Kimmy's Page

Happy Chinese New Year (early)

2012-01-21T11:05:00.000-07:00

As you probably know, Monday is Chinese New Year. I found this one and loved it! (Maybe because it seems so teacher-y)

He who asks is a fool for five minutes, but he who does not ask remains a fool forever.

Sunday Snippet

2012-01-10T22:53:00.007-07:00

Quotes I Liked:

"You see, love...is not a mere word or a sensation within. To be a worthy love, it must be brough into action." - John A. Widtsoe

This one probably struck home because my mom spent part of her winter break recovering from an outpaitent procedure. It was nothing to cause alarm, but it did cause her to be down for two weeks recovery time. I tried to be home often during that time. I've never done so many dishes with so little complaint (I do NOT love doing the dishes. The crusty, uneaten food is just gross. ...but that's a story for another time). Back to this quote then, I just really felt like that was a chance I got to love and care for my mom like she's done so often for me. I couldn't help but feel protective of her and wanted to serve her while she got better.

On another note, in class we were asked, "How can we get everything done that we need to without feeling overwhelmed or getting down on ourselves for not doing enough?" In other words, not trying to run faster than we have strength to, but instead pressing forward steadily. I was reminded of this quote (which made an appearance on this blog back in 2010):

“…we are doing well when

we develop attributes of Christ and
strive to obey His gospel with exactness.

We are doing well when

we seek to improve ourselves and do our best.

We are doing well when

we increase faith and personal righteousness,

strengthen families and homes,

and seek out and help others who are in need.

We know we are successful if

we live so that we qualify for, receive,

and know how to follow the Spirit.

When we have done our very best, we may still experience disappointments,

but we will not be disappointed in ourselves.

We can feel certain that the Lord is pleased when

we feel the Spirit working through us.

Peace, joy, and hope

are available to those who measure success properly.”

-Julie B. Beck Relief Society General President

Are you laughing at what I think you're laughing at???!

2011-12-30T23:35:00.000-07:00

My friends, we'll call them Emily and Ted* met up for dinner at Cafe Rio today. At some point, I asked if anyone knew what time it was. Before they can respond, I find my phone in my purse. 6:30. Seconds late, Ted chimes in, "It's 6:30." A moment after that, Emily responds, "I have the time."

Ted and I both laugh. Emily asks why we are laughing. I explain that Ted just said the time. Turns out Emily didn't have the "time" at all. Rather she had the "times" of when the movies were starting at a local theater.

So what was Ted laughing at????

He turns to me and says, "Wait, you weren't laughing at...?" Like I should know what he's talking about. Turns out he thinks I was rubbing his leg and assumed it must be a joke.

I was not rubbing his leg. I was wearing my brown cowgirl boots. I was also bouncing my foot up and down. Turns out my foot was rubbing against Ted's leg. So he was laughing because he assumed I must be making some weird joke. But I was not. I, in fact, had no idea.

*Names have been changed. Quotes are as accurate as I can remember.

Money and the Jewish Tradition

2011-12-28T23:31:00.001-07:00

Remember the post about the Belgian Chocolates in US Currency?

Well, my friend Katie has just informed me, these chocolates relate to a Jewish tradition. Read her article here.

Also, feel free to join me in the movement to have kids pay their teachers again :)

Screen Printing - ish

2011-12-28T23:10:00.003-07:00

Ok EmmaMade (Method #2 in last post), this was harder than it appeared in your video. It took a few tries, but here's what we managed to come up with. I may have to advance to Method #1 to see if it's any better, but that won't be until post-Christmas/New Years rush:

My very first attempt was indeed a failure - a blog of pink of paper. I rinsed the ink out of my stencil and tried one more time. I had to do a few touch ups, but this is what I got:

On my 3rd attampt, using Chantel's know-how, I was able to produce these babies:

This would be the second (and, yes, failed) design. I rinsed it out and thought it still looked crafty-ish enough.

Sarah gave much needed moral support and, although she didn't actually screen print, came up with some inspiring art of her own. (see above)

We owe the successes of the night to Chantel. Her first attempt at an owl gave us hope and she only got better from there:

My latest craze and newest hobby (starting next week):

2011-12-23T11:01:00.004-07:00

I've been obsessed (aka I've thought about learning this at least 3 times within the last few weeks). Thus, I've decided to do some screen printing next week. SUPER EXCITED!

Method 1:

Method 2:

More: http://iml.jou.ufl.edu/projects/Fall08/Lipscomb/
http://factoidz.com/screen-printing-at-home-made-easy-2/

Baptism Cupcakes

2011-12-19T09:12:00.000-07:00

One Million Reasons to Live :)

2011-12-04T19:09:00.003-07:00

I watched this video today of a boy named Jonah who has been bullyed at school. There are all sorts of responses to this video....but it just made me think of the kids I teach at school. I was practically in tears because I know kids who feel they don't have friends. My heart goes out to them. I sometimes get caught up in learning the ropes as a first year teacher, but this makes me reflect that one of my main goals was that kids would leave my class with a little more confidence and feel loved at school.

Oh, the awkward teenage years! Love-hate relationship with them I suppose. I actually loved high school, but looking back I can surely reflect on all the changes and insecurities I worked through in figuring out who I was. Imagine how that is compacted for those who are bullied.

One positive thing about this video is that many people responded back to Jonah with their own stories and support for him. In one of them, a girl responded that she had learned to rely on herself. I thought at that moment of how sad that statement was. Yes, we can shut out those who hurt us, but we don't have to rely soley on ourselves. There is a God and he is with us. For so much of my life, I have relyed heavily on him and pulled strength from understanding my relationship to him. I wish those people felt that. Especially within the last month or so, as I've prayed, I really feel that God has listened and given me comfort and peace when I needed it the most.

Back to the video, I guess it can make us all reflect on how we treat others and the impact we have on them. Hopefully, we're making the right type of difference in someone's life.

Christmas will officially start in 2-3 business days!

2011-12-01T22:03:00.000-07:00

I made my annual mistletoe purchase today! After a visit to Walmart, CVS, the dollarstore, Fry's and a random tree lot with my roommate, I finally gave in and decided that I'd have to make the purchase online.
( I must admit some disappointment in the fact that none of these stores had enough holiday spirit to carry it. Walmart has always had it in the past. However, since it's the holiday season, we'll let bygones be bygones.)

Here is some fun reading about the tradition of mistletoe.

Other traditions to carry on STARTING TODAY:

*All the classic Christmas songs, such as this (by Alvin and the Chipmunks) and this (Mariah Carey) and a beautiful one from SheDaisy's Christmas CD (I heart this one mucho):

*2 Advent Calendars - These are classic. I have such an emotional connection to the candy-filled ones. My mom used to get them for us each Christmas. Harry and David makes a delicious one, but I couldn't find it online this year. I suspect they'd have it in stores. Fortunately, I have been the recipient of 2 calendars thus far this year. My sweet roommate left one for each of us girls as a surprise today and my mom gave me a more spirital-based one to go through.

*Christmas Village Decorations - My dad got a little winter town village as part of my birthday gift, so I'll be arranging that with my other decorations.

YEAH FOR CHRISTMAS!

Since when do Belgian's love John F. Kennedy???

2011-11-29T22:04:00.000-07:00

In an ironic twist, the Belgian Chocolate Coins I purchased from COSTCO honor the US Currency.

I am posting, I swear....

2011-11-28T23:09:00.001-07:00

So I've started a new page on this blog. Click here for my most recent posts.
Love,
Kim

A little shout out for the TOROS!

2011-08-01T07:29:00.002-07:00

So as I was getting ready today, I watched a few Mormon Messages. With my new job starting today and the kids showing up in a week, I wish I could show my class this video when I come to the part of first day syllabus where I talk about cheating. It's the perfect story! Oh well...instead I will show it here.

PS - I know the girl who tries to cheat in this video! See the blue TORO shirt in this video...I believe props for this video can go out to Mt. View High School Seminary...or perhaps a group of students from there. Good work kids!

Want to watch more movies?

This ones made me laugh at about one minute in when the cowboy starts singing - I think it caught me off guard. By the end though, I was a big fan. I like when everyone sings together:

Still dying for more??? Visit: http://lds.org/pages/mormon-messages-gallery?lang=eng#i-am-a-child-of-god-mormon-message

Best trick ever!

2011-07-24T08:10:00.002-07:00

So, there hasn't been too much going on this month as I've just been waiting for time to pass....which has made it pass ever so slowly!   However, I'm finally down to a week. One week and then I'll start my new job as a math teacher! Yesterday, I went to the school the teacher (and my mentor/friend) who previously taught in the classroom. She left me a bunch of posters and books and, thankfully, all the worksheets she's accumulated over the years for each chapter.

Now the question is...how do I want to decorate it? I ran a google search and found suggestions for live plants. As long as I don't kill them, that seems like a descent thing to do. But what else??? Any ideas?

Moving on to other matters. I was in Texas for a business trip this week.
As we were turning in our car, the rental employee asked us, "So, is it as dry in Arizona as it is in Texas?"

My boss and I both laughed at this. Perhaps he's never been do Arziona. Hey, buddy, the name of our game is DESERT. By definition, DRY. Although, we are slightly more humid with our monsoon season right now.

For all those now overcome with anticipation to know the average annual humidity (as I was after his comment), please refer to the lovely chart found here.
Arizona:   53% in AM, 25% in PM
Texas:      82% in AM, 49% in PM

Yep, it's just as dry in Arziona buddy...even worse.

