Emily Bliss

I watched this...

2011-10-17T18:10:00.001-07:00

last night at the Bokinsky's house. It made me even more excited. *big-sigh* Oh, VISA. Why do you have to take so long to travel to a different continent? Still waiting.

http://byutv.org/watch/f95d0f6a-aa0e-4ba6-9953-e22b98b03be2

Oh, PS, my farewell date is December 18th in the Seaford, Delaware ward at 10 am. In case anyone is interested. haha A phone call will suffice.

Mission Dress #1

2011-09-18T11:05:00.001-07:00

My mom and I made this dress. Since no stores want to have dresses that go below your knees AND have sleeves, we have resorted to making my own. And when I say my mom and I, I mean that she sews and I.... pick out the fabric... :)

That's not me being lazy. It's actually a good idea. If you haven't seen my "elephant" that will explain everything... :)

Cookies!

2011-09-14T15:34:00.000-07:00

This is the recipe for the best sugar cookies you have ever tasted! That's right, the girl who burns boxed brownies is attempting to bake again! Ask any family members, they are tasty.

Best Sugar Cookies EVER:

1 C butter

2 C Sugar

2 Eggs

3 tsp Vanilla

1 C Sour Cream

1 tsp Salt

2 tsp Baking Soda

5 1/2 C Flour

Soften the butter, then mix in the sugar, eggs, and vanilla. Then you add the sour cream. If you want, I've discovered that you can do half a cup of sour cream and half a cup of Greek Yogurt. Just so you know... Combine the salt, baking soda and flour, then slowly add it to the other mixture. Refrigerate for at least an hour before trying to bake anything.

Roll the dough out about 1/4 inches thick on a very floured surface. Grease a cookie sheet with Pam, then line it with parchment paper. You can experiment with that. Bake at 375 for only 7-8 minutes. Doesn't matter how big the cookies are, as long as they are the same thickness, that's how long you cook them for. I promise.

Tasty, soft, perfect sugar cookies!

Also, if you want frosting, the Cream Cheese kind is delicious, but:

Butter Cream Frosting:

1/2 C Softened Butter

4 C Powdered Sugar

2 tsp Vanilla

1/4 -1/3 C Milk

Cream the butter, then beat in the powdered sugar and vanilla. Add the milk gradually until you get the right consistency. Also, if you want, a little Almond Extract doesn't hurt it. :)

Enjoy! And tell me what you think...

Attempt #3!

2011-09-12T09:56:00.001-07:00

Cute little monster!

With buttons. :)

Rawr!

Attempt #2!

2011-09-12T09:53:00.001-07:00

A cute little girly robot!

Much better than the last one, for sure... <3

1st Sewing Project. Ever.

2011-09-08T11:24:00.000-07:00

Temple

2011-08-27T16:14:00.000-07:00

On August 6th, which was a Saturday, my Mom and I drove to New Jersey to pick up Brian's daughter Riley. She is a doll, to say the least. We then drove to Philly to pick up Brian and Dallin from the airport. Riley lives in NJ with her mom and Brian came to spend a week with her at our house in Delaware. On Wednesday the 10th, me, Mom, and Dallin left at 4am to pick up my friends Jeanie and Larry. It was a grand reunion and we used up our day exploring the historic parts of Philidelphia. I wanted to kick myself when my first thought when we got into Independance Hall was, "Hey, Nicholas Cage was here for National Treasure", instead of, "Wow, George Washington, Benjamin Franklin,..." I don't even like Nicholas Cage! He is ugly and a terrible actor. Anyway, we saw it all. Congress Hall, Liberty Bell, cemetery with some of our founding fathers, and the US Mint. The next day, my Mother and I left our house at 7:30 to make our way to D.C. We drove around the many hills on the Beltway and finally saw the Emerald City, I mean... D.C. Temple sticking way up above the trees. :) It is a very large temple. I think they said one of the largest built. They said even bigger than SLC? I don't know about that... but it was big! We stopped at the distribution center first, on account of it was my first time, and we had 15 minutes to spare by the time we got in for my scheduled 10:30. That's right people, I'm worthy!!! Haha! Not that I gave anyone a reason to think otherwise, but I now know what goes on inside the temple! When people say you don't talk about what goes on inside the temple, they mean you don't talk about what goes on inside the temple! I had so many questions running through my head, but as soon as it was time for me to ask them, I didn't know what I wanted to ask. I think a good diagnosis would be that I was "struck dumb". Well, more-so than normal. :) The best thing though, was that no matter how confused I felt, or how surprised I thought I was, the most overshadowing emotion I felt at that time was peace. Above everything else that I was thinking, I knew that what I had just witnessed was completely true. Even after I went home, I still felt it! It was like, I had my wisdom teeth out again and my dentist gave me an extra prescription for Happy pills. I guess Heavenly Father thought, "Gees, she is thinking way too much about this. She know she can come back whenever she wants and take it all in again, right? *sigh* I'm just going to dump some more 'FeelGood' on her head." That was a good feeling to have the rest of the week with good friends and family surrounding me. I felt so loved and content. The day after the temple, was... a Friday, and we spent the whole day at the beach. Our timing was perfect because the dolphins decided to come out when we got there. There were crabs in the sand where we were swimming and they would go after our toes. I swear I got pinched by a clam or something, because I had a sliver shaped blood blister on my big toe. That night, we walked over to the Hoffman's house and had s'mores around a campfire. The next day, it decided to rain. It was also transfer day, so that meant the main roads would be bumper to bumper with people leaving town from their week long vacation, and people entering town for their week on the beach. So, we pretty much chilled at home til it was time to drive to Philly to drop people off at the airport. It poured clear there. I got to drive the truck with Jeanie and Larry and we just jammed out to "He Is We" and "Hey Monday" all the way there. I felt bad that most of their stay was spent in a car and that we didn't get to see all the places we wanted to, but I'm glad that I have friends that came to support me instead of trying to get all they could out of their plane ticket. Overall, it was a good week.

The Call

2011-07-31T19:03:00.000-07:00

Tired of hearing "Oh, my gosh" yet? :)

Dear Sister Gordon,

2011-07-30T06:59:00.000-07:00

You are hereby called to serve as a missionary of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. You are assigned to labor in the Brazil Rio de Janeiro Mission. It is anticipated that you will serve for a period of 18 months.

You should report to the Brazil Missionary Training Center on Wednesday, January 11, 2012. You will prepare to preach the gospel in the Portuguese language.

I have a couple months for it to sink in. I need to get me a Rosetta Stone or something....

Office Max

2011-06-15T17:16:00.000-07:00

I was at work the other day, and my shift was from 8-4. I am the cashier/front counter person that collects the dimes for copies.... yeah... lame. But today, my first customer was a blond lady who came in with her Starbucks, ready to go. She gave me her flashdrive, picked out the paper she wanted it printed on, and I pushed print. I went to pick up the paper and as I was walking back to give it to her, I saw a cute picture of her holding a baby girl, and the title underneath was "The Day I Died". I guessed from how it was set up that it was the front and back cover for a book. She noticed me looking at her paper and she explained what it was all about. I was very impressed and remembered her name so I could look her up on youtube. This video is of her on some Christian talk show. Skip ahead to 24:30, watch as long as you want, it tells her whole story clear to the end.

The host guy talks a lot, but that tells her whole story. Holy Shmoley, right? Amazing story... I might like Office Max if I had cool people come in all the time like that. But alas, I'm leaving for Delaware to put in my mission papers... :)

Friday the 13th...

2011-05-13T22:41:00.000-07:00

So, Dallin is gone to Chicago for the summer. :( I'm going to miss my crazy brother. But, on a glass is half full note, he left his roadster bike here for me to use to get to work! If you haven't read my previous post about my skateboard, read it now. I'll wait for you....

Ok. So, it takes me 30 minutes on my skateboard. On this bike??? 10 minutes!

-UdallFamilyChoirSingingHallelujahChorus-

Best Birthday of my life!

This morning I worked at both places, meaning OfficeMax from 8-4, then Nike from 5:15 to 10. So, I had to hurry and ride my bike home before my friend Derek gave me a ride to Scottsdale. I was going south on Rural and I was about to cross Southern. The white "walk" man and just turned into the red flashing hand, so I had plenty of time to get across. I'm going normal cruising speed on a bike, and I make my way into the cross walk. Then, some SUV does a little stop and look for oncoming traffic, and starts to merge. With my bike.

Thats right. I got hit by a car. I noticed she was going to accelerate, so I tried to slam my breaks, which squealed, and tried to swerve out of the way, but she nailed the back end and knocked me over. I almost was forced into oncoming traffic, but I managed to stay in the crosswalk. So, I get up, stand there looking at where I am for 5 seconds, then pick my bike up and walk it back to the sidewalk I just came from. She rolls down her window and asks me if I'm ok, and thats when I start shaking and the adrenaline kicks in. And the hysteria. I look myself over and realize I'm not hurt at all and say with a big smile and a laugh, "Yeah, I'm fine!" She says are you sure, I say yeah I'm good, and.... She drives AWAY! The car behind her stops and asks if I'm alright because I'm just standing there on the sidewalk with my hand over my heart and my other hand on my forehead. Again, I'm good. They say to me, "That was a close call!" And I laugh and say "YEAH IT WAS!" with maybe a little bit too much force.

So, the moral of this story boys and girls, is that I've had Dallin's very nice roadster bike for a grand total of 1 and a half days. And now the back tire is wonky. I'm never riding a bike on Friday the 13th again.

Oh, Baby!

2011-04-26T18:58:00.000-07:00

Just some dang cute pictures of this sweet little boy. He was super happy and cuddly last time I got to visit. Or I'm just funny-looking. :)

Skateboarding to OfficeMax

2011-04-24T15:41:00.000-07:00

In case you didn't know already, I got another job at OfficeMax in the Printing section. Now, this is not my idea of an ideal part time job. It is the most boring job I've ever had. Ranging from selling 10 cent copies to laminating 20 papers. Awesome. But, its 2 miles away and I don't have to depend on anyone to get there. I just get my skateboard and I'm off. However. It's an obstacle course on that sidewalk. There are cracks and rocks and crazy twigs. Sprinklers go off all the time. And there are these trees. There is a whole mile that has trees that hang over the sidewalk. They have seeds that fall off all the time. They look like olives. But inside them, are pits or seeds or whatever that are the size of large pebbles. Or small rocks. Whichever is bigger. I skate over them holding my breath. Imagine, if you will, the part on Finding Nemo, where Bruce the giant shark is meandering his way through the mine field that will blow up at any second. I am Bruce in this analogy, winding my way through the mine fields of olive-looking seeds all over the sidewalk. I have flown plenty of times because my wheels hit the seeds and stops the board, but I keep moving. So. The reason for this post. If anyone has a bike that I can use, I will fix it up and make it all nice-like and put it to good use. It will save me about 10 minutes getting to work, and I won't have any battle scars from trekking through the mine fields. I will forever be in your debt. Or, I can buy you Yogurtland and we'll call it even. :)

Free Day

2011-03-01T22:51:00.000-08:00

March 1st, 2011- Free Day

Anything that has the word Free in it is alright in my book. And I had a whole day with a whole lot of free. So, in other words, today was a good day.

