Randomocity

I have a random smattering of pictures and events to share here.  I wanted to get this blogged before any other big events happen.  First, we celebrated Amy's 30th birthday.  Can I just say that I love this gal?!  I consider myself the most blessed person ever to have a sister who is also my best friend.  We've been best friends her whole life.  She is one of the most amazing people I know and a great mother to two of my most favorite little kiddos.  I look to her as an example in so many ways and hope to be just like her when I grow up!  Happy Birthday, Ame!!  Welcome to the dirty thirties!!  My parents were still here when we celebrated her birthday, so we of course got some card playing in (and several faces in this picture are very funny I just now noticed)!

Then on Pioneer Day, my roommates' singles ward (my former ward kind of) volunteered at the Deseret News Marathon at a water station.  I tagged along.  We had to get up at like 3:30am to get there by 5am, and most people didn't have to work that day.  I sure did...and was reminded that 4.5 hours of sleep is not nearly enough for this old bod!

A couple of weekends ago, Olivia, Preston, and I did a little hike to Rocky Mouth Falls.  It is about a 1/4 mile hike.  Its sort of crazy that something so pretty could be so close to the city.

I guess 1/4 mile wasn't quite enough for me, so I climbed up a little rocky canyon to this overlook.  There's little me on top.

That same weekend there was a YSA fireside at the Tabernacle that I went to with Olivia and our friend MaryLynn. 

 As most of you know, I am just a few days away from my half marathon.  While I was in the business of spending hundreds of dollars on my hobbies (see backpacking post), I decided to spend another Benjamin and a get a pair of real running shoes.  My knees were starting to kill me, and I figured if I'm going to train for and run 13.1 miles, I probably should have a decent pair of shoes.  They have been real game-changers let me tell you!  I love them!  When I was getting fitted for the shoes, the dude kept bring out shoes that were pink or red.  Every time he would open a new box I would think....there is no way that this pair is going to pink or red too....and they would be.  I am not a pink kinda girl.  And we all know I will never purchase something that is red for obvious reasons!  So when I finally decided on the style I wanted I timidly asked if they had other colors.  Typical girl, I know!  Basing my purchase on the color of a product...geez!  But hey, if I'm going to spend good money on something, I want to think they look good at least!  Thankfully they did have other colors....my favorite color even!  Olivia bought a pair too!

This is us trying to take the picture seen below.

Sorry my leg looks deformed a little, but I love these little beauties!

 Occasionally I will look down at my shoes while I'm running, and I swear I get a little pep in my step because I think they look so rad! :)

 Finally, last weekend Deeds and I went to the Josh Groban concert.  Oh how I love me some JG!  He was spectacular just like he always is.  Here is Deeds and me at the concert and a little JG video that I took.  The sound quality came out pretty dang good so I had to include it.

I'm a Backpacker!

Last week, I headed over to REI and bought a backpack, sleeping bag, and sleeping pad. About $375 later, I was a legitimate backpacker! Yippee! It's so nice to have my own gear and not have to borrow it from people. Last weekend, I put my new gear to use on a one night camping trip with Brett up Big Cottonwood Canyon by Guardsman Pass.This is my usual view when I'm hiking with Brett...always trying to keep up! Though I do have to say that our trek into our camping spot was a lot easier than it was last year. I think I'm a little better shape than I was last year for our camping trip. Yeah!

Don't I look legit?!
Who knew I should I have packed snowshoes? It was the last two days of July for heaven's sake! Ridiculous!
After we scoped out our campsite and set up the tent, we started dinner. Hamburgers and corn on the cob! So delicious!
I love camping and campfires so much! I really loved our fire this time because it kept the swarming, annoying mosqitos away. Hate those little things and they were everywhere!
Camping would not be complete without s'mores!
Here is a shot of our campsite...green tent in the background. Brett fashioned us a couple of seats from the rocks.
Ready to head back to the car! Legitimate backpacker! All my new gear treated me so well!
The wildflowers were in bloom all over the place. So beautiful!
We were almost to the car and came to the top of a hill only to find these two friends waiting for us right by the trail.
We bolted immediately! Didn't feel like being bulldozed by a momma moose trying to protect her little baby! So we blazed our own trail back to the car. We saw two other moose that morning too. Moose have great taste in where they choose to hang out. Such beautiful scenery!
This is Blood Lake that we passed on the way out. It was kind of an overcast and gloomy morning, but still so gorgeous!
We stopped for breakfast at the Silver Fork Lodge on the way down the canyon. So great! Love that place!
Hurray for my first and hopefully not last camping trip of the summer! I gotta put that $375 to lots of use! Love it!

Crazy Times a Million

The weekend of July 16 was the craziest on record! I had three wedding receptions, all of the fam was in town, and I moved. And I live to tell about it!