Finally, the last & best item of today's post. The wonderful sales clerk at Ann Taylor Loft taught me my new favorite laundry trick. It also might be the only laundry trick I know. Apparantly, white vinegar is a great cleaner and will brighten an dingy white shirt, even removing pitt stains.

The grocery store was my first stop on the way home. I tried it and I am here to attest, IT WORKS! I pulled out a pretty old which undershirt I had. Soaked it for a bit, let it dry, and BAM - it looked 100 times better.
So, for all those who want the whitest whites and no signs of deodorant residue, may I point you here: http://www.vinegartips.com/Scripts/pageViewSec.asp?id=8

Hiking at Christopher Creek is the Best!

2011-07-03T22:39:00.006-07:00

Thanks to Katie Hawks for the photo!

Math Teacher, Chaparral High School

2011-06-29T07:12:00.000-07:00

I'm going to be a math teacher at Chaparral High School!!!!!! Start date: August 1, 2011

Super excited about this!!!

It's all in your perspective...

2011-06-28T00:31:00.004-07:00

It's all about your....

I felt nauseous this morning. After much consideration, and prayer, and debate, it all came down to one moment that would alter the course of my life. True, I’d already walked up to the edge of the abyss I was standing on and surveyed the area; I’d even extended my foot over the ledge once or twice, but this was the final countdown, my moment of truth.

I joked nervously with my roommate for about a half hour before I left the house. I listened to music in the car on the way to work. I prayed my little heart out. Then, suddenly, I was in my cubicle. I felt more calm than I had when I’d left the house. I digressed a few moments. Then I took the plunge.

In that moment of anticipated action, I felt surprisingly calm. It was the right thing for me. I was leaving this profession to start a new path. It turns out, the step wasn’t as momentous as I’d thought. Or, perhaps, it was momentous still, but it surely wasn’t as scary as I’d made it out to be. It was the culmination many assurances that this was indeed what I wanted. Now that it is over and there is no going back, I feel, in fact, quite free. I feel strong and good and true to myself. I feel optimistic and happy. I stepped off a ledge and that step was much more delightful than I'd expected it to be. This path may turn out to be wonderful after all.

Auntie Kimmy!!!

2011-06-15T08:58:00.000-07:00

That's right everybody! I'm at work right now but super distracted because I just found out that I'm a brand new aunt! Name still to come...

Flash Mob

2011-06-09T23:39:00.001-07:00

As previously noted, I'm not much of a dancer, but how can I resist the chance to be part of a flash mob! If you need something to do on June 25th, feel free to join me. I'll be practicing this little dance in my living room for the next two weeks!

http://diasdancelife.com/free-community-flash-mob-dance-event/#more-1

In love with this:

2011-05-29T20:58:00.000-07:00

My aunt just bought me the most luxurious blanket for graduation. HIGHLY RECOMMEND for one of your next purchases:
http://www.softminkyblankets.com/

Best conversation I've heard all day!

2011-05-02T21:34:00.001-07:00

Man in the drive-thru made his order today. I was in a bit of a rush, so feeling impatient at his long order until I overheard the worker says, "Is that for here or to go?"

haha, all anxiousness to leave disappated. I laughed so hard!

True story

2011-03-31T23:09:00.000-07:00

I swear my life is going well. I don't mean to have two somewhat dismal moments in a row. This one was too good to pass up though. The conversation is approximate to the real one. I can't recall it word for word, but I think you'll get the idea:
Time: 9:15-ish pm
Setting: perusing through a local clothing store
Reason: felt frumpy and decided I needed to buy some new spring outfits

Scene 1:
Lady (clad in a blue skirt, long sleeve shirt, and a scarf over her hair): Are you Jewish?

Me: No, I'm not.

Lady: Oh, are those skirts or pants that you have there?

Me: Both, I'm probably going to end up buying the store out.

Lady: So you're not Jewish?

Me: No, I'm Mormon.

silent pause while while we both look at racks.

Lady: Oh, cause you dress like us, covered up and all.

Me: Oh, yeah, I just haven't put away my winter clothes yet. Still wearing the long sleeves. So...are you orthodox?

Lady: Yes.

Me: Nice. Well, good luck shopping. What was your name?

Lady: lady states name

Me: I'm Kim. It was nice to meet you.

Lady: Yes, good luck buying out the store.

End scene 1

RIP Smelly Cat

2011-03-29T23:29:00.025-07:00

I hit something with my car on the way home tonight. I didn't see what it was; just heard a thud. A bit baffled, I pulled over at the corner. A car pulled up behind me.

A few thoughts crossed my mind: "I didn't hit that car, did I? Maybe they dropped something and that's what I hit. Why the heck did somebody pull over onto a dark street behind me?"

After a moment, I decided to get out and check for damage, despite the strange car behind me. As I did, a woman got out of her car, "It was a cat!" she called out. She said she'd seen it's run away after it was thrown out from under my wheels.

We left our cars and walked back to the scene of the incident, but there was no cat to be found in the nearby area. Poor thing. It didn't have a fighting chance.

A few years ago, this might not have phased me too much as I'm not a huge cat fan. However, my family got a dog a few years ago. Roxi has totally won me over and become part of our little family. What is endearing about Roxy is that she has her own personality. She's hyper, playful, a big tease, sometimes selfish, and generally happy. As I've come to love her so much, I can't look at another animal without thinking of her. I can't even kill an insect now without thinking twice or feeling guilty. I swear I'm not crazy. I'm merely searching for the words to verbalize that having your own animal makes you care about other animals too. That's why tonights incident was truly tragic.

Someone is going to be looking for their smelly cat and not find it. We could kid ourselves and pretend like it will survive, but it got hit by a car going 40 mph. Its chances are slim to none, even with 9 lives. RIP smelly cat. It's not your fault. :(

Domestic Goddess???

2011-03-17T18:51:00.005-07:00

No, but sometimes even I surprise myself. This meal turned out amazing! So I recommend you all try it!

(PS it looks a little better in real life. Either way, it tastes awesome!)

Recipe for AMAZING FISH TACOS

2 Talapia Fish

1 Mango

Onion (about 1/4 of a small one)

Cilantro (love this so use a LOT!)

Jalepeno (only use 1/2 of one, without seeds)

Lime (sqeeze the juice into the pan)

Blueberries (Just a few for color and extra awesome flavor, inspired by Amy)

Directions: Cook in frying pan until the fish is done.

Add cucumbers, kiwi, avacado, and pepper-jack cheese slices on the side.

(I forgot the avacado slices in this picture)

Can eat as Tacos or just over rice.

OJ or other tropical/citrus juices are the preferred drink with this meal.

Good rice recommendation:

I promise the rest of the meal is home made, but this was so quick and easy. It was too much to resist. :)

Testimonial from Amy Honka: So Kim has cooked before and it has always been good. All I had to do was smell the mango and onions in the pan and I was converted. I knew it was going to be a good meal. You know, I have been repeatedly impressed with Kim's surprise talents. She pulls them out of the closet and I keep thinking, "Wow, Kim. So you cook too?" She's definitely going to be a great mother- guys pay attention. And I think I'm hooked with this new recipe she came up with tonight. I'm going to go get my self some mango and Talapia. Way to go girl!

Baptist Billboard

2011-03-15T23:48:00.003-07:00

I drive past A LOT of churches on my way to work. Many of them have signs and words of inspiration in front. This quote was on the marquee of one of the Baptist churches:

DEAR DYSLEXIC ATHEIST,
THERE IS A DOG

In practically the same breathe I thought, “I’m not sure everyone would appreciate that” and chuckled ever so slightly. I feel this line is incomplete unless followed by the classic jokester's drumroll: "ba-dum-ching."

Words I like....

2011-03-06T22:50:00.000-07:00

Today in Relief Society we talked about how there are two types of angles: heavenly and earthly. Earthly angels an pretty much include anyone. How many occasions do you have when someone though of and called you at just the right moment or told you something you needed to hear? Those are earthly angles. If you're reading this blog, it means you're one of my close friends and you've probably filled those shoes for me at least a dozen times in our friendship.

I can also recall times where the tables have been turned and I did something that I didn't think was a big deal, only to find out later that it was the answer to someone's prayer. It reminded me of this scripture:

D&C 123:17, "Therefore, dearly beloved bretheren, let us cheerfully do all things that lie in our power; and then may we stand still, with the utmost assurance, to see the salvation of God, and for his arm to be revealed."

I love it when I can see the arm of the Lord in my own life. Thanks to Heavenly Father for the many blessings I have and the angels in my life!

A stange mystery...indeed!

2011-03-02T22:29:00.001-07:00

You may recall that only 2 nights ago, I was blogging about my red fire engine piggy bank. NOW (March 2, 2011 at 022:14:00) I came home to this:

It looks like somebody deliberately dumped out my piggy bank and left all the money on the floor but all my roommates have been accounted for and plead not guilty. hmmm....
eeirie, interesting, perplexing, confounding, strange-happenings

Bienvenidos a Mi Casa!

2011-03-01T00:05:00.002-07:00

So, I believe it was back in October that I promised pictures of my house. I think that the last day in February is the perfect day to make all your dreams come true and finally deliver on that promise.

The disclaimer is that I still need to decorate the walls and get some curtain. That being said...without further ado, please, come into my room...

This is the first thing you see as you walk into my bedroom. In my parent's house, I had the upstairs room split with a bookcase so it divided a living room area and my bedroom area. It made it easy to have people over and enjoy being there. My dad is the one who helped me figure out an arrangement in my room here that has a similar effect. It's a pretty big room, but not big enough to divide it with a ceiling to floor bookcase. He came over last Saturday and brought me the two lovely, wooden side tables that the lamps are placed on. Little did he know he was in for a 3 hour furniture re-arranging session.

