none of the other stuff until we pointed it out to her.

Next we went to my aunt Tiffany's house to see what her girls got. They got a Wii game set! Fun. My youngest cousin, Morgan, got this baby doll crib/carrier thing--not sure what to call it. As usual she handed me all her toys that needed to be put together (I do it every year). After playing with some of their toys we went over to my aunt Denise's house for Christmas morning breakfast. We do egg casseroles and cinnamon rolls. So yummy!!!

Usually after breakfast I go home and put away gifts and such. But this year I stayed at my aunt Tiffany's house and played the Wii all day with my cousins. It was fun. I did bowling, basketball, and boxing. I think I did 10 boxing matches...I won every time. Man, was that a workout, though. It wore me out (my arms were even sore the next day).

That night we had Christmas dinner at my aunt Denise's house. We had turkey, rolls, jello, salads...just a ton of good food. Then I played some more Wii...this time bowling and sword fighting. I was the champ of the night. Not bad for not touching a video game in over a year. ;)

Well, that was my Christmas. Thanks goodness we weren't snowed in this year (like last year). I hope everyone else had a good Christmas too!

christmas eve

Sorry, I have been slacking this past month. It's just been crazy with finals and then Christmas. Speaking of Christmas, I had a wonderful Christmas this year. It was tons of fun.

Every year it is tradition for our family (aunts, uncles, cousins on my mother's side) to get together at one of my aunt's house for Christmas Eve dinner. This dinner consists of spaghetti noodles and my grandma's famous homemade spaghetti sauce. We also have salad and garlic bread. This year we had a special treat for dessert...CHEESECAKE!!! I love cheesecake, if you couldn't tell. It was way yummy, too. So smooth.

One reason why we hold Christmas Eve at my aunt's house is because every year Santa Claus comes to visit. We have no idea who the guy is that dresses up as him, but he goes around the neighborhood every year and just walks into people's houses. He hands out candy canes to the kids and, of course, we have to get a picture of all the kids with him. He has no set time he comes around, he just shows up whenever.

I spent the evening watching movies on my aunt's big screen TV downstairs. We watched Miracle on 34th Street and While You Were Sleeping (it's not a Christmas movie, but we all love it in my family).

Every year we also do a pinata for the kids. To make sure everyone gets the same amount of candy we divide it up into ziploc bags and then stuff them in the pinata. It's always fun to watch my cousins beat the pinata. This year it was a snowman. My little niece took a whack at it this year. She was really cute. Also, my 2nd cousin (who is 5 months old) got to try with her daddy...she is just a darling little thing. Of course, my older cousins really beat the snowman up (they've got quite a swing). It eventually broke and the kids dashed for their candy.

For some reason we didn't leave that night until about midnight. I was half asleep on the couch wondering why we hadn't left yet (we usually leave when the kids go to sleep).

This post got so long...it looks like I will have to write about Christmas day in another post.

family...

I am thankful for my family. They may not get me at times, but I'm they are my family.

snow tires...

I am thankful that I FINALLY have snow tires on my car. I've been pushing my luck way too long (I usually get them the end of October, not the end of November). Also, I'm thankful this semester is almost over (though I could use a few extra weeks with all the projects I'm juggling). I'll get there...eventually.

angels...

I have been thinking a lot lately about the people in my life, both in the past and the present. I look back and I've had angels with me as I've struggled through life. Angels who have been there for me, supported me, helped me not to give up or do something that I would later regret. There really are angels, and they may be someone we least expect...but they are real and they are there.

my counselor...

I'm thankful for my counselor. She has been a real big support for me while I've been going through this "crisis" of mine for the past year and a half. I've been to other counselors before and never felt like I've really connected with them, let alone be able to talk to them. For me, it's a BIG deal to be able to feel comfortable and trust someone enough to talk to them (it doesn't happen often). I am able to talk to my counselor (for the most part), and I'm glad to have that support in my life right now. So thanks...

thankful for music...

I am thankful for music...all kinds of music. There are several bands that I love that have created touching, uplifting, or inspiring music. One band that stands out to me is the group Fireflight. They are a Christian rock band, and a lot of their songs (well, the ones that I like) focus on hope, faith, and relying on God. Here are some songs of theirs that have really helped me in my life, just to focus or be reminded of things that I need to be reminded of.


Forever is also another favorite song....I just love their music!



The last one I want to share is You Gave Me a Promise....again, great lyrics.

got home...

I'm thankful I got home alright today. The snow was crazy, especially at my house. The closer I got to home, the worse the snow got (and I still don't have snow tires on my car yet). My tires were barely gripping, and when it came to turn into my driveway, I turned the wheel and just kept on going straight. Fun... Oh, the joys of winter driving. I'm so looking forward to all the driving in the upcoming months (hint of sarcasm).

keeping warm...

I'm thankful that I have several things to keep me warm in winter (because I hate being cold). I'm thankful for the heater in my car and that it works (one winter it didn't work...brrrrr). I'm thankful to have a nice winter coat to keep me warm when I walk around campus or go feed the horses in the morning. I'm thankful to have a roof over my head to keep me safe from the winter elements. I am thankful for blankets to keep me extra warm in my room at night (it gets really cold in my room). Yes, I'm thankful that I am able to keep warm.

rain

I'm thankful for rain. I love rain: the sight of it, the smell, the sound...I just love rain!

my car

I said I was going to make another post about something I am thankful for. I am thankful for my car. It may not be the best car in the world, but hey, it gets me from point A to point B (and it keeps me warm in the winter and cool in summer while getting from point A to point B). It has been a good car, just had the usual wear-and-tear expenses (particularly this year). It gets pretty good gas mileage and has survived being buried in snow drifts two winters in a row. And it has gotten me home in some not so pretty winter storms. Yes, I'm thankful for my car.

not snowing and the little things...

I am thankful that it is not snowing right now. I still need snow tires for my car and have not been able to afford them (and won't be able to until my next paycheck). So I am thankful that I haven't needed them yet...but I don't want to press my luck too long.

I'm also thankful for the little beauties of nature. Being a photographer has really helped me to see beauty in even the most unlikely of places. It helps me to notice the little details that make up the whole of what we see every day. We get so used to the world around us that we don't notice the little things. I'm thankful photography taught me that.

i am thankful for...

So I was on Facebook this morning and someone made a post about saying what they are thankful for every day from now until Thanksgiving. I'm going to give that a shot on my blog.

Today, I am thankful that my photo assignment is done and ready for the critique today. I'm thankful for photography and that I can use it as a creative outlet.

flyleaf news article

As part of the communication major at my school I have to be a staff member for the school newspaper. Now me, I'm not into journalism whatsoever...but while working on the staff of our school newspaper I've become more tolerant of it. It also, recently, has had its perks. For the newspaper all the staff writers rotate through different sections. My last section was Arts and Entertainment and I chose to write an article on the band Flyleaf, their new album, and upcoming tour (which will come to Salt Lake Nov. 6).

