The Wonderful World of Wheat

6 Years of Awesomeness

2012-01-14T23:14:00.000-08:00

Today my nephew is 6 years old!

HOLY COW!
And in those 6 years I have come to find
that he is working out to become
just as cool as his
Aunt Lisa.
Here are just 6 little reasons for 6 little years!

#1: Food & sleep are top priorities, but who are we kidding? We both know that sleep will ALWAYS triumph over the pains of hunger

#2: If we both had to pick one thing in the entire world to love, it would definitely be the beach! No question about it, I mean come on, its got happiness written all over it!

#3: Confession....we kinda have this obsession with pirates....I mean really, they are so freaking cool! We will make awesome smugglers one day!

#4: It matters not what anyone else thinks. Stitch will forever & always be the coolest Disney character out there. No buts about it.

#5: We both kinda have this thing where we just love to play the ukulele! Maybe someday we will actually be good at it and we'll be all cool in a band & stuff. Yeah, that!

#6: Awe yes, a mini photographer in the making! Yeeeeah, we are both kinda obsessed with pushing that little black button and seeing the results. We just can't help it!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BRADLEY!!
Here's to more years
of becoming even
more & more awesome like your
Auntie Wheat!
YAY!

2011 Remembories

2011-12-30T14:41:00.000-08:00

January

The thing I remember the most about this month that was really fun was my family did an Iron Chef night! We all got together and the girls made food while the guys were the judges! It was a blast, even if my potatoes came out really nasty, haha. One other cool thing was that I got to frame an original Carl Bloch sketch. Pretty awesome.

February

Hmm….once again….I hate this month and it ALWAYS shows, or should I say doesn’t show?? I have very few pictures from this month. All I can tell from my photo memories/calendar is that is snowed a lot and I framed a few cool-ish things, oh and I was sick twice. Yeah, February sucks, hahaha

March

I love March! So much happened this month! Here are a few fun adventures that stood out to me. I went and played broomball with my ward, which is always a blast! Luckily I didn’t get a black eye this time! This was also the month that sadly the Provo Tabernacle caught fire. I was able to see it the day it was in flames, seeing that I worked right next to it. During this month I was also on the hunt for a new job, taking photo classes at Fotogenix in hopes that they might hire me later on. This was also the month that I went through the temple and received my endowments. Such an amazing experience! And last but certainly not least, I attended the FESTIVAL of COLORS! One of my most favorite things to do every year! Such happiness :)

April

There are a few great things about this month as well. I got to attend general conference once again. This time I went with my good friend Carley! It was the farthest I have ever sat back, but I also had one of the most amazing experiences! Let’s just say the song “Press Forward Saints” has become a new favorite of mine :) I also had a lot of fun doing Easter stuff with my family AND this was the month I was hired as a photographer!! BAH! Fotogenix hired me as I had hoped! So happy!

May

I had an amazing and fun Sunday drive with my awesome roommates! We drove all the way up Squaw Peak and looked out at the gorgeous lake! From there we decided to drive around the whole thing! Haha! But I am glad we did, for I took one of my favorite pictures ever that day. I also went to a bonfire and play a bunch of Frisbee this month! Yay!

June

June is always a fantastic month! I went and ran the Dirty Dash during this month, which I absolutely LOVED! So much freaking fun!! I also found time to attend the Summer Fest which was so much fun playing on rides and watching fireworks! I also did the most amazing prank ever with my roommates. We filled an entire kitchen with cups of water. It was awesome! I also took my first hike of the year (probly) up to Stewart Falls with my friend Mark. It was so freaking cool cuz there has been so much moisture this year that there was a freaking snow cave!! It was AWESOME!

July

As I look over the years, I am pretty sure July is my most favorite month ever! I always do such fun things! I started the month off with attending the Balloon Festival! Last year was my first time ever and I just loved it so much I had to go again! I also went up to Stewart Falls again with my ward, which was still such a blast! There was still part of the snow cave that I explored more deeply with my friends Mark & Eric. It was so much fun! On the 4^th of July I went hiking up Bells Canyon with my brother and sister where I saw a bigger waterfall then I thought even existed in Utah! It was such a blast! I also went hiking to Upper Falls in Provo Canyon with my friends Eric, Mark & Tom where we pretty much just played in the falls and goofed around a lot. The best part of this month was my vacation to the west coast! We drove over to the Redwoods, which were incredible. We went up the coast of Oregon where we visited the largest sea cave in the world and Cannon Beach, which has became one of my most favorite beaches ever. We also went up the coast of Washington where we visited the Hall of Mosses; so awesome. We made it up to Arlington where we had our Dickson family reunion. We played games, went hiking and had a great time! We ended out trip by going down to the Columbia Gorge and seeing some of the most amazing waterfalls of my life. I LOVED everything about this entire month!

August

Things cooled down a little during this month, but I still gotta do a few fun things. One of the best was when I got to shoot an AR-15! My home teacher took us all shooting and it was so much fun! During this month I also lost my kitty, Kena, who had been a life long friend for 21 years. Later on our ward did a giant slip-n-side, which is ALWAYS a blast! :)

September

This was a pretty great month! It started off with a super fun boating activity that my ward did! It was my first time going on a water weenie (which freaked me out) and in a kayak (which was super cool!) It was also the last activity Eric and I did as co-chairs of that committee. Felt super weird after doing it for a 1.5 years! This was also the month that we got our little puppy named Milo! He was so tiny back then….haha. I think the best part about his month was the road trip I took with my roommate Halee to California! We drove to LA where we played for about a week! It was so cool to see downtown (since I never have) We went to Hollywood, the Getty, the Griffith Observatory, and lots of other awesome places. We also spend a day at Disneyland/California Adventure with free tickets that my awesome cousin Dave got for us! One of my favorite days was our beach day that we spend in Oceanside. So fun! On the way home we went to see the play Jersey Boys in Las Vegas. It was such a fun trip!

October

I think I’m forced to like this month cuz it’s the month of my birthday! I actually got to do a lot of fun things! I went with my family on a drive up the Alpine Loop, which is always fun! For my birthday I went to the Haunted Forest, which was such a blast! I also went with my roommate, Kathleen, to the Haunted Corn maze, which….I dunno if it was scary cuz it was just me and her or if it was just scary, but it was scary!! And SO much fun! I went up to Rexburg with Marci & Carley where I got to attend my first sealing ever! My very good friend, Jennifer, got married! I also did all of her wedding pictures while I was up there. My work threw a Halloween party for us where my boss paid for us to all attend the Haunted Circus! It was so much fun!

November

I ran a 5K on Thanksgiving day with my sister Shayla! She pushes me to do awesome stuff like that :) I also did 4 photo shoots for friends, went through the Salt Lake Temple, and of course has a fun Thanksgiving dinner with my family!

December

The most awesome part about this month is that there has been NO SNOW! I’m loving it! I kicked off the month by going to a Christmas concert with my good friend Bonnie. I also got the stomach flu for the first time I can ever remember in my life. It sucked real bad. I went up to Temple Square with my roommates and took some of my favorite photos from there yet! And of course, I had a blast spending Christmas with my family!

People might think I’m kinda crazy, but I absolutely love looking back at each year and remembering what I did and accomplished. Somehow it makes each end of the year more fulfilling for me :)

I’m super excited for 2012! Bring on the “Year of Mess” as my roommates and I are calling it! A year where we take chances, be adventurous, and learn all we can from our experiences ahead of us!

My Photography

2010-08-04T13:34:00.000-07:00

I finally fixed up my other blog & turned it into a
photography blog!

Lemme know what you think!
Click the words below

Lisa Mariko Photography

My Apartment!

2010-07-01T19:38:00.000-07:00

So, this post is mostly for my friend Marci who is thinking of moving into my current apartment. Its just way easier to post it all here then in an email, so anyone that wants gets a free tour of my apartment!

I've lived here for about a year and a half now... CRAZY! But thats how much I like it. Its a way cute apartment, good location & I'm currently the manager so... that is a plus as well!

So this first picture is the enterance to the apartment. There is a closet on the right side as well as the dining room/kitchen. On the left is the living room and straight ahead is the hallway to the bedrooms.

This is a picture is taken from the kitchen of our dinning area, there are only 2 chairs right now, but we should be getting more.... the window to the right is a nice view of our mexican neighbors, haha.

Here is the kitchen, taken from the dining room. Lots of cupboards that we dont fill all up, good working oven, fridge, mircowave & dishwasher! YAY!

Here is our living room. Out the window is a balcony that overlooks the swiming pool into the solarium. Awesome :)

Picture taken from the couch of our entertainment center.... hahaha. Not very impressive.

View taken from the balcony showing the livingroom, enterance way and the dining area.

Now we have the hallway. The 1st door that you can't see on the left, is the water heater. The 2nd is our pantry. The back one is the storage room, which is currently overtaken by giant tubes cuz I'm going to float the Provo river with a friend on Sat... haha. The other 4 rooms are bed rooms. The 2 left ones are overtaken by shannon & I and the 2 right ones are currently empty.

Here is the 1st empty bed room. Nice that it already has a light fixure cuz the other rooms didnt come with one... It also has a nice view of the mexicans next door. Haha.

Another view of the 1st empty bedroom. Comes with a private vanity/toilet area and a shared shower. These showers are weird... they open into each room on either side. We like to call them the "awkward showers"

Here is the 2nd empty bedroom. I like this room, I would probly take it if i didnt wanna move all my crap. Its cool cuz it has two windows, one looking to the mexicans and the other to the parking lot. Its nice and big tho, I like the back rooms, my room is a back room :)

Another view of the 2nd empty bedroom. I guess the view is more a tree then a parking lot... haha.

2nd empty bedroom again...