So this is what we came up with:

Special thanks to Jenny for helping to model this luxurious walkway.

My pet plant. I had a name picked out, but I think I'm going to change it to Herb.

Once again, my awesome roommate making me laugh and
helping me show off the TV.

(PS-See that old TV in my hallway on the right. If anyone is interested in it, let me know. It's just sitting in my room until I finally take it to a donation center. So if you need one, let me know and it's yours)

This was my holiday gift from work.

Every year we get a bottle of wine with our company logo on it and some other fun trinket. Other employees got a silver wine cork with their initial, but since I don't drink, I got this cute jewelry bowl instead. It helps me keep track of my keys (which I am forever losing).

My latest workout kick. I keep meaning to cancel my gym membership because by the time I get ready and get down there, I'd rather just do this fun workout DVD in my room.

I've wanted to learn to play the guitar for a long time. Anyone who knows my dad, knows that he's been on quite the musical kick during the last few years. He already played guitar, but took up the steel guitar and has really gotten to be impressive on both that and the normal guitar. He let me take this 12 string home so I can learn to play. While I've got G, C, and D down to an art, I have yet to learn which few chords makes up what was (and probably remains) my favorite song of all bedtime song of all time. I'll recount the lyrics to you:

Let's sing a song about a bear, bear, bear.

He didn't have a thing he could wear,wear, wear.

So he GROWLED ferociously,

And SCOWLED atrociously,

And grew himself a coat out of hair, hair, hair.

You can tell a lot about a person by what they have on their bookshelf. Don't judge too harshly. This is just where things ended up after the move.

Books: Random books I've read, personal journals, "How to Speak Spanish" guides, a plethora of books on secondary education and child psychology. (For a good educational read, I highly recommend "The Primal Teen by Barbara Strauch" - a glimpse into the teenage brain. It's got some interesting studies and insights into why kids think the way they do.)

Currently reading: Change Your Questions Change Your Life, by Wendy Watson Nelson

Don't worry guys, my math books are not far away in my closet either.

Random items:

Red fire engine piggy bank - I've had this since early adolescence. I must have gotten it in Jr. High. I can't remember if I won it or bought it, but it came with candy inside. Now it holds all my quarters for the meters at ASU campus every Tuesday.

Softball mitt- That's right.

Hand weights - I used to use these a LOT...I swear!

And a bunch of papers to get filed - including my taxes.

Well, that's about it. Good times in my room. It turns out this is a rather long post, but if you made it through reading this far, then my goodness you must be a saint.

Good night!

Papo Americano

2011-01-08T01:37:00.001-07:00

Tonight was devoted to the lovely art of Latin dancing. And while I may not have the best moves in town, I had at least 5 that rocked the world tonight! My friend, B-Dazzle*, my roommate, B-Dancin'*, and I got off to a late start. By the time we left my house at 11 pm, we had just enough time to get lost in downtown Phoenix and then make the last fifteen minutes of the dance. If you can imagine a perfectly orchestrated balance of swiveling hips, intense twirls, and long glances, you might have the faintest idea of what emerged on the dance floor. In a word, it was beautiful. In two, it was blissful and mesmerizing. ...but that is not the point of this posting.

The point of this posting is that on the way over, the Papo Americano song came on the radio. The techno-laden melody with sprinkles of "Papo Americano" were the perfect mood setters for our fifteen minutes of dancing. That being the case, who would have expected it to be one of the first songs we heard at the dance? I certainly did not. But we walked in, and BAM! there it was. PAPO AMERICANO! When I got home, the song was still in my head. I thought perhaps a third listen might help it slip out of the back of my mind, so I began checking YOUTUBE for a good version of it. Instead of the artist's movie, I stumbled across this:

Which then lead me to this:

I am proud to say, I have now watched two tutorials on dancing with your hands. Probably not a hobby I'll be picking up anytime soon for myself, but I can appreciate the fact that others have.

It's possible you've seen these before, the break dancing video was posted a long time ago. Hope you enjoyed them.

*Names have been changed to protect these amazing dancers from the intense wave of paparazzi that would surely follow them after they were discovered.

Winterformal!

2010-12-12T21:15:00.000-07:00

Sarah became a princess for a night and I became a hair dresser. :)
I was pretty proud of how her hair turned out!

Moved

2010-10-09T01:27:00.000-07:00

That's right...I live in Scottsdale! I moved out two weeks ago. Right now I have a big room with little more than a bed in it, but it's all mine and I'm loving it! Tomorrow I'm going to try and find a duvet cover I like a decorate. The walls are painted kind of a dark grey color. I may change that. Hopefully I'll get my dresser, TV, and a a couch in this weekend too and then I'll be all set to go.

By the way, has anyone ever seen the Mormon version of Pride & Prejudice. They have a quote about "what are men to rocks and mountains?" and then start playing some catchy little song as Emily drives up a mountain to go hiking. That song is stuck in my head and I'm craving a good hike. Nothing quite compares to it. So....I'm thinking Camelback tomorrow morning....and now that I live so close it's going to be the best!

Catch up, stories of life...

2010-08-31T22:27:00.002-07:00

Ok ladies, it has been a long time since I've posted and my posts these days are few and far between....but it's time to write and tell you all how WONDERFUL life is!
First of all, I LOVE being busy. I will not lie, it has result in a 2-3 week period of constantly being tired. But now, that I've adjusted, it's a nice change of pace from a few months of sooooo much free time on my hands. I may not always feel this way, but for now, I do. I feel so productive and that's a nice feeling.

So why am I so busy?
I'M A WORKING GIRL- I am loving my job at Actuarial Management Corportion! I think it might have taken a month to get back into the swing of things, but I really do enjoy my work and the people I work with are great. I could go on and on and tell you all about healthcare reform, and renewals, and pricing, etc. etc. but I'll save that for those truly are interested enough to ask. For the REST of you...here's two things that make work great:
1. Nameless game that is on it's way to the Olympics. My co-worker, Dave , and I have created the most amazing golfing game. I may not be the best on a 9-hole course, but I am GOOD at this game.
(Please reference the diagram below to understand the rules)
1st person stands at position A and tries to put the ball into the hole. A hole in one = 1 pt.
2nd person stands at position B. Their goal is to hit the ball that person A puts and deflect their shot. 2nd person hitting 1st person's ball = 2 pts.

Try it sometime. A great game indeed!

1. Today was Taco Tuesday. We all pitched in and made a fiesta lunch. I brought in Mexican Wedding Cookies. I was so surprised at how easy it is to make them. Here's a recipe: http://www.cooks.com/rec/doc/0,1649,148162-239204,00.html Give them a whirl.

I'M A STUDYING GIRL - That's right, classes have begun. This semester I am taking a super-interesting class about how to teach mathematics. On our first night we were give a word problem (if it takes 10 eggs to make 6 pies, how many eggs will it take to make 15 pies) and told to come up with as many methods to solve it as we can. Our teacher is working on his PhD right now. His collegue currently has 17 different methods of solving this problem. I think our class came up with about 9. Anyways, it'll be an interesting semester. I have one class at ASU West Campus in Glendale, one at the Main Campus in Tempe, and two online. Yeah for night classes!

I'M A PLAYER - a softball player that is! Ok, tonight was the first night. I struck out twice and hit the ball once (but got out becaues someone caught it). Never fear, though, I am confident the season can only get better from here! I signed up on a ward team for Tuesday nights. I didn't realize when I signed up but the league goes until about Thanksgiving time. I'm also tenatively on a city leauge for Wednesday night. If you didn't know me, you'd think I live and breathe softball...'tis the season I suppose!

other reasons life is good right now...
I'M FUNNY - or rather, life throws me funny twists of humor to keep me entertained
1. My dear friend, Katie Salmon, was in town this weekend. We had a great time catching up on old times :)
On Friday, we went to Tia Rosa's (her favorite restaurant) to eat. As we walked in, Katie pointed out two cute boys in the corner. Upon second glance, I recognized one of them as my home teacher. So, while waiting for our food I went over to say hello and they invited us to eat dinner with them. They had a friend walk in late and join up with us. We'd probably been talking for about half an hour when I realized I hadn't really met their friend yet. In an effort to be nice and invovle him in the conversation, I asked, "What was your name?" (for the purposes of this story we'll call him John Doe).
"John Doe," he replied.
As he said those words, a lightbulb went off in my head. His face looked so familiar. It was familair. Yes, I was making the conneciton. I did know him! "Hey, I used to babysit you!" I blurted out.

I'm not sure any of us really knew what to do with that information. We all just started laughin. So much for putting on smoothe moves with these guys. I refuse to date anyone I ever babysat. I'm sure they felt the same. We had a great time finishing up dinner, but oh man, me and my big mouth. What a moment! Perhaps you had to be there, but I hope you caught the gist of it.

2. Caleb just had me feel his leg. He broke his tibia and fibula while wakeboarding, which resulted in surgery and a metal rod being place between his knee and ankle (to be specific a 3/4 in. titanium rod). He wanted me to feel the calcium build up on where broke the bone and the fact that you can feel the screw in his ankle where the rod is attached. Thank you Caleb, what a pleasurable experience. Get well soon.

That's it. That's my update on life. I'm also serving as the gospel doctrine teacher right now. Can I just say, "I LOVE THE OLD TESTAMENT!" I'm looking into moving out into Phoenix/Scottsdale/Tempe area too, but that's not so much a priority as other things. So it's just kind of on the radar at this point.

Ladies, have a great night. I love you all. That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

2010-08-07T00:41:00.001-07:00

Hmmm...a quote I like?