For my article I got to interview Sameer Bhattacharya (in the picture he is the 2nd guy in from the right), one of the guitarists from Flyleaf. It was pretty cool...and let me tell you, it was hard not to act like a crazed-fan. I was really excited and really nervous when I interviewed him. He was really polite, though, and gave me a lot of good information to use in my article. Out of all the articles I've written, that one was probably my favorite. I got to write about something that I was excited to write about, and I think that's reflected in my writing.

Here is the article that I wrote for the school newspaper. It was published Oct. 27 and the issue runs for two weeks. Enjoy and let me know what you think.

“We are not here very long and it’s very important to take advantage of the time you have now to live the life you’ve always dreamed of living,” said Flyleaf’s Sameer Bhattacharya. That is the message that alternative rock band Flyleaf hopes to spread with their new album “Memento Mori” and upcoming tour.

“Memento Mori,” which will be released Nov. 10, is the follow-up to Flyleaf’s 2005 self-titled debut. Working again with producer Howard Benson (known for his work with All-American Rejects and my Chemical Romance), the band produced an album that shows their mindfulness of mortality.

The theme of the album is summed up by the title, “Memento Mori,” which is a Latin phrase that means “be mindful of death.”

“Whether you live to be 12 years old or 90, you’re going to die,” said guitarist Bhattacharya in a phone interview. “We only have so long to live the life we were called to live. Any moment in your life you could make that decision to live that way or not live that way.”

After going through their own life and death experiences the band has learned to appreciate the time they have been given. Bassist Pat Seals says that Flyleaf has grown and matured a lot over the past six years and that growth has contributed to “Memento Mori.”

“We grew up a lot since the first record, and I think that particularly shows in the selflessness that each of us now brings to Flyleaf,” Seals said in a press release. “We’re vastly different people, but we’re united in what we want to say and how we want to say it.”

Their message is to remember that death is just around the corner. But in all that there is still a purpose and a meaning to life and people need to take advantage of the possibilities.

“That’s exactly what ‘Memento Mori’ means,” said vocalist Lacey Mosley in a press release. “Life is important, and it’s brief. You never know when it’s going to be over for you or the people around you. You have to make the most of every opportunity you’ve been given.”

This message is prevalent in each song in the “Memento Mori.” Bhattacharya said it is reflected in different ways throughout the album. “Sometimes you have to look for it and sometimes it’s just right in your face,” he said.

After six years of writing, Flyleaf looked over the 13 songs that would become “Memento Mori” and saw how they came together to form a parable. Mosley described the songs on the album as chapters in a story. She said the story serves as an example of the life lessons the band has learned over the years and they hope to pass those lessons on.

“We have learned to be more grateful and purposeful with the time we are given,” said Mosley. “Perhaps someone will come away from the story and be more grateful and purposeful with their own life.”

One of the songs in the story, “Again,” focuses on not wasting time worrying about the things in life you cannot change or don’t have control over, but to let them go and trust that good can come of it.

“We take those big things we can’t handle and surrender it, and it’s a relief,” said Mosley in a promotional interview for “Again.” “We keep walking and live as good as we should so that we are helping, not hurting.”

To promote the album, Flyleaf will embark on a tour which kicks off Oct. 29 in Los Angeles. The tour will arrive in Salt Lake City on Nov. 6 at the Murray Theater. Flyleaf took the “fans first” approach and chose to perform in smaller venues there they are hoping for more intimacy with the audience said Bhattacharya.

The concert will include a song set featuring hits from Flyleaf’s first album, such as “I’m So Sick” and “All Around Me.” They will also perform songs from the new album.

Touring with the band will be Paper Tongues, a band that fuses elements of rock, funk, rap and soul. Bhattacharya describes them as a “really amazing” band with a strong message.

“It is like the Flyleaf message, which is that hope is real and love is real,” he said.

Flyleaf describes the theme behind “Memento Mori” as timeless and is a message for everyone. “We try to reach everyone,” Bhattacharya said. “This is a record that transcends all genres and demographics.”

carving pumpkins & caramel apples

Since I won't be joining in the festive delights this Halloween (I'm still way too sick to even think about it) I decided to do a post on what I did before I got sick.

On Sunday night we went to my aunt's house. She invites us over for dinner a lot (and we are due to her house again this Sunday...hopefully I'm feeling better by then). Also on the agenda that night was carving pumpkins. They started inviting me over to do that with them last year (and before that I hadn't carved a pumpkin since I was in high school). It was a lot of fun, and I was glad that I was able to do something related to Halloween. Here is how the night went:

We got there and had navajo tacos for dinner....I haven't had those in such a long time....it was so good. *note: my aunt Wendy and uncle Ingolf are the chefs of the family...we always joke they should open a catering business. * It had your usual toppings such as beef, beans, lettuce, salsa, olives, cheese, sour cream...etc. Way good!!! We used any extra dough to make scones and topped them off with honey-butter (also good).

Usually dinner at their house is pretty interesting...never boring. My cousins Dayton and Keaton are the reason why. Keaton (he's 15 I think) is just silly, and Dayton (18) is really blunt. He is going to school to be a nurse and let's just say he is more than willing to talk about what he has learned. The topic that night was breast and testicular exams...I'll spare you all the details. His dad kept joking about what I hear at their house and tolerating it, etc. I said after spending over a week with them in Hawaii I was pretty much used to it.

After dinner we got our pumpkins from outside....it felt like it was 20 degrees out there. Needless to say, our pumpkins were frozen...and so were the insides we found out when we were cleaning them out. I don't have a problem with pumpkin "guts" or cleaning out my pumpkin. I'm perfectly able to...but it was so cold on the inside of the pumpkins! I eventually got mine cleaned out, picked a pattern and started away.

My aunt had discovered a new way of carving pumpkins online. It's supposed to be easier. You start out by carving a whole on the bottom of the pumpkin instead of the top to clean it out. Another difference was instead of putting your pattern on and poking holes where you are supposed to cut, you trace on the pattern using carbon paper. Why the heck didn't any of us think of that sooner! I don't think it takes a genius to figure that out...but it worked really good. A lot of the time is taken by that blasted hole punching...so the tracing really helped. Then you carve away like normal, but make sure the pumpkin is thin enough where you plan to carve.

Last year, since I was very rusty, I chose a pattern that was slightly difficult. Don't get me wrong, the pumpkin turned out great. No mistakes whatsoever. But it was very time-consuming. We left at 11:30 that year (way too late and I had school the next day). This year I picked an easier pattern. My grandparents very eagerly agreed that it was a good choice (afraid I would change my mind and pick something that would take all night).

...wow, this is turning out to be a longer post than I thought it would be...