8:30 am- Leave apartment for work. Got a ride with my roommate because her clinic is close to the store. I have all happy customers that are happy for my help, which makes it go by so much faster. When 2:15 rolls around, my manager says, "Hey, go in the back and tell Lyndsay to get you your new staff dress." Yes! New staff dress! It consists of:

2 shirts

Another black jacket

2 pairs of yoga pants

And some fantastic new running shoes

But wait! Thats not all! I got a text after I got off work that said today was International Pancake Day at IHop! That means free pancakes! So, I told as many friends as I could about it, but only one had the free time to go. So me and Larry went to IHop and ate free pancakes!

After that, Larry and I went to CSL Plasma and let them stick large needles in us for $50! And you are aloud to do it twice a week! If I do that religiously for a month, thats 400 bucks!

So, yeah. It was a good day. I hope everyone has a Free Day sometime soon. I find it very therapeutic.

Chocolate?

2011-02-22T19:09:00.000-08:00

Last night I worked a 1-10 shift at the store. I car pooled with my roommate since we worked the same hours and my car is dead. But thats a different story. So, we get home around 10:30 and the routine is we get into comfy pajamas and turn on Netflix and watch an episode (or two or three) of Grey's Anatomy. Well, I go into my room and find this:

on my pillow. Ali was with me all day, so I ask Janie, our other roommate. With a very straight face, she says she was gone all day. 1. How did this person get into our house, 2. Either Ali is lying or Janie is lying, 3. I have a secret admirer.... :)

Nike Scottsdale Run Club

2011-01-13T11:17:00.000-08:00

After working at the Nike store for a while now, I got to join our Nike+ Run Club. We meet every Wednesday at 6:00 and either run 3, 5, or 7 miles depending on what other people want to do. There are usually 3 employees that run, so one is the pacer who decides where we are running, and the middle guy who just does his own thing, and then there is the sweeper, who runs with the slowest person so they don't feel left behind. Now, I love free stuff. And I would like to say that I joined the run club because I love to run, but that is a flat out lie. I hate running, because I'm terrible at running. I joined because I get a free shirt, and free running shoes. I need help picking between this color:

and this color:

Until I get them though, I've been running in these:

Can I just say that I LOVE these shoes? I'm not trying to be a Nike Salesperson right now, but I think everyone in the world should own a pair of these. They are so comfortable and so light weight and flexible and so good for your feet. You've all seen the Sketcher "Shape-Up" shoes, right? The ugly ones with the round bottom? This is Nike's concept of the toning shoes. Why do people in Africa run so fast? Because they practice their running barefoot. Meaning they have stronger feet and lower leg muscles. I ran yesterday for run club and my feet and lower legs are killing me! But its a good pain. I love sore muscles. So, if anyone wants to come run with us, every Wednesday at the Nike store in Scottsdale Quarter, 6:00pm. It will be fun!

I Hang Out With Cool People

2010-11-26T22:58:00.000-08:00

Great way to entertain kids AND get a great leg workout:

1. Lay a blanket/towel down underneath your trampoline.

2. Crawl under and lay on the blanket/towel on your back.

3. Put your feet perpendicular to the ground so they touch the trampoline like so:

4. Make sure children's faces are not looking down at you. Have them sit in an upright position.

5. Bounce them up off the trampoline EVERY time they say, "Again! Again! Your legs aren't tired anymore! Again! You already rested! Again! Are you sleeping? Bounce me! Bounce me high!" etc.

My legs were sore for 2 days. Also, I guess I was laying on a rock or large pebble because I had a bruise on my spine from it. So, maybe go with the blanket instead of towel...

Nike Scottsdale Store Challenge

2010-11-21T12:17:00.000-08:00

The weeks before the Nike store opened, all the new employees had to go to a week long "Rookie Camp". I explained it more in a previous post, but one guy flew out from Oregon where HQ is, and he was I think the Nike+ technology guy. Engineer or programmer or something. Anyway, he did his shpeal with a powerpoint cramming all kinds of information into our heads about Nike+ and how it works, and then he gave us a test. After we were done, he said, Who got 20 out of 20 right? One person raises their hand. He gives them one of these:

Anyway, he kept going down until he only had one band left. He said the number and 3 of us raised our hands. We played Rock Paper Scissors. I won. :) Then he told us all about the Employee Store Challenge that would be going on. You would have to have a sensor of some kind to upload your runs onto the website, and whoever ran the most miles in one month would win an iPad. Second place would get an iTouch. Third Place would get the new Nano Touch. And the results were!!!:

Yeah. It wasn't really an iPad competition after the guy got 40 miles the first week and I got 10, and then the second place guy kept uploading random runs out of nowhere. He told me the other day that he turned his sensor on while he was working so he got extra miles just from walking around the store. I called him a cheater. But! I don't care! I get this:

For running 50 miles. :) I even had a couple of 5k's that I did! Never thought that would happen!

Yes, I'm proud.

The Best Is Yet To Come

2010-11-14T16:45:00.000-08:00

Lately, I've been in a reflecting mood. As in, I've been wondering what the heck I'm doing right now in my life and all that jazz. So, here is all the analyzing that went on in my brain:

I'm not going to school. This summer when I found out that I lost my scholarship, I was terrified on so many levels. First of all, that was a lot of free money. I lived off of it for 2 years. It paid for my rent, insurance, food, gas, and I still had enough to play all the time. It was a really good hook up. Now, I would have to get a job and earn all of that good stuff. And work A LOT. Like, more than 20 hours a week!! (Imagine I said that like a dumb blonde haha) Second of all, I was scared of what other people would think. I was friends with and related to so many people that got scholarships as well, and I felt like an idiot because I couldn't keep mine. Really, how hard is it to keep your GPA higher than 3.25? It wasn't hard at all. But, tell you the truth, I didn't take it serious enough. I didn't know what major I wanted or what job I was working towards,.........

I've been meeting some fantastic people. When I got back from Delaware this summer, I would hang out with my usual friends that I knew before. Well, they met more people and so our "group" got larger. One girl named Ali started hanging out with us, and we became good friends. I envy her outgoing/semi-loud personality, but we are both equally as chill, I guess you could say. Anyway, we get along good. She is a very fun girl. So, I got back from the East Coast, and we start hanging out. After a month of no job luck, she says to me, Hey! There is a new Nike store opening up in Scottsdale! You just have to apply online. We should work together! and so, we do. We both work at Nike which is fantastic. We both got the call that we were hired within 2 days, and so we celebrated. We got to go through the whole "Rookie Camp" of learning about the history of Nike, we had to memorize all the shoes, and the technology in the shoes (Max Air, Zoom Air, what kind of foam is in the midsole.....), and we did all kinds of role playing. And they gave us free stuff. :) There were people that flew in from Oregon (where HQ is) and New York (where the largest NikeTown is). But anyway. I get along great with all of my managers and co-workers. I have nicknames from a lot of them as well. I take that as a good sign.

I live with my brother. I'm not going to lie, sometimes it is frustrating, but mostly, it is just fun. It really is great that we get along so good, otherwise, we would hate each other. How profound, right? Haha. We hang out with the same group of friends and we gossip about the same things, and we make fun of each other, and it is just a blast. I tell him stories about what happened at work and he tells me about all the new words he learned in his Chinese class that day... shoot me brains out (Irish accent). Yay for different languages... Anyway, our apartment situation is good.

I miss my family. I'm jealous of all the people who just have to drive 3 hours to give their Mom or Dad a hug. I miss staying up late with Sarah, Jesse, Dallin, and the parents playing dice and card games where we laugh a LOT! But I don't just miss my Delaware family. I miss Arizona family as well. Now that I work all the time, I don't get to see my favorite Stoddard's. I used to babysit over there all the time and they are some of my most favorite people. They pretty much helped me survive the first month when I didn't have a job. I'm so excited for baby #3! November 7th was my Grandma Udall's birthday, so she and Grandpa have been on my mind. I got an email from my cousin today, who is transcribing their life stories that were recorded, and my Grandpa said:

"I still am always excited every morning that the sun came up again, that it didn't go somewhere else in the night. (laughing) And I have great pleasure come to me when I see my little grandchildren doing well. I love to watch Emily play basketball... or volleyball. She's not a spectacular player but she's very steady and very dependable. It's so interesting. And so on with the others. ..."

They were both very big supporters of me in my high school sports, especially when we played against Thatcher. :) I'm selfishly sad that I won't have them in my "Family Temple Picture", among other things.

So, after adding all these together and multiplying them by terror and dividing by praying, I decided that I'm in the right place right now. Right place in my life. I think that me losing my scholarship was Heavenly Father's way of saying, Whoa. Let's try this some other time. or, Ok, you totally missed my queue for the major you need to declare. Either one. Or both. :) The people I associate with help me see what kind of person I want to be, what kind of person I don't want to be, and its always a plus when they have the same standards as you. I'm glad I have a reliable roommate and I love my family.

I am happy with my life right now.

Gonzo, Shmonzo...

2010-10-24T14:39:00.000-07:00

I helped Luis Gonzalez pick out some sweat pants yesterday at the store. He came in with his brother and because everyone recognized him except me, I was the only one NOT freaking out. Winning hit and the World Series? Ok. Cool. You want a jacket to match?

Now, if Misty Mae or Kerri Walsh were to stroll in, then someone would have to administer CPR. I dare them to come visit Scottsdale. I dare them...

