True blue through and through

This week marks the start of college football season. All I have to say is…GO COUGARS! I’m sad it’s the end of summer, but I do love college football season. The end of summer also means the start of the Utah State Fair! Gotta love the fair. Time to Fill up on Fun!

Also this week at work, I’ve been working on Halloween stuff. Aaauugghh! Is it that time already? I can’t believe it! That means I need to get cracking on writing this year’s murder mystery party. (Every year I throw a big Halloween murder mystery party…this will be the fourth annual. It’s so much fun!) I’m thinking of doing a medieval theme this year…so any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. I do have some fabulous ideas rolling around in my head though (if I do say so myself)…I’ve just got to get them all worked out. Halloween is my favorite!

I am loving my classes I’m taking this semester at the U. It’s been awhile since I’ve been a real student, and I am loving the challenge of learning in that sort of academic setting again.

P.S. 28 years ago today my parents got married. I'm grateful to be their daughter and for the committment they made 28 years ago to raise their family in the gospel and for their efforts to keep that committment over the past 28 years.

I am in LOVE!

Want to know who the lucky man is? See if you can guess. I'll give you some hints. He…

-is committed to the gospel of Jesus Christ
-keeps the commandments
-is a good person in general
-is committed to me!
-puts his family as a priority in his life
-honors his priesthood
-is a hard worker and isn't lazy
-is thoughtful, genuine, and sincere
-holds a current temple recommend and uses it on a regular basis
-gets into whatever he is involved in
-is willing to try new things and has somewhat of an adventurous spirit
-appreciates the little things
-is nice to everyone
-enjoys helping people
-is a good provider (or as Caron would say “gainfully employed”)
-makes me want to be a better person
-makes up for my weaknesses and enhances my strengths
-smiles a lot and has a little twinkle in his eyes
-enjoys life
-is open about his feelings and communicates well
-knows what his priorities are in his life and works toward his goals
-easy to talk with, fun to be with and makes me laugh every day

Doesn’t he sound wonderful? Too bad I don’t know his name yet. So if you do please send him my way so I can share the love! :)

One very cold morning on top of a very high mountain

We finally hiked Mt. Timpanogos this weekend! After planning it for over 4 months, I can't believe we finally did it. What a fantastic conclusion to the summer of hiking. We wanted to be sure and be at the top for the sunrise, so we started hiking about midnight. We made it to the top about 2 hours too early, so we waited in the little shack on top and nearly froze to death.
But I wasn't about to come all that way and miss seeing the view from the top in the light. You could see clear from Payson to Bountiful on one side, and then turn around and see Heber Valley on the other side. So I'd say it was well worth it.

If I would have known how blasted cold it was going to be, I would have come better prepared! We had to huddle under Dominique's emergency blanket and get real cozy to stay warm. Thank goodness for Kristi and Caron who were on both sides of me to keep me warm! I did get a terrible leg cramp under the emergency blanket at around 5:30 a.m. My leg happened to be on top of Kristi at the moment and she could feel the cramp...weird!

I highly recommend hiking in the dark. A) It was absolutely gorgeous! You could see the stars and the moon, and the moon's reflection on the granite mountainside was incredible. And the city lights were so cool to see from way up there. B) It wasn't hot. I can't even imagine hiking that in the heat of the day. C) You can't see how steep it is or how high you have to climb. (It was a 5,000 foot elevation gain.) D) You can't see the drop-offs...it's all just a dark abyss. E) Headlamps are cool.

It was totally worth it for this beautiful sunrise! Actually, the hike itself really wasn't nearly as bad as I thought it would be. The climb up wasn't bad at all. I felt great! The last 3 miles or so of the way down was what got to me. I was positive I was going to be immobile for a couple of days, but I am hardly sore at all. I honestly think that the whole hiking in the dark thing was what made all the difference.

I can't even begin to describe the incredible feeling I had standing on top of that mountain with a 360-degree view of my surroundings. I see those mountains every single day and I love them, but to actually be on top of one of them was truly an incredible feeling. I felt like I was on top of the world, but yet I also felt so small and insignificant. And as Caron would say, We made it! And we didn't die!

Trabajemos en la causa del Senor

Last night I had the awesome privelidge of seeing my mission president and his wife. They were in town from Argentina for their daughter's wedding, and wanted to get together with all the missionaries that live around here, so we had a little reunion. I haven't seen them since I left Mendoza almost 2 1/2 years ago.

