Mom and Finn
Me, Natalie, and Nicole
ha. It was a horrible picture of me so I just cropped my face right out - besides, it's the baby everyone wants to see!
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
Congratulations Daniel & Natalie!
This week has been pretty exciting! The reason being that Natalie had her baby on Monday night around 10pm!! Grant and I went tonight to go see Daniel and her, and their little baby boy, Finn. I couldn't be happier for them! Finn is so adorable and Natalie is looking great and feeling good too. I'm excited to babysit for them :)
Sunday, January 23, 2011
Las Vegas Trip!
Grant and I are back now from our Vegas trip this past weekend and we had a blast. We drove down Friday afternoon and stayed with my grandmother in St. George for the night. The next morning we got up, ate breakfast and spent some time with my grandma, and then went over to my aunt and uncles house to see them for a bit. Around 11am we left for Vegas and got there before noon (because of the time change) and were able to check in early!
We stayed at the Mirage (thanks to my brother Brandon) our room was awesome! We were on the 23rd floor and our room looked out right over the strip.
I checked out the mini bar when we first got into the room and not only did they have drinks, snacks, and movies, but also a diamond-studded lollipop! Now that's classy.
Our room also gave us a great view for the Mirage's fire show.
When we got unpacked, we went out on the strip and got lunch at Chipotle (Grant's choice), walked around for a while, went shopping at the Forum Shops at Caesar's Palace, and then went back to the room to get ready for the night.
We first went out to dinner at a really nice Italian restaurant called Dal Toro in the Palazzo (where our meals were really really delicious!) And then we went to the Cirque du Soleil "Mystere" show (thanks to my parents)! Dinner was so good, and the show was even better! I absolutely love Cirque shows, they are mesmerizing! Grant and I have seen three together ("O," "Ka," and now "Mystere") and all three have been amazing. We always try to figure out which one is our favorite but it's impossible. They are all incredible.
In our seats before the show started.
One of the characters in the show who walked around the theatre before the performance began throwing popcorn at random people, tearing up tickets, and walking through the rows of seats just to make people get up haha.
In the last scene of the show I sneaked a picture.
Then the next morning we woke up early, packed, and checked out :( I was so sad to leave. The weather the entire time was about 67-70 degrees with the sun shining. It was so nice! I wanted to stay longer just to walk around to enjoy the weather -- but instead we had to come back to cold Provo. I hope spring comes early this year...
Grant and I in our room before we left.
We stayed at the Mirage (thanks to my brother Brandon) our room was awesome! We were on the 23rd floor and our room looked out right over the strip.
I checked out the mini bar when we first got into the room and not only did they have drinks, snacks, and movies, but also a diamond-studded lollipop! Now that's classy.
Our room also gave us a great view for the Mirage's fire show.
When we got unpacked, we went out on the strip and got lunch at Chipotle (Grant's choice), walked around for a while, went shopping at the Forum Shops at Caesar's Palace, and then went back to the room to get ready for the night.
We first went out to dinner at a really nice Italian restaurant called Dal Toro in the Palazzo (where our meals were really really delicious!) And then we went to the Cirque du Soleil "Mystere" show (thanks to my parents)! Dinner was so good, and the show was even better! I absolutely love Cirque shows, they are mesmerizing! Grant and I have seen three together ("O," "Ka," and now "Mystere") and all three have been amazing. We always try to figure out which one is our favorite but it's impossible. They are all incredible.
In our seats before the show started.
Then the next morning we woke up early, packed, and checked out :( I was so sad to leave. The weather the entire time was about 67-70 degrees with the sun shining. It was so nice! I wanted to stay longer just to walk around to enjoy the weather -- but instead we had to come back to cold Provo. I hope spring comes early this year...
Grant and I in our room before we left.
Some pictures outside the Mirage.
On our drive back to Provo we stopped for gas and lunch. We didn't have many options so we just got treats at the gas station. We might have gotten a little carried away. So much so that the gas station attendant who was at the cash register said goodbye to us with "Enjoy your diabetes!" hahahaha
Good weekend :)
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
Cabin Trip
So far this semester has been off to a great start. All my classes are really interesting and I really love my teachers. I haven't even had too much work to do yet, which has been so nice. I'm sure things will pick up soon though and I'll be swamped, but for the mean time it's been nice having time to go to the gym, hang out with friends, take trips, and make dinner for Grant and I (ha).