In short, I got done by 9:30 that night. We also had some caramel apple that my aunt and uncle made. We had two kinds, one with caramel, dark chocolate and nuts, and another with caramel, white chocolate and powdered sugar. I was all over the dark chocolate ones....Yummy!

We also had a "competition" to see whose pumpkin was the best. My cousins (and uncle) are very competitive...they were even offering one of the boys' old trophies as a prize. We had a vote, and alas, my pumpkin did not win. Oh well.

All in all it was a fun time...and I got to do something for Halloween.

flu and hallween woes

So, I went to the doctor last night (I haven't been feeling too good all week). It turns out that I have the flu. Now I don't know whether it is H1N1 or the regular flu, they didn't test me for it. Where it's not a concern, and I'm not in the priority group (baby, elderly, pregnant, other health problems) to be treated, my doctor said there really was no point in getting tested. For one, they are saving the treatment for those who do need it, and two, I would have had to start it the first day I felt symptoms. I'm on day four as of today. Plus there are some no-fun side effects to anti-virals.

Now for the woes. My first one is for my niece...who is also really sick. She has been running a fever for the past couple of days. I'm afraid I'm the one who got her sick, because I was around her Sunday night (and I woke up sick on Monday). I honestly didn't know that I was sick on Sunday...I felt completely fine until late that night (I'm talking 1 a.m.) when I couldn't sleep because I had the chills). Then the next morning I felt horrible. As for my niece, she has been running a fever and coughing. I feel so bad...what if I did get her sick? I hope she will do alright...but it's really risky for her to get sick. Her lungs were underdeveloped when she was born (she was a premie) and that still affects her now, especially if she gets sick.

The second one is that I've missed a full week of school. I'm trying to stay caught up, but it's hard when I can't do much of anything.

The third one is for halloween...since I'm sick I won't be able to dress up this year. I really love Halloween (well, the Halloween before everything became so dark and evil). I like the fun Halloween: haunted houses, passing out candy, trunk-or-treats, costume parties, dressing up. Dressing up is probably my favorite. I love to dress up and do makeup for Halloween. Also, I like ot make my own costumes (no, I'm not a pro at sewing). By make I mean take scraps/pieces of costumes and combine them in a way that it's a costume. I did hand-sew a skirt two years ago, and added to it last year, but the sewing was not that great. But hey, it worked, it stayed on, it looked cool, and that's what matters. I like to be original when it comes to Halloween. This year I was going to be a witch. Totally traditional costume idea, but I made it original.

Well, I'm going to go sleep now and try to get over this dang flu.

deer in the yard

This is just a random post about the deer that show up in our yard all the time.

Every year when it starts to get cooler the deer start to migrate lower and lower in the mountains. So when fall comes, the leaves start changing color and such I willl come home to about 20 deer in my yard. Mostly it is just does and fawns, and every now and then a couple of bucks. A lot of the does had twins this year...so you will see a doe with two fawns following her everywhere. I've seen three bucks that come around regularly...most of them are two-point...very rarely do you see a four-point down this low...they usually stay up higher in the mountain.

That is one thing I love about living out here--two blocks south of the middle of nowhere--is the deer and other wildlife I get to enjoy. I love animals, so it is great to come home to a bunch of wild deer or turkey. We also have jack rabbits, raccoons (those are annoying), and fox (I've seen them only a few times late at night). Some other wildlife that we have up here that is not so great are the raccoons (they get into everything), but also rattlesnakes and even mountain lions. In my part of the canyon there there hasn't been any mountain lion sightings, but there have been further up and also in the neighboring canyons. Rattlesnakes, I haven't seen one, but we've had neighbors who have spotted them...hopefully I never run into one.

Another plus is that it is so quiet up here...minus the wind (it is almost always blowing up here). But there are no sounds of traffic or the city going on...just peace and quiet...the sounds of nature. We have a creek in the backyard, so there's that sound, too.

again

Here are the lyrics to Flyleaf's new single "Again." I just love this song. The lyrics are really strong and that is why I'm posting them.

I love the way that your heart breaks
with every injustice and deadly fate
Praying it all be new
and living like it all depends on you

Here you are down on your knees again
trying to find air to breathe again
Only surrender will help you now
I love you please see and believe again

I love that you’re never satisfied
with face value wisdom and happy lies
You take what they say and go back and cry
You’re so close to me that you nearly died

Here you are down on your knees again
trying to find air to breathe again
Only surrender will help you now
I love you please see and believe again

They don’t have to understand you
Be still
Wait and know I understand you
Be still
Be still

Here you are down on your knees again
trying to find air to breathe again
Only surrender will help you now
The floodgates are breaking and pouring out

Here you are down on your knees
trying to find air to breathe
Right where I want you to be again
i love you please see and believe again

Here you are down on your knees again
trying to find air to breathe again
Right where I want you to be again
See and believe!

hope

I just wanted to put out there...for the first time in a very long time I have hope that I can get through something I've been struggling with for most of my life. I know, I'm being very vague, but this is not something that I want to share with whoever may be reading this blog (if there is anyone). I just wanted to share that hope is real...and it feels good to have that feeling back. It makes me want to work harder to try to improve my life.

yet another music post--flyleaf

Sorry, I'm posting yet another post about music I just love.

Flyleaf is a group that I have "mixed" feelings towards. By that I mean that there are songs of theirs that I just love, and other songs that I dislike. Flyleaf is considered to be somewhat of a "Christian rock band." They have good songs that have the rock sound that I like, and then some songs that have the rock sound that I don't like, such as screaming. They have a new album coming out November 10...here is there single "Again," which I think is great. The music video is a little weird, but the music and lyrics really hit it with this one.



This is another song that I like. In fact, this was the first song of theirs that I heard and totally fell in love with. It's called "All Around Me." Again, good music and lyrics, and the music video is cool...kind of different...but cool.


All Around Me Video

my last breath

If you cannot tell by now, I'm crazy about music, and that I like a lot of different kinds of music. From new age, to gothic rock; from classical to symphonic rock. Here is yet another song from one of my favorite bands, Evanescence. This is my favorite song from the group, called "My Last Breath." Now this is actually a piano cover of the song, and whoever did it did an amazing job! I also love piano music, if you couldn't tell. Enjoy!

fleurs du mal

For those of you who don't know (which is probably all of you), I am a big fan of Sarah Brightman. She is so talented, and I love her voice. If you are not familiar with Sarah Brightman, she was the original Christine in Phantom of the Opera.

This song "Fleurs du Mal" is one of my favorite songs of hers. It is from her album "Symphony" which came out last year (I think). This is the live performance of the song in Vienna. I would love to have been at that concert. Anyway, enjoy.



MusicSRC.com - Music Videos

love to sing

So, I've had an epiphany recently and learned something very interesting about myself...

I love to sing.