Red Shoes

2010-10-20T22:58:00.001-07:00

Another story from today. I think I've gotten to see all the different faces of Scottsdale, Arizona in just one week of working over there. I've gotten the spoiled brats that buy everything with Daddy's credit card, the stuck up people that won't accept your help unless absolutely necessary, the sweet old couples that love chatting, and we even had a homecoming/Frolic/Prom group come in... I don't know why. Anyway. I got a mix today. A sweet older couple came in and the lady says to me with her Spanish sounding accent, "You have all red shoes? I need all red shoes. But no holes on top." I say, "All red? You mean with no mesh on top?" I show her all kinds of examples of semi-red shoes, and she says, "I need all red shoes to hide the blood."

(Screeching Brakes!!!)

What!?!?!? I'm pretty sure I made a really weird face because she and her husband both said at the same time, "Oh, she is a surgeon! So sorry! Is ok! We're not scary!" Freaked me RIGHT OUT!!!

1) Ew! Blood all over your shoes??? What kind of surgery does she do???

2) I thought for 2 seconds she was a sweet little foreign serial killer who would do away with me if I didn't get her RED SHOES, and

3) It is now extremely funny to me. I guess I've watched one too many episodes of Criminal Minds lately to think someone like her would really be capable of hacking people up.

All Red Shoes! Hahaha!!!

Filthy Rich

2010-10-20T22:40:00.000-07:00

I now understand what that means. Filthy Rich. Let me enlighten you with a story:

When we first opened our Nike store up in Scottsdale, I felt kind of bad because our managers told us that our main job is to talk customers up to buying more, More, MORE! In my mind, it sort of felt dishonest for some reason. But that quickly changed. Today, a young girl came in with her fit-your-closet-in-it Prada bag. She looked READY to shop. She said she was looking for a jacket because it was raining outside and she was getting her hair done in 2 hours. So, I show her the most pricey jackets we have. One was $160, one was $360, and the last one was $420. Guess which one she chose? $420 in 3 minutes. But just wait. I say to her, "Oh, I love that jacket. And the best thing is, we have so many shirts that would go great with it!" As I'm catching all the shirts she picks up to try on, I say, "This shirt has leggings that are meant to go with it. Would you like to try those on as well?" Get the picture? I don't think she said no to me once. I got clear down to 2 pairs of running shoes. And everything in between. I take her mountain of stuff to the cashier, and he rings her up. Her total? Almost $800. !!!! And do you know what she says!? And I quote:

"Wow, thats it? Maybe I should get more stuff.... I already spent double that over at TJMax..."

Oh, my gosh! Isn't that just... disgusting??? So there you go.

Disgusting, filthy rich.

Lucky. haha

Nike

2010-10-07T22:49:00.000-07:00

My first couple of days on the job! I'm having SO much fun! All of the people I work with are so fun and happy and talkative and goofy. It makes long hours of redundant tasks go by a lot faster.

Day 1: I got to be part of the "Stocking Team". Meaning, I saw a bazillion pairs of orange Nike Boxes with very expensive shoes in them. I was the person on the ladder teetering on my toes to get the last box on the very top of the piles.

Day 2: We broke out all the T-shirts. Two bazillion of those. Times 2 story building. Lots of hanging and sizing and re-hanging because there are certain hangers, styles, colors, blah blah blah. Pcheeewww! (fingers shaped like gun against my temple)

Day 3 (today): I have to say today was the funnest so far. Me and my friend Brett got to be the "Visual Floor Assistants". Which means, we got to do all the display shoes. :) We went to the back, got every size 9 left shoe of every style, put display stickers on the boxes, re-laced them, put the shoe shaper things in them, and we got to arrange them on the walls to make them look legit. Just so you know, 15 golf shoes falling off the wall on top of you does not feel good. The Tiger Woods shoes came after me like I was his mistress or something...

P.S. One of my cool Visual Coaches told us that for our staff dress, we get to go around the day before opening and choose which clothes. Because staff dress has to be something they are selling in the store. :) Also, the shoes I have to choose from (not those colors):

Women's Air Max 2010

Nike Shox NZ

I have a legit job. And I'm happy with everything right now. :)

Superheroes

2010-09-09T15:54:00.000-07:00

Today, I got to hang out with Co-Aqua-boy,

Iron Man,

and Spiderman who doesn't really look like Spiderman. But it doesn't matter, because that face is just adorable. :)

Switzerland day

2010-09-09T15:17:00.001-07:00

Yesterday, Wednesday September 8th, 2010, a day which will live in my mind as the worst day ever. It started out good though!

I was excited and nervous to go to my first Nike training day! I was excited that I get to work with one of my friends! I was excited that I actually had a schedule! However...

My car randomly died on my way to meet my friend Ali so we could carpool. Just driving along and it suddenly just shut off. I coasted onto some random street by McDowell and 44th. And there it sat until after our training. Luckily, that stupid car decided to die only a couple streets away from her house so it wasn't a big deal for her to come pick me up. Anyways...

We get to the training and it is actually at the Mariott on Scottsdale Rd. and the 101. We did all the paperwork, got introduced to our Managers, who are awesome people, and some of the people we get to work with. Funny thing, we are sales associates, but our job title is Nike Athlete. :) I'm pretty sure I'm going to see all kinds of Phoenix Suns and Cardinals while I'm working. :D But!... we can't ask for anyone's autograph or picture or we could get fired. :S We also got to order our uniforms, which consist of: brand new shoes (that are HOT pink and white ....), yoga pants and 2 pairs of running shorts, 2 black shirts, and a jacket. ALL FREE!!! I'm pretty sure they are spending about $400 on each employee... It's so LEGIT!!! I'm so excited! Back to reality...

At 4, when we were done with training, Ali took me back to my car. We were silly girls trying to jump start my car. We thought we were doing something wrong because my flipping car wouldn't start, but that's just my car. So my Dad says to take the battery to the Checker Auto close by and see if it's charged. My battery was brand new, but I was hoping my Pops was right. So we have to call Larry to come help because he has tools and Checker won't loan them out... Fast Foreward to 8:00 pm and Jeanie and Larry are still with me towing my car to the mechanic's house so he can replace the fuel pump and filter. Which he says will take about 3 hours. I say we will come back tomorrow (today) around 5:15. So...

To thank my friends, I tell Larry to take us to a really good REAL Mexican food place. He was practically a Mexican for his job this summer, so he knows real Mexican food... The place we went had DELICIOUS watermelon drinks, strawberry drinks, and mango drinks. The food was really good as well. Torta's and quesadillas and chicharones... it was heaven for my Mexican food loving taste buds!

So, lets tally. Positive has 3, negative has 3 ( I consider not being able to get autographs or pictures a BIG negative). So it all cancels each other out... which leaves me to wonder, what kind of day did I have? Neutral day? Cancelled-out day? I like Switzerland day. Only the name. I hope I don't have one ever again.

2010-09-06T13:15:00.000-07:00

Once upon a time, I had these friends named Larry and Chad. They were kind of upset one day because they came home to discover goldfish in their sinks and the contents of their closets switched to opposite rooms. Enlisting the help of me and some of our other friends, they plotted and schemed to carry out what we like to call, Operation: Fish Food.

The Break-in

The Switch

The Hack (Changing passwords)

The Dye in the Kitchen sink and Shower heads

The Jello :)

And Ultimately....

We ate their Otter Pops.

I believe that a couple of days later, the victims called and asked for a truce. Apparently, they didn't think they would ever be able to top that. And they knew that if they did, the return would be 10 times worse. Just like this time.

Skimboarding

2010-09-06T13:02:00.001-07:00

These pictures are kind of old. They were taken in like, April, but we do this stuff all the time. My friend Matt (green shorts) is all about "doing" something fun. No "hanging out". So what does he do? He makes a skim boarding lane. Out of PVC pipe and a tarp. Just fill it up with water, and there you go! We started that afternoon in his front yard....

But then we migrated to the Tri Stake Center around the corner where they were irrigating the grass.

Below is Dallin if you can't tell. His hair is different. :)

And there is Matt. The brains and pro.

It was a fun day.

Nike

2010-09-03T11:19:00.000-07:00

This past month has been not fun. Looking for jobs is not fun. Waiting to hear about hiring place is not fun. However! I have a friend who told me a week ago about a new Nike store that opened in North Scottsdale, and that they were hiring all kinds of people on account of, its brand new, 2 story Nike-land. I applied online and got a call a couple days later. We had to be at the Mariott hotel on Scottsdale road and the 101. Waaaay up there... So, I ask my good friend Larry to drive me in his very nice truck that has very nice Air Conditioning, because apparently, people have that in their cars. I promised him Yogurtland after. He said ok in 2 seconds. :) So, I get to the hotel, and there are two guys waiting there already. I'm thinking, "Shoot. I'm going to be here for a while. Sorry Larry". But no. One guy comes out and says "All of you can follow me". We ALL go into a conference room with the long tables and comfy seats and we sit on one side across from the 3 interviewers. They ask us all questions and we answer them in order. It was a first time experience I have to say. I just remember that one of the interviewers was a black man named Dulyle (Doo-lyle) like Kyle but with an L. Anyway. I felt good about the interview. It went smooth and I threw a couple of jokes in as well. I guess I am good at talking when I'm under pressure...? Haha! Two days later (today), I get a call that says "Hi, we would like to hire you to come work at the Nike store!" And I said, "OK!" and hung up. Just kidding! It was longer than that but it all comes down to I got hired to work at Nike! :) Also, if you have never been to Yogurtland, I strongly recommend it. It is a very yummy place... haha

Swoosh!

Cohen and Jace

2010-08-21T15:18:00.001-07:00

I'm so glad I get to see these kids so much! They are so fun and so dang cute!

Safford Trip

2010-08-21T15:09:00.000-07:00

I think the week after I got back, I took a trip down to Safford. I got to see Janiel and her cute family. Baby Jesse is such a smiley chunk!

I also got to visit the Herringtons and play with all those families. It was a blast! I ended up getting a ride back to the valley with Leslie and Brian and Bella and Sammie. :)

I guess there has to be a first for everything...

2010-07-12T20:25:00.000-07:00

We took family pictures. All wearing white shirts. And dark jeans. Barefoot. At the beach. Could you just die!? I think it's hillarious/ridiculous.

