Livin The Life

Or not so much. But either way I have been having fun and am happy to be home for a little while! As soon as I got home for the summer I started teaching dance again at Dance Element. I can't say enough how much I love this studio and how well they treat me. I missed the first two weeks of the summer session but they gave me 3 classes and plenty of subbing hours anyways. I got to teach Taya too which is always fun. She is getting to be a good little dancer, picks it up really fast and is going to be taking a lot more classes in the fall!

The last day of class my family literally picked me up from the studio and we headed off to California for some beach time with the Hatch family. We were bummed we didn't get to go with the Rogers crew this year, but next year we will be there!

This is Wyatt, our cousins Marlee (Wyatt's age) and Pyper, and Gideon (Wyatt's friend who has become an adopted cousin on that side).

The always needed game of bocce ball. And I bet Noah won that game even though he was the youngest one playing.

Hyrum and Jake - some of the cutest little boys you will ever meet!

Here is Taya in Kaitlyn's sunglasses and our dad's t-shirt that she got out of his closet and packed for herself without any of us knowing until we got down to the beach and she pulled it out as a cover up after having played all day.

After a week of reading some great books including One Day, Sarah's Key, and this wonderful treasure I discovered, getting some color into my new Utah sun deprived skin, and trying out a paddle board for the first time (and trying to dance while on it!) I am now home getting ready for a last few adventures before heading back to school. On the list:

• A weekend in Prescott with Kaitlyn and maybe some other siblings (if they are nice to us :)
• My 20th Birthday!
• A week in San Diego
• Finishing the SYTYCD season (I am rooting for Melanie!)

It has been a pretty good summer so I can't complain, although I am ready for some structure back in my life. I have a few things left on my list that I would like to accomplish and maybe this weekend I will knock one of those off by making this delicious Pollyanna-esque cake!

I'll Admit It...

I am obsessed. I have officially auditioned for the show and been in the studio audience twice. I have to watch the show every week and can spend hours watching old dances on Youtube. It's a problem.

Monday night I got an email saying I had tickets to So You Think You Can Dance again! This time I went with Wyatt, his friend Gideon, and our cousin Marlee. I had to teach dance Wednesday night though, so I got the tickets for Thursday night. We left about 4:30 am Thursday morning, drove to LA, stood in line for like 3 hours (and got sunburnt), and then finally got to see the show! We had great spots to stand - right next to the judges and right where the dancers came off the stage as they were told whether or not they were safe. And the judge we were closest to was the guest judge - Debbie Reynolds! I absolutely love her and was so happy to get to be so close to her. Anyways at the show we got to see LMFAO perform Rock Party Anthem with Quest dance crew dancing backup - but this was actually filmed and done aboout 40 minutes before the show started and not 40 minutes into the show like it is on TV. It was so much fun to go to the show again though, but if I get tickets again I want to go to the Wednesday night show cause it is super depressing to leave the studio after a bunch of dancers have gotten kicked off and all of the dancers are bawling their eyes out. So much fun though!

After the show we had to take Gideon down to Oceanside area of California to meet up with his family who had driven over there that day as well. But guess what is right between LA and Oceanside? San Clemente! So for dinner we stopped at Pedro's Tacos and then took it down to Calafia beach! It was like 9pm at this point though so we only stayed for about 15 minutes but it was wonderful to stand on the beach and put our feet in the water. And Pedro's. Mmm. Love that place. By the time we dropped Gideon with his family it was about 10pm and we still had to get to Yuma. Finally at about 1:30am I was able to go to bed - after having been up 22 hours and close to 12 of those hours were spent driving.

In total I was gone about 30 hours - 17 driving, 6 sleeping, 6 for SYTYCD stuff, and the rest eating/San Clemente. Exhausting trip - but for So You Think You Can Dance it was worth it.

Bellybutton. Breathe. Banana.

These are the directions we were given in how to jump out of an airplane. Lead out with your bellybutton, breathe through your teeth, and arch your body like a banana. Great instructions right?

Kenzie and I went up to Tooele, Utah - or near there - to skydive this morning! It was the one day we would both be in Provo and we wanted to do it before our birthdays and so off we went this morning! It was exhilarating! I absolutely loved it! On the ground, Kenzie and I were all smiles and super excited for this experience. We weren't nervous yet, but knew it would probably hit us on the plane ride up. When wefirst got there we had to watch a 20 min instruction video and told us if we died, we weren't allowed to sue them. And we had to sign something that said that too. Several different papers that said that. Basically we had to sign away our life and all desire to live. Comforting. Then we suited up in our awesome blue jumpsuits and headed to the planes!

The plane ride took about 10 minutes and we reached an altitude of 13,000 feet- about 2 miles above the surface of the earth. We started off all smiles on the plane and just enjoying the view. But then my instructor began strapping me onto him. I had to put on goggles. The door opened. My instructor told me to go towards the door. Kenzie was already out. I think my face below says it all.