That's right. I love to sing. I've never been really confident when it comes to singing (and I still don't find the idea of singing in front of others to be thrilling), but I love music. I think that I do have a decent voice...I'm no Celine Dion or Sarah Brightman, but I can carry a tune.

For some reason, I am looking forward to our ward choir these next couple of months. Maybe it has to do with the fact that we will be singing Christmas hymns. I love to sing Christmas hymns, and I like to try at singing the different parts (soprano, or alto). I consider my self an "in-betweeno" because I can't sing as high as a first soprano, or as low as an alto. But I have a good range in between.

Granted, most of my singing either occurs in the ward choir, or in my car. Most people have never heard me sing where it was just me singing. And I'm okay with that...for now.

prayer

I found this song on pandora.com. I've heard it before...it's such a powerful song. Very peaceful, and Hayley Westenra does a marvelous job with this song. She did a cover of Secret Garden's song "Prayer."




Here is the original version by Secret Garden

nee nee

I know, strange title for a post. What is "nee nee" you all may be wondering. That is my niece's name for me. She can't say Brittany too well, actually, not at all, so we have her call me "Nee Nee." It's kind of cute how she says it.

The reason why I bring this up is because she finally said "nee nee" tonight instead of "na na." Usually she would point at me and say "dah dah dah." It just made me so happy that she called me "nee nee." She is just the cutest niece ever.

my best friend's wedding

So, one of my best friends, Candice, got married on the 18th of September. She was sealed for time and all eternity in the Mt. Timpanogas Temple to a really great guy. I am so happy for her! Now, that makes 2 of my best friends who have gotten married within the past 1 1/2 months. Jared, my other good friend, got married in the middle of August.

I wasn't able to make it to the temple the day of her wedding, but I did go to her reception the next day. Her reception was held in a neighbors back yard, and it was amazing, and Candice looked so beautiful. The most perfect bride I have ever seen. And I loved her dress...I was looking at past dance pictures (Prom and Homecoming--highschool) and it is definitely Candice's style. She was just so happy and smiling the whole time, and so was her husband.

The decorations at the reception were beautiful. Her colors were melon and black. All the tables were decorated with white pumpkins, candles, and pictures of the happy couple. The cake was very pretty, too...white and covered in flowers. It was funny when they cut the cake. Candice's cousin said not to drop the piece they had cut out, and right when she said that Candice dropped the cake. Oops.

They went on and did the first dance as husband and wife. Then Candice did the bouquet toss (and, no, I didn't catch it). Then we all watched a slide show of them growing up, them at the temple (they had a film done of them walking out of the temple and walking around and such...really well done), and they talked about how they met and how they knew they loved each other. Just amazing.

Another congratulations to Candice and Michael!

speak

I watched this movie called "Speak" starring Kristen Stewart, Elizabeth Perkins, and Steve Zahn (I think that is how you spell his name). I saw this about two weeks ago and found it to be a pretty good film, and probably the only movie that I like Kristen Stewart in. It was a Sundance Film Festival film that came out in 2004. Parts of it are kind of awkward, but it was really well done. Like I said, I like it. It makes me cry at the end. I can kind of relate to Kristen Stewart's character, as having something horrible happen to you and not know how to express it to anyone. She ends of expressing it through art. Maybe I should try that...at least more than I do now.

unbreakable

This song is from a group called Fireflight, a Christian rock band. I really like this song by them called Unbreakable. It's an amazing song, and if you listen to the lyrics...they have a lot of meaning in them. Part of the song is actually based off of a story in the scriptures. Pretty cool. It's a really powerful song.


Unbreakable - Fireflight

Here are the lyrics to the song:

Where are the people that accused me?
The ones who beat me down and bruised me
They hide just out of sight, can't face me in the light
They'll return but I'll be stronger

God I want to dream again, take me where I've never been
I wanna go there, this time I'm not scared
Now I am unbreakable, it?s unmistakable
No one can touch me, nothing can stop me

Sometimes it's hard to just keep going
But faith is moving without knowing
Can I trust what I can't see to reach my destiny?
I want to take control but I know better

God I want to dream again, take me where I've never been
I wanna go there, this time I'm not scared
Now I am unbreakable, it's unmistakable
No one can touch me, nothing can stop me

Forget the fear it's just a crutch
That tries to hold you back
And turn your dreams to dust
All you need to do is just trust

God I want to dream again, take me where I've never been
I wanna go there, this time I'm not scared
Now I am unbreakable, it's unmistakable
No one can touch me, nothing can stop me

God I want to dream again, take me where I've never been
I wanna go there, this time I'm not scared
Now I am unbreakable, it's unmistakable
No one can touch me, nothing can stop me

faith vs. fear

This is a stretch for me. I usually don't talk about spiritual stuff, or my struggles with it...but here it goes.

I am currently taking an Institute class called Women in the Scriptures. It's pretty interesting...mostly when studying the scriptures you tend to follow stories about the prophets (all of which were male). In the class we study women as well known as Mary and Ester, to women who only have a scripture or two about them, like the woman who donated the two mites.

My topic focuses on something we learned in class this past week. It is faith vs. fear. A quote that we read (which I have run into several times this past year) really stood out to me.

"When we choose to follow Christ rather than another path out of fear, we are blessed with a consequence that is consistent with our choice." --Richard G. Scott

Honestly, I need to follow the advice from this quote. But that is easier said and done. Does anyone have any advice, experiences, scriptural references, etc. that have to do with faith vs. fear? Please share them...I could use a little help in this area (ok, a lot of help). That means comments, people. I kind of want to do a discussion, if possible.

10 random things

So...I haven't posted in a while. I guess I haven't had much of anything happen that was "post-worthy" to write about. I still don't...I guess, but I have a 3 hour wait till my next class. I've been at school since 10 and haven't had a class yet (one was cancelled)...so I am bored out of my mind right now.

Here are 10 random things about me (let's see if I can come up with 10):

1. I was born on Labor Day.

2. I can imitate various voices of fictional characters. Some of the characters (and movie they are from) are: Stitch (Lilo & Stitch); Gollum (The Lord of the Ring); E.T. (E.T. the Extra Terrestrial); Kronk's shoulder devil and angel (The Emporer's New Groove); Theodore--voice and some singing (Alvin and the Chipmunks). Notice, not a single one is a female character...I should fix that.

3. I am addicted to music. I live by music. I listen to all kinds of music, ranging from the classical/new age stuff like Enya and Sarah Brightman, to symphonic/gothic rock stuff like Within Temptation and Evanescence.

4. I love to sing, but only in my car where no one else can hear me. I don't really sing much anywhere else, except at church. Even though I've been told I have a great singing voice I still don't like to sing in front of people. So if you want to hear me sing, you'll have to hideout in my car.

5. I love to run and play volleyball. Although running is one of my passions, I've never done track or cross country. It's simple: I run for me and hate to compete. I also love to play volleyball. I'm not that good (somewhat average, I guess), but it is fun. I just started playing it again after about 5 years.