Dallin and I took a separate car to meet the rest of our family who had to pick up my Dad and Sis. Hoffman (photographer). It was very funny trying to pose on the beach in our silly matching outfits in front of people in bathing suits and fishermen. When we were driving home, me in the driver seat, Dallin being the passenger, we came upon a small intersection. I didn't have a stop sign, but the guy in the SUV did. I kept driving. I saw him stop, but then he pulled out into the middle of the road right in front of me. 3 seconds before I slammed on the brakes, held my breath, then closed my eyes, I saw him look up over his left arm that was holding his cell phone to his ear. I don't remember any loud crashing sounds, and I don't remember him wobbling his car off the side of the road, but I do remember all the smoke coming in through the AC. And the airbags in my face. And the shattered windshield. And my door not being able to open. And the rear-view mirror hanging down off the ceiling. Luckily, there were people sitting on their porch in the house by the intersection, and there was a very nice lady driving behind the guy who pulled out. The hick porch people called the police and the driver lady stayed to talk to the police officer. I think the hick woman made it sound like there were multiple casualties to the dispatcher, because fire marshals came, a firetruck with like 10 firemen came out, an ambulance came that had to call in and cancel the SECOND ambulance that was coming. But only one police officer came. Lucky for us, the guy told the truth and took all the blame. He admitted to pulling out in front and all that jazz. No injuries on anyone, either! I have a little rash on my collar bone from the seatbelt, but I'm not complaining!

My first car accident EVER and it happened on some small road in the middle of Georgetown, Delaware. What the heck?!

P.S. Every time I look at our new family photos, I get to be reminded of this. Awesome.

Family Home Evening

2010-05-31T18:12:00.000-07:00

We started having a Young Single Adults FHE at our house on Mondays. Tonight, we ate pizza, root beer, fruit pizza, and played some games. We started off with Curses:

We progressed to Ultimate Spoons outside. Funnest game of spoons I have ever played I have to say. :)

20!

2010-05-28T19:48:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday to me! My dad made me a 4 layer boston cream cake this year. :) I love our traditional birthday cakes! I decorated it this year though. It's an owl if you can't tell! Mom!

Anyways... the candles have the same color of flame as the candle! Pretty cool!

So long teenage years! :)

We like to think we can sing...

2010-05-28T19:33:00.000-07:00

Haha! My family is so much fun!

Skimboarding!

2010-05-28T19:04:00.000-07:00

I love the beach. :) The beaches here have good waves for skimboarding and boogy boarding, and it isn't too hot or too cold. AND the dolphins swim 20 feet away from you! I've already seen some jumping out of the water and chasing fish. So awesome!

So, here is me and Dallin. Being pro's. :)

What? Posed? Of course not!!! :)

And then...

I won I think. :)

Christmas in Delaware

2010-04-03T11:24:00.000-07:00

I forgot I had these on my phone. During Christmas break while we were in Delaware, we were snowed in for a couple of days. Meaning, we just couldn't drive anywhere because they don't own snow plows. I guess that much snow isn't very common? On one of our "Snow Days", we just happened to find a long rope that was long enough to go over the edge of the balcony on top of the stairs. Dallin made a harness out of 2 belts and some other things. Here is the outcome:

Yes, I threw a snowball at my mom. Yes, she called me a poop. Yes, I did a dance so she wouldn't be mad at me. :) I win.

Babysitting!

2010-03-12T16:17:00.000-08:00

Today I got to babysit Cohen and Jace. I LOVE those boys! They are such monkeys and I call them that regularly. :)

We rode our bikes to the park and Cohen decided that he wanted to be buried. So they started digging a deep hole...

I was giggling at them, so Cohen told me to take a picture. They both posed like this (below), and they held perfectly still for about 3 minutes, even after I took the picture. Monkeys I tell you! Haha!

Cohen was proud that he was still taller than Jace, even when he was buried up to his knees. :)

Jace's turn! I LOVE his smile!

Goofy!

Journal

2010-02-27T10:30:00.000-08:00

I have about 4 different journals that I write in. I found one yesterday and decided to read it. One of the entries went like this:

April 16, 2007

My dad was eating next to Grandma Carpenter, and for some reason he made the comment, "Thats ok, I like it topless." She gave him the meanest glare, and me and Dena started giggling. My dad started laughing too, and he apologized to Grandma C. It wasn't on purpose, but it was super funny.

Hahaha! I think he was eating a sandwich without a piece of bread on top or something. I'm so glad I wrote this down! I love journals!

Family Circus

2010-02-25T19:38:00.001-08:00

I was looking through old pictures on my computer. I LOVE them! I love pictures! I'm sad that the rest of them are across the country, but when I go this summer, I'm going to be scanning them all for sure! Anyway, this is the one I came across and it brought back ALL kinds of memories...

First of all, the Big Red Ford in the bottom left corner! I loved that thing! Second of all, that cement mixer that used to be at Grandma and Grandpas house right by his shed. I guess this was around the time we were adding to our front porch. Third of all, us! My dad would come out on the trampoline with us! All the time! It was always him bouncing us a little too high, and my mom yelling out the window to be careful. No one ever got hurt, I might add. When my mom got too nervous, my dad would change our activity, and this is one of the outcomes. I think we were trying to be Cirque du Soleil performers or something. I think for a whole summer, we did this every night. That is a good memory! How about you guys get a trampoline for your new house? :)

Yes? No?

2009-11-25T11:20:00.000-08:00

I'm thinking about cutting my hair. A year ago, I decided to bleach it blonde (stupidest thing ever), and then tried to color over it (and the color ended up being the next thing lighter than black). So it's been a while, and I now have brown hair a little past my shoulders, with 3 inches of blonde on the top. All the brown is dead and gross, and I'm done with it. So, tell me. Cut it/Don't cut it, and/or which one:

Mostly a joke :) 3.

School!

2009-11-14T12:31:00.001-08:00

I'm in a biology class right now, and it has a lab that is required. It is a three hour class and mine just happens to start at 6:05 in the afternoon and goes until 8:55. Awesome, I know. So far, we have seen a cadaver, dissected a sheep brain, and this Thursday we got to cut open a sheep eyeball. Of all the things to get grossed out on, the eyeball was the worst. I normally just tell myself, thats not a real cadaver. It's fake! Or, thats not a real sheep brain, it's just made out of some kind of soft rubber. But for the eyeball, there were nerves on it and it juiced all over me.

I think the lab is actally my favorite class that I'm taking right now. Actually, I don't really have any other choices for favorite classes. Sociology of Work? No. PreCalculus? Are you kidding me? No. Computer Information Systems? Soooo boring. My Kinesiology class is annoying as well. Haha! Annoying as well. Thats funny!

Yoostar video!

2009-10-29T19:58:00.001-07:00

Jeanie told me about some booth that was on campus where we could get free mascara, but in order to get it, you had to try out this new game or something. This is called Yoostar, and its like the video version of Singstar. There's a greenscreen and all! If you don't know, this is a clip from Some Like It Hot. :) Such a good movie.

Haha!

2009-10-11T22:25:00.001-07:00

I love looking through my pictures on my computer and finding ones that make me smile! This one in particular just makes me happy! Our ward in Safford started at 9 am. It wasn't a happy time, but this day it was good. It was a perfect weather day and you can see the dark clouds coming over the mountain. I love rainstorms in Safford! It was so great living right below the mountain. That meant when the mountain got rain, we got rain. Loved it! Anyway, we randomly decided to have a Gordon/Soprano photoshoot right after we pulled into the driveway. No smiling allowed! I love that Sarah and Jesse took it so seriously! This was very long ago. The younger two look so mini! I love all these people! And the photographer. And the guy who had to stay at the church longer on account of he was the bishop. Another little bit of information, notice my awesome ankle tan. WHITE FEET! Dark legs. This was the end of my Junior year, meaning I was doing pole-vault with Dallin. If you couldn't tell by my obviously slim post-volleyball physique that I was a pole-vaulter, the sock tan was a dead give away... :) It was fun though! And it gave me something to write about on my '2 years later' blog! Haha!

Holy Missionaries!!!!

2009-09-02T10:26:00.000-07:00

So, Chris is back, David comes home today, and Dallin comes home in December. 2 years already? Really? That went by really fast! It seems like just yesterday that they ditched us to go serve. Dallin has been talking to his mission president to see when he will be coming home because school starts around the time he should be getting home. School starts on January 19th and he needs some time to get everything taken care of (clothes, living, registration, scholarship). In other words, he is coming home a little sooner than January 16th. He was shooting for December 17th, but got stuck with the 28th. Really? The 28th? 3 days? I'm sad about that. He's not going to have the huge family gathering at the airport that he thought he was going to have, but since Delaware is a few states away from Arizona, I'm thinking we might bring a mini Christmas tree or something and come in our pajamas. Or something. Fun ideas for that would be helpful! Holy Cow! I'm so excited for that day!

Chris' farewell (from left): Chris-Mozambique, Meagan, David- Brazil, Eric-Korea I believe?, Dallin-Texas :), Dena, Me.

Mom :)

It's entertaining to alternate between these pictures multiple times.

Haha!!!

New Glasses!

2009-08-11T15:21:00.000-07:00

I just bought these super cute prescription glasses for $25!!!

I love getting new glasses! And the fact that they are so cheap makes it 10 times better! :)

4th of July!

2009-07-06T15:53:00.000-07:00

This trip to Delaware has been full of a lot of "Ultimates". The ultimate birthday party in New York City, the ultimate summer job working right on the beach, and now, the ultimate 4th of July. Olive Clawson who is an awesome lady from our ward in Safford, invited us to DC to sit with her family for the fireworks. We sat directly under the Washington Memorial facing the Lincoln Memorial. It was a long wait for the fireworks, but it was enough time for us to go to some Smithsonians and the other Memorials.

I hate sharks, but I'm soooo glad they aren't this big. How's that for positivity?

Sarah-zona. Get it? Haha!

This was in one of the Smithsonians and I was so excited because I knew what it was! It is called the Code of Hammurabi. I learned about it in one of my classes, but thats ALL I know about it... :)

Happy 4th of July!!!!

We went fishing...

2009-06-26T07:34:00.000-07:00

Jeanie has never been fishing before and she caught three flounder! We kept the biggest one and ate it that night.

Ugly? Why did they choose Flounder for Little Mermaid?