2nd empty bedoom, vanity/toilet. All the rooms have something about them that is better then others. Like this one doesnt have tile in the bathroom like the other room does, but this room has nicer carpet then the other one. Its all just pick and choose... haha

Well there is a tour of apt 225!! Hope ya liked it. As you can tell it is all VERY clean! Thats cuz that is how it always is, I didnt clean for these pictures! We just like it that way :) Couple things you should know. These apartments are very old! Ours hasn't had too many problems tho, so that is a plus for us so far. Also, parking sucks! At least in the fall that is. Our apt only has 2 assigned parking spots, one which belongs to the manager...aka me... haha. There are other parking places, you just hve to walk a little farther, but once winter hits I think we can make a chart and rotate parking spots every week :)

My Skillz

2010-05-24T22:26:00.001-07:00

So I ran my first half marathon ever last month and well... its the first time I have ever recieved a medal that I can think of! And seeing that I will probly never get another one, I thought it was worth it to frame it, because I can, for a bit cheaper, seeing that I work in a frame shop. So I did! Here are some examples of my skillz! I cut the mat, mounted the medal & photo, cut & assembled the frame, cut the glass and I put it all together! YAY!

Tho, after 5 years of picture framing it was all a piece of cake to do, hehe.

Anyways, thats me! Being all awesome! YAY!

The End

Life As A Balloon

2010-03-22T21:01:00.000-07:00

I love balloons! They are so fun & happy, especially hot air balloons! But spending a day as a balloon was not near as fun as holding one, seeing one or even popping one....

It all started Friday morning about 11:30. I had told my awesome co-worker/friend, Bonnie, that my legs were feeling a little sore, which I thought was probly from the combination of playing toilet paper dodgeball and running 5 miles the day before. She told me she had some ibuprofen I could take.

Now here is a little side note/background. I don't take drugs, like ever. Mostly cuz I really don't need them and partly because I don't like to. I've had some not so good experiances in the past with taking medicine, which I shall save for a another blogging day. But last month I was sick & sore all at the same time. Bonnie had given me ibuprofen then to try to help with my soreness which she thought was probly just enhanced by my sickness. Long story short, I went home sick from work, died/slept in my bed & woke up with really puffy eyes... never had that happen before & it kinda freaked me out. I thought it was the drugs, but was reassured that it was probly just because I was sick. I really didnt know... I dont ever get sick, so I had no choice but to believe it.

Back to right before I had taken the ibuprofen. I was afraid to take it, not gonna lie. I had remembered thinking about what happened last time I took it, but then remembered the reassurance that it was just because I was sick. So I said to Bonnie, "this better not make me sick!" Just joking of course. She laughed and said, "if it does its all just in your head." So down it along with a flow of cool water.

About half an hour past, my boss had left on a mini vacation and there were just 4 of us left to run the store. I was just doing my normal everyday work when my left eye started to itch and feel kinda strange. All I could think was "its all in my head..." So I walked over to the bathroom to look in the mirror. My eye was starting to swell! I called to Bonnie and said, "this can't just be all in my head, please tell me you can see my eye swelling too!" Her eyes got really wide, her mouth dropped and in a somewhat shocked voice she said, "oh my gosh! It is swelling, I can see it from here!" Course this is when I took this picture to text to people.

Bonnie was headed out on her lunch right then, so I told her to find me something to make this all go away. I told her it had to be the ibuprofen, but we weren't quite sure what was happening to me, this was far worse then the 1st time I had taken it a month ago. She said while she was out she was going to talk to the pharmacist to find out what she should get for me. I could feel my face slowly geting worse within the half hour that she was gone and my head started to itch like crazy! I texted her and told her to just hurry & bring me anything! By the time she got back almost 45 mins later my face had swelled so much that I was having a hard time seeing out of my eyes! But I was able to see the timeless expression upon Bonnie's face as she saw the hideous deformed mass that mine had become. Wide eyes, dropped mouth & the words "Oh my gosh! You look like Hitch!" I knew I was freakin ugly & I said, "just give me the cure!" But she was empty handed... apparently the pharmacist had talked her out of geting me Benadryl and told her I should just go the the doctor. That wasn't going to happen... so I left work, ran to Maceys (with my sunglasses on) and grabbed some Benadryl. Once I got home I downed two pills & snapped this picture of myself.

The lighting is bad... you can't hardly tell in this picture, but my cheeks, lips & eyes were all swollen & puffy. I was breakin out in little red hives or something on my face as well. It sucked... but I looked so funny I couldnt help but laugh while I was taking the picture.

After taking the Benadryl I got sooooooooo tired! I set my alarm for an hour so I could check on myself after sleeping. One hour later, still swollen... two hours later, still swollen... what the crap?! I was texting my friend, Viri, who is also allergic to ibuprofen. I asked her how long the torture lasted. "About 5 hours" sucky....... She was right though... about 5:30 I woke up again, I could feel that my throat had swelled a little... that freaked me out just a little, but at the same time I could tell that the swelling in my face was going down. I knew I would be ok. By 7 o'clock I was out running 9 miles with Bonnie and my face was totally back to normal. That was good. Tho when I got back my whole body broke out in hives... probly from the running... popped in 2 more Benadryl & I was fine 30 mins later. I took one last picture, just so you all know I am now back to normal. YAY!! Oh what a day, it was kinda a fun & adventurous experiance, but I think I would be ok if it didn't happen again :)

New Stuff Pour Moi

2010-03-04T20:11:00.001-08:00

I went on this random spending money kick that I think has finally ended... but I had fun while it lasted! I framed this picture that my grandma gave to me straight from Japan. I really liked it & thought it would be worthy of a framing job! So seeing that I get that kinda stuff cheaper than the average person I went ahead & framed it!

I also decided it was time to re-pot my plumeria tree (which I think it is currently hating me for doing so...) While I was at the store getting more dirt & a new pot I found this cute little snake plant! It just called to me... I had no choice but to buy it, but I am glad I did. Plants make me happy :)

It has also been in the plans lately to buy some new running shoes for my half marathon I am running next month, not to mention all the other fun outdoorsy plans I have lined up for the summer. I needed some good comfy shoes. After trying on a few other shoes I decided these Nike shoes were the best choice of all, especially cuz they were on sale! First pair of Nikes I've ever bought, but I am very happy with them so far!

This last one isn't new... at least not the framing job. It is new to my room! My boss framed my BYU-Idaho diploma for me right after I graduated & it has been hanging in my parents house ever since. I thought it was about time I brought it down to my apartment to try & make my room look a little less bare... haha

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And that's it! All my happy new toys! Now no spending money for me for awhile... Haha :)

Framin' Some Pics

2010-02-28T17:34:00.001-08:00

I went on some random spending money kick & decided that it was about time that I re-frame a couple things, seeing that I work in a frame shop it all kinda made sense. I re-framed the palm tree picture that I took while enjoying the Bahamas last January and also just a random Jesus picture I had shoved in a frame once that I really like.

The End! Enjoy! :D

Hubbard Glacier Calving

2010-02-27T20:06:00.000-08:00

Last July I had the great opportunity to travel to Alaska. While I was there I visited the Hubbard Glacier, which is the largest tidewater glacier on the North American Continent. Not only did I get to have the chance to see the somewhat rare site of watching a glacier calf, but I was able to photograph it! I finally got around to laying them out in sequence, hope you enjoy!

Click it to Enlarge

My Grandpa Is Amazing!

2010-02-17T21:08:00.001-08:00

Washington state is where a bunch of the Dickson part of my family lives. My cute little grandma Dickson just turned 90 years old on Monday so my parents took a surprise trip up there for her party. When they got back they had a present for me! My grandpa Dickson makes the most beautiful tables ever and I finally got one! I remember when I was little watching him make these tables for friends & family. I was so excited inside for the day that I would recieve one. It means so much to me to be given such a beautiful gift from him. I love it so much, it is something I will treasure for the rest of my life.

Thank you Grandpa!!!

It's Finally Finished!!

2010-02-14T12:31:00.000-08:00

About a year and a half ago at BYU-Idaho I was taking a class for my Home & Family Living cluster. In part of the class we were to make pillows and learn how to use an embroidery machine. I had a plan to make a 100% custom Lisa pillow. And what better to put on a Lisa pillow then a PINEAPPLE! I had plans to embroider a pineapple on it as well as the words "je suis un anana" which means "I am a pineapple" in french (which is something I have been saying for years because of an experiance in one of my first french classes).

Anyways, in my class I was able to get everything done EXCEPT my pineapple! The only pattern they had for it wouldnt work... I was sad. I decided to hold off so that one day when I had the time I could stitch one on or something. Well that never happend... I have had this pillow sittin on my bed for a year and a half now that just says "je suis un anana" on it, which if you ask me looks kinda strange when there is zero pineapple present... BUT the other day my good friend & former co-worker was so great and she embroidered a pineapple on it for me for free! I absolutly love it! Makes me smile everytime I see it now :)

Thanks a million Christina!!! :D

2009 Remembories!

2009-12-12T22:37:00.000-08:00

~JANUARY~

The highlight of January for me was by far my Disney vacation with my sister Shayla! It was my first time ever going to Florida, Disney World, the Bahamas & on a cruise!! I absolutly loved every single thing about that vacation and would never ever take it back, not in a million-bazillion years! I tried parasailing for my first time ever in the Bahamas and I would do it all again in a heart beat! I have also decided that Cabbage Beach on the north shore of Paradise Island is my favorite place on earth that I have been to thus far.

~FEBRUARY~

I'm gonna guess that I did not exist at all during the month of Februay this year. The only thing I found at all during this month was that I got my new phone! My dad talked me into it! It's the Google phone, which I'm still quite please with all except for its hideous appearance.... other then that there is nothing cool about this month. No other pictures, journal entries or calendar events. Doesn't suprise me much tho... I hate the month of February. Never in my life has this month appealed to me in any way, shape or form. It is cold, ugly and boring. Perhaps that will someday change when I don't live in Utah anymore, but as of now this month is nothing special.