6. I'm a total photo nut. Back in high school I had my digital camera permanently attached to my hand and took pictures so much that I drove everyone nuts. Oh well.

7. Although I hate talking on the phone, I would randomly call a friend just to say hi...and that would be about all I would say. "Hi." I have gotten better at that...I think.

8. Along with photography I also love to scrapbook. Surprisingly, I don't have a single scrapbook finished for myself (none, zero, zilch). Nope, I tend to work on other peoples' scrapbooks for some reason...it's more fun and challenging I guess. I know what I like...let's guess what other people like.

Hmmm....2 more...I can't think of anything...I should change the title to 8 random things.

9. All the clothes in my closet are color-coded. And it goes beyond that: certain clothes go on different hangers; everything is arranged by length (pants by length, longest to shortest; shirts by sleeve length, tanks tops to long sleeve). I'm pretty anal about it...I guess I have a little OCD there.

10. One of my main nicknames is Grace, and that is not because I am graceful. In fact, I don't have a graceful bone in my body. I am a major clutz. I'm always tripping on stuff or dropping things. I got the name from a teacher back in the 9th grade. I was late getting to class, so I ran into the classroom. I, however, forgot about the little obstacle between the classroom door and my desk: the cord to the overhead projector. You guessed it...I ran in and tripped right over that cord...in front of the whole class (who was on time, of course). Next thing I hear is: "Might want to watch that next time, Grace." Most of my friends were in that class, and so they picked up that nickname for me. I've been called Grace ever since.

Well, there are some 10 random things about me...and I still have 3 hours to kill.

school...back in session

Alas, the summer is officially over. I can't believe how fast another year has gone by. Darn the person who said, "The older you get, the faster life goes." They were right. I honestly prefer this one: "Life is like a roll of toilet paper. The closer you get to the end, the faster it goes." A little more humor in that one.

Here I am rambling about toilet paper and this post is supposed to be about school (hence the title). I have started my last year of school. And, can I say, it feels really weird coming back this semester. I don't know why. Maybe because half of the campus is under construction (wait, let me rephrase that: "destruction"). It just feels weird to think of myself as a senior now. I can remember back when I was a freshman and walking onto campus for the first time. I was scared, nervous, excited, overwhelmed (a good overwhelmed) and felt so grown up. Now I walk onto campus and think: "Holy cow! This is my last year. Better make it a good one." Again, it amazes me how times flies by...oh look, there it goes.

I have no idea yet what kind of homework overload I'm in for this semester. From what I've heard from others who have taken the classes I'm currently enrolled in, I'm in for a pretty busy semester...Great! (hint of sarcasm)

I'm on break right now and have no idea what to do, so I'm writing a post. I have no homework assignments yet (and won't until my next class)...so I'm just rambling away on here, tring to sound somewhat interesting. Don't know if it is working.

eternal night

Hey there,
I just wanted to post this link to another blog I started that has to do with the book series that I want to write. The series is going to be called "Eternal Night." Some of you already know about this series and have heard me talk for hours on end about it. I will post some of my ideas, and even actual text I have written. Please give feedback, I will take what I can get.


Here is the link.
http://eternal-night-book.blogspot.com/

murder mystery

So, recently I learned that I have a twin brother. I was able to become acquainted with him on Saturday night. I did not realize what the drinker he was...holy cow! And he is (actually, was) quite the gambler, until he gambled all his possessions away. Now he is a poor town drunk who spends his days sipping from a bottle of brandy in the saloon. I got a picture of him...you will be surprised at the resemblance. We look a lot a like, I think, except I have better hygiene.

Ha ha, just foolin' with ya. That is actually me in that crazy getup. Why, you may wonder. Saturday night was actually a murder mystery party, and my character was the town drunk. Yep, that's right, I had to dress up like a guy and act a little tipsy. It was actually really fun!

My character was Louis Satchel. I was once the wealthiest man in Deadwood (western town). Jasper Harrison (the now deceased/murder victim) was my business partner. One night while gambling he paid the bartender to give me free drinks all night and I, of course, drank all I could. Taking advantage of my drinking problem, Jasper got me to gamble all of my possessions. I lost horribly and he had me kicked out onto the street. Since then I've been the town drunk, working in the stable for the saloon owners.

The night of the murder I was in the saloon, getting drunk as usual. Gun shots were fired, and I went out the back door (on the way snatching a bottle of booze). Sadly, I was not the killer (that would have been cool). It was actually the grocery store owner who was in on a plot with his wife to try to get Jasper's money. He had his wife seduce Jasper, convince him that she was pregnant, then his inheritance would go to her and the baby. And they got away with it.

Me, I spent the night acting a little tipsy. Never being drunk before, this was a challenge for me. I had no problem walking around looking like I was going to fall over, but I could not get the speech right. Everyone said I had to slur my speech, which was very hard for me to do and to try and sound like a guy. The other parts of being drunk I was able to pull off fine. I said random and stupid things, was loud and obnoxious. I would hang all over people and use them for support. I once pretended to pass out on the floor (that was funny...someone asked if I was dead. The answer was "No, he's just comfortable"). I often made myself fall over, or when sitting down I would miss the chair. I was constantly carrying a mug or a bottle of pretend booze (my favorite was the brandy bottle). Probably the funniest thing that happened was that I got paid off (in a drunken stupor) by the Catholic preacher to become Deadwood's new preacher. He was running off with his mistress (that's right) to another town. So Deadwood's town drunk became the new preacher. That got quite the laugh.

I had a really good time acting drunk, though, in the end I would prefer to play a sober character next time. A big thank you to the masterminds behind the event.

running

So, I have picked up running again (or, at least I'm trying to). I have loved running ever since high school, and it's a good way for me to stay in shape.

I mainly stopped running because of time and for health reasons (I had a health problem about a year ago). Well, I've finally run out of excuses not to go out running, because I just bought a new pair of running shoes so I could start running again. My old ones had way too many miles on them. So I got up early one morning and went for a walk/run...actually it was more of a walk/jog.

I could not believe how out of shape I was! I usually start out my work out with stretching for 10-15 minutes and then I get right on to walking. During the walk I'll gradually increase my pace, and then after 5-10 minutes I'll start to run (or jog in this case). Now, a year ago (before my little health fiasco) I could run for an hour straight. My first time out last week I could only go for about 7 minutes (10 if I was lucky), then I would have to walk again. My muscles aren't in the right condition for the endurance running that I'm so fond of, nor are my lungs. It's going to take a while to get to the point where I can run for an hour (heck, even 30 minutes will take a while). But hey, I've got to start somewhere. I'll just be happy when I can run without the sideaches.

My new running shoes. They have really good support in them and are really breatheable. And I love the colors!

hawaii--part 5 (the last one...yay!)