Guess what I caught? :)

Journal Entry #2- Embarrassing Moment

2009-06-23T21:18:00.000-07:00

I have 2 funny stories. Lucky you.
#1. During my freshman year in volleyball, my coach let me play varsity for one game because someone was injured or something. It was a really good team and they were beating us real bad. She put me in back row, which is digging spikes and all that HARD stuff. The big hitter on the other team was going up for the spike or something and I was too close to the net. She swung and the ball slammed me right in the face. When this happens to someone, we call it a focker. It sounds really bad, but thats just what it is called. I think this is the worst thing that can happen to someone on the volleyball court. It's like, the ultimate shame or something. But, our team had bets for every game; whoever fockers someone, they get a dollar from everyone on the team. Anyway, as soon as this happens, I look up and see the whole team on the other side of the net high fiving that girl and some of my teammates are laughing as well. I can't blame them. It's hillarious to see. Some of the crowd is laughing as well, and my coach calls a timeout. Which prolongs the laughing. The coach's pep talk was this: "We can still do this! We got this! Get mad girls! Get mad! You just got hit in the face! Aren't you mad?" ? I'm pretty embarrassed actually. I guess she didn't hear the whole gym laughing... :/
#2. For P.E. one year in high school, we were riding bikes. It was fun and we got to race and just play on bikes the whole time. I had to stay and pick up the cones after it was time to leave. The whole class was on the other side of the football field and I had the cones in one hand. I was focusing on the cones and looking across the field at my piers. I totally forgot about the speed bumps... Imagine this in slow-motion: I look down, see the speed bump, reach for the break with my on hand, front wheel bounces up and over, handlebars turn completely around because I can't balance, cones fly in every direction, I am on hands and toes skidding across asphalt, right knee stuck under the bike. I felt just as rediculous as I looked in your mind. I get up as fast as I can and imediately look around. I don't see anyone, so I grab the cones and start walking the bike back as fast as I can. I'm half way there when a large suburban pulls up with all kinds of hot Senior jocks. They ask if I'm alright with a slight scent of sarcasm. I reassure them that I'm fine and ride off with my cones. In the locker room, everyone noticed that my knee was bleeding and I told them that I was attacked by a savage clan of stray dogs and thats all I got from it. Not really. I told them I fell...

Journal Entry #1- My name

2009-06-23T21:04:00.000-07:00

#1 journal entry. Here we go.

I wasn't named after anyone in my family. I got my name because my mother had a list of childrens names and crossed them off as she got more and more nieces and nephews. I used to think I had an old lady's name because of The Wizard of Oz (Aunty Em), but no longer. I'm cool with it. I think the other alternative for my birth certificate was Elizabeth. I love that name and I remember being bitter for a couple of minutes in my younger years because it wasn't my name. I might like it a little more now because of Pirates of the Caribbean...

Also! Once upon a time, my mom wanted my middle name to be Bliss? My angel father convinced her that the middle names should only go to the boys in the family. I think he started that idea because he was scared of what middle name she would give Sarah... :) Just kidding! I like my unofficial middle name! It's a fun story and I like making fun of it with everyone else! Haha! Emily Bliss.... yeah. I'm glad it's not for real!

Cape Henlopen

2009-06-16T08:54:00.000-07:00

We went to the fishing pier while there was still 'rain with a chance of lightening' and no one was allowed in the water. Notice the blue skies? Yeah. There was no rain. So we waited until the 2 clouds passed us...

And then we went to the beach! I wish our state park had a beach... Notice the pine trees right before the water? I think thats pretty cool/different.

We occasionally get dolphins that swim 15-20 feet from us and we freak out a little. Happy fish like dolphins shouldn't have the same scary fin like a shark. Especially if they swim that close.

Happy Birthday!

2009-06-04T11:25:00.000-07:00

This is what I got to do for my star birthday. I LOVED NY! Thanks Mom, for taking us!

Hello!

2009-05-17T18:40:00.000-07:00

So this is me posting using my mother's phone on account of they don't have internet yet. She got this new phone and gets inernet free for a month, so whatever. Um. My first experience on the east coast was intersting. My mother went to the wrong airport to pick me up. I forgive her though. I mostly make fun of her because things like that only happen in the movies, right? We drove through DC on the way to Lewes and it is amazing! I'm excited to walk around and see eveything for real! It was dark on the way home and for the whole two hours it felt like we were driving down Loan Star Road on the way to the Herrington's house. The houses are amazalng and everything is so green! The ocean being 10 minutes away is a plus as well. :) I already have a sunburn...

Update

2009-05-02T16:45:00.000-07:00

So, since my family doesn't have internet up there yet, I will relay all the things my mother sends to me. They are looking at houses, and I just think it is exciting! She was driving around with the realtor the other day and these are some of the houses they looked at.

Personally, I like number 1 the most. I like the brick stuff on number 2 though...What's with the east and 2 story houses?

Anyone?

2009-05-01T09:53:00.000-07:00

Would anyone be willing to take care of a beta fish for 3 months? I can't really take it with me on a plane... you just have to change the water in the bowl every once in a while and feed it once a day. Anyone? Anyone?

DELAWARE!!!

2009-04-20T11:42:00.000-07:00

Since Thursday, I have been getting funny texts from my sister who was on my mother's cellphone. I got some funny pictures...

Texas! Does'nt it look like a painting?

Haha! So much driving...

HAHA! I LOVE it!

I'm moving up there for the summer and I am planning on working as a lifeguard at a random clubhouse. Ultimate summer job, don't ya think? I'm excited! Jeanie is coming too! I'm leaving I think on May 13th, which is the day after my last final. Holy Cow! My family moved to Delaware! I'm still in shock....

Conference Weekend!

2009-04-07T17:18:00.000-07:00

This weekend was fun! I love conference weekend. This one was an interesting one though, because, I just now thought of this, it was my last conference weekend with my family in Safford! Holy moley! On Friday night when I got there, 8th ward was having a reunion party?. Everyone who was ever in 8th ward was there. There were all kinds of skits and such. I was drafted into 2. I got to do the To-De-Ta with all the primary kids. I also got to help with the Relief Society skit. Theirs was Funny! It was an exercise class, and it was where one person sits on someone else's stomach so it looks like your legs are their legs. Yes, I got to be the legs. Of the "exercise instructors"! She had me doing scissor kicks and stretching and it was a whole ab workout! I was sore after that! It was fun though! On Saturday my family did some yard work. There is now grass in our front yard! We put sod down and it took a long time to do. On Sunday, we watched conference and I shelled a large bag of pecans. I don't know how Grandma Carpenter could have done that so long! I was frustrated when i couldn't get a whole pecan out! She was a master pecan sheller, so I guess practice makes perfect. Speaking of practice makes perfect, I am now pro at longboard falling. Yes, I did it again. I was going down the hill right by our house and Sarah was RipStick-ing with me. I guess my longboard thought it was a RipStick, so it started fishtailing. It freaked me out, so I jumped off. My landing was as follows: Left knee makes contact, hands go out, slide on my belly, right forearm loses skin, right hip looks like I got in a fight with Wolverine. The bishop who replaced my dad was actually out walking with his wife and saw the whole thing. He helped me up and I was bleeding. The only thing that hurt at that moment were my hands so I just walked up the hill. Sarah was kind of freaking out. My mom did freak out. It looked like it was hurting her more than it was hurting me! Haha! We heard my dad shut his car door outside and Jesse yelled, "Run! Dads here! He's gonna pour alcohol on it!" We all laughed, but I did try run because we all knew it was true. Right when he walked in, mom said that I fell and I showed him. The first thing he says is, "Oh, man! You need some alcohol on it?" HAHA! We all laughed. I did NOT pour alcohol on my wounds, are you kidding!? So yeah. My arm hurts, my side hurts, and my knee hurts. Thank you conference weekend! :)

Battle Wounds!

My arm

My hip

My knee.

Oh My Goodness!!!

2009-04-01T15:51:00.000-07:00

My family is moving to Delaware!!!! Where did that even come from!? Delaware of all places! Oh my word! I think I'm more excited than scared now. When my dad first came home and told us that his old boss offered him a job in Delaware, my first thought was, "Hey thats cool, but yeah right! Delaware? Psshh!" Then they started talking about it being a possibility. I was really scared about it then because all I thought about was how far away that is! Then, my dad sends his resume in and the people pay for my mom and dad to go visit. They come back and say they are feeling good about it, and now that they are home, it is a done deal!!!!! I haven't really freaked out or had a nervous breakdown, which I thought I would, but I think I'm 'calm' about it because they are doing the right thing and I believe they are doing the right thing. Holy Moley! Delaware! Of all places! Those are the same phrases that have been going through my head for the past couple of days. Holy Cow! Delaware! HAHAHA!

My mom sent me pictures the whole time they were there and I think it helped my process from being completely terrified to totally excited!

This is the house she wants. I love it! I think it is so cute and she said it is 4 bedrooms and there is a basement. 3 Story. Holy Cow. And the backyard is literally a lake. HAHA!

Hmmmm....

2009-03-19T23:43:00.000-07:00

Only in America ......do drugstores make the sick walk all the way to the back of the store to get their prescriptions while healthy people can buy cigarettes at the front.
Only in America .....do people order double cheeseburgers, large fries, and a diet coke.
Only in America .....do banks leave both doors open and then chain the pens to the counters.
Only in America .....do we leave cars worth thousands of dollars in the driveway and put our useless junk in the garage.
Only in America......do we buy hot dogs in packages of ten and buns in packages of eight.
Only in America .....do they have drive-up ATM machines with Braille lettering.

I Wonder.....
Why the sun lightens our hair, but darkens our skin?
Why women can't put on mascara with their mouth closed?
Why don't you ever see the headline 'Psychic Wins Lottery'?
Why is 'abbreviated' such a long word?
Why is it that doctors call what they do 'practice'?
Why is lemon juice made with artificial flavor, and dish washing liquid made with real lemons?Why is the man who invests all your money called a broker?
Why is the time of day with the slowest traffic called rush hour?
Why isn't there mouse-flavored cat food?
Why didn't Noah swat those two mosquitoes?
Why do they sterilize the needle for lethal injections?
You know that indestructible black box that is used on airplanes?Why don't they make the whole plane out of that stuff?!
Why don't sheep shrink when it rains?
Why are they called apartments when they are all stuck together?
If con is the opposite of pro, is Congress the opposite of progress?
If flying is so safe, why do they call the airport the terminal?
Why did they call a lisp a lisp when people with a lisp can't say lisp?

TAG!

2009-03-04T16:34:00.001-08:00

The Rules:

Go to your documents/pictures.

Click on the 6th file.

Click on the 6th picture.

Blog about it.

