it's nothing special....it's just kriss

Monday: I love school. Tuesday: Just hang in there, it will be worth it in the end. Wednesday: I don't love school anymore. Thursday: I must be crazy to be doing this. I'm pretty sure I'm going to die. Find a happy place. Move to happy place and forget school. Friday: Ooh - it's Friday! No classes. That's a happy place. Sunday: Last week wasn't SO bad. I can do this. I love school. Yep. That about sums it up.

You should know that my parents HATE Nacho Libre. You should also know that I LOVE Nacho Libre...ok, mostly just quoting it. I have successfully forced my parents to watch Nacho at least twice. Now that you understand the background, you should also understand why the greatest pay day EVER was hearing my Mom say quietly to herself last night "I wanna win!" (Said with a distinctly Nacho accent). Wha ha ha! Nacho and his sweats are taking over!!

People say you lose it once you get engaged. I have fought hard to deny that reality. Last week - it became undeniable. A good friend and I decided to visit another good friend at the Fair to support the booth she was in charge of. I checked the website for the Utah State Fair for admissions fees and hours of operation, filled up my car with gas for the drive to Salt Lake, and picked up my friend for our grand adventure. We talked and laughed all the way to Salt Lake. We found the State Fair Grounds with little effort and without getting lost (that's a big deal for me in Salt Lake...ok, or anywhere). Then we looked inside the Grounds. They were completely empty. No one anywhere! Wierd. So, we called our friend. Guess what? She was at the Fair. But the Utah County Fair in Spanish Fork! Three hours and some minutes after we started our journey...we finally made it to the Fair. Oh boy. Good thing the company was awesome cuz that was the LONGEST drive to Spanish Fork of my ENTIRE l...

To any of you still reading this blog - thanks for sticking it out. And sorry for being such a slacker. I will try to be better. But you should know up front that there is a great possibility that this blog will become the diary of a Grad student - that and a tracker for wedding planning. So, I hope you don't mind too much. But stay tuned...this could get interesting.

I should probably feel guilty that my blog has gone sappy...but...what can I say. Love is in the air? Well, our story is certainly a tale as old as time ... our story starts - guess where? - the singles ward! I know, I know. I said I would never be one of those people who met their future spouse in the singles ward. It always seemed a little cheesy. But...The Lord has a sense of humor. Anyway, we met in February and became casual friends. I thought he was super cool - but when we first met I was doing full-time school and work so I honestly wasn't interested in a relationship. Luckily, or sadly...the poor guy thought I was interested in someone else so he never asked me out. Fast forward a couple of months. This is where we had a little Divine Intervention...It was my Mom's birthday. Uncharacteristically, a friend and I decided to kidnap her for a girls night and go to dinner. As we were sitting there eating some super tasty food - in walked Placido. I thought, 'Hey, I...

Stories are great. And everyone seems especially interested in this one. So, here it is. We were supposed to go to the gym Tuesday for lunch. But I got a text 20 minutes before he showed up saying he wanted to talk instead. Immediately my stomach sunk. I just knew he was going to break up with me or something horrible like that. Well, he picked me up and we started driving - I had no idea where we were going until we turned up the road by the Timpanogos temple. Then I thought - 'There are only two reasons we would be going to the temple. 1) He is going to propose or 2) He is going to break up with me and knows I can't kill him if he does it on temple grounds.' I'm morbid - I know. We got out and sat on the grass and I had to remind him he wanted to talk. He was like, 'Oh yeah. I almost forgot.' Nerd. So he started talking about our first date and the first time he knew he wanted to be with me and the things he loved about me. Then he started talking about ho...

Remember THIS post? Well... Slowly I unlace them, my precious running shoes. Gingerly I place them on the shelf where they belong. But this time is different - I won't be lacing them again; My running career has ended, my running shoes are done. A toast to those who still run this race, whose feet are prone to flee - Keep running fast and far, my friends Just know you run without me. 

Okay - so this post was supposed to be published like...a while ago. Sorry. Slacker? Yep - that's me. How cool is this - last week a friend and I had lunch with our 11th grade weight lifting coach. Yep - an entire decade later and we're still good friends. I'm surprised that she didn't give up on us years ago! We were nuts in high school (and still are)! Hopefully we've grown up a little since then - though it's highly doubtful. It's always awesome to see her and no matter how long it's been, it feels like we just saw each other yesterday. I didn't realize until recently just how much I have gained from Coach: weight lifting knowledge, a disdain for running, a love of (or tolerance of) Diet Coke, an insatiable desire for knowledge and learning, an understanding that learning is hard work but pays incredible dividends, an appreciation for great literature, a sense of self-confidence, and a deep respect and gratitude for those who dedicate their...

For your sakes - I wish I had pictures. But, since I don't - a thousand words will have to do. :) Tuesday I came home to work on my house for the last time (insert slightly sad sigh here). It was warm and sunny. I needed to paint the outside doors and mow the lawn so I was extremely grateful for the sunshine. I opened the front door, put up the baby gate in the doorway so the tiny puppy couldn't escape and put a towel under the door so I didn't accidentally paint the carpet Piper thought the towel on the floor was just for her and plopped herself right in the sun. She was far enough away from the door that I didn't think twice. So I started painting. As soon as I painted far enough down the door that Piper could reach the wet paint, she decided she needed to smell it. So, naturally, she got a little bit of paint on her face and ears. I scolded her and she returned to her spot in the sun. I finished painting the door, went to put the roller in the other room, and retur...