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~MARCH~
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I have found that this month was quite boring for me as well. From my records it seems that the most exciting things that happened during this month was that I framed some of my favorite beach items, cut/colored my hair & started planning for my next couple of vacations. Vacations are really the only thing in my life I get ridiculously excited about, but for good reason!
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~APRIL~
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April seemed to be the month that got the rest of the year going for me, which makes sense seeing that this is the month where the earth starts warming up & life starts blossoming! The highlight of this month was by far my family's trip to Southern Utah! We journeyed to Capitol Reef, Devils Garden, Coyote Gulch, Bryce Canyon & Zion National Park. Best camping trip ever!!! Camping with my family has always been one of my most favorite things to do with them and this trip topped them all! It was such a great bonding experiance for me. I loved it all and hope we go again next year!
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~MAY~
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May was pretty fun! I went to a couple bonfires, played with some old high school buddies, went to a luau, meet a ton of new people & was almost killed by a giant falling mirror. But I think the most fun thing I did during this month was when my good friend & former roommate, Jennifer, came down from Idaho for a visit! We planned to go hike up to Timpanogos Caves cuz she had never been & I hadn't been in years! So we got a group together and went. It was a blast! I loved it!
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~JUNE~

I can think of two way fun things that I did during the month of June. One was hiking up to Stewart Falls, I love hiking so very much & it had been a couple years since I had hiked up there so that was a lot of fun for me. The other way fun thing was when my friend, Danny, invited me to go with him to learn how to properly bury & cook a pig for a luau! It was awesome! We also had plans to go camping that same night with a group but it started raining buckets on us so it never happened, but I still had a great time!

~JULY~

During July I got a chance to try out a flowrider! Something I had wanted to try for years! Boy was it a blast! I want one... The best & greatest thing that happened to me in July was my cruise to Alaska! Here I never thought I would ever go on a cruise & now I hit two in one year! I absolutly loved this trip!! We went to Ketchikan, Hubbard Glacier, Juneau & Victoria, BC. It was all so amazing! In Juneau I got to take a helicopter ride for my first time ever, I would do it again in a heart beat! Alaska is beautiful and will now always hold a special place in my heart. I was also able to go and visit my grandparents and other family members in Washington for a day during this trip. It was so great to see them! I haven't been up to Washington in years, I almost forgot how much I truly love it up there.
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~AUGUST~

I had 3 major fun firsts that happened to me during the month of August. It was my first time ever paintballing, indoor rock climbing & buying a new car!!! I had planned to buy a new car around my birthday this year as a gift to myself. I had been on the lookout for awhile. I went looking at the begining of the month and fell in love with my now "Disney Store Floor Red" Mazda 3 which I named Kaji. I absolutly love it! Everyone that knows me says it is a total Lisa car, I 100% agree :)

~SEPTEMBER~

I spent some time enjoying nature during the month of September. I went with my sister, Shayla and brother Scott, to hike Mount Olympus in SLC. I guess I can't really say I enjoyed this hike that much, at least not most the way up. It freakin kicked my trash!! But the view at the top was all worth it, at least once... pretty sure I'll never willingly hike that stinkin mountain again. I also took some time to go and enjoy the fall colors with my other sister, Cheryl. We took a little stroll up Dry Canyon, a place I hadn't walked through in years. I loved it! It was so beautiful and peaceful. Even the sight of the first flakes of the falling snow put a smile on MY face, which is hard to do to me when it comes to snow.

~OCTOBER~
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I reached a quarter of a century during October this year, tho I don't really feel like I am that old. I tell most people that I am a kid at heart & I'm pretty sure that will never ever change, 100% truth. My bros wanted me to go paintballing again with them during this month so I counted that as my birthday party. We all invited a ton of people & then blew each other away with paint! It was awesome. For Halloween I dressed up as an old school Japanese girl, which I got a lot of laughs from! I also went to my first real haunted house ever! It was great, I enjoyed!
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~NOVEMBER~

November was actually way fun for me! My friend, Danny, took me shooting for my first time ever! I never thought I would enjoy shooting a real gun so much! And what was even better was that I hit the targets I was aiming for, so awesome. I also went to two different concerts! My friend, Rob, took me to see Outlaw Nation in Park City, I had never heard of them but I still enjoyed! It was my first time ever going into a bar, got ID-ed and everything, sweeeet! Later during the month my buddies, Travis & Ryan took me to a Thrice concert. SO awesome! That was my first real big concert I had ever gone to, mosh pit and everything! I loved everything about it! What probly made it even more awesome for me was that I actually knew most of the songs played, I couldn't stop smiling all night!
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~DECEMBER~

During December this year I had the chance to go up to Temple Square TWICE to see the lights! It was amazing both times! I haven't been in years so I was very glad I got to go this year. I got to spend Christmas with my entire family again this year, which is always fun for me. What brought the most magical part about Christmas to me was watching my 3 yr old nephew get so excited about everything! Especially grandpa's train! I have found as I have gotten older that Christmas is a lot more fun when I am giving & watching the excitement of those around me, what a great way to end my year.

Overall I would have to say this year was a good one for me! I can't wait to see what fun adventures 2010 has to offer me!

Another Quilted Gift!

2009-10-08T20:08:00.000-07:00

My good friend Christina, whom I have worked with for a few years, is so good to me! For the past 3+ years that I have known her she has made me a Halloween quilt wall hanging for my birthday! She said I am her excuse to make Halloween things. I love it! Every one of them have been so cute and it means the world to me that she would put so much work into something for me. She is a great friend that I will cherish for life :)

THANK YOU CHRISTINA!!!

Childhood Memories, As I Saw Them

2009-10-07T20:42:00.000-07:00

Life would suck without siblings! They have always been my best buds, even when they would beat on me I still considered them great friends! We did everything together, laughed, cried & played. We were always a team, especailly when it came to getting in trouble with the parents! Those were the times we bonded most!

A few years back I decided to draw out (in cartoon form) some of our greatest memories as kids. By request of my sister, Shayla, I have posted not only the ones she didn't have but all of the ones I have drawn thus far along with a little bit of explaination.

These are our nicknames & the way I have chosen to visualize each person in my family

CLICK THEM TO ENLARGE

We are a pretty outdoorsy family, we all love to travel and go camping! One of our favorite places to go was southern Utah where we would play on goblins and climb up rocky walls. We always had a blast!

Honestly, ants have got to be something every kid loves to observe. Tho, our observing of ants were probly more torturous then anything. My older brother, David, taught us the ropes on that. Burn them , drown them, smash them, freeze them, cave in their homes, etc. I'm sure we'll all be haunted by ants in the after life...

Living on wheels was our life, mostly by force cuz we got locked outside all the time and had nothing better to do... but seriously it would be unfair to blame my parents on that one. Having 5 little devils running around in the house everyday would drive anyone insane I am sure

So I mentioned that we got locked outside a lot... you learn to get creative with limited supplies. We would fill up garbage cans with freezing cold water and have contests to see who could stay in it the longest. We figure this must be the reason we are all immune to sicknesses.

****Now here are the reasons we got locked outside so much****

This is Car Smasher. A sibling favorite. This is a simple game. Simply place two matresses ontop of each other between a bunk-bed and a wall. Place the victim aka 'the car' inbetween each matress and then jump as hard as you can onto the top matress smashing them to death... or until they start crying, haha. Then rotate! Easy as pie and so much fun! :)

Any child that never played in the dryer has surely miss out on life! It wasn't uncommon to see us playing in the laundry room when the parents weren't around. It also was not uncommon to get thrown into the dryer and have it turned on by an older sibling when you made them mad. But all in all, good times!!

The one thing that always brought us together as sibling was when we knew we would ALL be in big trouble if we didn't fix a problem one of us had caused. We were pros (or so we thought) at repairing holes, fixing broken furniture and cleaning up carpet spills!

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So we had a giant pink bean bag that we picked up at a garage sale one day. We had fun, it exploded and then we were never allowed to have another bean bag again...
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Our mom had once told us of a time when she cleaned the kitchen floor by tying sponges to her feet and skidded along. One day when my parents were out we thought we would suprise them by cleaning the kitchen floor for them, and we took our mother's idea to the extreme! We covered each little (brand new) linoleum square with dish soap and flooded the floor with buckets of water and went at it for hours! Oh it was a blast! Needless to say the new floor was completely ruined, we were grounded forever and couldn't figure out why. Pretty sure we never cleaned without being asked again.
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Alligator, as simple as the picture. You fall off, you get eaten.
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Seriously, who hasn't done this?! We used everything imaginable: matresses, sleeping bags, blankets, laundry baskets (which really hurt), trunks (also painful), everyday attire, couch cushions, large stuffed animals, etc. Honestly, if you haven't ever slid down a case of stairs before you are missing out!!!
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We all have many many more adventures that I need to put into picture form. It is a great way for us all to remember such good times.

Panoramic Pictures

2009-10-01T17:14:00.000-07:00

Back in April I went with my family to Bryce Canyon & some other places in southern Utah. I took a bunch of pics in hopes that I would be able to figure out how to connect them all to make one long panoramic shot. I just learned how to do that last night so I thought I would post them! I wish they weren't so small, but if you click on them it will make them bigger. Two taken at Sunset Point and the other at Bryce Point. I love pictures that make me feel like I am there, which is why I think I love panoramic pictures so much. Honestly outdoor photography is my most favorite kinda photography to do. I love being in the right place at the right time, nothing could be better then photographing the beauties of the world.

Workin On My Skillz

2009-09-20T12:53:00.001-07:00

This last week I had the chance to do a couple photo shoots to help me out with both my photo skills & people skills! My co-worker had mentioned that he wanted his portrait taken and I told him I would take his picture because I needed practice anyways. It's been about a year since I actually did anyones portrait so I was a little scared, but he was happy with the results so that is all that really matters right?

My old roommate had also called me and asked if I would be willing to take her engagment pictures for them. I was more then happy to do it, but still quite frightened. I had never taken anyones engagment pictures before and so I was kinda in the dark. I'm just glad my first experiance was with someone I knew very well. It was a good way for me to get some more practice in and feel more chill about the whole thing.

Check out my photo blog if you wanna see more portraits that I have taken :)
http://mariko84.blogspot.com/

Takin Pictures

2009-08-28T19:27:00.001-07:00

So my boss wanted me to take some pictures of their grandson, Athrun. Its good for me to have people that want their picture taken, it gives me the practice I need and I am always more then happy to do it free of charge. Maybe someday when I'm real confident I'll make people make me cookies or something in exchange :)

My New Car!

2009-08-06T21:41:00.000-07:00

I did it, I finally caved and got a better car! Anyone that knew my old car, Fozzie, knew that he wasn't gonna last me much longer, especially through the winter time. Fozzie hates winter... So with the help of many family members I picked the car that most suits me. This is a total Lisa car incase you didn't know. Cute, small & somewhat sporty lookin!