I am so grateful for the opportunity I had to serve with them for 18 months. I can't even begin to explain all the many things I learned from them. They helped me catch the vision of this wonderful work that we are all involved in. As they spoke to us last night, Pte. Romero said to always be prepared for something greater. He said that we should never forget that we are ALWAYS the Lord's servants and to be in tune enough to know where he wants us. In the mission, he always called us "angeles" and he said that as long as we are serving, we will never cease to be someone's angel. Hna. Romero talked to us about dreaming. She said don't ever stop dreaming, because dreams do turn into reality. Oh, I love them so much!

Pte. Romero said something to me last night that I will always remember. He said, Hermana Heavenly Father has great things in store for your future. The work you did in Mendoza and the person that you are will not go unrewarded. I told him that I have already seen great blessings in my life because of the mission I served, but he said there are even greater things to come and that I would see them in this life. Wow! That really meant a lot to me. And he also said to me...Hermana, I can tell you this now that you're not a missionary anymore...you are stunningly beautiful. I've never been called stunning before! That was flattering. It was really nice to hear that--especially coming from him. And Hermana Romero said to me, Thank you for keeping your covenants.

And, they told me that Hna. Cantarutti (a member from my favorite ward) is here in SLC!!! I'm so excited to see her also. It's amazing to me how people come in and out of our lives at certain times, and the things we learn from them. I know they were put in my life for a reason.

P.S. My Mom is the coolest. I got back from hiking Mt. Timpanogos today and she brought me a Cafe Rio salad! Thanks Mom!

P.P.S. I got Chester (my new car) this weekend and I LOVE it!

P.P.P.S. Like Caron, I was also the recipient of a good deed this week. Some nice soul sent me a beautiful and encouraging card saying that I was strong and could handle anything that came my way and that this person believed in me. Thank you to whoever did that...it totally made my day!

Trip of a million dreams

My weekend trip to L.A. was fantastic. One million dreams fulfilled all in one weekend. We spent 15.5 hours at the happiest place on earth...how can you go wrong? I think I discovered the reason why I love Disneyland so much...the incredible details they put into everything. Like I always say, it's all about the details. Just like an ice cream sundae is 100 times better with a cherry on top.

We made sure to skip and do heel clicks down Main Street. That fulfilled Dream #304 and 305. We took a total of 19,900 steps and walked 10.6 miles. Each step was a dream.

The Disneyland fireworks are the best! Again...all about the details. We also became honorary bugs! The Bug's Life 3D show was one of my favorites. And getting spit on by a bug was Dream #435,960.

We also spent some quality time in the Beast's Library finding out what Disney character is most like us.

I was Belle. (Well, the second time. The first time I was Ariel.) Garrett was Cogsworth, Lisa was Cinderella, Emma was Lady (from Lady & the Tramp), and Bekah was the Evil Witch from Snow White! Sad! We developed a theory as to why Belle is every guy's favorite Disney princess. Not only is she pretty, smart, sweet, nice, and independent, but she falls in love with a Beast.

Of course we had to ride the Tower of Terror for Bekah H. twice! Garrett (the Ga is silent) and Bekah had a cozy moment on that ride. The lines actually weren't bad at all. We walked on to several rides several times in a row. The longest line we waited in was for Peter Pan. But at least we played I Spy to keep us entertained.

What better way to enjoy a roller coaster than with peppy tunes blasting in your ear? And of course we had to laugh like the Chinese grandma on every ride and sing along with all the theme songs.

We got drenched on Splash Mountain! I've seriously never gotten so soaked on that ride. And we went on it pretty early in the day so we dripped our way around for awhile after that. I think I left a small puddle in my "doom" buggy at the Haunted Mansion.

We spent an afternoon in Hollywood! We were stars for a day at Grauman's, the Kodak Theater and the Walk of Fame. We witnessed the wand prints from the Harry Potter gang at Grauman's Chinese Theater.

What better place than Hollywood for a wishing fountain? After all this was the trip of a million dreams! It was not my dream, however, to have a Marilyn Monroe moment coming out of the Pantages Theater. Or to have the guys behind us comment to me about my Marilyn Monroe moment.