Well, I have a lot more extra time tonight than I thought I would, so I'm going to work on this last Hawaii post.

Day 8

Well, our trend continued of us sleeping in. We tried some of Courtney's crazy fruit that he bought on the way back from Hana. The dragonfruit kind of reminded me of kiwi. It is kind of white on the inside with a ton of purple little seeds (like kiwi). It tasted good. We also tried a strawberry papaya...also tasty. And then we tried mangos, which tasted a lot better than what we have in Utah. Just a note, the pineapple in Hawaii is 10x better than the pineapple in the states. We ate several of those while on the trip.

After breakfast we got ready to go to the beach again. We planned on going back to Mokule'ia Bay again (our favorite beach). We decided to go snorkeling in the neighboring bay, about a 10-15 minute walk away), which is Honolua Bay. There was no beach at Honolua, but we had heard that there is good snorkeling there. We got in and swam to the right side of the bay. We didn't swim that far until we hit a wall of fish. There were hundreds of them. If you all have seen Finding Nemo, it is like that group of silver fish that all move at the same time. It was amazing. The wall of fish stretched for several dozen yards.

It's hard to see, but this is the wall of silver fish.

Some cool looking coral. There is also a red starfish there.

We saw some other cool fish, too. Then we cut across and started to swim towards the left side of the bay. The place we were swimming across was very deep and very open. It kind of freaked me out...I would look under the water and all I would see was a ton of blue. I kept thinking a shark would pop out of nowhere or something. Just my imagination going wild again.

The walk back from Honolua Bay. There were a ton of cool looking trees and such. I took so many pictures just along this walk.

We finished in that bay and headed back over to Mokule'ia. We ate lunch, and then me, my uncle and aunt went out again. This time we swam out to the left side. That snorkel trip wasn't worth it. We hardly saw anything, plus the water was getting really rough and really cold. We came back in and I passed out on the beach. I was so worn out.

We left a couple hours later. When I got home and showered I got a chance to check out my leg again. Not only was that pretty red stripe going down my leg, but a purplish bruise a little bigger than the size of my hand now encircled it...not pretty.

We ate dinner and then drove to Lahaina to get some souvenir shopping done. The only place I got anything at was a shop called Del Sol. There they have stuff like shirts and nail polish that change color in the sunlight. Kind of cool. I got two things of nail polish ($10 a piece!) and a t-shirt that said Maui and had flowers printed on it.

So, I couldn't get to bed right away after we got home, so I thought I would get a head start on packing. We didn't have to be out of our condo until 5:30 pm the next day, so no hurry. But I stayed up packing and watched on of my favorite movies.

Day 9
I woke up early on this day and went outside to take some pictures of the plant life and such (this was about 6:30 in the morning). While amongst the bamboo I was taking pictures of, I found a snail that was about the size of my hand. I thought it was cool, but kind of gross...so I took a picture. After going around for about an hour taking pictures (as much as my memory card could hold...I was nearing 500 pics) I went back and got ready to head out for the day.

The giant snail.

Some of the bamboo that was around our condo.

We decided to go to a place called the Gazebo for breakfast (the only time we ate out besides the Luau). By the time we got there is was almost noon, so it was kind of brunch, I guess. The restaurant is a gazebo (hence the name), and is very open. There were birds flying in and out and landing on the tables and such (I wonder about the sanitation). It was right next to the ocean, so there was a really pretty view. I got an omelette, which tasted really good. I also tried some of my cousin's banana pancakes. Yummy!

Me and my grandma outside of the Gazebo.

After breakfast we went back to Lahaina to finish shopping. I ended up getting a hoodie for me and my sister. I also got a necklace and some flip flop platforms. I'm not much of a shopper and hate spending money, but it was somewhat fun to splurge a little.

After Lahaina we went back to the condo to finish packing. My packing was pretty much done, so all I had to do was fit my souvenirs in. After dinner we packed up the cars and headed to the airport. We got our luggage checked in. We sat around for a while beacause our flight didn't leave for another few hours. My cousins decided to have a water fight with the water bottles they brought (might as well use them up before having to get rid of them when we went through security).

When we got to our gate we had over an hour to wait until be boarded the flight. I ate some ice cream and took something to help with motion sickness before getting on. Eventually we boarded, and our flight actually left earlier than planned. Now this was an overnight flight. It was 10 pm (Hawaii time), which translates over to 2 am in Utah. I tried to sleep, and I dozed in and out; but I couldn't fully sleep because of the roar of the engines. We hit some pretty bad turbulence at one point. I've officially determined that I don't like flying. Nope, not at all. At least I didn't get as sick with this flight.

Back at Home
Our flight arrived about 40 minutes early. We picked up our luggage and said bye to my aunt and uncle and their family. My other aunt was supposed to pick us up, but she was planning on us coming in about an hour later. So we waited for an hour at the airport...fun...I just wanted to sleep. She finally came and we went to Village Inn for breakfast. After breakfast we all went home and crashed. We didn't even bother to unpack until later.



Well, that was my trip to Hawaii. It was a lot of fun and a much, much, much needed break for me. I was sad to go, but it also feels good to be back home in Utah, surrounded by mountains.

hawaii--part 4

Hopefully this will be the last Hawaii post...we'll see how long it gets.

Day 7--The Road to Hana...and Beyond
We finally got around to taking the road to Hana. Now, for those of you who don't know about this, the road to Hana is about a 4 hour long drive along a twisting, winding, narrow road. The whole drive you are just swerving back and forth and hoping you don't hit oncoming traffic. There were some parts of the road that were narrowed down to one lane.

Again, we were late getting up. We ate breakfast and packed snacks and lunch for the long drive ahead of us. Now with the road to Hana, think of the quote: "It is not the destination, but the journey that matters" (or something like that). Hana is a really small town with not much to show in the tourism category. Really, it is driving the road which is the great part of the trip. It is a really pretty drive, tons of great scenery. The further we went on the road, the more beautiful the scenery got (and the crazier the road got). We would follow the road along the coast and then go back into the mountains, and back down to the coast again.

Me at one of the rest stops on the road to Hana.

There are several places to stop on the road to Hana. At one of our stops we tried fresh coconut. My cousins drank the milk, but they shared some of the coconut meat with us. It tasted very plain (really not much of a flavor) and the texture was weird.

We arrived in Hana and then took another road that went further (hence the "beyond" part). This road was even more narrow and twisting. It led up to Haleakala National Park (spell check). Surprisingly, I did not get car sick. We ate lunch and then got ready to hike to the Seven Pools, which was the whole reason for going there. The Seven Sacred Pools are a series of fresh water pools which start about 2 miles inland and stretch to the coast. Most of them are connected by waterfalls (depending on the time of year). It is a really pretty sight. We were able to see about 3 or 4 of the pools where we were at. Me and my cousins went swimming and cliff jumping while there. It was nice to swim in fresh water as opposed to the salty sea water.