Happy on the plane...

Scared out of my mind on the plane...

I had to go all the way to the edge of the door - with my toes over the edge. 2 miles above the earth. What if I wasn't hooked on right?! What if I fell out and my instructor didn't?! I had no chute on me! But next thing I know he's telling me to put my head on his shoulder and we are out the door! I am upside down looking at the ground! We did a full backflip and then we are free falling stomach down at speeds of up to 130 mph! It was amazing! We were going so fast - my cheeks were flailing, I could barely move my arms, I couldn't hear a thing, but it was fantastic!

After about a minute of free fall our chute opened and we were floating in the beautiful Utah sky! It was absolutely gorgeous. Using the cord things we did some fun spins and then my instructor and Kenzie's instructor steered us towards each other so we could yell to each other and talk. We had a great landing, I got all unhooked, and it was over! I was ready to go again. So much fun!

After Kenzie and I both got our picture CDs, we headed to the nearest food - McDonalds - and had a picnic in the grass. We pulled out my laptop and put each of our disks in laughing hysterically at our petrified expressions before we jumped out of the plane. This was such a fun experience and I can't wait to go again! I am so glad I had someone with me though that I know because it made it so much more fun to have someone to talk to about it that experienced it. We were talking about it while driving and decided that the adrenaline rush isn't when you are falling - but in the plane getting ready to fall. So fun though! Loved it.

13.1

My day today started out at 2:45am. Do you know how ridiculously early that is? It's like 3 hours of sleep early. After quickly getting dressed and eating some breakfast, my roommate dropped me off over at the Provo Towne Mall. I was lucky - or perhaps unlucky - enough to get on the first bus headed up the canyon. We headed about two miles north of Vivian Park which is a total of about 7 miles into the canyon. Upon our arrival we all exited the buses and there we were to stand for two hours. Why the buses run only from 3:30 to4:30am when the race doesn't even start until 6am is beyond me. So I got to the starting line a little more than two hours before the race even started. And I was already exhausted. Thank goodness they had fires going for us that we could stay warm next to - however the smoke coming from them soon became unbearable; going into our eyes and making us all smell just fantastic. Eventually I ventured away from the fire to go to the bathroom and wouldn't you know it, it was pitch black outside and no sort of light in the port a john. That was a great bathroom experience. At about 5:30am I headed down to the starting line to stretch and try to keep warm without the fire, and at 6am sharp the Provo mayor sent us on our way.

This was a beautiful run - very scenic and the weather was fantastic, but I need to saysomething here. I have a run a half marathon before. September of 2007 and it was in Disneyland. Disney goes above and beyond for everything - including its races. I think I definitely got spoiled on that race. Water and Powerade at every single mile, bathrooms at every mile, people cheering you on the whole way. It was a fantastic race and I felt kind of jipped while running this one. But alas, it wasn't scorching hot like the Disney one so I can get over only having water every other mile.

Before the race my goal had been simply to beat my previous half marathon time, which was 2:30, however I was hoping for somewhere in the 2 to 2:15 range. My goal was met! My end time was 2:01! Crossing that finish line felt so good - and my knees were screaming the hallelujah chorus. Somewhere in the middle of the race my knees started to ache, but once I stopped running my knees started to kill. I went and got a free massage at theend of the race and she worked around my knees, but the pain is bone not muscle. Hopefully in the next couple of days my knees will forgive me and let me go run again.

Speaking of running I have a couple of things I need to address. First of all, I am going to San Francisco and going across the Golden Gate Bridge - but it won't be until after my birthday in September. The reason for this being that I was running the Napa Valley Ragnar Relay! I am super excited for it and can't wait for the race. That being said, I know right now that there are a couple of things on my list that I won't be able to do before my 20th birthday because of costs. I will do what I can though and will keep the list and do the things I can't in the hopefully near future!

Addiction

On Main Street in Mesa you can find one of my most favorite stores. I can't remember the name of it, but I could find it for you in an instant. It's a quaint little store with unfinished wood floors and a musty smell. Floor to ceiling shelves line every wall and fill the aisles. Shelves filled with books. Used books. Books that are worn, creased, and sometimes have been written in. Oh how I love used books. I am one of the rare people that prefer a used book to a new book. Take a look at my copy of A Walk To Remember and you will understand what I mean. In fact, take a look at any of my books and you will begin to see my love of having a book look worn and weathered; my love of reading a book over and over, even though I already know how it ends.