In my family we have always named our cars. When you've got like 5 different cars at the house its just more fun to say, "Lets take Junior, Cammy, Fozzie, GW or Shark Bait" So having a name for my new car is a must in my book! I told my family to be thinking, I wanted it to be something cool sounding. I told them something Hawaiian or Japanese would be awesome. My little sister came up is Kaji, which mean Fire in Japanese. Perfect fit if you ask me, Kaji it is!

At the dealership

Black & Red seats! :)

First time I've ever had AC and a CD player in my car! Soooo happy!!

The steering wheel can control the radio/CD player & it has cruise control!

I got this at Disney World in January, but never put it on Fozzie, the antenna was much lower and I was afraid it was gonna get stolen! Hopefully it will be ok with the height it has now, I love pirates :)

Of course I couldn't go without my pineapple hanging from the rear view mirror!

I'm a proud owner of a Mazda 3, no more grandma car for me!!

Japanese Stab Binding

2009-08-06T21:27:00.000-07:00

So, it has been quite awhile since I have made a book. My friends birthday was coming up and so I decided to make a book for him. I always wanted to learn how to do the Japanese Hemp Leaf stitch because I just think it looks so awesome! So I took the time to learn how to do it. Usually these books are made with a soft cover but I really like hard cover books so I kinda combinded two methods that I knew to create this one!

Flowriding!

2009-07-26T17:09:00.000-07:00

My ward is so awesome! Seriously we always do such fun things! This week we went to the Lindon Aquatic Park & played around in the pools, on the waterslide and in the lazzzzy river! But the highlight for me was the flowrider! I saw one of these on TV a couple years ago & ever since I always wanted to try one! This was my chance, no way I was passin' it up! Someday when I'm all rich & all, I'll have a flowrider! Yeeeah! ;)

P.S. the pics are kinda bad cuz I blew them up from an iphone. Hehehe :)

Alaska!

2009-07-15T18:47:00.000-07:00

Alaska was so beautiful and amazing. What a great place! We left out of Seattle on our cruise. The cruise was pretty amazing for the most part. Better then I thought it was gonna be but still doesnt even compare to the awesomeness of a Disney cruise.

Ketchikan was our 1st stop. I loved it so much, the town is so cute and the scenery is breathtaking! In Ketchikan I saw wild orcas for my first time, it was so neat! We also went to an Alaskan Lumberjack show which was pretty cool :)

We stopped a mile away from the Hubbard Glacier on our way to Juneau. It was so amazing! Our cruise ship got closer to the glacier then any other one has before and with the glacier growing, a few years down the road people wont even ever be able to go out to the glacier by boat because of the dangers. We watched huge chunks fall off the glacier into the sea, sounded like loud crashes of thunder! It was so cool!

In Juneau is where Shayla and I got to take our 1st helicopter ride! Wow, that was amazing! One of the coolest things I have ever done! We got to see about 6-7 different glaciers from the air and then land on another. Soooo freakin amazing! Probly the highlight of the whole trip for me!

. In Victoria we went out to the Butchart Gardens! They were absolutly beautiful! I couldn't believe it! I smelled like every flower in my path, haha! My favorite was probly the Japanese gardens tho, they were so so pretty!

When we arrived back in Seattle we went to Pike Place Market, a place I had never been before. It was really cool and fun to see the famous fish tossing!

After Pike Place we headed out to Deception Pass, a place I had never been either! Which is weird considering like the million times I have been up to Washington! It was beautiful and I loved it!

Afterward we went to hang out with good old Grandma & Grandpa Dickson! It was so fun to see them and be at their home. I think it had probly been about 6 years since I was last there. It was fun to see the cows and chickens! We also played some dominos, the one game that will ever remind me of my grandparents :) I loved it! It was also pretty cool that I won too! Then my cousin Janice painted all our toes! I love that mine are blue!

This was such a great trip for me, I really enjoyed it. It is always good for me to get away from the every day life and world here in Provo. There are so many beautiful sights out there to see and I'm glad I am so blessed to see so many!

*Check out my facebook for about a million more pictures of Alaska*

Till my next big adventure!

Livin' Like An Islander - My Dream Come True!

2009-06-13T11:49:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago my ward had a Luau that they buried a pig for and I thought it was so cool, but I didnt get to see how it was done. There is a couple in my ward getting married that wanted the same thing done for their wedding and one of my good friends invited me to go with him to see how it was done! I was so so excited!

There were a couple dudes there that served their missions on islands and learned to do this, so they taught us how it all works. First thing is to dig a rectangular pit about 3 feet deep and fill it with wood and start a giant fire! We used about 2 1/2 gallons of gasoline to help us out! Afterwards we threw in lava rocks to heat up till they were white hot.

Next step is to prepare the pig! I think the one they got was about 125 lbs. To prepare it you have to cut slits all over the meaty parts of its body and shove it full of salt for flavoring. I wasn't as grossed out as I thought I would be, it was actually pretty cool! Then you line a wire basket with banana leaves (because they won't burn) and place the pig inside.

We started off using fans to get the fire hotter but decided to speed things up with a leaf blower! That sure did the trick, it was awesome. Once the lava rocks were hot enough we piled a few in the stomach of the pig to help with cooking and covered the rest of the pit with cabbage to help trap the moisture and provide a little flavoring.

Then the pit was covered with banana leaves and wet news paper, after which they tied up the pig and placed it on top. They then laid banana leaves all across the pig, along with wet burlap gunny sacks and topped it all off with a big ol' tarp.

I didn't get pictures near the end because it started pouring rain like crazy! But it sure was a blast to see and I enjoyed every second of it!

Doing Some Service!

2009-06-12T07:55:00.000-07:00

For a ward activity we all went over to our 1st counselor's place to help him landscape his yard! It was a lot of fun, even in the mud & rain! I got to mostly shovel dirt and dig up sprinkler heads to cap off. I love working out in the yard!

Awesomeness

2009-06-01T22:06:00.001-07:00

Over the weekend I had one of my really good friends and former roommates (Jennifer) come visit me! It was so much fun to play with her again!

We got a group of friends together to hike to Timpanogos Caves! It was such a blast and so beautiful! I haven't been in about 10 years so I was glad I had the chance to go with some fun people!

Later on Jennifer and I met up with another former roommate, Carley and her husband Caleb, for some Cold Stone ice cream! It was so great to see them both, they are so much fun to be around!

When I got back to work today one of my former co-workers and good friends (Christina) came into see me! She had made me this cute travel size pillow case! Beach decor and everything! I was so excited! She is so sweet and knows me in and out!

Diggin' a Trench!

2009-05-20T17:18:00.001-07:00

Today I went to my parents house! I was talking with my dad about getting a patio and fire pit put in the backyard and he said he needed to get some cords buried first but hasnt had time. So I asked him where he wanted it buried and then I got to work! I enjoyed doing it! Hopefully this will give him a little start to put in the awesome patio!

Replacing the Damage!

2009-05-06T21:00:00.000-07:00

My daddy is so freakin awesome! He helped me pick out and replace my shattered mirror today! This time we made sure to bolt it securely to the wall so future residents wont almost die like me! It ain't goin no where! It's so nice to have it back!

Who Gets The Bad Luck?!

2009-05-02T22:10:00.001-07:00

I really do like my apartment that I moved into in December, I think it is SO cute and I have really good roommates! They only thing I seem to have a constant battle with is my bathroom! When I first moved in the ceiling was dripping water from the apartment above and a couple months ago my bathroom flooded like crazy and my faucet on my sink had to be replaced. This time was a little more scary! I was sitting at my desk, which is only about 6 inches away from my bathroom and all the sudden I heard loud crashing noises and I looked over and my 50 inch mirror was in the process of crashing to the floor! It scared me so bad I was shaking for hours! I had glass all around my feet! Luckily I didnt even get one scratch! I dont even wanna think what condition I would be in if I were any closer...

Here is the aftermath of the crash... I had a couple drawer oraginzers on my counter that got knocked down during the fall. It was far from fun to clean up!

The mirror put holes and gashes in my door...

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...my wall...
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...the toilet lid...
. ...and the counter.
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Apparently it was never bolted to the wall even! I checked for screw holes and everything! I guess gravitiy just decided it was time for it to come down. I'm just glad it didnt come down on my head!

Yup so there it is, the story of how I almost died! I'd double check all your mirrors if I were you! Hopefully I will get a new BOLTED in one soon, it is kinda not fun using only hand mirrors to get ready each day....

The Best Camping Trip EVER!

2009-04-29T16:42:00.000-07:00

So I finally got a little time to write about my awesome family camping trip, in which I absolutley loved!

We set off to our first destination which was Capitol Reef National Park! We didn't stay too long because we still had a ways to go, but what we saw was incredible! It is such a beautiful area and I got to see petroglyphs for my first time ever! Boy was I happy to have my telephoto lens then!

After Capitol Reef we drove through more gorgeous scenery till we finally hit our next destination, Devil's Garden. The rock formations are SO amazing and it makes the perfect playground for anyone! I loved it!

After Devil's Garden we camped right near Coyote Gulch where we ate a delicious dinner, watched the fiery sunset and gazed at the twinkling stars! What a great day!

By sunrise we packed all our bags, shoved down some hard bagels and headed on over to the Gulch! Once the cars were out of site it really felt like we could be stranded in the desert! It was awesome! When we reached the top of the Gulch the site was just breathtaking! We journeyed down into the Gulch through an entrance called Crack in the Wall, which was literary just a crack in the wall! It was probly about 18 inches wide at the smallest part. It was one of the coolest things I have ever done!

Hiking through the Gulch was so incredible! The rich red rocks, tumbling waterfalls and natural arches were just so awesome to enjoy! As we reached the end we all risked our lives as we tried to climb out a VERY steep & high rock slope! If we didn't have rope or my brother, Scott we probly wouldn't have ever made it out! It was real scary, but also real neat to say I did it, though it was a little more intense then my first rock climbing experience!

Hiking through the Gulch took us almost 12 hours exactly, so we didn't get back until sunst. We drove out a little ways and decided to make camp. It was probly the worst camping night ever, we will defiantly all remember that night for a long time to come! There was so much wind we were only able to get 1 of our 2 tents up and it was so dark we couldn't see where to put the tent, so we all slept on rocks and roots! Though the stars were gorgeous that night and it was kinda cool to wake up to the sound of coyotes howling.