The Seven Sacred Pools.
The waterfall closest to the bottom is the one that we jumped from.

The first place we jumped was at the larger pool with the waterfall coming down into it. We had to climb back behind the waterfall to get to one of the better (and safer) places to jump. It was only about 15 feet high. I was a little hesitant at first because of my fear of heights, but after the first jump it was easier for me. My cousins got bored with the waterfall jumping and went to one of the other pools where no one was at and started jumping there. This pool was smaller, but way deep...there wasn't a single spot where you could touch the bottom. I went over there, and wanting the keep up with my cousins decided to jump. The place I jumped was about 20 feet high. When I hit the water that first jump I must have hit it on a bad angle because I felt the full force of the impact hit my left thigh...and it hurt like heck!!! When I came to the surface my leg was in such shock from the impact that I couldn't use it to swim. Luckily, I'm a pretty good swimmer and got out okay. After the pain wore off I jumped again; this time I didn't get hurt.

The second pool we were cliff diving at. This is the jump where I got hurt. Everyone kept asking: "Are you sure you didn't hit the rock?" I'm pretty sure...this pool was so deep you couldn't touch the bottom anywhere. And plus, I would have been hurt a lot worse it I had hit the rocks.

Well, my cousins started a trend. What was once a pool where no one was jumping quickly became a popular spot for the rest of the tourists. I jumped one last time and then went to go dry off. We packed up and headed back to the car. My leg was killing me. It was throbbing like crazy and felt really sore. I couldn't see much damage other than my leg looked really red (like it had been sunburned), so I didn't think much of it. We started our long drive back home.

One of the stops we made on the way back was Wai'a'napanapa National Park where the black sand beach is located. We went down to the beach, but not to swim. There were warning signs everywhere saying not to swim because of the riptide and the jelly fish that inhabit those waters. So yeah, swimming a definite no. The beach was really cool looking. To the right side was a little cave you could walk into which went out into the ocean. I would hate to be in there at high tide.

The Black Sand Beach at Wai'a'napanapa (say that five times fast). Those waves coming in were huge. You can see how far some of them reached on the shore.

The small cave off to the side of the black sand beach.

Then me, my granpa, uncle and cousin Courtney went to the "loop" where a small pool was. The greenery was cool, and the water for the pool was really clear. Just a pretty secluded little area. My leg was still sore and I was having a hard time walking on it.

On the way home we saw a rainbow. It was probably the best rainbow we saw the entire trip. I had to slide over to the other side of the car to get a picture. I had the window rolled down, and out of nowhere it started to rain. That happened quite a bit on the trip, rain coming out of the middle of nowhere. There was a time where it did rain and it was bright and sunny. I looked up and saw a little whif of a cloud. I thought: "The rain is coming from that pathetic cloud...you've got to be kidding."

The rainbow we saw on our drive back from Hana. We saw several rainbows while in Hawaii, but this one was the best.

The trip back was worse than going up. We were following my uncle, and he really wanted to get home in a hurry, so he was flying down that road. Remember, this road is really twisty. My grandpa was trying to keep up with him, and we were all getting jerked around in the back seat.

On the way back we stopped at a little tent full of fresh fruits. My cousin Courtney, who is a fruit fanatic, bought several different types of fruit for us to try. He go papaya, mangos, and dragon fruit.

Somewhere along the drive I managed to fall asleep and I was asleep until we got back to the condo. Once back at the condos we unloaded and I went to take a shower. I was then able to get a good look at my leg (it was still really sore). I had this large red stripe going down the back of my leg that broke into two stripes at the end. It was a deep redish-purple color. (see pic)

My "battle scar." That mark was actually about as long as my hand and about an inch wide.
"I came, I saw...I got my butt kicked."

After that was dinner, and I went and showed everyone my "battle scar." It seemed unanimous that I won the best/worst injury for the trip. That's what I get for trying to keep up with the boys.

After dinner I went to bed, or tried to. I couldn't lay down on my leg without it hurting.

Sadly, this is not going to be the last post. I still have two more days to cover.

10 years--wasteland

I love this song by 10 Years. I just thought I would post it for the heck of it.

hawaii--part 3

Yet another post about Hawaii.

Day 5
I got up really early again this day (around 7 a.m.) We were going to do the road to Hana drive, but ended up putting that off until later. We decided to go snorkeling again (oh joy). We went to Ahihi Cove. When we arrived, no one was there. Then when we were getting our gear together, tons of people showed up. There was no beach--it was all rock. Getting in was hard. There was only a small designated area where we could stand and then we had to swim without touching the coral. That would have been easy, but the coral was about 1 foot below us...very hard to navigate. I was afraid to kick at all because I thought I would hit the coral. The further out we got, the deeper it got (thank goodness).

Since the whole area was covered in coral, there was lot more that we could see. I remembered to bring my underwater camera this time, so I took pictures of this snorkeling venture. We saw tons of fish, and another sea turtle. Another cool thing we saw was an eel (I think it is called a moray eel). It was this reddish-brown color with black and white stripes. It looked like a long snake. It was kind of freaky looking, and was only about 7 feet below us.

One of the sea turtles we saw.

After the eel, there wasn't much else to see, and I was starting to get sick again (I guess I get sea-sick). Going back in was harder than going out. I was so worn out from snorkeling. We packed our gear and I got into my aunt and uncle's car and we drove further down the road to the lava fields. It was cool; you could see where the lava came out and flowed into the ocean. The lava was very rough and jaggedy. And thanks to my geology class, I know what kind of lava rock it was. It is called Ah'ah lava.

The lava fields.

After that we went back to the condos and my aunt and uncle went to go reserve our spots for the Luau. They came back and invited me to go shopping with them in Lahaina. I'm not much of a shopper. I have to have an agenda, or know what I'm going shopping for...I didn't have a clue what I wanted souvenir-wise. We were there for 3.5 hours, and I didn't buy a single thing.

Some cool sites we saw while in Lahaina was the Banyan tree. It is a tree that looks like 10+ trees, but really it the roots of the one tree popping up all over the place, or the branches growing back down into the ground. Kind of cool.

The Banyan Tree.

Me at the ports in Lahaina.

We also went into some art galleries. My favorite was a photo gallery with the work of Peter Lik. He is from Australia and does landscape photography (some of Utah scenery). His photography was amazing!!! You walk into the gallery and it looks like his pictures are backlit because they kind of glow, but they aren't. The photographer shoots with slide film (which gives you vibrant color) and then prints on a material that reflects light, giving the illusion that it is lit up. For those of you who know, I am a complete photo-nut, so this was heaven for me to see this.

The most amazing, beautiful sunset we saw while in Hawaii.
The picture doesn't do it justice, though.