Usually, I have one - some type of mantra that I'm living by. It changes every so often - probably every other month or so. But, when work asked me to find one for my internal profile, I drew a blank. Nothing seemed to fit perfectly enough that it would be an expression I'd want people to associate with me.

This block to inspiring thoughts has led me to yet another Google search (seriously, how did people live before Google. If I had an set of encyclopedias that contained everything I "googled", my house would not be large enough to fit half the volumes). Anyways, back to the results of this search: Here's the two quotes that seemed to stick out to me tonight as I skimmed over a few web pages:

"If you have built castles in the air, your work need not be lost; that is where they should be. Now put foundations under them." - Henry David Thoreau

"Make no small plans for they have no power to stir the soul." - Niccolo Machaivelli

Thank you gents for these inspiring words. My quest for the "perfect ME quote" will probably still continue, but these are definately going on the great quotes list for this month.

That is all. Goodnight.

I LOVE MY FAMILY! YEAH FOR THE GRIMMS!

2010-06-16T23:07:00.004-07:00

E

2010-06-16T22:27:00.001-07:00

Have you ever felt like you're on the edge of something new, even before it's staring you in the face?

Since I've been home from the mission, it seems the decision-making/getting life together has been a slow adventure. I should have expected it. I remember studying "Patience" from Preach My Gospel's Christlike Attributes section and thinking to myself, "oh gosh, there's a reason I'm studying this today." But the application of my studying is not always as defined as those moments of clarity in my studies. So, here I am, home for almost 5 months now and this is what I've been up to:

January

- Got home on the 21st. Really did nothing but rest, relax, and leave town for vacation.

February

- More vacations.

-Applied to be a substitute teacher for Mesa Public School district; declined because they only wanted applicants who already had a full-fledged teaching license. They called back a few weeks later to let me know they had an open position and would accept my Substitute Teaching Cert if I was interested. Yeah!

March

-Otto & Emily got married on the 12th. Happy to have a new sister-in-law.

-Began substitute teaching and loved it!

(I mostly taught at the Jr. High and High School: Math, ESL ,Choir, etc.)

-Worked part-time as an enumerator for the US Census Bureau.

(Surprisingly loved this! A great opportunity to practice my espanol!)

April

-Continued working as substitute and enumerator.

May

-No more substituting, still enumerating

-Began working for Mass Mutual as a Financial Services Representative

June

-Mass Mutual continued

-__________________________

(I don't know what is going in that blank spot...but it's going to be something big, this week has been unfolding in an interesting way...more details to follow in a week or two)

Now, I've had a tendancy to stress out about uncertainty of plans in the past. However, right now I feel really peaceful and just have this assurance that everything is going to work out.

I was working at the temple tonight and by the time I was done there,

I just had this incredible feeling like it's all being taken care of.

The story is just starting to unfold this week, but I'm going to have a decision coming

and I just know it's going to be perfect.

Sorry there are no details, you'll get them soon enough. This post is really probably more for me than any of you....which brings up the question as to why I'm posting it...I have no idea. But there it is. My latest thoughts.

Love to all and goodnight!

How Do You Measure?

2010-05-10T23:24:00.022-07:00

“…we are doing well when

we develop attributes of Christ and
strive to obey His gospel with exactness.

We are doing well when

we seek to improve ourselves and do our best.

We are doing well when

we increase faith and personal righteousness,

strengthen families and homes,

and seek out and help others who are in need.

We know we are successful if

we live so that we qualify for, receive,

and know how to follow the Spirit.

When we have done our very best, we may still experience disappointments,

but we will not be disappointed in ourselves.

We can feel certain that the Lord is pleased when

we feel the Spirit working through us.

Peace, joy, and hope

are available to those who measure success properly.”

-Julie B. Beck Relief Society General President

It's All The Rage!

2010-05-06T21:51:00.001-07:00

So...I've been hearing all about THEADING YOUR EYEBROWS since I've been home from my mission. You can get it done at a typical salon. I've wondered about getting it done, but wanted to find out more about it first, so I turned to youtube. There was a tutorial that expalined how to do it, so I went ahead and gave it a try at home.

Let me tell you ladies, I am a huge fan. Give it a whirl. It hurts less than tweezing AND it gets all the little white ones that you can't really see. Plus, all you need is a piece of string. It seems whenever I want to do my eyebrows, I've seemed to misplace my tweezers. This is so much easier.

So, if you haven't tried it, I'm recommending you watch the first part of this movie and then give it a whirl.

(She kind of goes slow, but you can learn easily from her explanation)

(Video of the professionals)

10 Over Par (Give or take 50)

2010-05-02T00:25:00.000-07:00

This weekend ended up being a family weekend. On Friday, my Dad and I played a rousing game of Phase 10 before I headed out for some party. Then on Saturday, I went golfing with my brothers and Dad. Below are some pics from that:

Also, I want to send a special thanks to Grandma and Grandpa for making Saturday night a blast. A whole night of chatting and laughing at chain mails was most enjoyable! Love you both!

"We're family, we're gonna be doing lots of dumb stuff together!"

2010-04-26T16:31:00.000-07:00

"We're family, we're gonna be doing lots of dumb stuff together!"

-Tommy Boy

Katie is one of my favorite people to hang out with! She is so fun, always has a good story to tell, and has a great vocabulary --ex: "he is so amiable" ;) hahahha, love you kate!

She came in town from Provo this weekend, so we got to go have a little fun out at Tempe Town Lake.

Now for those of you who know our family, we're often labeled as type A people--we pretty goal oriented, hard working, and strong-willed. That's really nice if you have to get something done, however, patience ins't always one of our best virtues. Although sometimes people remind us to "chillax" or "relax" or "chill out", we're not the best at being laid back on our own.

That quality was ever so apparent as we were "strolling" around Tempe Town Lake. We'd probably been walking for about 5 minutes or so when Katie starts laughing and points out that we're all in a full speed walk. Deliberately, we slowed ourselves and tried to walk a little more leisurely, but it was not the easiest task. We'd do good for a few minutes or so and then suddenly realize our pace had picked up again. We had a lot of fun laughing about that and trying out different walking styles to slow it down!

Thanks for hanging out Katie! It was the best!

A JP Shout Out!

2010-04-10T13:34:00.002-07:00

A bird doesn't sing because it has an answer, it sings because it has a song.--Maya Angelou

Don't ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive, and go do it. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.--Howard Thurman

After having the fabulous pleasure of hanging out with our good friend JP over Easter weekend, I couldn’t help dropping a few lines in her honor.

When Jen called and said she was in town, of course, I was happy to see her. I knew she’d make me laugh. I figured she’d probably pull out the SpaceBalls quote. (Perhaps that was a movie I watched too late at night, because it doesn’t do much for me. Jen, on the other hand, will roar tearfully until her sides are writhing in pain because she laughs so much from it). I figured I’d get the scoop of the singles scene in Las Vegas and a little roommate drama or something of the sorts. All in all, I was planning on a fun time.
…And I got what I bargained for, but there was also something else about Jen that was different. She just really seems to have become her own person and blossomed since I saw her last.

She’s a woman on a career path, doing something she cares about and developing meaningful business and personal relationships. She not only teaches private violin lessons, but is also working with the new Smith Center (Las Vegas’s new performing arts center). They sought her out for a special program where she goes and tutors teachers on how to use music in education. The first day she showed up, one of the women there told the director, “See this is that teacher I was telling you about!” Her eyes glowed as she told me about how much she loves her job. She’s just thriving in her career, at a time when so many others are going in the opposite direction. I have a feeling we’re hanging with one of the up-and-coming big shots for the performing arts industry there.

She also had a few dating stories. While the dating scene still had your typical stories and bumps in the road, Jen was finally dating guys who seemed worthy of her. She recognized her value and wouldn’t put up with all the crap from the low-lives of the dating world. It was fun to hear how she told off some late-twenties guy who’d been showing some interest, but didn't want to make "that kind of commitment." I died laughing. If you’ve ever seen the movie “The Holiday”, you might say she’s found her gumption.

Finally, she’s found a good group of girls out there. She had one friend in particular who helped her realize her value and now it seems Jen is just reaching out to others around her to help them live up the fun mid-20s single scene.

Just wanted to say I love you JP and I’m so proud of all your success! You’re beautiful inside and out and I’m glad we’re friends!

May I Have This Dance?

2010-04-10T11:22:00.007-07:00

I’ve discovered a new measure for liking someone.

One of my facebook friends recently changed his profile to include a picture of him with a very cute blonde girl. Curious about their status, I inquired and received the following response:

"haha her name is *****, we've been dating for a few months now. She's from chicago, a pole vaulter on the track team, and a terrible dancer. but so am i so we have a good time :) "

Mel and I were talking the other day, and reminscing about an experience from long ago in our freshman year of college. We were dancing in her room to some song that came on the radio. Suddenly, she starts laughing and exclaims, "Oh Kim, you're husband will love you someday!" To spell it out, she was kindly saying, "You're the worst dancer I know!"

But let me tell you folks, there is hope for the bad dancer. If you don't believe me, go back and read the facebook quote again. Obviously, my friend finds it endearing and adorable, which leads me to think about those I've dated in the past. If I really liked them, bad dancing, the inability to match clothes...those little things didn't matter and even became something I loved about them.

So, in conclusion, if you're confused about whether or not you like someone, I think it's time you go dancing. You'll know soon enough!