In the morning we drove over to Bryce Canyon and ensured we got a good camping spot this time! We spend the whole day driving to different lookout points, taking easy walks and getting in a good nap! When sunset came we headed over to Sunset Point! All I can say is WOW!!! I loved it so so much! We went on a little hike down below the "hoodos" which was something I always wanted to do! It was even cooler than I imagained!

After hiking we went and cooked up some freakin good grub and then called it a night! In the morning we headed over to Zion National Park and drove around to see the beautiful sites it has to offer, including the amazing Angels Landing, in which I hope to hike someday! When we got home my dad treated us all to some good ol' Cocolitos Mexican food, which was delicious!

If I felt like writing a novel about my trip I am sure I could! There was just so many amazing things we did and saw that I could talk about them for days! I look forward to my next adventure and hope I can make it as fun! :)

To view about a million more pictures click

HERE HERE HERE HERE HERE HERE

The sad part is I didn't post even close to half of the pictures I took! Tee-Hee :)

Babysitting Bradley!

2009-04-05T22:35:00.000-07:00

This weekend I got to babysit my freakin cute nephew, Bradley! And well knowing me I couldn't resist photographing such a cute subject matter, so we went in my parents backyard and had a little photo shoot! It was way fun!

Watercolors!

2009-03-19T21:23:00.000-07:00

I haven't watercolored in over a year and for some reason I just had this sudden urge to do so! I have found that I really like doing more of an illustration in ink and then using watercolors on top of that. I definantly gotta work on my signature a little more... but I decided it would be fun to use my Japanese middle name to sign with!.

Soakin in the Sunshine

2009-03-18T22:18:00.000-07:00

Today was my day off so I headed up to my parents house hoping to entertain myself up there, which I did! I with my lil brother & sister (Scott & Cheryl) washed all of our cars because it was such a nice day we couldn't help but be outside to enjoy it!

After washing our cars we thought it would be nice to wash our parents van, but we were way tired... SO we hopped in their van and took it down the street to the cheap lil car wash thingy and had it done there! It was way fun but kinda creepy too! Pretty sure next time I'll go to a car wash that is a lil more fancy! hehe!

Let's Travel!

2009-03-13T22:57:00.000-07:00

My sister Shayla told me of this website her friend helped start where you post pictures and stories of places you have been! Really its just to get people into traveling, see where they have been and tell them where you have been so you are sure to get the best experiance out of where ever it is you go!

Well after seeing some of the pictures Shayla and I posted the dudes that own the site decided they would like to use one for their homepage to help advertise! So they used one of Shayla's pictures she took of me snorkeling in the Bahamas! Its so cool to think I am on the homepage of a travel website! Awe, my dream come true! :)

You can check out the homepage HERE and see my travel photos and stories HERE

Beach Decor

2009-03-10T23:24:00.000-07:00

After about 4 years of working in a custom picture frame shop I finally decided to break down and frame something of my own! I was inspired by a couple customers bringing in sea shells to frame. I thought "Man, I love sea shells! Man I have a million! I should frame some too!" And so with some help and design from various people this is the end result! I love them! Those that know me well know I love anything that makes me feel warm and these definantly give me warm thoughts!

The Display

2009-03-03T18:14:00.001-08:00

Here it be! Our Harry Potter display for our window! We printed each of the house coat of arms thingys and framed those and a girl I work with is a major Harry Potter lover so she had a lot of other things.

The picture is kinda bad cuz it was taken on my phone...

Improvements

2009-02-24T23:35:00.000-08:00

I decided to make just a few adjustments to my Harry Potter journals to make them even more AWESOME! So I wrote the house names on them and made a box for them to go in! It's been so fun making these!

Harry Potter Journals!

2009-02-22T20:31:00.000-08:00

Sometimes I don't have much to do at work and so my boss allows me to make books to sell in our store. This time I decided to make a Harry Potter journal set! Each book contains the house colors for each of the Hogwarts houses! For example the Gryffindor book has a red cover with gold end pages. We also do window displays for the public to see, so we are going to use these books in our Harry Potter themed window!

PICTURE TAG!

2009-02-22T14:58:00.000-08:00

1. Go to your my documents/my pictures

2. Go to your sixth file

3. Go to your sixth picture

4. Blog about it

5. Tag six people

This is a picture I took of Cumorah Hill in upstate New York when I went with my family in 2007 to pick up my little brother from his mission! It was so freakin awesome there! I loved it! And really its quite the little hike to get up there, back and forth, back and forth. But it was worth it!

I tag: 1. Shayla 2. Jessica 3. Mom & Dad 4. Janice 5. Carley & Caleb 6. Auntie Viv

My New Toy!

2009-02-18T16:23:00.000-08:00

My dad got a G1 phone a few weeks ago, I thought it was the coolest thing ever! Pretty much I couldn't resist! I take after him when it comes to wanting really cool toys! So yup, I caved and got one myself! It is so freakin awesome, I feel so powerful with it in hand Maw ha ha!

Click HERE if you wanna see some awesome things it can do.

ALASKA!

2009-02-16T22:00:00.000-08:00

OMGOSH!

My sister better not be playing with me! She just invited me to join her on an Alaskan cruise this summer!!! AHHHH!!!! I'm all for it of course :)

People may think I am crazy and spent my money in weird, probly not intelligent ways, but seeing the world is my DREAM! Seriously, Why not live it now while I have nothing else to live for?! I have no major worries right now. School is done, I'm no where close to having my own family and I have the energy to do what it takes!

I want to start my dreams now while I am still young!

Disney Extravaganza!!!

2009-01-29T18:48:00.000-08:00

All about my AWESOME Disney Adventure!!!

Saturday Jan. 17, 2009
Shayla and I headed out to Orlando, FL for our big Disney Extravaganza! Shayla has a friend (Tawnya) that lives there and so we stayed that night with her and her husband John. They took us to the Disney Boardwalk & Downtown Disney that night (which has a bunch of little shops) & we ate at a buffalo wing place for dinner which was freakin good!.

..Sunday Jan. 18, 2009
We went to sacrament in a hotel with Shayla’s friend. Afterwards all four of us plus one of Tawnya’s friends (Jerry) all headed over to the Epcot Center! We walked all around the place visiting all the little countries such as: England, Mexico, China, Norway, America & many others. We went on some really awesome rides too! My favorites there were: Mission Space (which is a ride that makes you feel like you are really in space!), Spaceship Earth (which is a ride showing the progression of man) & Soarin (which is an amazing ride that makes you feel like you are literally flying over California. It has smells & everything!) We also watched a Lumination firework show on the lake.

.After Epcot we used our extra magic hours that we got for staying in a Disney hotel (means you can stay in the park after its closed) and we headed over to the Magic Kingdom to get some our well-known favorite rides in such as: the Buzz Lightyear Ride, Space Mountain, Pirates of the Caribbean, the Haunted Mansion, Thunder Mountain & Splash Mountain (which we pretty much had to ourselves! Then it broke down on us!) We went back to our hotel, the Swan & crashed in our beds (softest, most comfortable bed I have ever slept in!).

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Monday Jan. 19, 2009
We started our day off with an African Safari ride which I thought was totally awesome! There were so many animals I had never seen before, like a giraffe! After the safari ride we hit some other bigger rides! My favorites were: Everest (which is a lot like the Matterhorn at Disneyland, but way cooler in my opinion), Dinosaur (which is a lot like the Indiana Jones ride at Disneyland), It’s Tough to be a Bug (which is A Bug’s Life show in 3D with interactive parts). We also went on this wimpy ride for little kids and I sat by this lady who was probly in her mid 40’s and she totally wet her pants on the ride! It was sad but really really funny!!! I was also sure to enjoy a Mickey Mouse ice cream sandwich while I was there, don’t see those everyday! And we saw the amazing man-made Tree of Life! Something I never thought I would actually get to see! .

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After Animal Kingdom we headed over to Hollywood Studios where we went on the Tower of Terror multiple times, sat through a 3D Muppet show & also an Indiana Jones stunt show which was really cool, I love it when things blow up! We ate Emu in Hollywood too, which was really really good! To end our day we went to the Disney Fantasmic Show! For anyone that is wondering it is WAY better then the one at Disneyland! I loved it!

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Tuesday Jan. 20, 2009
We hit the Magic Kingdom again this time going to Fantasyland which we didn’t the time before. We went on some of our favorite rides such as: the Tea Cups, Small World, and Winnie the Pooh! We also hit some new rides we have never been on before which included: Snow White’s Scary Adventures (which really if I was a little kid I probly would have been freaked out), Peter Pan’s Flight (really awesome ride flying over all Peter Pan’s adventures), Family Robinson Tree & the new Tiki Room (where we got yummy pineapple floats!) We also watched the Parade of Dreams, shopped & I got my picture taken with Rafiki! .

.After Magic Kingdom we headed back over to the Epcot Center where we tried out some other rides such as: Nemo (where they have a huge tank with fish, dolphins & manatees) & Figment (which was kinda dumb, but really we walked onto the ride by accident, we didn’t even know it was a ride till we got in the both thingy!) We also went on Spaceship Earth again as well as Soarin, but this time we stood in line instead of using a fast past and these weirdo Asian people kept butting in front of everyone, but the cool thing was they have interactive games in the lines while you wait! We ate in America that night, got dessert in France & topped it all off with the firework show again! .

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Wednesday Jan. 21, 2009
We went back to Hollywood to try out some things we didn’t get a chance to the first time. We road the Rockin Rollercoaster like 5 times! Needless to say it was freakin awesome! We went on the Towe r of Terror a few more times and then we tried out the Toy Story Mania ride a couple times! It was so cool! (Like the Buzz Lightyear one but better and I LOVE the Buzz one so that’s saying something!) In Hollywood is also where I saw my favorite Disney character, Stitch, who gave me a great big hug and a long kiss on the head! We went to a Lights, Motor, Action stunt show which I think was the best show we saw at Disney World! I loved it! Maybe just cuz it had sweet, fast sporty cars :D. After Hollywood we met up with Shayla’s friends again at Downtown Disney where we did a little more shopping. Afterwards they took us to Universal Studios & a place called Old Town (which is kinda like Lagoon.)