Tag 6 people. (Or whoever you want)

Haha! This is awesome! This was from my Senior Girls Havasupai trip in the summer of '08! I got it hiking down and was wobbling the whole time down there. It was large and puffy, so it wasn't ignorable. When it was time to hike out, I put a pound of mole skin on it and it felt fine in my shoe. Well, hiking 10 miles made my feet numb, so when I got to the top and took off my boots, I found the mole skin by my heel and the blister was popped. It was gross. And oozing. When I got home, I cut off the skin because it kept getting caught on the carpet and I couldn't walk right. It was so cool!!!

I tag anyone who wants to do it!

I Love You Grandpa!!!

2009-02-20T23:42:00.000-08:00

This is the memory I will remember as the last time I saw Grandpa Udall. I love it and am very content with it:

I loved that when I would walk to his front door and see him sitting in his usual spot on the left side of the couch, I would open the door and when he saw me he put a smile on his face. I would always say “Hello, sir!” and he would say “Hello my girl. Let me hold your hand for a minute.” I would walk over to him, give his hand a squeeze, and he would always say, “I’m proud of you, honey.”

I am so thankful to know that death is not the end. I’m sure I will miss him a lot, but right now, I can’t help but be happy for him. I am so happy for my grandpa right now. He is with my grandma again and I know he is truly happy. I am grateful for our family and their ability to keep us together. I love our big family and I’m so glad we get along so well. Our family gatherings are definitely among my favorite things. I am so grateful for the wonderful people our grandparents were. I love them.

:( Ow.

2009-02-11T10:26:00.000-08:00

I just put longboard wheels on my skateboard, and they are fun. They are smooth to ride on and they go fast! This morning, I was a little bit late for my World of Religions class and we had a test today as well. I was on the 2nd level, and I started riding it down the ramp. Not so good. There was a car coming and I put my foot out to try and slow me down, but that did not work out at all. The board wanted to keep going, so I lost my footing and....

Yeah. I'm in pain. Two guys stopped their cars to see if I was alright, and I told both of them I was good. I didn't feel like talking to the only people who watched me make a fool of myself. The best part is, I knew on of them. I know I will be made fun of. Oh well!

This week....

2009-02-07T12:42:00.000-08:00

First, Allison and I. She's funny:

Then Jeanie and I:
:)

HAHAHA! This one might be my favorite,

HAHAHA!
I LOVE MY ROOMMATE!!!! Not just because she is fun, but it definitely helps!!!!

I Cook!!!

2009-02-04T22:53:00.000-08:00

If you know me, you know that I am the worst handler of foods in the world. My mother, brother, cousins, and most of my friends can attest to that. BUT!!! When I set my mind to something and tell myself I'm not allowed to mess this up, I can sometimes do it! Tonight I made dinner! I made enchiladas that turned out alright! They were easy and I thought they were pretty tasty. I also made snickerdoodles which might be the best cookie in the universe. They weren't burnt or anything!!!! They are yummy! So, I am hoping this is a new thing for me? I have always wanted to be one of those people who can think of something they want to make, and then make it happen. Dallin got that skill. Speaking of, I need to go e-mail him.....

Early to bed, and early to rise, will make a man healthy and wealthy and wise!

2009-01-20T16:26:00.000-08:00

Well, I am not wealthy, wise, or a man! So there!

I was hoping that over Christmas break I would I guess train myself? to go to bed earlier and go to sleep earlier. Didn't work so well. I was planning on going to bed at at least 10:30 last night, but Jeanie and I were awake 'til 12:30. :) I have a feeling that I am going to regret signing up for a 7:30am math class. I'm sad about it. Anyway, this is how my first day of classes went. Woke up at 6:00, left at 7:00, got to the institute parking, was told to park in the visitors parking lot until I got my card validated, left my car in the visitors parking lot, went to my 7:30 class, tried not to fall asleep through her syllabus review, went to the institute building to fix my card, went to move my car, tried to give the guy $4, realized I didn't have any cash, parked again, walked to the ATM at the bookstore, walked back to the parking garage, paid, drove to the FREE parking garage, and then sat in the institute building until my next class at 12:00. All of this before 9 in the morning. I hear that I got good institute teachers, so I'm excited for that. I am also taking an Art History class, which is in Murdock Lecture Hall. Meaning 500 people. Fun. I already know tomorrow will be better because my first class starts at 10:40. :) I love sleeping in!

What do you do in Safford?

2009-01-10T18:32:00.000-08:00

Watch cute kids,

Go to the Fair Grounds,

Play with Coke and Mentos,

and Make bombs!!!

I....

2009-01-05T19:17:00.000-08:00

i am: Emily Bliss :)
i want: long hair!!!!!
i wish: i knew....
i miss: my brother!
i fear: attention.
i feel: restless.
i hear: Lenka- The Show. Great song!
i smell: homemade cinnamon swirl bread!!
i crave: a red mixed burro from the Burger House! Yum!!!
i search: for fun things to do!
i wonder: about the future.
i regret: not talking sometimes.
i love: my family and friends!
i care: about school.
i always: wear my retainer. ?
i have: short hair that I am trying to grow out!!!
i need: to quit going to bed at 1,2, or 3 in the morning!
i dance: in the car with animal noses. Or by myself when people aren't watching.
i don’t always: talk.
i fight: with Sarah a lot, Jesse sometimes, my mom for fun, and Jeanie of course! Because it's fun! :)
i write: in my journal a lot.
i lose: my train of thought.
i win: wrestling matches! He he!
i listen: a lot. Try at least!
i am scared: to death of Sharks! and failure, and not being liked.
i think: I am crazy!!! :)

New Years!

2009-01-05T18:27:00.000-08:00

We went the F1 Race Factory! That is a cool place!

There was go-kart racing, which was probably my favorite, rock climbing, which I helped run, :) a Segway obstacle course, and dancing!

We stayed there for the countdown, but then we went and rode on the light rail!

When we got to Main, a TON of people got on! One of the many was this drunk man! He smelled terrible and was completely wasted, but he was fun to confuse and talk to!

Some more drunk people. They were very...touchy. That is the drunk mans hand up by my face! Smelly man!!!!

Happy 2009!

Multiple?

2008-12-29T22:23:00.000-08:00

I took these, like, 2 years ago. I think I went through a phase? A multiple picture phase? I don't know. But they are fun!

D, A, L, L2, I, and I think N is knocking on the door...

Jesse's One Man Band. Ha!

E, M, I, L, and Y is under the table. :) I need a Sarah picture....

December 27, 2008

2008-12-28T16:42:00.000-08:00

My Great Grandmother was born on December 27, 1908.

We helped celebrate her 100th birthday this weekend!

This is her with her oldest Great Great Grandchild!

4 Generations: My grandmother, My great grandmother, Me, and my Mom.

I love Christmas!!!

2008-12-26T19:52:00.000-08:00

I hope everyone had a good one too!

We woke up to this!

It started right behind that house across the street. Way cool!

I helped pick out that jacket! I was actually hoping she wouldn't like it so I could take it home. :)

AND!!!!.....

I got to talk to Dallin! So much fun! Be jealous....

Snow!!

2008-12-21T09:52:00.000-08:00

Jeanie and I came to Safford on Tuesday for the Due West concert on Wednesday. In the morning on Wednesday, we went up the mountain. We found the best possible spot to play! We took our 2 boogy boards and used them as sleds. I think they worked 10 times better than sleds. We found a hill with an already made ramp at the bottom.

P.S. They are blurry because

1. My dad took them :), and

2. They are from my phone. Which I dropped in the snow. While I was body boarding down a hill. Therefore, it got wet. Thats why my dad was holding it in the first place.

The Hill

Sarah

Jesse flying off the ramp!

Jeanie!!!

P.P.S. The concert was fun too! I like Due West!

Dallin Philip Rap!

2008-12-15T10:16:00.000-08:00

Dallin sends us tapes. They are funny. He rapped to us on the last one, so we decided to make him one. Jeanie and I decided to use funny quotes from his tape and put them in our rap. He WILL like it. I definitely enjoy it! :)

Go here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BPrj-6MWkgc

At the end, he gasps and says UGLY! It cut it off. Don't know why.

Finals!

2008-12-09T12:10:00.000-08:00

I only have 2 finals. One in Chemistry, and one in my COM class. I am excited for my COM final because it is going to be fun and I think easy. Chemistry is..... not. I hate that class. Also, the brilliant teacher who we like so much is giving us a test on Tuesday, meaning today, and our final is on Thursday. So nice, right? I call her mean names in my mind. I only have 2 finals because my other classes either ended in October, or they are online classes. I have homework in my online History class, but no final. Also, I am done with my Online Dance Class! Haha! No more youtube dancing for me! :) Wish me luck! or don't. Whatever.

To All Twilight Fans

2008-12-03T21:46:00.000-08:00

Read these, they are funny!
They aren't the same as the ones on Callie and Meagans blogs.

http://movies.msn.com/movies/galleryfeature/lost-twilight-script/?icid=ENTERTAINMENT1&GT1=ENTERTAINMENT1&silentchk=1&

I love Thanksgiving!

2008-12-01T17:09:00.000-08:00

The post before was what I was looking foreward too. This is the After post. It isn't the same, but it is just as good!
I drove down by myself on Wednesday at 1:30. I was going to hitch a ride with someone, but they were all leaving at like, 4. No good. I was in a good mood driving home anyway because I filled my car up with gas and it cost LESS than 20 dollars!!!!! I did a dance in my car when I was driving out of the station.
I love living on my own and away from home because it makes going back so much happier! I get home and everyone gives me a hug and says Yay! It's like they really do like me! :) Funny story of when I got home. This will probably get my father in trouble, but it was just too funny to me! I am sitting at the dining room table just chatting with my mother who is right beside me, and my dad walks in right behind her. He gets my attention all sneaky like and MOUTHs to me, "You need to dye her hair!!!" He does all this pointing to me then to my mom, and then does the whole begging gesture with his hands together like he is praying or something! I wanted to laugh so hard!! But instead, I sneakilly(?) say, "Hey mom, you want to dye my hair?" And she says, "Not tonight. I'm too tired." And I say, "If you dye my hair, I will dye your hair!" She says, "OK!!!!" He gave me his cheesy smile with two BIG thumbs up. Ha Ha!!!
So, yeah. I dyed my hair. Last time I dyed it brown, it actually LOOKED brown. I remember that the name of the color I had last time had something to do with something edible or a spice or something. I found nutmeg. The picture on the box looked brown. Just like the color I had last time. Good thing this isn't a permanent color, because it looks BLACK!!!! I will have to get used to it.
I had fun WATCHING football! It was too dang cold for me! Janiel and I sat in her car and danced to music, but migrated to grandpa's truck with Meagan when she spilled her Large soda all over her seat. Ha! I mean.... sad. So sad. It was fun watching all the bloopers out on the field. We were the comentary for the whole thing. It was fun! We laughed at Cohen and his huddling, we gasped when Matt and Jeff collided, (That was the extent of our worry. We weren't about to run out into the cold to see if they were alright. There were plenty of people out there already.) and we liked looking at the full rainbow and breaks in the clouds over the mountain. So pretty!
I love the Udall Family Choir. We rock. Hallelujiah Chorus, Angels We Have Heard on High, Silent Night, Because I Have Been Given Much, Far Far Away on Judea's Plain, Candelight Carol, My Son, My King, and of course, Love At Home.
I love volleyball!!! It has to be the best sport in the whole entire world. I love, love, love it!! I can always count on a group of us playing during Thanskgiving. I miss it! I got a bruise, and I even gave a bruise! Sorry Jill.
Anyway, I felt loved again with all the hugs when I was leaving. I was excited to come back home to my own bed and see my roommate(s). I wasn't excited about getting back into the swing of school again, though. Every time there is a break where I go home, it feels like I shifted from first gear to third gear, meaning everything is slow and taking its time, and then I correct it and go back to second, which is where I speed back up and get back into the flow of traffic. Nice analogy, huh? I won't do it again, I promise. Anyway, Christmas isn't too far away. Which means Yay finals?? No. Not Yay....

