School, School, and more school...

Hey everyone. I know, I know, I said I'd post more often but unfortunately life gets in the way and I usually just forget. So far I'm loving school. I already have some great new friends, and am eagerly waiting next semester. I just registered for classes, and while excited, I'm kinda nervous. I've decided to try out 17 credits and see if I can get out of here as soon as possible. :) I love school but I know I will love teaching even more. One class I'm very excited about is my group piano class. I'm taking the beginner course, so it will be a lot of review for me, but hopefully going back to the basics will help my overall technique. Another fun thing that happened this week is that I was able to go vote for city council member and mayor. It's only the 2nd time I've voted since turning 18 (i know, it's sad, but usually I have to work) and I always get a thrill whenever I go. Not to mention, GO STERLING!! :) I was very excited to see him get elected.

We also got our family pictures done, as shown by the pics above. It was a blast, though half of us were sick. I think they turned out really good though, and much thanks to our photographer, Neal Loveridge!!!!

That's about all that's been going on in my life. I got sick for a little, but am healthy once again! I promise I will try and post more, but no promises. With a busy school semester on it's way I know I'll be taking as much time as possible to study. However, I feel that I can promise at least once a month :)

New Course of Action

Recently I've decided to develop my photography skills. I've noticed lately that I love taking pictures of people, and am now going to start experimenting with that love. I'm leaving it up to you guys to give me feedback and let me know what you think - every comment is useful, and I'll learn from everything, so don't be afraid to criticize! :) Right now I have a very basic digital camera, so can't take the pictures I'd like to, but bear with me. Hopefully soon! For now, here are my latest photography adventures!


This is a spur of the moment photoshoot I did with my brother and sister. We drove up Provo Canyon to Bridal Veil Falls and walked around. My siblings are so fun to take pictures of, but my little sister has this knack of refusing to smile normally. However, I got a few good keepers, I think. Take a look!



You can also find some more of my pictures, and pictures to come at this site: http://www.flickr.com/photos/16978713@N03/

Really really really long update...

Hey guys - sorry I haven't updated in FOREVER. Feel free to send me loving hate messages if you wish. :) However, you should be happy because I will now fill all of your curious desires and tell you about what's happened with me and my family as far as I can remember!

On July 30th - August 1st I went camping with a couple of friends up at Jordanelle Lake. It was really fun! My dad, shockingly, allowed us to steal his truck, pop in some Britney Spears and ABBA, and make our way up the canyon.

The first day was so much fun. We got there around 5 or 6, and set up camp. April was our designated camp cook. We had delicious barbecue chicken and rice. Everything was going smoothly, much to my surprise. 4 girls camping, and only 1 who sort of knew what she was doing is never a good thing! After we cleaned up we ran up to the bathrooms and changed, then hit the water. In case you didn't know, even at the end of July, a lake still is REALLY COLD. We learned that very quickly. We had some awesome flotation devices however, so it made it all worth it. We didn't stay long since the sun was going down and we were ready to dance and play games.

The next day we played in the lake some more, ran down to the store to grab some things we'd forgotten, had a dance party, did some hiking, put on fake tattoos (Don't worry, those pics will come soon.) We had PB&J for lunch, played in the lake some more, and got very, very burnt. It was really fun. At one point we ended up stranded in the middle of the lake and swam all the way back, it took us at least 45 min. to swim back dragging these big floaty pink seats along with us. That was pretty intense. The next morning we packed up and came home, still in one piece, and very red. Definitely something I will want to do again next summer.

The weekend following this excursion, I packed up once again and headed off to the Oregon Coast. We woke up bright and early at 4:30 AM, leaving around 5. It was a very long, boring drive to Lakeview, Oregon; my hometown. I love my family, but 10 hours with them stuck in a cramped car can be a little too much. We finally reached Lakeview and spent 2 days there, arriving Sat. afternoon and leaving Monday morning. It was another long 8 hours to get to our cabin, but we were very grateful to make it there. The cabin was absolutely gorgeous. It had 4 rooms, so my parents, and 2 brothers and sister-in-laws got their own rooms. Lindsey and I shared a bed. It had running water, showers, TOILETS, a full kitchen, tv, hot tub, and barn equipped with animals too. We were really pleased until we realized the water ran out very quickly. Apparently that cabin isn't used to accomadating such a large family.

