Friday, May 6, 2011

Lessons Learned From A Random 4-Year-Old

My good high school friend Melinda recently got married. At her reception a few friends and I were sitting at a table when a small family joined us. They placed their 4-year-old son Grayson next to me and soon we struck up a good conversation. I've reflected on this conversation a bit since then and have realized that I actually learned a few things from this adorable child.

What follows are a few of these lessons/realizations:

1. I'm old.

Grayson - "That lady over there is my aunt."
Me - "Oh! I know her. I went to high school with her."

2. The world is wrong about mermaids.

Grayson - "You remind me of a mermaid in a movie."
Me - "Oh really?"
Grayson - "Well not you. Your friend. You remind me of the mermaid's friend."
Me - "Was the mermaid's name Ariel?"
Grayson - "No. She had blond hair and lived in a tower."
Me - "Are you sure it wasn't the ocean?"
Grayson (slightly frustrated) - "Yes - gah - she lived in a tower!"
Me - "Um, did this mermaid have a tail?"
Grayson - "Don't you know anything about mermaids?! She lived with her friends in a tower. Of course she had a tail!"

3. Gigantic invisible spiders are going to take over the world someday.

Grayson - "Did you know there are invisible spiders?"
Me - "Oh really? That sounds a little scary."
Grayson - "No you just have to make sure to step them."
Me - "How do you step on invisible spiders?"
Grayson - "Well sometimes you just have to stomp around to make sure you got them all."
Me - "What happens if you don't step on them?"
Grayson - "If you don't step on them they keep growing. There are even some as big as houses!"

4. Did I mention that I'm old?

Grayson - "My uncle is on a mission."
Me - "Oh really? That's pretty cool."
Grayson - "Yeah but he's really old!"
Me - "How old is he?"
Grayson - "20!"

5. Brain freezes. They happen.

Me - "Have you ever had a brain freeze before?"
Grayson - "No. What's that?"
Me - "It's when you eat something cold too fast and then your head hurts."
Grayson - *Takes a big bite of ice cream that suddenly clenches his forehead*
Me - "Are you okay?"
Grayson - "My brain is frozen!"

6. Age matters in a friendship

Me - "...well, friend, that sounds pretty awesome."
Grayson (in surprise) - "You're not my friend"
Me - *stifle laughter*
Grayson (in disgust) - "You're not even my age!"

And finally -

7. Even according to a 4-year-old - I have become an old maid (at least in Utah).

Grayson - "Are your friends and you married?"
Me - "Well the one over there is but the girl next to me isn't and neither am I."
Grayson (in shock) - "You're not married??"
Me - "No, not yet."
Grayson - "But you're so old!"






Congratulation Melinda!

Saturday, November 6, 2010

I'm Still Here!

So I know I've been completely horrible at this blogging thing lately. It's not that life hasn't been totally uneventful it's just that I've lacked motivation. Oh well!

This last summer at camp was definitely a fun one. I met some awesome new people and had a complete blast being silly!

At the end of the summer I had the awesome opportunity to go to Washington DC with my Daddy. I've always dreamed of going back there and especially with my Father who has gone back for so many different business trips. We joked about me going when he was told he had to go back in August and then realized - why not?? I didn't have a job, I didn't have school - nothing could hold me back!

The week I spent with him was wonderful and something I will always cherish.

Now that I'm back home, my days are spent looking for a job (which can be a total joke at times) and gaming online (I know I know, total time waster but it's what I do). As the months go by I am beginning to understand more fully what it means to be looking for a job in a bad economy. It is NOT fun! But I have no doubt that there is job out there for me and it'll be worth the wait. Until then... I search, I game, and begin to look into giving into working a "seasonal" job.

And life goes on...

Camp Photos


Awesome Camp Staff


What do you do on weekends? Make slip-n-slides!


No words...


Me and my Camp Bestie - love her!


Epic


We were such an awesome team!

Lagoon Trip


This picture is just priceless!


I love all the people that came with us - they're so great!!

After Camp Road Trip to Southern Utah


Such an Awesome picture! We took a lot of jumping photos on this trip...








The four travelers



Hehehe...


Took Dakota to Downtown SLC - This picture turned out so great!

D.C. Trip with Daddy
(Pictures are a little jumbled but you get the idea :) )



Finally where I belong


Such a gorgeous temple!