This past weekend we took a trip up to the cabin with Justin & Holly and Jamie & Nicole. We left Provo around 5 on Friday and got to the cabin around midnight (after stopping in Idaho Falls and in Victor for groceries). We then woke up early on Saturday morning to go snowboarding at Targhee. It was a pretty foggy day so when we were at the very top of the mountain it was extremely hard to see anything, but other than that it really was a great day of boarding! I forget every time I go how much fun I have, and I love that Grant and I can ride together. So we had a great day on the mountain and then when we got back to the cabin Grant's parents were already there and they fed us a delicious meal and we all played games and relaxed. On Sunday we went to church in Victor and then relaxed the rest of the day. The boys played out in the snow making sled runs for a while, and attempted to get Grant's dad's truck unstuck (but they weren't successful until Monday), but then eventually came in and we all kind of lounged around. Oh, we also watched a really awful movie -- Night and Day with Cameron Diaz and Tom Cruise -- please don't see it. It's even a waste of a red box $1. It's that dumb. Anyways...then on Monday we woke up, had a huge breakfast (Gail and Larry were so good to us the whole time -- they cooked Pot Roast and Potatoes, Lasagna, Buck Wheat Pancakes, Bacon, Eggs, and fed us way too many desserts) and got on the road around noon. We stopped in Idaho Falls to see Grandpa Manion for just a minute, then we headed back to Provo.
It was a great (and very relaxing) long weekend. I absolutely love three-day weekends! Not only do you get an extra day of weekend, but you get one day less of a school-week. It's great!
I'm glad that Grant and I have made an effort to take so many trips with our friends. Because once were graduated and we have real jobs we just won't ever be able to do this again. I think we both secretly dread all the responsibility that comes with graduating college and being a grown up so we're trying to prepare for it by having as much fun as possible while in school. Last year we were able to take tons of trips:
Along with taking trips, I've been good so far with my other new years resolutions. I've been going to the gym everyday for a much longer time than I used to. That's actually due to the fact that I now have an iPad (thank you Brandon!) and so I take it to the gym with me, put on a movie, and just run the whole time. It's great! By the time the movie's over, I've completely forgotten I've been running and I've burned 1000 calories without even feeling it! I've also been planning how I'm going to get access to a sewing machine so I can learn to sew and I've found some really good deals online that I might take advantage of. And I've also been trying to cook more. Tonight I made stuffed manicotti and it turned out great! I'm not a huge fan of so much cheese, but Grant loved it. So I think I'll make it again for him since it was such a hit.
Anyways, I'm trying hard to stick to my resolutions. Cooking more, I'm going to learn how to sew (I promise), going to the gym (hopefully I'll be able to drop another 10 pounds. I've lost 15 so far but the last 10 is proving stubborn to come off), writing in my journal more and on the blog, and I'm trying to work hard in school (even though my senioritis is really killing me). I just can't wait until I graduate!! Now the next resolution I need to focus on is getting Grant and I jobs!
This past weekend we took a trip up to the cabin with Justin & Holly and Jamie & Nicole. We left Provo around 5 on Friday and got to the cabin around midnight (after stopping in Idaho Falls and in Victor for groceries). We then woke up early on Saturday morning to go snowboarding at Targhee. It was a pretty foggy day so when we were at the very top of the mountain it was extremely hard to see anything, but other than that it really was a great day of boarding! I forget every time I go how much fun I have, and I love that Grant and I can ride together. So we had a great day on the mountain and then when we got back to the cabin Grant's parents were already there and they fed us a delicious meal and we all played games and relaxed. On Sunday we went to church in Victor and then relaxed the rest of the day. The boys played out in the snow making sled runs for a while, and attempted to get Grant's dad's truck unstuck (but they weren't successful until Monday), but then eventually came in and we all kind of lounged around. Oh, we also watched a really awful movie -- Night and Day with Cameron Diaz and Tom Cruise -- please don't see it. It's even a waste of a red box $1. It's that dumb. Anyways...then on Monday we woke up, had a huge breakfast (Gail and Larry were so good to us the whole time -- they cooked Pot Roast and Potatoes, Lasagna, Buck Wheat Pancakes, Bacon, Eggs, and fed us way too many desserts) and got on the road around noon. We stopped in Idaho Falls to see Grandpa Manion for just a minute, then we headed back to Provo.
It was a great (and very relaxing) long weekend. I absolutely love three-day weekends! Not only do you get an extra day of weekend, but you get one day less of a school-week. It's great!