Shortly after we got settled at the cabin we ran for the coast. It was just what we needed. You could definitely tell a difference in the attitude once we got our feet in that icy water. We spent hours there getting soaked, searching for sea shells, looking at crabs, both dead and alive, and just enjoying every moment of being on vacation. (Monday)

The next day, Tuesday, we went to a great little down called Bandon, where there were some great tourist shops filled with fun toys, and crabbing. The boys were very proud of themselves - they caught a gimp crab that was big enough to keep, and about 5 little tiny baby crabs :) However, just the experience was worth it. We got to see lots of seals, which was very new for us.

Wednesday we went a new beach, and found little miniature sand dollars - about the size of a dime - and ran into a few fully grown LIVE jellyfish. They were so weird!!! I didn't expect to see them so close to shore. We loved looking at the rocks and the tide pools. We also had a BBQ on the beach, and learned that little kids, sand, and food do NOT mix well. We all came home with sand in our teeth. Not a very fun thing to bite down and crunch on something very hard.

Thursday we spent driving up to the aquarium. It was really neat to see all the different sea animals. It's crazy to think those things actually live in the ocean. And yes, I did touch a shark. I was very proud of myself. It was maybe a foot long, but it was a shark. We also got to touch starfish, and sea anemones. The little kids loved it. On the drive home we stopped at some fun little spots that had great views, and took pictures, but we were all ready to get back to the cabin and into that hot tub.

Friday we went back to the beach, and back to Bandon as well. We ate at a wonderful little fish and chips place. I tried it, even though I'm not a big fish eater at all, and found I actually liked theirs!! We got some great sea shells, and souveniers. Overall, it was a really fun trip. Saturday we packed up, went back to Lakeview, then drove home on Sunday.

Since we've been home everyone has started school. Cody is now in 4th grade, Lindsey is a sophomore, and I'm a freshman at UVU. It's weird getting back into school, but it's been fun. I'm excited to get through it though, and start working in what I really love.

Fourth of July fun!

This fourth of July was a blast for me. Friday was spent going to the fair - where we saw Jericho Road - and eating. I love looking at all the different booths. We then came home and set off fireworks.After that, Halle, Lindsey, Cody, and I all had a sleepover and we painted faces. Halle got a flag, Cody got fireworks, I got a star, and Lindsey was the Joker. We went to sleep at around 1 AM. We then woke up 3 hours laterto go save spaces for the Parade.After that, we came home, ate lunch, then took a much needed 2 and a half hour napWe then went back to the fair, and I bought some awesome sunglassesAfter that, we went up to my uncles for a bbq and the stadium of fire! Overall, a VERY good 4th of July! Happy Birthday America!

Fred's New Adventure!

Today, Fred went with Lindsey and me to my sister-in-law Kelly's house - we watched Kung Fu Panda, ate ice cream, and talked. It was really fun! Here are some pics.

Transformers 2

So today was a lot of fun. This morning my mom, sister, younger brother, older brother, sister-in-law, and I all went to see Transformers 2. I LOVED it. Who doesn't like 2 hours of watching robots kill each other? It was really funny, and they had a good mix of sad, humor, seriousness, and fear. Definitely one I would see again. They could get a little crude at times, but I think most movies are that way now. This is just one on my check list of many movies to watch, but we're getting closer!This is, hands down, my favorite actor out of the whole movie. He's so cute!

Meet Fred. Fred is my new awesome green bear won for me at a fair by Ryan. I've decided that Fred is going to travel with me every day, and take pictures of the places he visits. Today he visited:Cody's tennis lessons!!!! He had a great time, except when someone mistook him for a tennis ball. Poor Fred. He's over it though. :)

Manti Pageant

This last weekend my Dad, Mom, little sister, little brother, grandma, grandpa, and I all went to the Manti Pageant. It was TONS of fun. It was my first time, so I was very excited, and it definitely lived up to all my expectations. Not only did we go to the pageant, but we also went to another campsite the day after. The campsites were around a gorgeous lake called The Palisade, where you could rent paddle boats and canoes and go play. It's definitely something I would do again. Here are a few pics.