I guess I should really back up a few days...the week of July 11, two of my coworkers were in town for a project we did in downtown Salt Lake. My responsibilities were basically to walk the entire University of Utah campus and map anything pedestrian related (walkways, stairs, elevators, etc.). On Tuesday morning, I didn't feel quite normal, but I didn't feel bad at all, so I launched onto that God-forsaken campus and mapped away. I felt progressively worse all day. To make a long story short, I eventually hurled in a trash can on campus. It was one of the prouder moments of my life. I felt pretty good about vomiting there! What was not good was that I had no time for being sick that week! I had more field collection to do for work and I needed to finishing packing up my apartment. I got home around 6pm that night, and went straight to bed and slept until 6am the next morning with only one more vomiting episode in the middle of the night. Zero packing got done. I was a little stressed! Wednesday, I worked from the office in the morning and then did some field work in the car in the afternoon. I was starting to feel a little better, but I still had no appetite. I got most of my packing done that night. I woke up starving on Thursday morning, and was back up at the U finishing up my mapping there all day. Having the flu is the worst! Thursday night, I met up with Amy and the kiddos to head down to Provo for my cousin, Jacob's, wedding reception. I didn't take any pictures there, but it was fun to see a lot of my Cosby cousins that I don't get to see very often. My parents also got into town that day, so we met up with them there. One wedding reception down, two to go! After the reception, I joined up with friends to go see the final Harry Potter movie. It was great!

 

 Friday was totally dedicated to my dear friend, Haley, on her big wedding day! She was kind enough to invite me to her sealing, luncheon, and reception. Olivia, Tricia, and I headed up to the Bountiful Temple early to do a session before the sealing. Then we went straight in to the sealing. It was just lovely! I haven't been to many live sealings in my life, so they are always so special and beautiful! I am soooo happy and excited for her and Brandon!

Here's us waiting for the bride and groom...
This is Haley at her bachelorette party the weekend before. We went to dinner at the Cheesecake Factory and then to an improv comedy club. Such good times!
Here are Haley and Brandon at the temple.
Here is me with the happy couple at their reception. What a great way to spend a Friday!
While I was busy wedding-ing, my parents were at my apartment packing up the remaining odds and ends and dismantling my huge bed. Bless their souls for all that they did to help me to be ready to move the next morning! Could never have done it without them!
That leads right in to this whole drama of moving. Well, it's not really drama at all, just something I never ever imagined myself doing. When Haley got engaged and set her wedding date, Tricia and Olivia started hinting at me moving into Haley's empty spot at Tricia's townhouse. It just happened to fall right around the same time that my lease was up at my apartment. After explaining to Tricia and Olivia all the reasons that it wouldn't work and them finding solutions to every problem, I decided why not?! There was some prayer involved too, don't worry! After living solo for 5 years, moving in with roommates again was sort of a big decision for me. I practically lived there already and it will be nice to not go home to an empty house all the time. Plus, I love these girls and we are going to have a dang good time! So for all of you who may have heard me say that I would never have roommates again until that roommate was my husband, I lied. Oopsies! And I'm happy to say I'm almost two weeks into roommate-ness, and it has been just great! Just a few minor adjustments (like not having an entire fridge and freezer to myself), and life is better than ever! Hopefully they don't regret asking me to move in...I sort of come with a lot of junk. I have a chuck-full storage unit now to prove it and a bedroom that is wall-to-wall furniture (including surround sound around my king size bed...leave it to me!).
So watch out for us three...good times ahead! Pictures of my new living quarter to come soon. I feel blessed beyond words to live now with such great friends!

Ok, back to my crazy weekend...Friday night I headed to Amy's to hang with the fam. I drove up right as Kara and Ryan were leaving, so I got to see them for a few minutes and kiss my little Izzy. Then Saturday morning I went for a walk with my parentals, and then it was move, move, move. So many people came to help. THANK YOU MOM, DAD, DAN, RYAN, BRETT, BRIAN, AMBER, TRICIA, and OLIVIA for all the help. I had a lot of stuff to move and a lot of big heavy stuff to put into storage. I would have never been able to do it without all the help!
I pretty much just wanted to get that whole moving thing over with so that I could go play with the fam. I sort of left my old apartment and my new abode in complete disarray for the rest of the weekend. Thank you Trish and Olivia for being patient while I made your house a mess!
Here are few pics of hanging with the fam. Oh how I love my babies!
Saturday night was my third and final wedding reception. My friend, Kyle (or Kylee Bear Muffin Cakes as I like to call him) got married at the beginning of July and had his reception in Utah on the 16th. Here we all are at the reception.
Poor little Iz was so tired and not feeling well!
Saturday night, Ryan, Deeds and I went and saw Harry Potter. I slept through almost the whole thing, but who can blame me after the last few days I'd had!?! It was a crazy weekend, but always the best to spend time with the fam!!