Pillow talk

2010-03-21T00:50:00.000-07:00

I'm sick of looking at facebook right now, don't feel like a movie and definately not ready for bed...so that leaves one option:  updating this blog...time well spent don't you think?
I've added a song list (even if it does only have 4 songs on it right now) and now, I've found a bunch of random questions from some quiz to answer about myself and post on here. Maybe you already knew this about me, maybe you didn't:

Apple juice or orange juice:
   Depends on my mood, usually orange

Morning or night:
   At this point that's debatable.  I always was a morning person, but for the last 2 months, it's all backwards

What is your first thought when you wake up?
   If the alarm woke me, it's something like "kill me now"
   If I woke up on my own, I usually look outside and as long as the sun is up, think that it's going to be a beautiful day.

What's your favorite color?
   A melon-colored pink - so happy

Actually, we'll cut that short right there, I'm losing interest in these questions. I don't know what else to write except what's going on in my life right now (although some of you have already hear this in our phone chats). So in the case you already know this, excuse my redundancy. I mean, I don't want to just keep repeating myself over and over. I'd hate for you to have to endure reading the same things that I've already told you. It would just waste your time. ---ok enough you say? I'll get to the point then

1. Otto got married last week in SLC. It seemed like such a mile-marker, literally changing the face of our family.  It was absolutely incredible! Not that my opinion would change the event, but as they got married, you just knew it was so right. She fits in very well with our family. She seems to be someone I would have chosen for a friend with or without the connection to my brother.

At the reception, each of the sibilings were to give a toast. Josh had us all laughing when he said how Otto was successful at anything he tried and here he was again. It didn't even matter that he wasn't good-looking...he got Emily!   Otto's a good sport!

2. Neatest thing ever! We slept at Grandpa Grimm's house in St. George on the way home from SLC. Being so close, I couldn't resist popping over to one of the nearby ward's to visit an old investigator that I'd been thinking about the day before. I found her just before Relief Society began. We said hello and then she quickly annouced that she had decided to get baptized!!! So, I'll be going up this next week to see it. I'm so excited for you Mandy!!!
I love how Heavenly Father times things just right ---tender mercies!

2. Interviewing for jobs. It's going great! Another little miracle: Tuesday morning proved to be a bit of a challenge. I had one of those "there's nothing in my closet" moment. It seemed everything I tried on was hideous and nothing fit right. So, after about an hour of debating on my interview outfit, I chose my pinstripe suit and decidedly left to the mall for a new shirt on my way. As I was checking out, I asked the clerk what time it was. 1:48. My interview was at 2:00. Bad deal!

I rushed to my car and hit the pedal to the medal. The whole time I was praying for good traffic, no cops, and any other type of miracle that would get me there on time. Fortunately, it wasn't too far away, but still, this was leaving no time for a good impression by being early.

I got to the parking lot exactly at 2:00, walked in and the receptionist was at the phone. My arrival was paged to my interviewer at 2:02 and with some good luck, she was stuck on a phone call for the next few minutes.   Obviously, being on time was more important than the shirt, so I'll never do that again.  But I'm calling the fact that she was on the phone experience a miracle. Our interview went well and I'm hoping since she was on the phone, she didn't notice that I was late.
So, case in point: 1. I'll never cut a job interview that close again. 2. I love phone cals

3. Snowboarding
It's spring break for my brothers and sister. They're very excited. Right now, every day feels like spring break to me. I'll start the party when I have a job. But, to celebrate the occassion for them, we drove up with a group and went snowboarding yesterday. It was beautiful!

That's about all the news I've got. It's time I go to bed I guess. Goodnight world. I hope you've enjoyed this random rant.

Another Sunny Day in California!

2010-02-22T17:56:00.000-07:00

One of the many joys of returning from a mission, is that you have a little bit of time to do whatever you want when you come home. So, last week I got to go visit my friends Melissa in Craig in California. Criag is in medical school there...and doing pretty well might I add. Their little Ruthie is now one month old and the cutest thing ever!

Melissa had been over here in Arizona visiting her parents, so we drove back together. While I was there, Melissa's ward threw a baby shower for her and I got to be the honorary "Designated Baby Holder" for the event - a whole night with Ruthie, it was great! Melissa really is such a great mom! All the ladies in her ward love her and spent the whole night telling me how perfect she is in her primary chorister position, how the kids love her, and how they love her so much and how nice she is to everyone....I could go on forever with what they said. Melissa you're incredible!

Melissa and Craig also set me up on a little post-mission date. It was way fun...but I forgot to take pics...so that's about all you get to know.

This is a good chance to send a special THANK YOU to Craig who helped me out when a nail attacked and killed my tire!

Anyways, after a couple days with them, it was down to San Diego to visit 2 of my friends from the mission.

Linnea and I served as lead trainers together. It was the best ever to spend the night hanging out at a bonfire on the beach and catch up on everything.

San Diego Temple with Sierra Dumas. What a beautiful temple!!! I like them all, of course, but this one is incredible!

My Aunt Marie and Uncle Morris in Newport. We were suppose to meet up in Palm Springs where they were vacationing, but they came home early when their daughter's house sitter had a big party and trashed Kathy's home...what are the odds. You always hear about that stuff, but it never actually happens to you.

We only got to spend a few hours together, but Aunt Marie made it clear that she expects me to come for longer next time. She wanted to make sure I'd have time to go up the road to one of our churches there and meet some of the guys in the local area. Thanks for watcing out for me Aunt Marie!

Fulfilling my Monthly Craftiness Quota...

2010-02-22T17:29:00.002-07:00

My brother, Otto, and his fiance, Emily, will be getting married on March 12 - just a few short weeks away. One tradition Emily's mom has is to give each of the kids a quilt when they get married. She has any family that wants make one of the squares and then she puts the whole thing together.

Due to this worthy cause, today I ventured into the little-known (at least for me) world of quilting! It wasn't so bad either. I even kind of liked it. Of course, this project took me more than 5 hours. Cutting out and ironing on the pieces, I think I was forcasting about an hour commitment, but the sewing machine proved to be a little tricky on the curves. I had to redo a few time.

So here's the final product:

This is the back...you can see the few spots where the seams bunched up on the stiching, but since the front looks ok, I just kept going.

Kind of a fun project. I may do it again sometime in the next 10 years!

2010-02-14T21:46:00.002-07:00

Just a little shout out...I LOVE YOU! HOPE YOU HAVE A HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!!!

I'm BACK!

2010-02-03T22:26:00.000-07:00

It's been a while, but I am back from my mission! It was, needless to say, incredible and the best experience of my life. Perhaps one day I will do a post on it. But for now, I will just show you what I did today.

Roxi and I went hiking today at our old romping groups - Usery Pass.

Now this is what I love about Arizona!!!

New Blog Address

2008-08-02T21:31:00.002-07:00

NEW BLOG ADDRESS

It's off to the mission for me!!! My mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Sains will begin on August 6, 2008 when I check into the training center in Provo, Utah. I'll be doing that for the next 18 months and will have limited access to internet. But if you'd like to see what I'm up to, my sister will be keeping a blog for me while I'm gone. Check it out at:

http://sistershill.blogspot.com/

Pictures of my last day

2008-07-28T09:59:00.004-07:00

Last Day of Work - AMC Style!!!

2008-07-24T21:48:00.003-07:00

That's it; work is officially over for me. I have made great friends, learned new things, and had a blast working at Actuarial Management Corporation. Working here only pushed me farther into the world of excel nerdiness and database management, but I loved it.

My favorite part of the work has definately been presenting program reviews and analysis at meetings with all the big-wigs who helps run the insurance plans. I loved taking all the work I'd done and using it to make decisions that kept the programs running profitably. I always got so fired up after sitting in on those meetings.

My favorite part of the company, though, was all the crazy antics that went on in the office (see the link My Work) for samples. Loving it so much made leaving rather sad, but my coworkers sent me off in style to make it a little easier.

On my last day, I was the second one to the office. As my boss, Jon, and I were talking, Jacklyn, Lydia, and Alison came walking in the room to say hello. All the sudden I noticed that my face, in all sort of cheesy poses, was plastered on their shirts. Jon turned around and got his own shirt out. Over the next half hour, everyone else made it to the office, each wearing their own "Kim" shirt. Even Matt, who normally doesn't like doing anything crazy, participated.

I had a presentation that morning and we tried to get a little work done until lunch time when tasty Mexican food from Carolina's arrived. We all pigged out and chatted it up for a while. Before lunch was over, Tom reminded me that I was suppose to be practicing handstand pushups (remnants of a bet that originated two weeks prior during a pool game). I tried and was about to get about an inch lower than when I had tried it two weeks earlier. Since Tom has a way of talking big, we all convinced him to give it a whirl...the man definatley deliverd. Once he managed to get his balance and stay up, he did about five of them. Then since we were already settlings scores, Tom proved to us that he had hops by jumping first onto a tall table in the conference room and then onto the slightly higher front desk...it was awesome!

In any other office, the party might have been over...but not here! There was still much more to come. I was presented with my very own "Kim Face" t-shirt and then we played musical chairs and Utah pictionary. I really only have two things to say about the games:
1) I never knew Asheligh was so competitive about sitting in a chair (but I still managed to win)
2) Musical chairs and pictionary have never been more exciting.

So, goodbye to AMC, I'll sure miss you all! and thanks for the best going away party ever!

Mission Call

2008-06-13T14:52:00.003-07:00

2008-06-07T15:46:00.000-07:00

Rachel West and I met some friends at Tempe marketplace for dinner last night. On our way out, we couldn't resist buying these matching sunglasses for $5 each. We forgot to take off the tags before taking this picture, but at least we know the glasses will block out 100% of UV Rays.

Oh funny!