Last week I think I experienced the ENTIRE spectrum of emotions. It was an amazing yet slightly traumatic week. Monday: I listed my house for sale. Tuesday: Someone called to look at my house. But I wasn't ready yet. So I took a half day and finished painting and yard work. Wednesday: My closest friend at work was let go. And to make things worse, her job wasn't eliminated ... it's been moved to me. Talk about awkward. But Wednesday I also took my final for Lab - only one more to go!! Thursday: Signed the contract to sell my house. We close May 21st. Kinda freakin' out. Friday: Aced my last test of the semester for lecture. Just one more class and the final - then I'm free! And found out that I passed my Anthropology class. Whoo hoo! Saturday: Had a fantastic time shopping, eating yummy food and hanging out with my whole family! Best day eva! Also found out someone very close to me has decided to move in with their significant other. Not so best news eva...

A few weeks ago on fast Sunday one of the sisters bore her testimony ... it was her birthday. That was tender. And she cried. Then she said, "Well, I guess it's my birthday so I'll cry if I want to". Audible laughter. Awesome! So, I decided since today is my birthday and I don't really want to cry, I'll blog instead. Cuz I want to. So thank you for joining me for this epic post. That is all.

All stuffed animals be warned. This house is armed and dangerous. Picture proof below. Notice the innocent looking dog hiding just outside the doorway... At least the mouth she created is in the right spot. :)

Yesterday after lunch I happened to glance out the window. On the mountain near my office there was a huge festival going on! There was a big canopy up and lots of cars and tons of people. It was a beautiful, sunny day - perfect for a festival. Then it dawned on me. The mountain behind us isn't a park.... It's a cemetery. And my festival...was actually a funeral. Face palm.

Piper plays hide-and-seek. Seriously. She sits in the family room and waits for me to hide. Then, as soon as I say, "Okay, come find me" she jumps up and starts tearing through the house to find me. When I hide somewhere new, she runs through the whole house and then stops outside the family room door and cries for a minute before starting the search again. It's pretty hilarious. For the dog who doesn't hold still long enough to lay down on command - it's pretty impressive that she can search for me in a house full of distractions and people without getting distracted. And she is so proud of herself when she finds me! It's pretty cute. And I decided if she's smart enough to play hide-and-seek ... she's smart enough to write my Anthropology papers for me...right?!

The Sun Will Rise by Kelly Clarkson  is officially my new favorite song. It reminds me of one of my all-time favorite quotes from General Conference: "I think of how dark that Friday was when Christ was lifted up on the cross. On that terrible Friday the earth shook and grew dark. Frightful storms lashed at the earth. It was a Friday filled with devastating, consuming sorrow that gnawed at the souls of those who loved and honored the Son of God. I think that of all the days since the beginning of this world’s history, that Friday was the darkest. But the doom of that day did not endure. The despair did not linger because on Sunday, the resurrected Lord burst the bonds of death. He ascended from the grave and appeared gloriously triumphant as the Savior of all mankind. Each of us will have our own Fridays—those days when the universe itself seems shattered and the shards of our world lie littered about us in pieces. We all will experience those broken times when it seems we can...

Does it take to turn off a fire alarm? Five. And a hammer, screw driver and crow bar. Saturday I met up with a bunch of wardies to clean the building. Another ward was having a breakfast while we were there and they managed to set off the fire alarm. Apparently no one has keys to the closet where the alarm is. And apparently it goes off so often that the fire department doesn't even bother responding any more. So...after an hour of cleaning to the beat of the fire alarm...five high priests and an elder from our ward finally took the hinges off the door. Is it sad that my Saturday morning was so boring that sitting at the church for an extra hour just to watch the guys break open the door was exciting???

Last week a friend of mine kept saying how tired she was - much more tired than usual. Every day she was so exhausted and she couldn't figure out why. Then she happened to look at the box of tea she had been drinking all week - it was sleepy time tea. BAH HA HA!

My favorite part of Ward Conference Sunday: "We would like to sustain brother So-and-so as the pianist for the Relief Society." Followed by an audible "Huh?!" And concluded with Bishop's comment about Brother So-and-so, "Well, that was wishful thinking on his part."

Not too long ago a close friend of mine brought her second beautiful baby girl into this world. I had the precious opportunity to visit them in the hospital, accompanied by another close friend. There was something special, almost sacred, in that hospital room. Perhaps it was the tiny spirit who so recently left the presence of her Father in Heaven. Perhaps it was the beautiful, loving relationship between my friend and her awesome husband. Perhaps it was the smile of a gorgeous two-year-old, proud to be a new big sister. Perhaps it was the quiet, deeply rooted friendship which has existed for more than a decade between the three friends who gathered there. Perhaps it was a little of each. 'What greater gift does thou bestow, what greater goodness can we know than Christ-like friends, whose gentle ways strengthen our faith, enrich our days. For worthy friends whose lives proclaim devotion to the Savior's name, who bless our days with peace and love, we pr...

No...sadly this isn't a post to announce a wedding...but the title seemed oddly fitting. As I drove to work yesterday morning, I paused in my usual morning routine of rushing past slow drivers and actually took a moment to enjoy the view. The snow-covered mountains were breathtaking with the early morning sun glinting off of their craggy ridges. As I looked at those beautiful mountains, a sense of peace and calm came over me. With emotion usually foreign to that time of morning, I thought to myself, "This is it. This is my home. This is where I belong." Living in Utah has it's down sides - slow drivers, endless road construction, crappy pay checks, brutal winters, snow in July and only two good months of summer. But it also holds unparalleled beauty - the majestic snow-capped mountains, the red rock of southern Utah, soon-to-be 13 operating temples , the family I love so dearly, so many of the friends who have helped define me and better me throughout the years, the...