And dream number 664,396 was to get my picture taken with Andy the soda fountain man for the Wall of Fame. I'm right up there with Tim Allen!

The point of this whole trip (and Dream #1) was to see the musical Wicked.

I must confess something though. Although I really enjoyed the play, I didn’t like it nearly as much as I thought I would. All I’d heard was fantastically good things about it. However, it was totally different than what I expected. I’m still having some inner conflict about the whole thing. I know that I am an idealist, but I don’t think it’s abnormal to feel that the “good guy” should always come out on top. And I like happy endings.

I just didn’t agree with some of the themes that were portrayed in this play. I didn’t like how Elphaba ended up giving in to what everyone else thought of her and what everyone told her she was. I didn’t like how she gave up on her dream because she felt like it wasn’t worth it anymore. I didn’t like how part of her motivation for her “just cause” was only to seek attention. I didn’t like how all the “good” people were really the bad ones. I didn’t like how selfish and deceitful every single person in that whole play was.

However, there were some themes that I did like. For example, I loved how Fierro changed and realized what it was that he really believed in and wanted. I loved that he realized he could never be happy just “dancing through life” and skimming the surface. It was funny, at intermission, I commented to Emma that I hated Fierro, but by the end of the show I think he turned out to be my favorite character. I also loved that both Elphaba and Glinda realized that they had changed for the better because of their friendship. Each took the others’ good qualities and adapted them into their own lives.

Even though I didn’t agree with a lot of the themes, I liked how this play made me think. (Seriously, I couldn’t sleep afterwards because I was analyzing things.) I mean, really what is the definition of wicked? Is everyone just out to fulfill their own selfish desires? And what are our true motives when doing things that might appear to be for the greater good?

One short day...to have a lifetime of fun. And that's a wrap.

Country roads...take me home

We had yet another successful ward activity this weekend. Destination: Oakcrest. Last time I went to Oakcrest, I was 12 and had a ball. And this weekend's Oakcrest adventure did not disappoint. You know it has to go well when you start the weekend off by riding up the canyon on a motorcycle. I rode up with Josh on his super cool motorcycle and the ride was absolutely gorgeous! However, I was so excited about riding on the motorcycle that I forgot a very important camping item.

My sleeping bag! Yep, I left it sitting in my car. Luckily Caron and Krista brought some extra blankets that they let me borrow, so I didn't freeze.

We had great fun enjoying the fire and the bishopric's assortment of dutch oven cobblers.

A bunch of us decided to sleep out under the stars. I'm so glad we did that...it was absolutely incredible. We saw some shooting stars, and there was no moon out so we could see tons of stars. I got to be in the middle of the huddle since I had no sleeping bag. We drug out the mattresses from the cabins and had a lovely night's sleep.

I woke up just in time to see the sunrise come up through the trees over the mountains. What is it about the sunrise that is just so mesmerizing? And then Caron and I went for a morning jog. We are in training you know. Anyway, jogging down those mountain rodes was just so fun for me. I loved it!

We spent the day playing games, riding the zipline, shooting bows and arrows, and just enjoying being out in the mountains with our fellow ward members.

After much persuasion, we even convinced Sister Margetts to ride the zipline! I was sure to capture it on video since it might be the first and only time it ever happens!

Caron and Matt trying to get untangled in one of the team building games.

My stellar archery skills!

Here are some of us just before leaving Oakcrest. I love my ward!

Go, fight, win!

It turns out that I will be going back to school this fall after all! Remember how I got rejected from that grad school program I applied to? Well, I get a random call from the advisor of the program last week.

She tells me I can take a few classes in the program after all. She said that way I would get to know some of the faculty and I’d get a better idea of what the program is about. That way if I decide to apply again, it will totally help my application. AND…the credits will count toward my master’s degree when/if I start the program next year!

So I frantically call the admissions lady to get an exception to register late. (The late deadline was Aug. 1) She tells me that if I can get my application to her that day, she will get it processed and get me registered for my classes. So, I’m now an official student of the University of Utah. Classes start in a week! I can’t believe it.

I am so excited! (Even if I might have to add some RED to my wardrobe.) I think this route will be even better than if I’d gotten accepted in the first place. Now I’ll really be able to decide if this is what I really want to do before I jump in headfirst. The program is Educational Leadership & Student Affairs. It focuses on university administration and leadership in student affairs. With this degree I can do stuff like Study Abroad and Foreign Exchange programs, International and Community Outreach, Service Learning, Student Leadership, etc.