2008-06-07T15:32:00.002-07:00

So I joined a city softball league that plays every Wednesday. I'm the catcher for our team. Last week before the game started Chase Rassmussen and I began throwing the ball around to warm up. One of the throws was a bit high, so when I reached up to grab it, it hit my mit but at a funny angle and bounce off into my face. It must have hit just right because the result was....

a scar the shape of baseball laces on my forehead for all to see.

The papers are in!

2008-05-28T21:17:00.004-07:00

It's official! My papers went into Salt Lake City today. I have officially applied to be a missionary!

Now it's just a matter of 2-3 weeks to find out...where in the world I will go!

The cat is out of the bag...

2008-05-06T23:49:00.003-07:00

I'm not really sure when to make this announcement, so I thought I'd start on here and then spread the word more later once things are official...

It's funny how sometimes we make decisions

to do things that you never, ever thought you would do.

I have made one such decision. It's something I've contemplated about for a long time, but just recently decided to do. I've decided to serve a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints...are you shocked? Well don't be, because it is true. Soon I will be heading off to some random place to preach the good word for a year and a half!

While I have thought about it before, the actual decision kind of came to me unexpectedly. Things are going super-well with my job, master's program, and personal life. I wasn't thinking about making any big changes. Then, one day, I thought about a mission and it just seemed to fit and kept coming back to me. All the sudden I realized it was what I wanted and so I gave it some serious thought and decided.

I started the paperwork requesting to go on a mission about a week and a half ago. I still have to get a physical and have an interview with the stake president (aka - on of the church leaders) before I can actually turn them in though. My target date is to turn my papers in by May 25th. Then after that, people usually get a letter calling them to a specific location within two or three weeks. So I'm thinking by the middle to end of April somtime, I should have a bit more information for you all.

I guess that's it for now. Thanks for reading all about my news.

Going Undercorver

2008-04-07T19:07:00.003-07:00

Hey all! So I've been getting some weird comments on the blog lately. Some unknown perpetrator has been posting random links. Some of you may have noticed that I've begun to moderate comments already. I was hesitant to make this a private blog, but I think now it's got to be done.

Send me your email address if you'd like to be left on the list to view the blog.

Thanks :)

Biker Babe

2008-04-03T23:21:00.002-07:00

So my friend Sam Woods set me up on a double date last night. We went riding motorcycles and out to dinner. That's me and my date Paul on his Ninja bike. The other couple is Sam and her date Kirby.

It was the best night because I discovered that I love riding motorcycles! When I first got on, I felt so vulnerable and exposed. I kept thinking how I could just fall off the back of the bike and BAM the ground was so close. So yes I was a tinsy, tiny bit scared at first, but I was brave and tried it. By the time we'd driven a few miles, I started to get the feel for things and began to really enjoy the ride. By the end of the night, I loved the feeling of accelerating quickly and cruising down the road.

I kept thinking about the bikes that this morning as I watched like 5 motorcycles speed past in the HOV lane while I was stuck in rush hour (another plus to the world of bikes). Bikes truly rock!

By the way, Alisse T. Baldwin, if you're reading this...I now know why you loved that Scott had a bike.

Happy Birthday to Katie Salmon!

2008-03-29T18:07:00.005-07:00

These Balloons

as to wish my friend

(Katie Samon)
the happiest birthday ever!!!

Hope your birthday rocks your socks!!!

Allergies and Good Times

2008-03-28T09:04:00.002-07:00

Today I was just one of those days where your allergies go crazy! I think the email that I sent to my coworkers explains the rest. I'll post a picture later....

Email:
Ok everyone…I just need to forewarn you of a little mishap I had this morning.

While I love this season for its flowers and cool breezes, I have mixed feelings about it because my allergies go on a rampage. This morning, my allergies happened to be particularly out of control. As such, I decided to wear glasses until I got to work, at which time I would change to contacts. I couldn’t find my normal and oh-so-trendy red-rimmed glasses this morning; however, this was not a problem because I keep a very old, spare pair of glasses in my dresser drawer.

Let me break from our story for a moment to explain these old, spare glasses. At the very best, I think we could say they have seen better days. They are the remnants of my high school years and besides weathering time, they have survived one tremendous fall which led to someone stepping on them and resulted in a few cracks to the lenses. Who even knows why I still have them? Clearly, they are the kind of thing you seldom wear and only when no one (and I do mean NO one) is going to see you.

Back to the story
In an effort to save time, I grabbed these glasses and my contact case and ran out the door to work. Finally, when my allergies calmed down a bit, I pulled out my contact case, ready to change my appearance and hide the embarrassing excuse for glasses that I was wearing. I unscrewed the lid of the case. I looked inside. What? There was no solution in the case. Where was my contact? It was a tragic happening, but I had grabbed the wrong contact case. So yes, my contact case is at home; my contacts are safe….but this all leads me to a very sad conclusion. I am forced to wear ugly and scrappy glasses for the rest of the day if I want to see anything.

And in case you didn’t pick up on it yet, the point of this story is to let you know, No, you don’t work with a bum. I am very aware of the hideousness which is these glasses.
The moral of the story is when your allergies are bothering you, take the time to find a normal pair of glasses.

New cubicle...decorations still to come

2008-02-24T22:31:00.003-07:00

After working from a temporary office where I worked in the middle of a huge room, construction on our new office is finally complete and we've moved upstairs. When we first moved, I felt a little weird just working in the middle of the room. After a while though, I began to like it because I always knew what was going on and got to say hello to everyone as they walked through. But now it's back to my cubicle. It's pretty big: 8x8. I've still got to decorate, but as you can see the set-up is a little better than it was before. And fortunately for me, it's near an area where people walk by a lot, so I still get to see everyone throughout the day. (Pictured below are a before and after photo)

Adios Lil' White

2008-02-24T22:25:00.002-07:00

She was a good car and we had some great times together, but Lil' White and I have finally said our goodbyes. From now on, she'll be living in Mexico with the nice man that bought her. So Adios Amiga! You were a good car!

What's New With Life?

2008-01-29T22:19:00.000-07:00

Well...of course work and school and blah blah blah...but here's some of the more interesting stuff...

We're having a Weight Loss Competition at work. I've decided to use it as motivation for a whole healthy turn-around, not just weight-loss. So I've joined a weight training boot-camp that meets 3 times a week in the morning and I've started to say NO to chocolate. It's hard, but I'm a testimony to others that it can be done. In the first week, I was down about five pounds. Probably the best part is that I can now do more than 10 pushups. It hadn't really done pushups since high school gym class, but I'm back in the game now!

My cousin, Katie Nelson, and I have decided to head to Europe this summer! She's going to do a study-abroad program, so we're going to go tour around a bit before that starts. I'm super excited. We're suppose to have a planning meeting to set up the tenative iternary in the next week or so. I had planned to move out of my parents' place in March, but I've now decided to stay around until after the Europe trip - Free Rent = $$ for Europe :) I'm thinking I'll head over towards Tempe after that though, so if you happen to hear of a good place...

Last but not least, I bought a new car at the end of December. It's a black 2005 Nissan Altima. I like it A LOT and it's definately an upgrade from 'Lil White (my 1997 Ford Escort for those of you who don't know her). It took me a while to figure out what this new black beauty would be called but I've finally decided on "Eddie".

MLK Day Hike

2008-01-29T22:01:00.001-07:00

I went hiking at Usery Pass with some friends for MLK Day. I loved having work off!!! I actually took time to do a little leisure reading (50 Most Notorious Crimes in America from LIFE - pretty interesting), take

a cat nap, and go to a BBQ where Kelci Fitzgerald and I made homemade root-beer. Mmmm.

Thanksgiving

2007-12-15T10:19:00.000-07:00

Thanksgiving was wonderful! We just stayed in town, but spending time with the family was great! Sarah, our avid cross-country runner, convinced us that we should run the 10k Turkey Trot in the morning. So my dad, Sarah, some cousins and I all ran 6.2 miles. Sarah and I both wore spandex under our shorts, so we got brave and took a picture in only spandex. If you watch the slide show below for long enough, you might luck out and get a glipse. (Don't be jealous of my legs, ok)...

Haha - On the morning of the race, I couldn't find the shoes I usually run in, so I grabbed an old pair (I think they were from high school). It worked out well and I was a happy runner until about the 2 mile marker when I realized that my shoes were rubbing and giving me blisters. As we ran to the 3rd mile, I kept looking on the sidelines for someone I knew - maybe they would have thicker socks or something. Unfortuantely, I saw no one. So I pushed on, but the blisters kept getting bigger. By the 3rd mile, I couldn't take it. So, I took my off and sped walked for the next two miles and ran the last mile barefoot. I felt a little foolish, but it was so much better than the blisters.

Tif & Me

2007-12-15T09:39:00.000-07:00

This is a little shout out for Tiffany Carter. We usually drag eachother out to parties and other stuff on the weekends. Thanks for being my sidekick!

1984

2007-10-28T00:24:00.001-07:00

Does anyone else miss the 80's as much as I do??? As I was putting on my spandex and bright blue eyeshadow for a party tonight, I was pondering upon how much I love this era. Back then, a person could only get so far in life without big hair and gaudy earnings...whatever happened to that?

The final countdown...

2007-10-21T23:27:00.000-07:00

My brother, Josh, will be leaving for his mission in less than 12 hours. We've been packing in the family time during the past few weekends. Last week, after getting home from San Fransisco on Friday night, I drove down to Rocky Point where my family and good times were waiting. I brought my friend Brad along with so I didn't have to drive 4 hours alone. We pretty much just hung out on the beach and Sarah and I got our hair put in braids.