I'm glad that Grant and I have made an effort to take so many trips with our friends. Because once were graduated and we have real jobs we just won't ever be able to do this again. I think we both secretly dread all the responsibility that comes with graduating college and being a grown up so we're trying to prepare for it by having as much fun as possible while in school. Last year we were able to take tons of trips:
- Cabin trip w/ Jessie Leininger, Justin & Holly, Cory, Brad, and their friend Jess in January
- Cabin trip w/ Jessie Leininger & Jacob in February
- Connecticut trip for my bridal shower in March
- St. George trip in April
- Texas trip for our reception in May
- Connecticut trip for our reception in June
- Cabo trip for our honeymoon in June
- Logan trip w/ Andrea in July
- Cabin trip w/ Daniel & Natalie in July
- Vegas trip w/ Steve & Jessie, Preston & Lindsay, Ben, and Jamie & Nicole in August
- Connecticut trip w/ my family in August
- St. George trip in September
- St. George trip w/ Andrea for my mom's marathon in October
- Texas trip w/ Justin & Holly for Thanksgiving in November
- Grant's New York trip in November
- Connecticut trip for Christmas in December
- Cabin trip w/ Justin & Holly and Jamie & Nicole in January (this past weekend)
- Vegas trip for just Grant and I in January (next weekend)
- Cabin trip w/ Daniel & Natalie, Justin & Holly, (possibly Jamie & Nicole), and hopefully everyone else in February
- Vegas/St. George trip w/ Justin & Holly, Daniel & Natalie, Jamie & Nicole, Steve & Jessie, Preston & Lindsay, Ben, and Jake in March
- Florida trip w/ Justin & Holly (and possibly Jamie & Nicole) in April/May
- Moab trip sometime this Spring
- Lake Powell trip sometime this Summer
Along with taking trips, I've been good so far with my other new years resolutions. I've been going to the gym everyday for a much longer time than I used to. That's actually due to the fact that I now have an iPad (thank you Brandon!) and so I take it to the gym with me, put on a movie, and just run the whole time. It's great! By the time the movie's over, I've completely forgotten I've been running and I've burned 1000 calories without even feeling it! I've also been planning how I'm going to get access to a sewing machine so I can learn to sew and I've found some really good deals online that I might take advantage of. And I've also been trying to cook more. Tonight I made stuffed manicotti and it turned out great! I'm not a huge fan of so much cheese, but Grant loved it. So I think I'll make it again for him since it was such a hit.
I'm awful about making side dishes -- I just don't even think about it until it's too late!
So tonight I just put out bread and my Grandma's homemade Fig Jam.
And the cute little cutting board and knife were given to us by Grandpa Manion for Christmas.
Anyways, I'm trying hard to stick to my resolutions. Cooking more, I'm going to learn how to sew (I promise), going to the gym (hopefully I'll be able to drop another 10 pounds. I've lost 15 so far but the last 10 is proving stubborn to come off), writing in my journal more and on the blog, and I'm trying to work hard in school (even though my senioritis is really killing me). I just can't wait until I graduate!! Now the next resolution I need to focus on is getting Grant and I jobs!
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
Last Semester at BYU!
My class schedule this semester is pretty crazy, but I'm really excited for all my classes. I'm taking 18 credits, so 6 classes in total, and since it's my last semester before I graduate I'm taking my last couple of Editing courses. In one of my classes we are creating a magazine -- the Summer issue of Stowaway -- and I'm really excited! When I first signed up for the class last November I believed we were making kind of a mock magazine just for experience sake, but the magazine we're making is a legit magazine that people actually subscribe to and also pay to advertise in! On the first day of class we had to look over each position available on the magazine and write a letter of application for which position we wanted and send in our resume. My top three choices were:
My other classes all seem really great as well. I'm in a CHUM class were I'll be learning Indesign and Photoshop and making a flyer, a book, a newsletter, and a photo album. I'm also in an Early Modern English class where I'll be acting out the fifth scene of Shakespeare's Othello with the other 4 girls in my group. And I'm in my senior course for the Elang major where I'll be learning about textual criticism and more specifically the research my teacher has done with the original manuscript of the Book of Mormon. The last two classes I have are Discourse Analysis (analyzing verbal communication) and Psycholinguistics. All my teachers this semester are awesome and I'm really excited about what I'll be learning and the experience I'll be getting.
I'm also going to try to work on another student journal this semester as an editor. I haven't decided which, but all the meetings start up this week so I'll be deciding quick. Again it'll just give me more editing experience, which I'll be needing seeing as I'm graduating in April!! I still can't believe that after all this time I'll actually be done with school forever (unless I go to Grad school, but right now I'm so burnt out on school that I'm not thinking about that anymore). It's really exciting! And I'm happy Grant's graduating at the same time as I am, it's makes it easier for us. Hopefully we get jobs and we'll be able to know where were going and what we're doing after graduation!