Why I Am Excited For Thanksgiving:

2008-11-18T22:10:00.000-08:00

1. Food, duh. That one doesn't have to be explained. It is tastey, but it is also such a fun meal! Everyone crowded and eating and talking and laughing and in everyones business! Doesn't sound very happy, but I love it!
2. The large quantity of family that comes every year! Well, should come. I love having so many people crowded into the one living room that has tables from wall to wall. It makes things more exciting/interesting/chlaustrophobic. Its great!
3. Football is fun. It usually morphs from co-ed to just guys because the girls only touch the ball during the first 5 minutes of the game, but whatever. Its fun running around pretending like you know what your doing. The crazy plays are fun too. There is always the one where you put the ball in someones shirt and make them run down the field while another person fakes that they have the ball. Works every time, right?
4. Singing!!! Thanksgiving is like the transition to Christmas. And there are no Thanksgiving songs, so the Udall Family Choir just whips out the Hallelujah Chorus. Also Angels We Have Heard On High. Thats a favorite. I love our singing time! What the primary?
5. I am way excited for the ZipLine! It just seems like Udall houses are meant to have one. I have many memories zipping from the old pear tree, and now I will get to do it again! Yay!

I LOVE THANKSGIVING!!!

I love Ebay!

2008-11-13T11:28:00.000-08:00

I think it is my new best friend. Only because it gives me movies that cost as little as $4. That includes shipping costs. I've purchased at least 6 movies for under $20. My movie collection keeps getting bigger and I love it. I am now the proud owner of:

I love movies!

Jumping Pictures!

2008-11-10T02:31:00.002-08:00

When we take pictures, we take jumping pictures. Why you ask? Because they are really cool!

Jeanie came to our house one time and we played on the trampoline in water. What a perfect place to take jumping pictures! Trampoline, duh!

I think this one is so cool! This is Sarah grabbing the sun.

Backflip!

HAAAIIYAAAH!!!

I skydive without parachutes and live to tell about it!
Or I use photoshop and make it look cool!

Wake-boarding! I love this picture!

Fully clothed.

We are Vampires!

Roommates!!!

This one is destined to be a Header someday...

I WANT LONG HAIR!

2008-11-04T16:22:00.001-08:00

NERTZ!!!

2008-11-03T20:15:00.000-08:00

Attention all Udall family members! I have an awesome roommate who has an awesome family who play a very awesome game called Nertz! I vote that we adopt this game into our card playing tradition! It is very very fun and competitive! Also, a lot of people can play. I guess it would be for people who don't want to play 10 to 1. So, younger generation family members? Don't get offended, anyone. Also, you use decks of Rook cards so if there are people who think that using face cards is of the devil, you can feel better about that. ? There you go. Lets start a new tradition!

Happy Halloween!

2008-11-03T01:09:00.000-08:00

Jeanie invited me to carve pumpkins at her brother's house. We picked out a cool template and we had all the right tools to do it right. It turned out so awesome! I am so proud of our pumpkin. It rocks! If you can't tell what it is (two of her brothers couldn't tell what they were looking at) it is a vampire face. Sort of looking off to the side. I love her family! They are awesome!

We did a vampire pumpkin because that is what we dressed up as. I will have pictures of us later!

Show Low!

2008-10-28T02:06:00.000-07:00

I got to go with Jeanie to Show Low last weekend! It was fun! And cold! She went with me to Safford a couple of times, so I guess it was my turn to go with her. Her parents are so awesome! They are so fun! Thanks for the cinnamon rolls, harmonica lessons, and breakfast in bed!

I think everyone did this in their childhood!

No, I'm not picking my nose....

I told her to climb in between some rocks and make a squished face. I have a fun roommate!

When she says jump, I listen!

Elder Gordon!

2008-10-15T00:41:00.000-07:00

I love writing to Dallin. Because I get a letter back that is so great, that it makes everything better! I can't help but jump up and down when I find one in the mail, but I also can't help being sad when there isn't anything. Jeanie and I both write to him, and since we live in the same place, why not send him our letters at the same time? That is what we do. So the return letters are addressed to The Girls! We used to fight over who got to read it first, but not anymore. We learned our lesson from that one. In the last letter he actually sent us his TOENAIL!!!! So we could always have "a piece of me with you". It was dirty, but still funny. We are sending him a wad of hair, which is not hard to come by when living in a house with 4 other girls. We also send tapes! We actually send CD's, but he sends tapes, because they're cheap at the thrift stores. We got one today!!!! I love the tapes even more than his letters. They are hillarious! Can I just tell you! We quote them all the time. So funny!!! In one of his letters he sent pictures with things written on the back:

Gordon Street. Your Boy!

The owner of this house we didn't think was home. We knocked, no one came to the door, right when my comp took the picture, the guy came out. Very awkward. He was fat... Surprise!

I got this suit in Waco. Como Se Dice... Yikes!

This is in the parking lot of a Baptist church. I really like Fort Worth.

There was no caption on this one...

Wedding!

2008-10-09T22:25:00.000-07:00

My wonderful cousin Dena got married today! She is amazing and I love her! She looked beautiful and it was all perfect! I am so glad I know her! She has been a big part of my life so far. Good luck to you and Jacob. I love ya!

Dallin and Dena's graduation. I was an usher.

Girls Camp '07.

Their Seminary Graduation

So fun!

2008-10-09T22:00:00.000-07:00

I saw this on Callies blog. This is so fun! When I am bored, this is what I do. Look at different hairstyles on me! You can put make-up on yourself, whiten your teeth, put eyeshadow on, mascara, lipstick, everything. I enjoy it! So much fun!

Me and Allison. A Bob?

Me and Jeanie! We will one day have long hair again...

*Gasp* ! ..... UGLY!

Jumping!

2008-09-23T15:46:00.000-07:00

Yep. Fully clothed. Just for a picture. Sorry I was bitter Jeanie. It is worth it! Maybe I will someday start to think like you and see everything as a picture opportunity.... til then, I will jump when you tell me! :)

Camping!

2008-09-23T15:22:00.000-07:00

We went camping last week. Except it wasn't really camping. We were going to go with a group of people to camp out by Florence, but they weren't going for a long time. We found out later that they didn't get to their camping spot until one in the morning. They didn't tell us how far we were supposed to go, so after the fourth sign that said 40 miles, we decided to find our own camping place. We had put a mattress in the back of Mary's truck. Rue came with us too!

Me and Mary jumpin on the bed!

Jumping pictures using the timer on the camera!

HAHA! Rue and Mary!

Don't get mad mom! Me and Jeanie crawled through the window in the back of Mary's truck and rode on the mattress part of the way there, and the whole way home. It was so fun!!! We had my MP3 Player and we were belting Disney songs the whole way home. We also almost had a heart attack because in Florence, a policeman pulled out right behind us and we were yelling at Mary to pull over. We were holding our breaths the whole time. Mary pulled into the McDonalds parking lot and let the cop pass. So scary! Anyway, we rode all the way home on the freeway! That was fun. It wasn't even cold! Our hoods were on because they were holding our hair back! Out of control!

Hiding under our hoods...

Cheese face!

And of course, the Wonkie face! I can do it!

Tag! I'm It!!!

2008-09-21T00:13:00.000-07:00

1. Where is your cell phone? In my purse which is...where I put it last.
2. Your significant other? None
3. Your hair? Wet.
4. Your mother? Amazing and I miss her
5. Your father? Is the Best and I miss him too
6. Your favorite thing? Finishing homework early!
7. Your dream last night? I dreamed that Jeanie cut her hair to her shoulders!!!
8. Your favorite drink? I think I drink milk more than water. Is that bad?
9. Your dream/goal? At the moment? Decide on a major, maybe?
10. The room you’re in? The Green room on the Big Comfy Couch.
11. Your hobby? I like to read
12. Your fear? Not being liked. Or eaten by a shark.
13. Where do you want to be in 6 years? I don't know. There are many possibilities.
14. What you’re not? Outgoing.
15. Muffins? Homemade honey wheat bran muffins!! So good!
16. One of your wish list items? A Motorcycle!!!!
17. Where you grew up? Safford
18. The last thing you did? Jumped into a swimming pool fully clothed.
19. What are you wearing? Comfy pajamas
20. Favorite gadget? My hand me down MP3 Player!
21. Your pets? None
22. Your computer? Working again!
23.Your mood? I don't know....how do I feel?
24. Missing someone? A couple!
25.Your car? I consider My Car to be the green one, so I miss it.
26. Something you’re not wearing? Make up!
27. Favorite store? Sunflower Market!
28. Like someone? No.
29. Your favorite color? Blue!
30. When is the last time you laughed? Truely laughed, I think yesterday...
Last time you cried? I don't know...

I tag Janiel!!!! Because I like you!

Presentation day!

2008-09-19T11:16:00.000-07:00

I wore a U of A shirt into an ASU classroom and I live to tell about it. But I have to say that Jeanie stole the show. Wouldn't you concur?

What Not To Wear!