Silent Night

Your Life According to Your iPod:

1. Put your iPod or other music player (iTunes) on shuffle.
2. For each question, press the next button/refresh to get your answer. The Name of the song is your answer!
3. YOU MUST WRITE THAT SONG NAME DOWN NO MATTER HOW SILLY IT SOUNDS!
4. Tag 5 friends you think would like this.

1.IF SOMEONE SAYS "IS THIS OKAY" YOU SAY?
A Flat - Staind

2.WHAT WOULD BEST DESCRIBE YOUR PERSONALITY?
If She Couldn't Sleep - Blessed Union of Souls

3.WHAT DO YOU LIKE IN A GUY/GIRL?
Bennie and the Jets - Elton John

4.WHAT IS YOUR LIFE'S PURPOSE?
The Hardest Part - Coldplay

5.WHAT IS YOUR MOTTO?
Don't Change on Me - Alan Jackson

6.WHAT DO YOUR FRIENDS THINK OF YOU?
Humble Me - Norah Jones

7.WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT VERY OFTEN?
Brand New Sidewalk - Nickel Creek

8.WHAT IS 2+2?
American Women - BTO

9.WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR BEST FRIEND?
Honky Tonk Truth - Brooks & Dunn

10.WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THE PERSON YOU LIKE?
Master of the House - Les Miserables

11.WHAT IS YOUR LIFE STORY?
Doomsday Clock - Smashing Pumpkins

12.WHAT DO YOU WANT TO BE WHEN YOU GROW UP?
Touch My Hand - David Archuleta

13.WHAT DO YOU THINK WHEN YOU SEE THE PERSON YOU LIKE?
Flowers - Brad Paisley

14.WHAT DO YOUR PARENTS THINK OF YOU?
Best Years of our Lives - Baha Men

15.WHAT WILL YOU DANCE TO AT YOUR WEDDING?
He's Got You - Brooks & Dunn

16.WHAT WILL THEY PLAY AT YOUR FUNERAL?
Yesterday - Staind

17.WHAT IS YOUR HOBBY/INTEREST?
Smooth Criminal - Alien Ant Farm

18.WHAT IS YOUR BIGGEST SECRET?
Just A Thought - Gnarls Barkley

19.WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR FRIENDS?
Nobody Said It Would Be Easy - Alan Jackson

20.WHAT'S THE WORST THING THAT COULD HAPPEN?
What Have I Got To Lose - Blessed Union of Souls

21.HOW WILL YOU DIE?
Red and Black - Les Miserables

22.WHAT IS THE ONE THING YOU REGRET?
In America - Charlie Daniels Band

23.WHAT MAKES YOU LAUGH?
Great Indoors - John Mayer

24.WHAT MAKES YOU CRY?
World On Fire - Sarah McLachlan

25.WILL YOU EVER GET MARRIED?
What's Up Lonely - Kelly Clarkson

26.WHAT SCARES YOU THE MOST?
All That She Wants - Ace of Base

27.DOES ANYONE LIKE YOU?
Tremble For My Beloved - Collective Soul

28.IF YOU COULD GO BACK IN TIME, WHAT WOULD YOU CHANGE?
Lovers in Japan/Reign of Love - Coldplay

29.WHAT HURTS RIGHT NOW?
Please Don't Go - KC and the Sunshine Band

30.WHAT WILL YOU POST THIS AS?
Silent Night - Casting Crowns

Halle's photoshoots

I was out playing hopscotch with my niece when we decided to do an impromptu photoshoot - these are a few of my favorites. The one above is my favorite of all of the ones I took.

New baby!

Crystal had her baby on April 27th, 2009. She is a gorgeous baby girl named Jade, weighing in at 9 lbs, 2 oz. and a whopping 21 inches long. We grow our babies big :D She is very cute, the labor went well, and she was born around 1 pm. Both mom and baby are home now, and enjoying life. Here are some pics:

Salsa Dancing!