I have an addiction. To books. Seriously. I read multiple books at a time. When I am home in Arizona I have a book that I read in different areas of the house. I have a bedroom book, bathroom book, and living room book. See, I have a problem. Even when I am in the thick of a semester with midterms everyday for a week, I still set aside time to read my books. In the past week I have read two books, each over 300 pages. And I havetwo midterms this next week. See where my priorities are? But I just can't help myself. This past week I was thinking to myself that I should have been an English major and gone into publishing or something.

Did you know that in high school I told my dad I wanted to own a book store when I grew up (think of You've Got Mail) and my dad told me to be realistic?

But then I remembered something. I LOVE books. I love reading and getting lost in the story of people who aren't real. I love being able to escape from my world and learn lessons from experiences that I know I will never have. But I hate analyzing books. I hate having to find the deeper meaning in a book (unless it is obvious). I hated English in high school and loved Math. I still love Math. So obviously, Math is the right major for me.And my love of books is simply that. Not a career, just a love. A hobby. An addiction (a healthy one).

This week I ordered 3 books from Barnes & Noble - another favorite store, despite the fact all the books are brand spanking new. I ordered the following books. And I cannot wait for them to arrive. But until they do I am not beginning another book. Rather I am going to focus on homework. Oh who am I kidding, I will do just as much homework as before and find something else to fill my time!

In other news, So You Think You Can Dance started this week! I absolutely love this show! And anyone who has ever watched it with me or talked to me about it can testify that I am addicted to that show. Which is fitting considering the title of this post. With that I will leave you with this video to enjoy. If you are any fan of the show, you will understand why I chose this dance for this post.

Whirlwind

Chris and Jolyn got married this weekend!! It was a crazy day but so much fun! I flew into Phoenix at 8:15 Saturday morning, changed at my aunt and uncle's house, went to the Temple and didn't stop the rest of the day! Between doing hair (I did hair 7 different times that day on 5 different people), taking pictures, and eating we were super busy! Here are some fun pics of the day:

My new cousin Ethan! He is Chris' son and 11 years old. We are so excited to officially have them both in our family!

Kenzie came to the reception! She is in Arizona this term while I am in Utah, and next term we switch spots! We miss each other so much it is kinda crazy - but in 3 weeks we are going skydiving together!

Taya was so cute with the flowers I had to snap a pic!

The beautiful bride and I <3

My wonderful family! I love them so much.

On top of all the wedding stuff this weekend I was able to go work a dance recital for Dance Element. It was at 2:30 on Saturday, so it fit right into the afternoon! I was so excited because this would have been their first ever recital without me since they have been opened! I miss working for this studio and cannot wait to graduate and come home to work year round for them!

I was also able to finish Jane Eyre this weekend! I loved it so much more this second time around! I felt so bad for Jane in some parts of it and in other parts really hated some of the characters. Definitely a good read. I will probably read it again - purely because I want to!

Life Plans

I have been thinking a lot lately. This is something that some people [they know who they are] think I do too much of. And in a sense they are correct. I am a planner. I make lists literally everyday of what I need to do that day. I don't necessarily have to cross everything off my list, but I make the list. Sometimes I make multiple lists in a day. Seriously. I will make one in the morning, accomplish more than I thought I would, and then I make a revised one in the afternoon. I know. I have issues. But anyways that is not the point of this blog post. The point is, life is too unpredictable to have a plan.

Allow me to digress for a moment.

For Christmas I got a book called "BYU Speeches 2009-2010" and it basically consists of all the devotionals/forums/firesides given on BYU campus during the 2009-10 school year. I have slowly been making my way through the book reading a talk at a time. I have marked up the book like crazy underlining things and writing down my own thoughts. One of the talks that I recently read was given by Lynnette B. Erickson who is a BYU associate professor of teacher education. In this talk she said, "In our race to the finish line, we need to anticipate and be ready for unexpected events that may hamper us on our course and detour us from our goal."

Now back to my personal thoughts.

Up until a little while ago I had had a plan. A plan that spanned the next year and half to two years, with a vague idea of the several years to follow that. But then some things happened and as someone oh so kindly put it, I had the mother of all wrenches thrown into my engine of life. Now my plan is to graduate next April. And that's all I've got. I don't know what will happen after that. I don't know if I will go teach school down in Arizona, go teach somewhere else, get a job other than teaching, serve a mission, or none of the above. Who knows! I sure don't. But He does. By relying on Him, trusting in Him, and living righteously, I will come to know the plan for me.

So I don't have a plan right now. That's okay. I will just keep moving forward. I may be blind at times, but I know that eventually it will all work out the way it is supposed to.

Many important things will occur in our lives that we have not planned, and not all of them will be welcome...Even our most righteous desires may elude us, or come in different ways or at different times than we have sought to plan. [Elder Dallin H. Oaks]

The lesson here is to keep going, keep building the kingdom, keep improving yourself, stay worthy of His blessings and His love, and stay on course! [Sister Erickson]