Day 6
No one wanted to get out of bed this morning. We didn't really have a game-plan for the day so I popped a suggestion that my mom had given me: that we go visit Iao Valley. My cousins decided to stay out of this one, so it was just me, my grandpa, aunt and uncle that went. The drive up there was really pretty...so green! The mountains were all covered in green. We got up there and started walking around. Then we "hiked" up several stairs to the viewpoint for the Iao Needle (see picture for what that looks like).

The Iao Needle (which is the rock formation on the left). Can you believe how green it is?!

We also walked around the botanical garden up there. It was a small garden of native Hawaiian plants, such as bananas, papayas, limes, coconunts, etc. It was pretty cool up there. It was nice to have a break from the beach. We came back and had some pool time before getting ready to go to the Luau.

A banana tree. Kind of funky looking.

The Luau was great! We left early so we could get good seats close to the stage (and we did, got seats in the middle table of the second row). We had a really good host; he was very funny and entertaining, and he even did some singing. They had some activities going on, like Hawaiian bowling and spearing throwing. I wasn't good at either...oh well.

Me and one of the performers.

After the activities they dug up the pig and got it ready for dinner. Now, I'm not one to back away from trying new foods, and there were some interesting foods at this Luau. What I was not looking forward to was trying the poi (a goop made from tarot root)...I had heard horror stories about it. Yet I was forced to try it...and it was horrible!!! People say it is an acquired taste, but why you would want to acquire a taste for that stuff, I don't get that. YUCK!

Me putting that nasty goop stuff (aka: poi) in my mouth.
Just thinking about it makes me want to gag.

The first thing I put in my mouth after the poi was mahi mahi (which is fish), and I'm not much of a fish person either. But the fish tasted good (thank goodness). I also tried a purple sweet potato...that was pretty good. And dessert was awesome.


The show was really good. The dancers did several different types of hula dances. The show pretty much showed the progression of the hula and the influences from different countries and such. During the show they even gave some simple hula lessons. Me and my cousins gave it a shot. Hula is definitely not for me...I think I will stick to ballroom dancing.

Pic of the dancers. Probably the coolest dance of the whole show.

The fire dance was one of the best parts of the show. Holy cow! And then the finale was funny. They asked people from the audience to join the professional dancers on stage. Two of my cousins were pulled up there (one of them against his will) and they started dancing with the female dancers. The host kept making fun of them. It was really funny to watch. I was laughing so hard I almost peed my pants (I know, hard to believe).

The fire dancer. Isn't that just cool.

After the Luau we went back to the condo and played 5 Crowns (a card game) for a little while. We were all so tired that we sort of out of it during the game.

The little gecko I found in my room when I got home.
He was about an inch long. Isn't he cute!

hawaii--part 2

Sorry these are coming so far apart. I was sick all weekend and feeling like I was going to throw up if I even moved. Not fun. Anyway, back to Hawaii trip.

Day 3
We got up late and ate breakfast (pancakes). After breakfast we headed to the beach to go snorkeling. I wasn't thrilled at first, but we used our rented snorkel gear which fit a lot better.

We drove for about an hour to go to a beach that was recommended to us by the gal at the snorkel shop. The place we went was Mokule'ia Bay, which is a small but beautiful beach tucked into a small cove area. The best beach we went to the whole trip. The water was so clear and blue. It was easy to get out into the water and get our snorkel gear on, too.

Mokule'ia Bay (the left side). The best beach we went to.

Once out into the water we swam over the the right side of the cove area. The water was so clear and we could see everything perfectly. We saw several different kinds of fish (big, small, yellow, green, orange, just a ton). The best thing we saw were the sea turtles! We saw about five of them. One came so close that I could have taken a picture...and I was cursing myself for forgetting to grab my waterproof disposable camera (which I had bought solely for that purpose).

We were out for a couple of hours. I got really worn out and started to shake because I was cold. My aunt said that means it is time to go in. It took us 30 minutes to swim back in, and I was starting to feel sick (is it possible to get sea-sick while snorkeling?). I was so worn out that I had to have my cousin help pull me in on his boogie board.

We came back to the beach and pulled out some snacks. I was starved...being out in the ocean really works up an appetite for me. After eating a little I just rested in the shade on the beach while my cousins went out to do more body surfing. I couldn't get how they still had the energy to do that. They did that for about2-3 hours. During that time I rested and then got up and took some pictures while trying to stay out of the sun. We left at around 4 pm, and I was ready to go.

My cousins body surfing.

Me acting like a dork on the beach.

On the way back we stopped for some shaved ice. I got banana flavor with a scoop of vanilla icecream on the bottom...that tasted good. I ate it so fast that I got the hiccups.

When we got home we all jumped in the shower. I was worried that I had gotten burnt, despite my attempts to keep sunblock on. Everyone said I just got a little bit of color...yeah, that color was read. I got burnt on my shoulders and all the day down my arms. My efforts failed, apparently. Luckily, that was the only day I burned on the trip, and the burn wasn't that bad (I didn't peel or anything afterwards). Ironically, my legs (which are glow in the dark white) didn't burn. They didn't even get tan!We had Hawaiian haystacks for dinner that night. For those of you who don't know what that is, it is rice topped with a chicken, cream of chicken, pineapple (which was the best part), green peppers, green onions, and dry lo mein noodles. Now, for the pineapple. In Hawaii the pineapple is so good...it makes the stuff we get here in the states look pathetic. It is so, so, so sweet and juicy. After dinner we all crashed.

Day 4
Day 4 was a Sunday, and we just planned on going to church and then do some driving around later. We were planning on going to church at 9 am. Well, that didn't happen. I even got up at 7 so I could be ready in time. So, I'm all ready to go to church and I go upstairs to my aunt's condo and everyone is still in pajamas. Come on guys!

We ate breakfast and figured we would go to church at 11, only one problem...none of the churches had meetings until 1 pm. That was a long wait. Everyone took a nap and I worked on a drawing. I was copying a picture hanging in the dining room of our condo (just a picture of a beach). I probably should have taken a nap, though.

We went to church, came back, had lunch, and then took an unofficial tour of the Marriot Hotel which was down the road (for those of you who don't know, this was a 5-star hotel that started at about $700 a night). It makes me sick to think that people have that much money to spend. We walked along the beach behind the hotel. Beautiful beach; kind of looks like one you would see on a postcard.

Me, my grandpa, and my cousin Courtney walked further while the rest of the group sat to rest. We went to this rocky cliff area. My cousin climbed the rocks to the water. I went as far as I dared to go because I was in flip flops. We got some great pictures there of the water coming in and crashing into the rocks, as well as some pictures of me and my cousin.

Waves crashing on the lava rock.

Me and my cousin Courtney

After that we went home and had dinner...steaks! I thought for sure I was going to gain weight on this trip. After dinner I crashed at my usual spot in my aunt and uncle's condo (who knows how long I was out).