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Thursday Jan. 22, 2009
This was the day our cruise to the Bahamas began! We started the day off at the Animal Kingdom where we got in a couple fun rides (Everest & Dinosaur.) We received VIP seating for the show Lion King for going on the cruise! It was great fun & we were both kissed by Timon! .

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After the show we headed out to our cruise ship, the Disney Wonder! It was amazing!!! All our food and activities on the ship were already paid for so we could do pretty much anything we wanted & eat as much as we wanted! We even had 24 hour room service! There was always a different Disney movie playing on the TV which I thought was so cool. We stared off by going to eat at the Beach Blanket Buffet which had so much food I couldn’t even believe it! Afterwards we went to our first Broadway style play onboard, The Golden Mickey’s! Oh I it was so great, I love going to plays & this one highlighted a bunch of different Disney movies such as: Mulan, Tarzan, Snow White & more. After that we headed to dinner in Parrot Cay which was island style cuisine. Here we met our awesome waiters Rocky (from some small island) & Renan (from France) along with our very nice & funny tablemates (Juliet and Megan). After dinner we went to the Take Off Party on the top deck where there was music & dancing! It was way fun! We ended the day by going to the movie theater onboard which was playing Bedtime Stories, we returned to our room and found a swan made from a towel on our bed! :D .

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Friday Jan. 23, 2009
We arrived in Nassau, Bahamas!!! After eating breakfast on deck we headed out for land where we were bombarded by a million people trying to sell us stuff! We managed to escaped the crowd & found ourselves right where we wanted to be! We were headed for Queen’s Staircase (a place built by slaves long ago). Though our journey there consisted of crazy uneven streets with people honking and driving on the wrong side of the road! We also discovered Fort Fincastle which wasn’t too far from the staircase. Afterwards we walked over to Paradise Island which is home to a giant hotel (the Atlantis Hotel) that holds the world’s largest fish tank inside! Then we walked onto the prettiest beach I have ever seen in my life time! White coral sand & 75 degree crystal clear bluish-green water! My heaven on earth! :D It was there that we spent the next 4-5 hours playing in the giant killer waves, laying in the toasty warm sun and snorkeled with schools of fish! Oh and I saw a barracuda but I didn’t know that’s what it was at the time! After spending the perfect day in the sunshine we grabbed a Jamba Juice & took a boat ride back to Nassau. That night we went to Toy Story the musical onboard, ate at Tritons (French cuisine, where I ate the most amazing dish of Ratatouille) & we went to the movie theater again and watched Bolt in 3D! When we arrived back to our state room we had an towel elephant waiting on our bed for us! I just couldn’t stop smiling! .

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Saturday Jan. 24, 2009
We arrived at Disney’s private island, Castaway Cay!!! Oh I couldn’t believe it was all real! We ate breakfast on deck to get a view of the island and BAM there is the Flying Dutchman from the movie Pirates of the Caribbean just sitting out there in the water! (It was the actual ship they used to film the movies!) Once we were off the boat we put on our snorkeling gear & headed straight for the water! I have never swam with so many fish in my whole life! It was so awesome and really Shayla & I were the only ones out there with all the fish! There was no one else around us! It really was a neat feeling! After snorkeling we headed for the adult beach which was so nice because really there were only like 10 people on this whole huge beach! It felt like we had it to ourselves! After laying in the sun & playing in the water there (& finding a huge starfish) we went at ate at Cookies BBQ! All you can eat for free including delicious BBQ ribs, oh I was in heaven! After stuffing our faces we headed out to our next big adventure, PARASAILING! Oh it was amazing, I thought I was gonna be totally freaked out but I loved every second of it! The view was incredible, the water was warm and the people on the boat were freakin hilarious! After parasailing we hopped on some bikes and biked around the island! It was so much fun and there were so many pretty things to see! Once we were back on the ship we went and saw another play, Disney Dream (which is a play about making dreams come true). I loved it so much, it really was amazing! That night we ate in Animators Palate which was so freakin awesome! Everything is in black & white and as you receive each course color comes to the pictures and walls! I loved it! We were also celebrating my sister’s birthday and they brought her a freakin huge cake for us to eat, which we ate with popsicle sticks cuz we couldn’t find forks :D That night we found a towel monkey in our closet!
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Sunday Jan. 25, 2009
Our adventures ended this day and we sat in an airport of nearly 8 hours… our flight was delayed and we almost missed our connecting flight, like seriously we ran 25 gates in 3 minutes and barely made it on the plane! Never had to do that before!
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I absolutely loved everything about this trip! It was worth every cent I spent & I would do it all again in a heartbeat! I would totally recommend a Disney cruise to anyone; it seriously has something for everyone! I can’t remember a time I smiled so much for so long! No doubt I am a kid at heart! :D

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.*For TONZ of other pictures click HERE, HERE, HERE or HERE*

8 Days and Counting!!!

2009-01-08T17:47:00.001-08:00

There are only 8 more days till my sister Shayla and I head out on our Disney Extravaganza! Needless to say I am pretty freakin excited! I'm probly the biggest little kid anyone has ever met!

Our plans are to spend the first four days of our vacation at Disney World attending each of the Disney Kingdoms: Epcot Center, Hollywood Studios, Animal Kingdom, and of course the Magic Kingdom!

After our adventures in and around Disney World will will board a cruise ship (the Disney Wonder) and head out to the Bahamas visiting Nassau and Disney's private Island, Castaway Cay!
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Pretty much I am more the WAY excited about this trip! I'm sure there will be more then plenty of pictures and information for you to read about once I am back in freezing cold Utah again....

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

2009-01-01T18:52:00.001-08:00

New Year's Eve and Day were such a blast this year! I spent it with all of my family except my older sister. We were all pretty lazy but we still had a lot of fun together! We watched a few movies on New Year's Eve and played with sparklers once 2009 hit! New Year's Day we just played around with each other and made our tradional New Year's snack ~ Won Tons! This year we added another favorite snack of ours ~ Gunny Sacks! YUM! It was a such a blast!

Year-end Rememberies ~ 2008

2008-12-27T20:56:00.001-08:00

So I kinda stole this idea from my sister… She puts up an end of the year update thing and I think that it is a great idea and something that I wanna do too! I have to say that thus far in my life the year 2008 has been my BEST and FAVORITE year ever!

(If you want more details on any events just scroll down and click on “older posts” or just click on “November” on the right side!)

~ January ~
I headed up to Rexburg, Idaho for my very last year at BYU-Idaho! We left on a dark morning of probably the worst winter storm I have ever been in! I thought I would die that day, but I luckily made it with only a broken windshield wiper and a cracked windshield. Once I was settled though it was so great and I met a whole lot of really fun people that I will never ever forget, including some of the best roommates I have ever had!

~February~
I think that the biggest highlight of February was my trip to NYC. I went for my travel class that I took at school! It was my 2nd time there and it was even better then the first! I walked through tons of museums, saw two Broadway plays and made sure I ate a NYC hotdog from the little hotdog stands this time!

~March~
Easter was one of the greatest days in March for me! It was a good time to continue bonding with my wonderful roommates as we colored eggs, played hide-n-seek and had an awesome sleepover! It was also in March that I found out I didn’t have to take another French class to graduate which honestly relieved SO much stress from me! I love French but it is just so hard for me!

~April~
The winter semester ended in April and it was sad to see some of my great friends leave, but I still found ways to have fun! My brother’s roommate took us rappelling for my first time! It was really freaky but really fun! I also got some new roommates along with some long awaited warm weather!

~May~
With warmer weather finally arriving in Rexburg I spent a lot more time outside! I played tons of ultimate frisbee, went to bon fires, went rappelling for my 2nd time and rock climbing for my 1st time! I also ventured out with a bunch of friends into the mountains to enjoy the sight of Mesa Falls!

~June~
June was probably the best month of the WHOLE year! I did so many things I can hardly believe I had time to do homework! My roommate took me out to Bancroft, ID where we all played in waterfalls, went flooming and also tubing! I spent many many hours out at Egin Lake with tons of different friends just fooling around in the water and I went out to Monkey Rock and played in the waterfalls there also! Let’s just say I got REALLY tan this month! I also took on an eating contest with a good friend and somehow managed to shove 20 tacos down before him! I was given a great opportunity to go out to Yellowstone and shoot my very first wedding! It was quite freaky but all went well and afterwards I got to play around the park with my roommate Dana!

~July~
2008 Independence Day was the best one yet! I spent the whole day out at Egin Lake with good friends and then ended it off out in Idaho Falls watching the firework display by the temple! This month I also graduated from BYU-Idaho in Art/Photography! My family gave me the greatest gift for graduation! It was a Canon Eos Digital Rebel! I was and still am pretty freakin happy with it! It was harder then ever to leave all my great friends I had made at school, I am glad to say that I still stay in touch with some of them, they mean the world to me! After moving back to Utah I went with my family on the Heber Creeper where we went and watched a firework display for Pioneer Day! It was a lot of fun! I also got my old job back working in a frame shop in Provo as the mat cutter. I really enjoy the work there because it keeps me busy, plus there are a lot of fun people that work there!

~August~
The best part of this month was when I went up to Park City with my family! My parents have a time share there that we all love to go to! We played in the hot tubs (with waterfalls), the refreshing cold pool, went to the art festival, shopped at the outlet mall and we tried out the newest roller coaster! It was a blast!

~September~
I went with my sisters to go see the beautiful fall colors in the Alpine Loop! It was absolutely amazing! We also made a pit stop at Cascade Springs, a place I hadn’t been in years! I loved being out in the mountains once again!

~October~
I couldn’t believe it was my birthday already! Time is just going too fast for me, but it was still a good one! I spent it with my family, which really, I can’t think of a better way to spend it! I also went with my brother to visit some friends in Rexburg for Halloween! It was a lot of fun and good to see lots of friendly faces!

~November~
In this month I got to see a lot of people I hadn’t seen in years! I went to dinner with a bunch of high school buddies, some I had not seen in 5 years! I also went down to Manti to go to a homecoming of my roommate Marci who was my roommate at Snow College! It was so good to see her and other friends from Snow, some of which I had not seen in 3 years! We also had Thanksgiving at home which was also a lot of fun, even though we were missing some…

~December~
This month I moved into my new apartment in Provo, which I think is really cute! I also joined my family for a fun dinner in Park City where we at TONS of food! Christmas this year was just so much better then others for some reason! I spent the whole time playing with my family in the snow! We built an awesome snow sculpture, went sledding and my brother taught me how to snowboard, which was tons of fun but also really freaky!