So the last couple of weeks I've been taking a latin ballroom dance class - and I absolutely love it. Our teacher, Adam Welsh, is fantastic, he really knows how to make you understand the moves.

He invited the people in the class to a salsa club last friday - I know, scary!! It was a lot of fun though. The only truly frightening part was the fact I was in 3" high stilettos - and I don't walk in heels. :D Michelle and I went shopping and did our makeup together, and took pictures. We realized that we never take pics of us together, and we've been best friends for 10 years!!!! Crazy, I know. So, we took pics!!!! And here they are:

Finally getting up the easter pics!

This is Halle who decided to make faces at the camera :D She's got a great personality!
Spencer - he wasn't really into the coloring eggs thing - he just liked crushing them!
This is Cody's favorite part of Easter - he usually doesn't eat the candy!
Coloring the Easter eggs!

Sushi Night!

Ok, so today was my very first time trying Sushi, and boy was it... interesting... The food was absolutely gorgeous, I was very impressed, however, I have an issue with texture... So, I took the first bite and it had Salmon, Eel, Avocado, rice, and seaweed, and the taste was fantastic. Really, I loved the taste of it, but the sliminess of the salmon just sorta freaked me out.
So this is a pic of me, right after eating it. It was a lot of fun, we had 16 people there, much to my surprise, and we all ate and talked. This is Sean, a guy in my ward who came with. He went to Japan on his mission, and so of course absolutely loved everything. They all had fun making fun of me. Pretty sure the only thing I ended up eating was about 3 pieces of rice.

Next time, we're planning on going to Tucanos - I know there's stuff there I like! Lol

Crazy 8's

Those who know me know I love doing quizzes, or anything that involves asking questions and me answering them, lol. So, here goes one:



8 tv shows i watch:
1. American Idol
2. House
3. Psych
4.American Loggers - not that I enjoy it, that's just what you get with my dad
5. ESPN - unfortunately, during march madness both of my parents are addicted, so I can't get away. :D
6. HBO - the Kids station.
7. America's Funniest Home Videos
8. Rachel Ray - My mom......
8 things I did yesterday:
1. Woke up at 8:00 - WAY too early
2. Watched Conference!
3. Baked some delicious Chocolate chip mint cookies
4. Went to my relief society presidents house for lunch
5. Flirted ;)
6. Went to work
7. Had an Asthma attack - My first one!
8. Stayed up and talked to my friends
8 things I'm looking forward to:
1. Starting school in August - I'm actually excited!
2.FHE - We're having a passover service
3. Starting my new job at the Scera Pool.
4. Spray painting a sheet on Saturday. Yay!
5. My Latin ballroom dance class on Wednesdays.
6. Wednesday - I get to buy a new pair of shorts!
7. The far future when i finally reach the weight I want - but I'm down 26 1/2 lbs. so far!
8. Summer. I LOVE the heat, and hate snow. I'm definitely ready to go out and buy a new swimsuit!

8 things on my wish list:
1. To be done with school - I'm excited, but I can't wait to actually be out there teaching kids.
2. To take my little sister and brother to Disneyland
3. To have a boyfriend! Lol
4. I want a nice digital camera - the fancy kind :) I LOVE photography
5. To be able to move out
6. To be able to buy things for my family that I know they will love, without having to worry about money issues. Being a teacher won't help with that much :)
7. To go to London
8. To be able to take my mom to Les Miserables, and Phantom of the Opera on Broadway
8 friends I tag:
1. I'm not really into the whole tagging thing, so I'll just say you can do it if you want to :)

Adam Lambert Thursday

For those who didn't see it, Adam sang Tracks of my Tears originally done by Smokey Robinson and the Miracles. He did AMAZING. It was absolutely beautiful, and he cleaned himself up for this performance. I was really impressed. And here is his picture for the day:

Questions

Ok, so I officially stole this off of Mirielle's blog, but she'll get over it :)

Rain or shine?
This is a hard one for me, because I absolutely love a good rainstorm, but I'm going to go with shine. I love rain, but once a month is good enough for me, whereas I welcome shine with open arms every day of the year.