2008-09-10T01:10:00.000-07:00

I am taking a class called Communication and Creativity. It's fun! Except for when you have an assignment called Wrong Clothing. Jeanie and I are in that class together! But, we aren't in the same groups. So. The assignment. The teacher assigns you a scenario or whatever, and you have to dress wrong for it. For example. One group has to wear something they wear at home that they would never wear in public. Another has to wear something they wouldn't wear to a job interview. Jeanie's group assignment is what you wouldn't wear to the gym. And my assignment? I am so lucky! I get what you would never wear in front of your parents. WHAT?!? I know! So, I have 4 guys in my group, 2 other girls, all skanky, drunky, cussy people. The girls are both saying, " I'm just going to wear something super short and a tight shirt" as they are sitting there in their daisy dukes and spagetti straps. The guys are saying, "Yeah, I can just wear whatever I want. Or I could come naked! (they proceed to laugh and give high fives)

Me two days ago: What the heck am I going to wear? My mom will think this is cute! She will tell me to pull the sleeves UP on that! Predicament!!!

Finally! I thought to myself, "Self? Why don't you get a U of A shirt and BS some story of how your parents are die hard ASU alumni who would kill you if you ever set foot on Wildcat territory? That would solve all your problems!

So tomorrow, I am going to wear a U of A shirt to ASU! Pray for me?

Lets play a game!

2008-09-06T14:03:00.000-07:00

I found these on the Internet one time and thought they were funny. They are a mix of two celebrities. Answers are on the bottom. Don't cheat! Just cover one side with one finger and figure it out!

10.

11.

12.

1. Tom Cruise+50 Cent

2. Billary of course!

3. Jessica Simpson+ Paris Hilton

4. Julia Roberts+ Jessica Biel

5. Katherine Heigl+ Milla Jovovich

6. Meryl Streep+ Paris Hilton

7. Duh!

8. Will Turner+ Captain Jack Sparrow!

9. Magneto+ Mystique (X-Men)

10. Natalie Portman+ Keira Knightly. I always thought they looked alike.

11. Suri's mama and papa! TomKat

12. His royal highness, Elton John+ the Queen. HAHA!

Happy Day!

2008-09-03T22:38:00.000-07:00

Once upon a time, my brother Dallin Philip went on a mission and gave me all of his college hand-me-downs. He gave me his mP3 player, which I love and use all the time, and his laptop. Now, his laptop I am supposed to use all the time, but LimeWire happened. Apparently, it put a virus into my hand-me-down computer and fried the wireless connector thing in the motherboard. I was so stressed, but hid it very well, the first week of school because I am taking two online classes! So my very nice roommate(s), mostly Jeanie, let me use their/her computer. Until..... my very wonderful Uncle Duane who is a computer guy let me borrow a laptop! So, I called the HP computer people and told them the problem, gave them my computer number and all that jazz, and they said there was a warranty on it and I wouldn't have to pay anything!!!!! Dallin Philip, you angel boy! Thank you for putting a warranty on your laptop so I wouldn't have to pay for a brand new motherboard!!!! It was like a weight lifted off my shoulders!!!! And so, to end my story, I will tell you that my new hand-me-down computer is what I am typing on at this very minute! Love Love!

First Week!

2008-08-28T01:26:00.000-07:00

This first week of college is so crazy! But i honestly love it! There is so much to do, and i haven't been busy in the longest time! Also, high school is a waste of time. It doesn't prepare you for any of this stuff! Oh, well! My roommates are awesome, and I get along with all of them. Institute is a fun place, I'm excited for it!

On Monday after FHE it started raining! We had large puddles in front of our house, and we couldn't help but jump into them! We had a little puddle party! We were soaking wet!

Mary, Jeanie, and Shanna!

Allison and Mary!

We were using the timer and it went off a little early!

Me, Shanna, Jeanie, Mary, and Allison!

We are going to have fun! I'm excited!

Familia!

2008-08-06T23:35:00.000-07:00

I'm gonna miss my family. I will especially miss Jesse talking to himself when he is playing, I will miss Sarah's........hmm...what will i miss....haha just kidding! I will miss her Uniqueness! thats a good word for it. I'm gonna miss my ma's organized way's. I'm gonna miss my dad's jokes that only get him made fun of!! HAHA! Oink!!! -inside joke-

I can't say i will miss any of Dallin, because he is already gone. I can't miss someone who is still only as far away as a letter, right?

So there you go.

Fun pictures! They are 10 years apart. The first is in 1998,

The second is 2008!

Yay Family!!

Moving Time!!!

2008-08-06T23:27:00.001-07:00

I am moving a bunch of stuff to my soon to be home for the next 9 months of my life!!!! I get to live with a bunch of girls in a house on McClintock and Southern-ish!! I'm super excited! Also, Jeanie is going to be my roommate! For those of you who know her, be jealous! Haha! I am giddy with excitement right now! Bring it on ASU!!! Sorry, no pictures...

Grandmother

2008-07-28T18:51:00.000-07:00

There is beauty all around
When there's love at home;

There is joy in ev'ry sound
When there's love at home.

Peace and plenty here abide,
Smiling sweet on ev'ry side.

Time doth softly, sweetly glide
When there's love at home.

Love at home,
Love at home;

Time doth softly, sweetly glide

When there's love at home.

I love you Grandma!

Why not?

2008-07-13T16:30:00.001-07:00

Cuz I'm a blonde, B-L-O-N-D...E?

California!

2008-07-08T22:20:00.000-07:00

On July 3rd, my family and Aunt Nona, Dena, and Lela, went to California! I love that place. But before we get to the enjoyable stuff, lets begin with how we got there. 13 Hours on a Train!!!! We left at midnight from Tucson. We were supposed to sleep, but no. Dena and I colored puppies and cats for 3 hours. It took forever. Never want to do that again. It is in the past now. July 4th was spent in the hotel, IHOP, and at Marina Del Ray. Thats where the fireworks were. Lame. Saffords are way better. We left early and still didn't get to the hotel until 12:30 in the morn'. Because, the car rental place didn't give us a car because they closed at 2:00. We rode the bus. Public transportation. Not fun. We were happy the next day to get our two matching HHR's. The Gordon car was silver, and the Herrington was gold. We went to the beach that day. I body boarded. I love that stuff. It was super fun. I mostly did it with Sarah for an hour. I got sunburned again. Surprise. But this time on the back of my legs. Painful, let me tell you. We also saw dolphins right where we were swimming. They were just swimming around. I would have freaked out completely if I was out there when they swam by. I hate sharks. Anyways, Sunday, we went to church. The building was, I think, an old Catholic church because they had the holy water bowl up by the pulpit, but the pulpit was off to the side. And the windows had stained glass, and there was some wierd open window off to the side of the pulpit where othere people were sitting. Perpendicular to us. Strange. But, the weather there was so nice, that they just openned all the windows. There was a breeze that was just as good as air conditioning. So nice! After church, we ate our meal that we bought the night before. We got chicken, mashed potatoes, cheesy broccoli, and malted shakes and ate them in our hotel room. My family is so goofy. Thats was makes us fun. I think... After that, we drove to the LA temple. It was huge and on a hill. We walked around and took lots of pictures. Dena fell UP the hill. Ha ha! My family then went to Rhodeo Drive and walked around. We looked at all the crazy stores, and all the displayed clothes that i would never wear if i could afford them. Because they were all ugly. One looked like what Michael Jackson wears in his Rock With You video.
Yes, sparkly and silver. Bleh. We then drove around Beverly Hills. We passed Marylin Monroe's house, and all the other crazy, huge, beautiful, fountained, gated houses. One of them had 8 cars in front. What in the world would I do with 8 cars? I wouldn't even want eight cars right now. After that, we went and walked on the Santa Monica pier. That was.... interesting.

It was fun to see what it was like, but... yeah. We also went to the carousel. We found out it is the same one in The Sting, which stars Robert Redford and Paul Newman. Cool bit of information. Good movie too. Its like the origional Oceans 11 or Italian Job. Monday, the Herringtons went to Disneyland! and my family went to Hollywood! We walked up and down, taking pictures of the stars, and stopping at the Chinese theater. Graumans? I dont know how its spelled. Something like that. We also took pictures of the hands and feet in the cement. Very cool. Will Smith has very big feet. After all that, we went back to the beach. I body boarded with my dad, which was an adventure! We had fun. Didn't get sunburnt that time. We then rented bikes and rode around for an hour. It was fun, except I almost flattened a small boy. Litterally, I screeched my tires and everything. I left a long black mark from my tire and almost had a heart attack. Whew! After turning our bikes in, we watched some loser buff guys on Venice beach try to show off. They had the rings that you swing on, hard to describe, and they made it down and back, but this little cowboy kid comes along and does all these flips and stuff, and totally shows them up. It was funny. My dad wanted to prove something to himself, so he climbed up the rope which was about 25 feet high. On the way down he burned the skin off his leg. It was gross. The next day was leaving day. We turned our car in and rode a bus for the last time. We flew home at 3:50, got back to Tucson, and I am finally home! Sad that vacation goes so fast. It was super fun. I wish that i could live in a city like that, where you can walk where you want to without sweating or dying of heat stroke. Or where you can walk to work, or ride a bike, or take a bus. I love places like that. But i know i could never live there, because i probably wouldn't be able to take it. I'm too country. or whatever. I think those might be lyrics to some song...

Princess!

2008-07-02T19:48:00.000-07:00

http://www.greatestjournal.com/quiz.bml?Q=16354"> size=+1>You Are Esmerelda!

Mysterious and passionate. You are a survivor. Even though life has swung you some difficult situations you have a strong intuition that gets you through. Also, you have the capacity to sympathize and relate to a variety of different people.

Which'>http://www.greatestjournal.com/quiz.bml?Q=16354">Which Disney Princess Are You?

Little brother...

2008-07-02T10:53:00.001-07:00
This morning, our family was discussing what we needed to do before we left for our vacation. Ex: Laundry, clean our rooms, dust, mop, and spray for bugs. We found two scorpions this morning. Anyways, beside the point. My mother was asking what we needed to buy here because it is expensive in California. Jesse pipes up and say Make up! We all look at him and I say, "Do you need make up Jesse, cuz i dont." I was talking for inventory purposes only. He thought it was a self confidence thing because he gave me an 'are you serious look' with the eyebrow and everything. I laughed and called him a jerk. In a nice way. I wont take it personally because i wasnt wearing any at the time, with it being 9 in the morning and all. Funny boy. I will miss him and his growing up-ness.