I will be taking two classes: Leadership in Student Affairs and International Student Affairs. I think I will go out and treat myself to a new pencil box or something.

P.S. This does not change my football team affiliation in any way. :)

Oh how lovely was the morning

This week I started tennis lessons. At 6 a.m. From the courts where I play, I’ve got a perfect view of the mountains. What a great way to start off the day…playing tennis while watching the incredible sunrise come up over the mountains. I love this beautiful place in which I live. That’s my little piece of happiness for the day. What’s yours?

I guess it's my turn to play tag

5 Things I Was Doing 10 Years Ago:
1. Planning our senior year high school yearbook.
2. Taking the ACT.
3. Applying to colleges.
4. Visiting my grandparents on their mission in San Diego.
5. Working at the hair salon.

5 Things On My To-Do List Today:
1. Go running.
2. Have a BBQ at my house.
3. Organize a video shoot for our online photography classes at my work.
4. Debut my modeling talent. Ha! (I am going to be the subject for the photographer for the video.)
5. Design an e-postcard for a promotion I’m doing on my work website.

5 Snacks I Enjoy:
1. Trail mix
2. Fruit
3. Swedish fish & Twizzlers (for road trips)
4. 7-layer dip
5. Ummm…I’m trying to be more healthy so I’m trying not to snack.

5 Songs I’m Lovin’ at the Moment:
1. Dream Big by Ryan Shupe and the Rubberband
2. Settlin’ by Sugarland
3. Black Horse & the Cherry Tree by KT Tunstall
4. that semi new one by Gwen Stefani
5. Home by Daughtry

5 Things I Would Do If I Was a Millionaire:
1. Quit my job.
2. Go to Tahiti. And Italy. And Greece. And Ireland. And…
3. Go on a humanitarian trip.
4. Take each member of my family on their dream vacation.
5. Donate to the Make a Wish foundation.

5 Bad Habits:
1. Having unrealistic expectations of people.
2. Not letting things go.
3. Overeating.
4. Biting my fingernails.
5. Sorry, I only have 4…I must be near perfection! :)

5 Things I'd Never Wear Again:
1. All my clothes that are now too big. (Got rid of ‘em all!)
2. Anything that resembles anything I ever wore on my mission.
3. My hair in an afro.
4. Big poofy bows on top of my head. (Gotta love those 7th-8th grade photos!)
5. Socks with sandals.

5 Things I Like To Do:
1. Travel
2. Spend time with family and friends.
3. Celebrate holidays.
4. Do whatever is in season. (ex. Summer: Fireworks, drive-in movies, hiking... Fall: corn maze, football games, the state fair…You get the idea.)
5. Lounge about in the sun.

5 of My Favorite Places:
1. The beach
2. The mountains
3. My hammock
4. Mendoza, Argentina
5. Akaroa, New Zealand

5 Goals I Have Right Now:
1. Complete a triathlon. (September 22 baby!)
2. Use my Spanish more consistently.
3. Find more opportunities for service.
4. Lose 15 pounds.
5. Learn to play tennis. (I started lessons today!)

5 People I Tag:
1. Nattie
2. Shannon
3. Melissa Campbell
4. Leslie Stratton
5. April J.

Lessons in friendship

Yesterday was international friendship day. Thank you to all my wonderful friends out there. You have each impacted my life in a significant way and I'm so grateful for you and who you are. I know people are put into our lives for a reason, and I'm glad you're in mine.

Just wanted to share some things I've learned over the years from a few of my good friends.

Anne: It's all about the details. Everything is better if it has a theme. Get involved.
Andrea: Open up your clamshell and allow people to see the pearl inside. Use your talents in whatever situation you're in.
Jared: Always be available to help a friend in need.
Caron: See the world. Take advantage of opportunities.
Steve: Live it up! Crazy antics only make life more exciting and enjoyable.
April: Do your best and don't stress about the rest.
Blake: the Kamas Demolition Derby is only the coolest event in the state.
Melissa: It is possible to like running. Even if you've always hated it.
Stephen: Look on the bright side. Be positive…it could always be worse.
Adriana: Be excited about your church calling and magnify it to the best of your ability.
Teri: Do what you love. Follow your heart. Pursue your dreams. Enjoy the moment.
Darin: Just be open and honest. Look for opportunities to serve and make other people happy.
Bethany: Talking to yourself in the mirror is a good thing.
Lorena: Ice cream and a little bit of laughter always makes for a better situation.
Natalie: When your heart gets broken, it's just expanding and making room for more love.
Kristen: It will all be OK in the end. If it's not OK, then it's not the end.
Alison: Boyfriend in a box…need I say more?
Kami: Faith and trust are the answer to everything.