Honestly I loved 2008! I sure hope that I have good, great and maybe even better years ahead of me as well!

Happy New Year!

Sisters Night Out!

2008-12-27T15:39:00.000-08:00

Shayla, Cheryl, Jessica and I all decided we need to have a sisters night out! We started it all out by going to see the movie Twilight (both Jessica and I hadn't seen it) and then we headed over to David and Jessica's house to cook up some good grub which included: homemade pizza, homemade oreos and homemade oreo balls! Then we gathered our sleeping bags and watched more chick flick movies all night long! In the morning Jessica gave us all great makeovers so we could look fabulous for the rest of the day! It was such a blast!

Playing in the snow!

2008-12-25T18:42:00.000-08:00

After playing around at the house, my older bro David taught us how SNOWBOARD! It was so freaky but so much fun! I sure fell A LOT! We also took a tube and went sliding down the hill!

Finishing Stitch!

2008-12-25T18:29:00.000-08:00

We finished him! After opening Christmas presents today all the siblings gathered together to give Stitch the perfect head! Afterwards we added a little food coloring to make him really POP from the street! We even had people stopping by to take a look at him! It was so much fun!!!

Our Snow Stitch!

2008-12-24T13:24:00.001-08:00

Today we decided to venture out into the snow and create something really AWESOME! We decided to make Stitch from the Disney movie Lilo and Stitch!

It was a lot of fun but the snow wasn't packing very well... So we are gonna try and finish his head tomorrow after it snows!!!

Dec. 20, 2008 - Park City!!!

2008-12-22T20:13:00.001-08:00

Today the family went up to PARK CITY to go enjoy a yummy meal at one of our favorite resturants up there! Baja Cantina! It was so good and we all got really full! It was so nice and fun to all hang out as a family again, it had been quite awhile!

Christmas Party!

2008-12-15T19:46:00.001-08:00

Tonight was our Christmas party for my work! It was real fun, actually I enjoyed it more then the ones we have had in the past! We all ate taco soup, fruit and lots of dessert! It was great! Afterward we all gathered together for a white elephant exchange! I had never actually done that before but it was great! I stole these cute mugs that were bought at Pier 1 Imports! They even have rubber bottoms so they don't slide around! I love them!

Photos!

2008-12-13T20:37:00.000-08:00

My bosses wife wanted me to take some pictures of some of their family! So we set up stuff in an empty space at work and started shootin pictures! I'd have to say that it was not at all like the studio set-up I was use to workin with at school so I had to experiment and improvise a little bit. So they got their pictures free of charge from me just so I could get a little bit more practice in!

This is their grandson Athrun

My New Apartment!

2008-12-11T20:52:00.001-08:00

So I moved down to Provo so that I could be closer to my work and hopefully get to know a few more people my age again, since almost all my good friends are not really around me too much anymore. But I am real excited about this new place that I am in, mostly because its freakin CUTE, not to mention I get my own room & bathroom! That makes me happy!

Christmas is Coming!

2008-12-08T22:33:00.000-08:00

Holy cow Christmas is on its way! Tonight I decided to play with my camera I got for graduation! I haven't really taken too many long exposures yet with it but it sure is fun to experiament! This is my parents tree looking all pretty and sparkley in their front room!

My Other Blog!

2008-12-05T22:51:00.000-08:00

So I did it! I finally updated my other blog which includes A LOT of my photography & art! So check it out when you have time!

http://mariko84.blogspot.com/

Snorkeling in the HOT TUB!

2008-11-27T23:35:00.001-08:00

So my siblings and I decided to test out our Snorkeling Gear for mine and Shayla's up coming advenure to the BAHAMAS!!! And what better place to test it then the Hot Tub! Too bad it somehow got turned off and was actually quite cold, but it was still fun! I hopped out pretty fast though cuz I HATE to be cold!

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

2008-11-27T23:11:00.000-08:00

This isn't a very Thanksgivingy post...but it's fun I found this on my sister Shayla's blog. You are supposed to bold all the things you've done and I am SO greatful for all that I have done thus far in my life! :)

1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band - if does rock band counts :)
4. Visited Hawaii

5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland

8. Climbed a mountain

9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty - does the bottom count? The top was closed that day
18. Grown your own vegetables - I grew a bean once :)
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight

22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill
24. Built a snow fort

25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen an eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise (going in JANUARY!!!!)
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David - I saw the replica in the same city as the orginal :)
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris - Top was closed but I got to the 2nd level!
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving

66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone

78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person

80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous - Greg Olsen & James Christiansen are famous in Utah :)
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee

MY BLOG IS A BLOG!!!!

2008-11-23T22:22:00.000-08:00

So here it is kids! With the help and encouragement of my sister Shayla, I have finally tried to make my blog look like an actual blog! Everything underneither this post is all new as of Nov. 23rd telling you how GREAT my life has been thus far in 2008! So read on and ENJOY! :)

Nov. 23, 2008 - Snow College Days Remembered!

2008-11-23T22:14:00.000-08:00

I journeyed down to Manti to visit with some really good ol' Snow College roommates! Marci had just got back from her mission and it was the perfect time for us to all gather once again! It was so good to see everyone and to see how GREAT they are doing in life!

Nov. 14, 2008 - High School Memories!

2008-11-23T22:04:00.000-08:00

After 5 years of being graduated from High School our little "Lunch Bunch" decided it was time to get together again! We all gathered at Magleby's to enjoy both delicious food and good company! It was so great to see that all my good friends were still doing well in life!

Oct. 31, 2008 - Halloween in Rexburg!!!

2008-11-23T21:48:00.000-08:00

For Halloween this year my brother Scott and I headed up to Rexburg, Idaho to visit with some really good ol' college buddies! I had a really GREAT time! It was so fun to see so many people I hadn't seen in a REALLY long time!

We decided to go and check out a party going on at some old barn in the middle of no where! We arrived, ate some food and decided it was pretty lame! So we headed back to the Burg and rented what we thought might be a really scary movie! Turns out the movie was so dumb that it was freakin HILARIOUS! Pretty sure we laughed our heads off the whole way through! All in all I had a FANTASTIC time! :)

Sept. 26, 2008 - Alpine Loop Adventure!

2008-11-23T20:25:00.000-08:00

My sister invited me to go drive around the Alpine Loop with her and some friends to see the fall colors! It was so AMAZING and BEAUTIFUL!

In the loop we decided to make a pit stop at Cascade Springs, a place I hadn't been in years! It was so fun and pretty! Plus I was real excited to use my new camera to try and show how pretty the water can be flowing and not frozen in pictures!

On our way out of Provo Canyon we stop to enjoy the beautiful sight of Bridal Veil Falls! I hadn't stopped to see that waterfall in years either so I was glad for the oppertunity! Afterwards we headed back to Shayla's apartment and she showed me how to decorate a really cute cake!

Aug. 19, 2008 - Attack of the Killer Spider!

2008-11-23T20:15:00.000-08:00

Oh for freakin NASTY! This giant spider tried to attack me around mid-night! Incase you don't know, I HATE spiders with a FIERY passion! They totally freak me out! I had never seen one this big in my basement before! I just about died, especailly after it charged after me! I yelled for my brother to come down and save me! Luckily he did! If not I might not be here today.... eww!

Aug. 2, 2008 - Park City!

2008-11-23T19:57:00.000-08:00

Every once in awhile my family will go up to Park City and stay there for about a week in my parents Time Share! It's really fun to go and play! This time I was only there a couple days but I still had a lot of fun! We tried out a new roller coaster they put in that goes through the mountains! It was AWESOME! And of course we made sure we hit the swimming pool and the hot tubs with waterfalls!

We also got to go to the Art Festival that was there that weekend! It's always really fun to walk around and see all the neat things that people have been creating! We found these really awesome comfy hamock chairs while we were there and decided that we need one someday!

July 29, 2008 - Utah Lake!

2008-11-23T19:36:00.000-08:00

My dad does kinda this scooter picture thing where he has to get pictures with his scooter in different places, this week was at a beach! But since Utah has no beach we went to the lake! It was a lot of fun and REALLY pretty! I can't ever remember actaully going to that part of the lake before...which is really weird cuz it is seriously just down the street from my house!

July 24, 2008 - The Heber Creeper!

2008-11-21T22:12:00.000-08:00

For Pioneer Day my grandma paid for all the family to take a little ride on the Heber Creeper! It was a lot of fun! Its kinda an old fashioned train that goes through the mountains to a lot pretty areas! It was real fun! They had music and lots of PIZZA along with sodas and cookies!

Once we got over by Deer Creek Reservoir we waited for the firework show to begin! It was really neat and I got to try out my new camera I got for graduation! First time I ever took pictures of fireworks and I was quite pleased with some of the results! It was also really funny because the fireworks they shot off set the ground on fire!

July 18, 2008 - GRADUATION!!!

2008-11-21T18:26:00.001-08:00

For graduation some of my family came up to watch me recieve my degree! Before I walked we packed up all my things, ate good food at Fongs and walked around the Rexburg Temple! I also recieved the GREATEST graduation present EVER! They all bought me a brand new Canon Digital Rebel XTi! I was SOOO excited it was so unexpected!!! I forgot people sometimes get actual gifts at graduation!

Then the time came to graduate! It was all so exciting for me! A lot more then I thought it was gonna be! I got to sit front and center while we listened to both President Clark and Sister Beck (the Relief Soiciety general president) speak! It was all just AMAZING to me!

My good friend and roommate Jennifer also was in town that day so she showed up to say hello! It was SO fun to see her!

After I was offically a BYU-Idaho Alumni I spent the rest of my night hanging out with friends and playing ROCK BAND all night long! It was a lot of good fun!

July 16, 2008 - Craigos

2008-11-21T18:25:00.002-08:00

After a good game of Ultimate Frisbee a group of us decided we wanted to PIG OUT on some good ol' Craigos Pizza! Three of us got the all you can eat PIZZA and PASTA while the other two took on the challange of the COOKIE MONSTER! It was a lot of fun! they have real yummy food there!