Summer or winter?
Easy!!! Those who know me know I HATE winter with a passion. I am a summer girl, through and through.

Coffee or tea?
Well, i'm not a fan of either so I'm going to go with Hot Apple Cider. Yum!

Dogs or cats?
DOGS!!! I love my toy poodle, Libby.

Chocolate or vanilla?
Vanilla. Chocolate is only good in it's true form, not created into ice creams or cakes or brownies.

Beach or mountains?
Again, a hard one. I grew up in the mountains, but nothing beats the glorious shine of the beach, and the feel of warm sand wiggling between my toes

Handwriting or typing?
Handwriting - It's so elegant, and feels much more personal. Plus, I love my handwriting.

Morning person or night person?
Both. I can get up early and be happy very easily, but staying up til 3 in the morning is nothing as well. I love all times of the day!

If you were going to be stranded on a desert island, what three things would you bring?
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen, an airplane, and fuel.

What's your absolute favorite book?
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

If you could have dinner with three people, dead or alive, who would they be?
My grandma Hopkins, my mom, and my dad. I love my family. They mean more to me than anything in the world.

What was your dream job when you were little?
Teacher - good thing I plan on becoming one!

Who would play you in the movie of your life?
Someone who is clumsy, kind of weird, and willing to deal with way too much drama. Probably the girl who plays Bella in Twilight.

What's one place you'd love to travel to?
If I had to pick just one, I'd go with Tahiti, or Hawaii, or New Zealand, or Australia. Any island I'm happy with. I love water and sun and warmth.

So, yeah, that's me!

New Discoveries.

So, I've recently found that my Dad and I have the exact OPPOSITE tastes in music. I LOVED Adam Lambert's version of Ring of Fire on American Idol, and he absolutely refuses to listen to it again. I like some rap, and he thinks it's of the devil. I HATE the old twangy country, and that's all he listens to. About time we had some big differences :) It makes me laugh, because even though we usually have the same critiques at least for the AI contestants, Adam is our difference. I guess he gets that from his conservative side, haha. I, on the other hand, like the hair, and the smoldering looks, and everything about him, including the drama. I've noticed I tend to drift towards them, though. Anyways, just thought I'd mention!


Oh, and this is a record for me - 3 posts in one week!! yay!

My late tribute to Adam Lambert Wednesday

He's still in!! Go Adam!

Tribute to Adam Lambert tuesday

So, I've decided to steal a page from Amber Sorensen's book, and do a tribute to Adam Lambert, my favorite American Idol Contestant, every Tuesday and Wednesday. Todays pic:

You just can't beat this sexiness.

Living Life - Pretty Boring

Just a quick update for everyone. Life's been pretty boring around here. We're getting ready to go to Saint George in April for spring break, so we're all pretty excited. For right now, I'm just working - still.

I'm really excited to start school in the fall - something I didn't think I would EVER say, but after a year and a half off, it will be nice to do something other than work and go to church.

Speaking of church, I just got a new calling as the "Aloha Committee Leader". It's basically where my committee and I become the visiting teachers for new members until they get assigned VTers. It turns out being 3 to 4 people a week. It's been really fun. We also put on a breakfast every 3rd Sunday, with pancakes, eggs, fruit, and all sorts of yummy food. It's been pretty fun. And Yummy.

A huge thing for me this month is that I've been seeing a nutritionist. So far I've lost 12 pounds!!!! I'm really excited, except for the part where my brand new pants keep falling down. I guess it's a bittersweet thing :) OH! I almost forgot. We forgot the password to my parents blog (HAHA) so their new blog is lesandlucinda.blogspot.com Drop by!! And this one actually already has a post, unlike the last. Don't worry, I will hound my parents until they post at least once a month. I know, it's a big sacrifice for me, but it's one I'm prepared to make.

And now, becuase I'm cool, a random pic for the month, or week, or however long it is until I post next.

This is my dog, Libby. She is a very gorgeous toy poodle (I'm not kidding, she actually is very cute for her breed) She is also very large. Well, large for her breed. She stands a whopping 13 inches high :)