Then this weekend we had a family pow-wow that included lunch and bowling. While everything else was perfect, the bowling scores were not... my dad won and he didn't even break 100 - does that tell you how bad my score was...yikes!

MEXICO...

BOWLING...

This is a picture of my dad coaching my mom on how to improve her technique. We laughed at the time because at that moment he had the worst score out of all of us. I guess he warmed up a little by the end of his game though (like I said, he won).

Josh tried to win a teddy bear out of this machine. He actually failed, which is unusual for him, but Sarah and I got a ball out of another machine. Looks like we showed him up !

The girls :)

Work and Wine

2007-10-15T20:06:00.000-07:00

I went on a work trip in California this week. We had meetings on Wednesday and Thursday and then took Friday off to go on a Wine Trip in Nappa Valley. I must admit, I was a little worried it would be borning since I don't drink, but I
had a blast just hanging out with my coworkers and touring around the Wineries. Here's just a few pics...

Alia and Ashleigh work in the Phoenix office with me.

No wine for me

Stephanie & I spend a lot of time on projects together. She works out of the Concord office.

2007-09-30T20:32:00.000-07:00

My family and I went up to see our Grandma and Grandpa Grimm this weekend. Josh wanted to go see them before he left on his mission (on Oct. 24th - so soon!). Since we were all going to be there, Otto even came down from Salt Lake. And, of course, Caleb is in Australia on his mission, but we thought about him once, so he was there in spirit. There's really not too much to do in St. George besides just sitting around talking, but I always love that since our trips are short anyways. We just have a good time chatting with each other and seeing cousins that came by. And other than that, we just took pictures. Sarah brought her camera and she took lots and lots of pictures. So here are few for you to view...

(Only a select few of our twenty gazillion made it into this slide show because the pictures were either repetetive or too embarrasing for the entire world to see.)

The Executive

2007-09-30T20:02:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago my family decided to join our ward for a big campout in Page. My mom was on the planning committee, so it seemed appropriate that we attend. Since I was a young, though, I can only recall a few instances where my family has actually set up a tent to camp in. Most of my camping experience ties directly to a nearby hotel/cabin or sleeping bags that have been padded by mattresses in the back of the pick-up truck. Keeping with philosophy for successful camping, my parents decided that we would take an RV this time.

My Grandpa recently bought a new one (well it's like one year old). So when my Dad said he was going to ask my Grandpa to use the RV, I thought, "That's my kind of camping!" However, my vision of the RV and what stood before me when he came home seemed to be extemelely different. Instead of nice, new RV, my Dad came home with some remenant of his childhood that my Grandpa still owns. He expained that Grandpa hadn't taken the RV out yet and he didn't want to ask them to use something they'd never used before. But THIS, he said, was the most trusty and true and fun thing he could remember.

I chuckled to myself, "Here we go", but I loaded up, sat down next to the window and awaited the beginning of our journey. The trip up was great. We cruised pretty well...I guess the bus went a bit slow up the hills, but I wouldn't expect anything different from an RV that was build in the 70s. The best part was watching my dad plug up the hill, then try and pass people....hahaha... He'd mutter under his breath as he passed them, "Slow poke, get off the road". Then, we'd pull back to the right lane and ten cars would proceed to pass us. I loved it!

Right outside Payson, we hit a HUGE stand-still line of traffic. I've seen snails crawl along faster than this line. And that was the moment when the RV chose to show it's age. All the sudden it starts looking a little smoky. Then my dad realizes we're almost out of gas...man that thing can go through its tank fast. We sat there for a good 20 minutes just hoping we'd make it. I think the RV stalled out once, and gave a few more close calls but luckily we made it though. I can't remember why it did that, but it was some simple mechanical thing Dad fixed at the gas station.

Long story short, we went on to have a great camp-out and enjoyed ourselved...but boy did we do it the good ol' fashion way!

Triple K

2007-08-18T18:46:00.000-07:00

Kelci and I went to visit Katie last week. As you can see from the pictures, it was awesome! I loved seeing Katie. We pretty much just hung out and caught up on old times. We got to eat at the Harbor House and meet some of Katie's friends. And when we got bored of just sitting on the beach, we even made a few prank phone calls. (How old are we? I don't know, but it was FUN!)

Cake Creations

2007-08-18T18:31:00.000-07:00

I was feeling creative one day, so this is what I came up with...

To the untrained eye, this might merely look like a feeble attempt at writing in white chocolate. I, however, assure you it was much more. It could be better described as a succulent and satisfying piece of heaven. Allow me to explain.

It was my mother's birthday. The goal was to combine her favorite elements into the ultimate birthday cake. The end result was a glass stand holding four layers of chocolate chip ice cream, each separated by a thin layer of crisp, nutty chocolate chip cookie, perfectly aligned in a tower of glory. The tower was topped with creamy caramel and then glazed over with pure milk chocolate. To top it off, fresh whipped cream lined the outer rims of the cake and mini-dark chocolate chips gave a tantalizing clue to what lay hidden beneath.

So...are you hungry yet??? Too bad, it's all gone. But maybe I'll make it again someday. It's definately going down as a classic for me.

Blondie

2007-07-26T22:05:00.000-07:00

The question is...

do BLONDES really have MORE FUN???

...I couldn't remember, so I thought I'd try it out again!

Summertime!

2007-07-23T14:27:00.000-07:00

In light of the fact I haven't posted much of what I've been doing this summer, I thought I'd post a few pictures...

Synchronized Rollerbladerz 4 Life

2007-07-22T16:55:00.001-07:00

My ward had a talent show this past weekend and let me tell you...you all missed out. But since you are my good friends, I decided to share this little clip with you.

This is really an ode to all things beautiful...namely, bright knee pads and rollerblades. Some of you may already know my obsession for rollerblading but this really took it to a new level. It just captured the joy and awesomeness that only synchronized rollerblading coupled with Mika's song Grace Kelly can bring. So sit back, push play, and enjoy as Brock Mason & I rock it out on the blades!

Congrats Josh!!!

2007-07-20T12:20:00.001-07:00

Yeah my brother Josh who just got his mission call to the Bangkok Thailand Mission! He'll be leaving on October 24th. And except for the fact that I won't know what to do when I can't stay up late watching movies with him and laugh about dumb stuff...I couldn't be more thrilled! Love you bud! Congrats!!!

The Latest Greatest!!!!

2007-07-15T09:46:00.000-07:00

THIS ENTRY IS AN ODE TO BLURB.COM WHO ALLOWS YOU TO TURN YOUR BLOGGING PAGES INTO AN ACTUAL BOOK (HARD OR SOFT COVER). RAD!!!

This is on of those things that we're all going to love. I don't know about you, but I count this blogging stuff as my journal entries half the time. And I know all the mom's out there, like Mel, who record their children's entire life on here will LOVE this. Go to www.blurb.com. You download their program for free and then give the program your sign-on for the blogger. It downloads your blog and makes a book out of it. You can customize how the book looks. Once you finish you're customization you can purchase it for about $30. It is amazing...an probably the coolest thing I've seen this week.

Here's the link to the website...
http://www.blurb.com

(PS sorry I've had so many non-personal and random posts lately...Mel and I were talking about some different features so I researched them. However, I think this book thing is so awesome and don't think you'll dispute it once you've tried it.)

Note to Melanie

2007-07-12T12:15:00.000-07:00

Melanie asked how I set a template that was different from the standard ones the blogger lists. I just did a google search for "free blogger templates" and checked out a couple of sites. There were a few but I chose this one: Blogger Templates. Choose a template you like. I used the HTML templates. The link for them is on the side of the page. You can read the installation instructions by following the link on the side that page or by clicking here. Some of the sites have different instructions for downloading and using on you blog. The ones for this site were easy because they were actually made for Blogger.

By the way, the one disadvantage to using this method is that you'll have to recreate side items if they aren't included. You'll notice that mine no longer includes a link to all my friends. That means I'll have to go back and change the HTML of the template. It's fairly easy to do though. I'll put instructions for that later when I've got a bit more time.

Old Family Pic

2007-07-03T19:44:00.001-07:00

Well I just got this photo off Grandma's computer but I'd never seen it before so I thought I'd put it up. What the heck huh...

What kind of soda are you???

2007-06-29T08:03:00.000-07:00

You Are Root Beer

Ultra sweet and innocent, you have a subtle complexity behind your sugary front.

Children love you, but so do high end snobs... when you're brewed right.

Your best soda compatibility match: Dr. Pepper

Stay away from: Diet Coke

What Kind of Soda Are You?

My Favorites

2007-06-27T09:58:00.001-07:00

Katie challenged us all to make a list of things about ourselves a while ago. So, I thought I'd better go ahead and put mine up. Here are a few things that I like...

1. Homemade Brownies

Anything chocolate is enough to get me going, but recently homemade brownies have been my thing. They are super scrumptious and fairly easy to make. They don't take much longer than buying one of those ready mixes from the store either. My favorite is to make them with walnuts, but when I want to snaz it up a bit I drizzle raspberry sauce and white chocolate on top. Yummy!

2. Pride & Prejudice or any other good romance
Book or movie, doesn't matter, I LOVE a good chick flick. My favorite story is the Pride & Prejudice. I think I've seen every version of that movie that was ever made (except that I recently heard there is an Indian version I still need to check out). So I finally got the book and read it this summer. I couldn't put it down until I finished and I found myself quoting it for a week after. I'm absolutely addicted.