Love my Daddy!


Liberty Bell!


Dancing down the stairs at Independence Hall (haha - we love the musical "1776")


Atlantic City - I'm in the Atlantic Ocean!


Lunch with Dani and Kelly! So great to see them!


Fort McHenry


Washington Monument


Eating my first "real" crab


"You can never have too many kitchen tools"


I'm a moose!


Dad's a walrus!


Our last stop of the trip


Finally on the way home


And what trip wouldn't be complete without....









Now where did we park?



Sunday, May 30, 2010

On the Doorstep

Quick life update!

So now it's ending the month of May and I've decided it's finally time to write about this semester/year.

My last semester of school seemed to fly by. I seriously blinked and January melted into March which then melted into graduation day. A few major points:

- The beginning of the semester found Kate and I being the only roommates in our house. Our other two roommates graduated in December and left us to find replacements which we didn't do because 1) we were too lazy to do and 2) we didn't want to deal with getting used to a new person's habits. I will admit that it was a little odd at first but by the end of the semester we loved it! It was so nice to just worry about one other person and since we're good friends we were really okay with whatever the other person did. We got to know each other's quirks better and it sometimes got a little scary how much we could predict what the other person was going to say/do. For example: in March we discovered this amazing Mexican restaurant - Often we would ask each other "Have you eaten yet?" and then just get in a car and go. There was no point in asking where we were going - we both knew :) Man I love this girl! I really will miss living with her (I already do and its only been a few weeks!)

- The MBA program at SUU is an awesome group of tight - knit students! Everyone had the same classes so you got to know your classmates really well. This made for a pretty entertaining time in even the most boring/obnoxious classes. It was especially great because everyone had their own clique of friends they would sit by but they still talked to everyone. I have to make special mention of the two (main) people that got me through my year - Celesta and Gwen. These two girls are hilarious! Classes were often spent goofing off and studying with them. They definitely helped me make it through this year

- I was talked into once again repeating the painful process of writing a thesis. It was required in my undergrad to graduate with Honors but it was only an option in the Masters program. I will say that it was extremely painful to get a lot of the data and information needed for this new Thesis but now that it's done I am so glad I did it! It presented me with a great opportunity to work once again with one of my favorite professors, Lisa Assante, and it also let me find out some fun information about tourism in Austria. Definitely worthwhile!

- Graduation this year took place over two days. On Friday we participated in the University wide part and on Saturday we had our individual colleges (this was also the one where we actually walked and received our "diploma"). I'm not quite sure how I like this format in relation to last year's all-in-one-day approach. Anyway! Below is some fun pictures from the event :)

- The Sunday after graduation we got the news that my Aunt Kim had passed away. I still find it hard to believe nearly a month later. She had been fighting a long battle of sickness and it finally overcame her. She will be dearly missed by everyone who knew her. This was an especially difficult death for me as it was the first of my aunts/uncles to pass away. Granted she had bad health, but it makes me realize that some of my family is getting up there in age and it may not be too terribly long before... but we don't think of that. I love and miss you Aunt Kim!

- Ever since graduation I've been living at home preparing for the next step in life. While preparing for that step I started playing LOTRO (Lord of the Rings Online) with a free ten day trial. Twenty days later I've now paid for a monthly subscription (which will be picked up again after the summer). I always knew that if I played any kind of MMO I might become "addicted" and with the combination of a never ending game (that's what usually gets me to stop playing - I play all the time til I win the game. Case in point - Zelda April 2009 (pretty sure I blogged about that...)) and Lord of the Rings... well lets just say it had trouble written all over it! I spend many hours a day on this stupid thing... ugh! I love it :)

Now I am looking at the end of May and wondering how almost half of the year could possibly be done. I've heard it said that when you're a child a month feels like a year but when you become an adult a year feels like a month. I am a firm believer that this is true! I can hardly believe that it was a year ago that I had graduated with my Bachelor's Degree and was looking forward to another summer of camp and then another year of school. How could it possibly be a year ago?! Now I'm sitting at home with my MBA, waiting for camp to start (I guess somethings never change) and then for the infamous "real life" to begin.

I'm on the doorstep of my next big adventure. I have no idea where I'm going or what I'm doing but someday I'll look back and be grateful that the me of today had the nerve to take that first step forward.