Happy Friendship Day! Thank you for everything!

Take me out to the ball game

For FHE this week we went to the Bees baseball game. It was great fun. Now if only Ryan would have done his baseball research I could have enjoyed the game even more fully. I love that Bro. Hintze brought his Harry Potter book to read during the game. LOL! I finally finished the book this week and I really liked it. My theory was half right. I'm sad it's over though. It was so much fun to look forward to the next book to see what happens next.

This is my favorite part of baseball games...the 7th inning stretch. :)

Family history I am doing it...

Our bishop issued our ward a challenge to prepare 1000 ordinances for the temple by August 8. When he gave us that challenge, I seriously had some major doubts as to how I was ever going to contribute. 'My family history has all been done,' I thought to myself. And, I know absolutely nothing about family history. I decided to give it a go anyway. After all, I had to at least say I tried to do my part in meeting the ward goal. With the help of my grandma and my dad, I was able to find a line of my family history that I could work on researching.

Well, lo and behold, my family history was not all done. I found two names! My great-great-great-great aunt from Norway and her son. I must say that it was pretty dang cool to find their information and go through the whole process of submitting their names for temple work. And I am so excited to do their work for them now.

It spoke to me

The other day I was at my uncle Paul’s house and as I was walking through the garage, I saw a car sitting there. Now, I know you’re all wondering why I’m posting about seeing a car in a garage. That happens every day. However, as I walked past this particular car, it spoke to me. I am not kidding! It said, “Christy I need to be yours.”

Now I am not usually a car person. If it gets me from Point A to Point B, that’s good enough for me. And, this car was being worked on so the hood was off, it was surrounded by various car parts and tools, and it was filthy. Yet it still spoke to me.

My uncle fixes up cars all the time so it was no surprise that the car was in this state. Well, without even thinking about it, I turn around and walk back into the house and ask if he was planning to sell the car when he was done fixing it. (This also is not unusual…my uncle frequently buys wrecked cars, fixes them up, and sells them.) Anyway, my aunt Loretta tells me that the car is my aunt Tami’s and she just got in a little wreck, so Paul is fixing the car for her.

I am bummed. But then Loretta suggested I call Tami and ask her if she wants to sell the car. So I do. She thinks about it a minute and says, “Well, maybe.” The next day Paul calls me and tells me that Tami wants to sell me the car. I ask how much it is. He tells me. Out of my price range. Bummer. Then he calls me back a few hours later and tells me he has miscalculated and tells me the new price. Hmmm….more manageable. Then he tells me that Tami wants to buy his car (which has leather seats—better for her dogs), AND this lady in his ward wants to buy my car. So, if I buy this car, he wouldn’t have to find someone to buy his car, and he wouldn’t have to find a car for this lady in his ward.

So, without further adieu, meet Chester! (Yes, the name has already spoken to me too.)

It’s a 2005 Honda Civic. Dark Blue. 22,000 miles. Gets fantastic gas milage. Sunroof. Super cute. And it’s sooo me! Now obviously this is not the REAL Chester. (He is so much cuter!) He is not in a photogenic state at the moment. But he will be mine in just a few short weeks. Don’t say a car doesn’t choose its owner, because Chester and I have already bonded, and I can’t deny that he spoke to me.

What’s your theme song?

So, you know when you hear a song that totally explains exactly how your life is going at the moment? I’ve had plenty of those. Just wanted to share some of my theme songs from the past few years…

Settlin’ by Sugarland
Blessed by Martina McBride
Georgia by John Mayer
Who Wouldn’t Want to Be Me? by Keith Urban
Way Down Yonder on the Chattahoochee
I’ll Be Okay (from My Best Friend’s Wedding soundtrack)
Broken Road by Rascall Flatts
Seize the Day (from Newsies)

What’s your theme song?