3. My Family

Josh is of doing alarm sales in Milwaukee this summer, Caleb is on his mission, and Otto lives in Utah. That leaves my parents, Sarah, and myself at home. I miss having everyone around but we've been able to have such fun times lately. I drove back to Milwaukee with Josh and visited Otto this summer. I love how no matter what you're doing with your family, you can always end up laughing at everything you've been through together. It doesn't matter if I reminisce about my dad's singing and playing the guitar for us, the late night movies after hanging out with friends on Saturday (we're too tired to stay awake but we have to watch one), playing made up games like "Bee Attack" on the way to Utah as a kid, girl's day out with Sarah, or a million other things...I love to think about all the crazy times we've had together. Any way you cut the cake, they are six of my favorite people and I have such a unique and great friendship with each of them. Love you guys!

4. Hiking - What are men to rocks & mountains?

Who knew I would love hiking??? But I've been on quite the kick lately. I like climbing Camelback and Usury Pass. I like getting to the top and being able to see everything. (And feeling healthy when you're done is a good plus too.) You just feel like you've accomplished something.

5. Windy Days

I don't know what it is about the wind on a sunny day, but I love it! I usually prefer this one in the spring time when it's not 115 degrees outside. But when it's nice outside with a slight breeze, it just puts me in the best mood. (Cheesy? Sorry, I know, but it's true)

6. Meeting new people & visiting new places

No too much to add to this one...I just always feel adventurous and excited to meet new people and see new things. I like to see how differently people can live and to hear how they think differently about things. I've only got a few random places under my belt right now, but one thing I want to do during my life is to travel around everywhere.

I do have to say though, sometimes the food can be intersting...this is fried crickets.

How I Became The World's Biggest NERD!

2007-06-26T15:59:00.000-07:00

I thought I’d made it through my undergraduate degree unscathed by the nerdy and unsocial accountants who surrounded me. I always felt I was above such a stereotype. At least I did until recently…

I was forced to come to terms with my geekishness last week when I was talking with a few friends. We’d been chatting about the new favorites circles that cell phone companies are now offering. I proudly told two of my close friends that they would be in my circle, if I had one, because for the past few months I had spent the more time on the phone with them than others on my bill. One of the girls who’d been listening asked how I’d known who I spent the most time speaking with.

Without any hesitation, I responded with the obvious answer: “Oh I just downloaded my bill into Excel, did a little sorting and grouping, and added up, by month, the time I’d spent on the phone with each person.”

That’s when it happened. The whole group stopped talking, their expressions changed, and all eyes were on me. “That’s not normal.” I heard someone say. I tried to explain that it was easy and the only way to really know who to put in your top five, but my efforts at recovery were in vain. The whole group laughed at the lengths I’d gone through. They informed me that any normal person would just try to guess who it was, or estimate it by skimming for a number that showed the most on their bill; by any means, downloading to a spreadsheet was definitely a bit extreme.

I know what you’re thinking; I thought it too. They still don't understand. Just because you speak to someone frequently doesn’t qualify that person for spending the most time on the phone…after all that is the real issue how much TIME is spent. But the argument was lost, so I laughed along with the group and took my ridicule in stride.

AND THAT’S HOW I KNOW THAT I MIGHT BE A TOTAL NERD!

Take me out to the D-Backs Game!

2007-06-08T00:24:00.000-07:00

All those in favor of getting free tickets to baseball games at the last moment, say I

... "I!!! "

The plan for Tuesday night was to get wings at Native New Yorker but then my Dad came home with four tickets to the DBacks game. Since we were all kind of doing our own thing that night, he let me use them. And they were sweet seats...row 26 along the line to first base. We got there during the middle of the fifth inning (Which was nice since the games are so long. It was the perfect amount of time). Afterwards, we went to Applebees; so in the end, I got both my wings AND the game. Nice!

Soul Food

2007-06-08T00:02:00.000-07:00

Chicken and Waffles? ...An interesting combo for a girl from Arizona, but apparently this is quite the comfort combo for any Southerner. I owe a few friends big time for the introduction to LoLo's Chicken and Waffles located in Phoenix. I got an enormous piece of chicken, a tasty waffle, mac & cheese, and (best of all) a huge jar of red Kool-Aid.

I believe you can also get chicken gizzards, gritz, and catfish if the waffle-chicken combo isn't soul enough for your tastes.

Roxie-Roo

2007-06-07T23:35:00.000-07:00

Who could resist such a cute little face?

This is our Jack-Russell puppy Roxie. She was my brother's Christmas present but has quickly won over the entire family; by now she considers herself the most important part of the family and insists on being included in everything.

Among her favorite games to play are fetch (not in it's traditional sense so much as to throw the toy once and then chase each other around the yard to keep it) and lick-your-face (she tries to sneak up on you and lick your face - she thinks she's so sly). Whether she is so sneaky or not depends on the day, and she is the sweetest thing I've ever seen, but she is certainly has a feisty side too. In the picture below she is actually attacking the wheel of our ATV - this happens everytime we turn the thing on. She begins to growl, and bark, and attack. It is hilareous to see. I love my puppy who thinks she can take on anything with no fear.

Happy 80th to Grandma!!!

2007-05-13T00:14:00.000-07:00

Tonight my family and I partied like it was 1999! My Grandpa spent the last few weeks coordinating a surprise birthday party for my Grandma's 80th birthday. I thought he was going to burst trying to keep that secret from her...but he made it and the party turned out so well. We played a game where my Grandpa had to answer questions about my Grandma at the risk of having to eat one piece of bubble gum for each answer he got wrong. Eventually, he had to enlist some of the grandkids to help him eat all the gum; in his defense though, he did get majority of them correct. I was rather impressed! I liked hearing his answer to what he like most about my Grandma: The same thing attracts him to her as it did when he first met her...her eyes, her nose, and her smile! Good answer Grandpa ;)

At the close of my grandma's birthday party we got news that my cousin's horse, Lady, was going to have her baby. All of the grandkids rushed down the block to their house where we spent the next couple hours watching the neatest thing...

First the little colt was born. Within minutes we could pet it. Then we backed off while the mother and baby got acquainted. The next hour was spent watching the little baby learn to stand and walk. Once she was stable on her feet, she started looking for food. Everything happened so quickly. It was amazing to see it all unfold...a Discovery channel orignial in my cousin's backyard!

Graduation

2007-05-12T23:43:00.000-07:00

a long awaited day...

THURSDAY, MAY 10, 2007

GRADUATION!

These pictures were taken as we made our way back to the car after the commencement ceremony at the Wells Fargo Arena. The speakers all said wonderful things during the ceremony but I was just too excited to have them call my name and walk across the stage to pay attention. I guess after going through it all, I'd highly recommend graduation to any and all persons involved with college. It's rather nice to wake up the next day and realize you're done with school.

To celebrate, all my family came over and ate a Mexican feast. I love it when all our family gets together. The best part was teaching my little cousins how to play old school Nintendo. They thought they were naturals at all video games, but I completely obliterated any score they even tried to accomplish...and if I can do that, that's saying something.

Ode to Melissa

2007-05-06T21:38:00.000-07:00

As we all know today (May 7th) is a Happy Birthday to Melissa!!!

This post is to honor her so I expect a lot of comments with all your own favorite things about our good friend.

Oh Melissa, how we love her, let us count the ways...
1. Her crazy purple hair (too bad it's not permanent)
2. Her motherly instincts
3. Her tootsy-roll
4. Her witts
5. Her smile that brightens any gloomy day
6. Her selflessness
7. Her positive attitude
8. Her American pride (as manifested by the new flag in their front yard)
9. Her nutritional balance
10. Her new found love for those who have lost their minds

Smile!

2007-04-27T14:16:00.000-07:00

I was going to get new pictures for graduation, however, with teal bands on my braces, my teeth are a bit too distracting for professional photographs (not to metion, the teal seriously clashed with the gold and maroon on my ASU announcements). All things considered, I've decided to stick with this picture until I get my braces off. Everyone better watch out though, once I get these babies off, I'll be a picture machine.

Chillin' with Grandma

2007-03-31T20:56:00.000-07:00

Tonight I hung out at Grandma's house. We
ate Neilson's. It was de BEEST!

Spring Break

2007-03-23T08:16:00.000-07:00

I suppose it's about time I updated this post. Mel reprimanded me for not keeping up on it...
There has actually been quite a lot going on lately, so it's probably a good thing I'm getting around to it.

The first part of spring break consisted of putting painting and putting new carpet in the house. Whew, having to move all the furniture up and down the stairs reminded me why I will try to move as few times as possible during my lifetime.

Once the house was done, we decided to take off on a California advanture. Otto and Josh had flown out for their own boy's only spring break earlier in the week, so it was just Sarah, my parents, and the open road. Here are a few preview pictures. We went to Universal Studios, learned to surf, and visited my dad's cousins.

Well I've got to get to work so I'll finish this later...

My First Blog

2006-11-20T22:19:00.000-07:00

Well here it is everyone:

my first blog...

(In all honesty, this is my second blogger, but the first didn't turn out so well...)

Life in Mesa, Arizona remains as grand as ever. Here I am celebrating good ol' 22. My cousins came over for the family party and we ened up dancing to Hannah Montana all night. But that wasn't all I did...Julie and Katie also gave me a surprise birthday party...

THANKS GIRLS

Right now I think everyone is just holding on for the last few weeks of school. I must say, I am getting a little anxious for winter break. I'm ready for a little rest, relaxation, and FUN. Things aren't set in stone yet, but visions of guitar lessons, spin-cycling classes, and sleeping in keep running through my head.

By the way, I'll be starting a new internship in January. It with an accounting firm in North Scottsdale. I'll be doing audit.