July 14, 2008 - Last FHE in Rexburg

2008-11-21T18:25:00.001-08:00

It was so sad and hard to believe that our LAST FHE had arrived! This was honestly the BEST and MOST FUN group I have ever been in! I doubt there will ever be a group just as fun! We had some GOOD TIMES!

An inside joke we had in our little FHE group had to do with trying to be reverent in church cuz sometimes we struggled with it! My roommate Carley told us the most effective way to be reverent was to become a MARSHMELLOW! Pretty sure it made it all worse cuz we would always bust up laughing, but that's ok, it was all good fun! :)

It was also a tradition (and pretty much a requirement by the end) for us to STEAL our FHE bro's scooters whenever they were near us! Boy we had some fun times on those!

July 11, 2008 - Frisbee Fun!

2008-11-21T18:24:00.001-08:00

Pretty much ULTIMATE FRISBEE was half my life at BYU-Idaho! I LOVE it SO SO SO much! This time I brought a camera document some of our CRAZY times!

July 7, 2008 - Big Juds

2008-11-21T18:23:00.000-08:00

For FHE we all decided to go and eat at BIG JUDS for dinner! I had never been and I was real excited to go! I heard that if you got one of their BIG burgers and finished it you could get your picture on the wall! But once I saw how HUGE the burger was I was like NO WAY! It really was HUGE! Maybe my next time around I will make sure to starve myself all day so I can take a crack at it!

Once again these pictures are pretty bad cuz I only had my cell phone with me!

July 4, 2008 - Egin Lake and Idaho Falls!

2008-11-21T18:22:00.000-08:00

My little BFF group wanted to make sure that our 4th of July was UNFORGETABLE this year! We packed our bags of food, hopped in the car and headed for Egin Lake once again! (we really like that lake!) It was freakin hilarious that Rudy got pulled over by TWO different cops on our little adventure to the lake! Once there and once on the way back!

At the lake we played in the sand, rolled down the dunes, chilled on the beach, jumped in the water, dunked each other in the water and played frisbee! It was such a BLAST!!!

After the lake we went home, got cleaned up and then hopped back in the car to head down to Idaho Falls for the firework show by the temple! While waiting for the fireworks to start we explored a little, ate more food and played LUCKY UNDERS! All in all it was a fabulous day!

June 30, 2008 - FHE at Egin Lake!

2008-11-20T22:51:00.001-08:00

For FHE we decided that we all wanted to do something REALLY fun together! So we made plans to drive out to Egin Lake and play around in the water!

While we were there we played frisbee & tag in the water, played with frogs & tad poles, ate a lot of good food and the guys taught me how to SKIM BOARD! It was SO much fun! Pretty much you grab a body board and skim along the side of a shore with it. It was really hard! The longest I stayed up was probly like 5 seconds, but the boys were AMAZING! I definalty got a lot of bruises from it and thats sayin something cuz I dont bruise easy!

After playing in the water the guys decided to heat things up a little and play with fire instead! Pretty much we all thought they were crazy, but it was really cool and fun to watch them anyways!

I absolutly LOVE this lake! It is so much fun and it is VERY pretty!

June 28, 2008 - A Day in Yellowstone!

2008-11-20T22:50:00.003-08:00

I was given the opportunity to shoot my first wedding ever and it was located in Yellowstone! I was very stressed and scared to shoot the wedding but I feel that it went pretty good for my first one, I was very grateful once it was over! Luckily they were finished with me by about 2pm so my roommate, Dana (who was being my photographer assist at the wedding) and I got to go and explore Yellowstone for the rest of the day! Dana had never been so I was excited to show her how beautiful that place was! We actually went a lot of place I had never been before either and so it was a lot of fun for me to see these new gorgeous places as well!

One thing we saw that we didn't expect at all on our way to Artist Point was a BEAR! Dana had never even seen a buffalo before let alone a whole bear! It was pretty exciting but scary all at the same time! We thought it was a grizzly bear but later learned it was actually a black bear :)

Later on we got to some places that looked very familiar to me but I still discovered things I hadn't seen my first time around! I found my new favorite pool called the Black Pool!

We ended our day at Old Faithful! We actually arrived right after it went off and so it was about another hour before it would go again. I felt real bad that Dana didn't get to see it, but we had both been awake for about 15 hours and still had an hour and a half drive back to Rexburg, but all in all I think we both had a GREAT day!

June 27, 2008 - Taco Eating Contest!

2008-11-20T22:50:00.001-08:00

So I had this bet with my friend Andy that I could eat more tacos then he could. Somehow he didn't believe me so we decided to put it to the test! We gave ourself a limit of 20 tacos each

We decided we wanted to make it as fair as possible, so we went to Taco Bell to find out how much meat they put in each taco and we divided it accordingly, putting the same amount of cheese, lettuce and sauce on each little taco

Let's just say that we both ate ALL 20 TACOS (it's sick...I know!) but I completely won bragging rights! The entire time Andy was ahead of me by like 2 tacos. I was full by 10 tacos and completely stuffed by 15 but somehow, with the encouragement of my roommate Dana I managed to finish first! It was a pure miracle! I thought I would lose for sure!

The deal was that the loser would buy the winner some good ol' Cold Stone ice cream! So once we were finished we gave ourselves about a half hour to digest. Then Andy with his coach Rudy and me with my coach Dana all went and feasted on delicious ice cream!

Oh yes... if my left eye looks a little DiScOlOrEd in these pictures it's because I got hit in the face with a frisbee the day before! Gave me a black eye for about TWO weeks!

June 23, 2008 - FHE Cookout

2008-11-20T22:48:00.002-08:00

For FHE we did a service project helping this old lady with the up-keep on her yard and believe me it needed it! Afterwards we headed over to my FHE bro's aunt & uncle's house where we roasted hot dogs and marshmellows! It was a lot of fun! The pictures are kinda bad because I only had my cell phone with me...

June 21, 2008 - Monkey Rock!!!

2008-11-20T22:48:00.001-08:00

This was another place I was told I HAD to go before leaving BYU-Idaho and I am GLAD that I did!! It was a BLAST! We drove out with a pan full of cookies hoping that we would find this great place people had been telling us about and luckily we did! We played in the falls, floated on floaties and laid in the sun for hours! It was a WONDERFUL day!

June 20, 2008 - Four Square!

2008-11-20T22:47:00.001-08:00

For FHE we had a ward activity at Porter Park where we all got together, ate a tonz of pizza and played games! Mostly I stuck to 4-square! I hadn't played it since elementary school and I totally forgot how much fun it is!

June 18, 2008 - Egin Lake!

2008-11-20T22:46:00.001-08:00

My sister Shayla had told me of this really fun lake that she went to while she was at BYU-Idaho and so I made it a goal to find it and go to it! It was PERFECT! Probly one of my favorite lakes ever to play in! Its nestled in the St. Anthony Sand Dunes not too far from Rexburg. Pretty much everywhere you go in the water is only about waist high! So a group of us in my ward got together to go and check it out! It really was a BLAST! Perfect place to play a lot of water games!

June 14, 2008 - Bancroft Idaho!!!

2008-11-20T22:44:00.000-08:00

This was probly one of my FAVORITEST days in Idaho! My roommate Kyla is from Bancroft, Idaho and she told us about these amazing things to do there! So we all journeyed down to check it out! It really was AMAZING! The first place we went to was called 60, named because the water is 60 feet deep where you jump off the waterfalls! We spend a real good chuck of the day jumping off waterfalls, playing in waterfalls, tredding around streams and rivers and just being lazy on the rocks!

Right after leaving 60 I got scrapped on the arm by a HUGE tree branch! Pretty sure there is still a scar! Kyla then took us to go Flooming! Which was SOOO much fun!!! Pretty much you jump into this huge flat water-slide like thing that is rushing freezing water out from a mountain side into canal! There is no stopping once you jump in, the water just pushes you out till you reach the end where the canal starts! Then you have to walk back above the water across all these really thin 2x4 boards! That part was creepy... not gonna lie!

After our great adventure of Flooming we heading over to Lava Hot Springs where we rented tubes to go tubin down the river! It was a BLAST! I had never been tubing before but I would do it again in a heart beat! We tubed off waterfalls and everything!

After a long but much enjoyed day out in the sun we all went back to Kyla's parents house where we roasted hot dogs and ate handfulls of home-made cookie dough! I LOVED this day! :)

June 8, 2008 - All Bruised Up

2008-11-20T22:43:00.000-08:00

My roommate Dana was taking a stage make-up class and so she asked me if she could beat me up one day! I told her yes!

My sister Shayla and her friend Brittany came up to Rexburg to visit and I told Dana she could beat them up too! So she did! Needless to say, we had A LOT of fun and it wasn't even painful!

May 26, 2008 - Mesa Falls and Bon Fire!

2008-11-20T22:42:00.001-08:00

A group of us decided we wanted to take a little trip out to Mesa Falls, which is only about an hour north of Rexburg. It was pretty freakin AMAZING! It was rainly all the way there and back but perfect weather while we were there!

After our visit to the falls we found this old abandoned rail road! So we decided to explore a little bit! It was built in 1915 to avoid rocks from falling from the cliff onto the tracks.

When we returned home from our day out at Mesa Falls some guys in our ward called us up and told us to meet them out at Beaver Dick for a Bon Fire! It was sweet, they had just got back from Yellowstone and had a bunch of food they wanted to get rid of so they cooked us up some burgers and gave us juice boxes to enjoy!

May 20, 2008 - Some Sweet Rides

2008-11-20T22:41:00.000-08:00

For FHE we had a couple groups go to Idaho Falls to our 1st counslor's hotel! Afterwards he took us across town to a buddy of his that has all these really nice cars locked up in a shed. It was SOOOO sweet and a lot of fun! There was probly around 50 different cars in there!

May 8, 2008 - Crazy Eyeball People!

2008-11-20T22:39:00.000-08:00

My roommate had this AWESOME idea to put eyeballs on our chins and hang up-side down and sing along to random disney songs! It was great fun!

Then we got REAL crazy and attached the fake eyeballs to our eye lids and sing along to songs that way! Let's just say that as crazy as it sounds it was A LOT of fun! :)