Taking a picture in the bathroom before the ceremony starts - love it!



After Ceremony #1




Love these two girls! They were my MBA sanity :)



The rest of my MBA sanity. I love this picture - it makes me feel collegiate :) This was after ceremony #2 after we received our awesome hoods!



My beautiful family (minus my absent brother)! I'm so grateful for their support!



My wonderful parents! I love them more than anything!



I finally got an awesome graduation jumping pic!



All of my former HRHM professors from my undergrad. I worked with them quite a bit this year too - they are SO great! Seriously - Southern Utah University has the best Hospitality professors!



RIP Professor Woodbury - this was right after the final ceremony on Saturday and I got the the word that she had passed away the following morning. I had taken a MBA Finance course from her and spent many hours talking with her in her office (both for school and for none). I really can't believe she's gone - she'll be missed!

Lastly: These aren't from graduation (obviously). Back in February my Dad and I went to the St. George home show and in our travels came across these awesome clouds! I just felt like I had to share them :)






Wednesday, May 26, 2010

Lessons Learned on the Road to Cedar City

So I know this states that it was right after Easter but I'm finally getting around to posting it... work with me :)

April 2010:

Last weekend when driving back to Cedar City after a lovely Easter weekend, I realized that it would be the last official drive I would be making down south for school. It was so weird to think that after 5 years of life in Cedar City that this was it. It was on that momentous drive that I decided to make a list of all of the things I've learned while driving the 3 1/2 hour drive between my lovely home in West Valley and my collegiate home in Cedar City. What follows is that said list and random pictures that have been taken over the years on the drive.

Lessons Learned on the Drive to/from Cedar City
  1. Just because the sky ahead looks blue doesn't mean that a blizzard isn't secretly waiting in the pass by Cove Fort. No matter what time of year.
  2. 3 hours passes very quickly when you talk to friends that you haven't seen in a long while
  3. There is a small hill just outside of Fillmore that looks like the hill on which Edoras sits in Lord of the Rings
  4. Finding people/rides off the university ride board just isn't worth the awkwardness
  5. Inadvertently there will always be at least one car that you are stuck with the whole trip who drives fast enough to get in front of you only to slow down so you have to get in front of them. Be prepared for a 250 mile game of messed up tag
  6. When you have friends in the car it's helpful to keep them awake as they may start awake thereby surprising you and causing you to swerve across lanes.
  7. No matter what anyone says - if your car is making funny noises do NOT try to make the long drive. It will only end in despair
  8. When all you're waiting on to leave is one person who can't leave for 2 hours past anyone else is it really worth the gas money? (ps the answer is usually yes!)
  9. If the weather report says the roads are bad/good it isn't necessarily true
  10. Driving after 11pm is not recommended... unless you're not the one driving then it's highly entertaining!
  11. Places to check in with home - Beaver, Fillmore, and Nephi
  12. Good places to take a break - Scipio - the gas station with the DQ attached (their hand dryers in the bathroom are amazing!) and Fillmore's Maverick Gas Station (they have good bread)
  13. Loud, retro pop music makes time pass quickly
  14. Dust storms are likely to rise up next to Fillmore and Meadow which will result in a long side detour through Kanosh
  15. Contrary to popular belief, as long as you're heading north on I15 in Provo - you'll be just fine during rush hour
  16. When traveling through Beaver it is best to go the actual limit - the cops there are pretty strict... and bored
  17. Having a drink and snacks to munch on is a VERY good idea
  18. If you stop in Scipio do NOT buy food from DQ... that is unless you don't care if you get to your destination at a halfway decent time
And Finally
19. No matter what time of day or what direction you are going, you WILL be faced with the same tough situation before exiting into Cedar City. A semi will be in front of you that is going at such an awkward speed that you have to decide whether or not it's worth it to zoom in front of it and get back over before the exit or slow down to 50 mph and wait it out.


Winter Driving - Beautiful!



Example of a person falling asleep :)




The clouds were wicked awesome that day!



Another example :)



Side note - never seran wrap a friend's car - payback will happen!



Glad I wasn't going north that day...



Multi-tasking



And finally - my awesome car disaster. Note: This was right after it had happened. Everyone thought it was funny/cool but note the look of distress on my face. Yeah. That's pretty genuine horror.