That's the update for now. Hopefully I'll be able to survive this semester!
- Senior Editor
- Copy Editor
- Associate Editor
My other classes all seem really great as well. I'm in a CHUM class were I'll be learning Indesign and Photoshop and making a flyer, a book, a newsletter, and a photo album. I'm also in an Early Modern English class where I'll be acting out the fifth scene of Shakespeare's Othello with the other 4 girls in my group. And I'm in my senior course for the Elang major where I'll be learning about textual criticism and more specifically the research my teacher has done with the original manuscript of the Book of Mormon. The last two classes I have are Discourse Analysis (analyzing verbal communication) and Psycholinguistics. All my teachers this semester are awesome and I'm really excited about what I'll be learning and the experience I'll be getting.
I'm also going to try to work on another student journal this semester as an editor. I haven't decided which, but all the meetings start up this week so I'll be deciding quick. Again it'll just give me more editing experience, which I'll be needing seeing as I'm graduating in April!! I still can't believe that after all this time I'll actually be done with school forever (unless I go to Grad school, but right now I'm so burnt out on school that I'm not thinking about that anymore). It's really exciting! And I'm happy Grant's graduating at the same time as I am, it's makes it easier for us. Hopefully we get jobs and we'll be able to know where were going and what we're doing after graduation!
That's the update for now. Hopefully I'll be able to survive this semester!
Thursday, January 6, 2011
New Year
I can't believe it's already January 2011! Does anyone remember The Jetsons? That was based in the year 2000! And here we are eleven years farther in the future than the cartoon television show I obsessed over when I was a kid. All I can say is I hope this year someone discovers how we can fold our cars into little suitcases that we can pop into slots when we get to school/job.
Well in honor of the new year, I decided to make some new year's resolutions.
Well in honor of the new year, I decided to make some new year's resolutions.
- Learn how to sew
- Get straight A's
- Work out 4-5 times a week
- Cook more meals each week
- Update the blog / write in my journal every day
- Loose ten more pounds
- Grow my hair long
- Get a real-life editing job
- Be better about saving money
- Find more time for craft projects and painting
- Go on lots of trips with friends
- Stay in better contact with family members
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
Thanksgiving in Texas & Christmas in Connecticut
I know I've been awful about updating my blog, but I'm going to attempt to play catch-up and post about Thanksgiving and Christmas all in one.
For Thanksgiving we went to Texas for a week to spend time with Grant's family. We road tripped down with Justin and Holly and though I was dreading the drive, it actually ended up being pretty fun. It was almost exactly 18 hours each way and to pass the time we listened to Harry Potter #7. We decided to do the drive all in one day so we left around 6 am and got in around midnight - 1:00ish. The drive wasn't too bad and anyways, it was worth it because instead of spending two days driving, we got it done in one meaning we had more time to hang out with family.
Everyone was there (except Becky & Burton who were in Costa Rica and we missed them!) and I had so much fun playing with all the nephews and my first niece Heidi! Here's some pictures I took during the break. They're not great because of the light, but unfortunately they're all I took.
I wish I had taken more photos of the little kids! Next time were all together I'll do better. We actually took a family shot as well and if I'm able to get a hold of any of those photos I'll post them on here!
While in Texas, Grant and I also did all of our Christmas shopping, hung out with Justin and Holly, and went to a rodeo down in Fort Worth.
It was an awesome trip! We had so much fun with everyone and it was really good to spend time with Grant's family!
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For Christmas this year Grant and I went to Connecticut for two weeks to spend time and celebrate with my family. We had a blast being there hanging out with everyone and since we had so much time, we saw plenty of movies, went out to eat, saw friends, and of course went into NYC.
One thing we did A LOT was play games. Mostly we played words games, which are my family's favorite, such as Boggle, Scrabble, and Banana Grams. Here's a picture of my board when Grant and I were finished playing a round of Banana Grams. (Grant had already turned his over again).
While we were there a huge snow storm came in! It was pretty fun actually because we almost had a white Christmas (it came in the day after) and it made everything so beautiful! Plus, it didn't bother us because we got to stay in by the fire all day if we wanted to. Here's my house a couple days after the storm had hit and the boys had completely shoveled the driveway...about 3 times.
Christmas day was so much fun! We woke up late (to satisfy some siblings who are on a very different sleeping schedule) and opened gifts by the fire. I wish I had thought to get a picture of the tree when all the gifts were still under there! But nonetheless, our tree was really cool this year. Grant and I went and picked it out with Trevor and my parents on Monday the 20th. Grant was actually the one to spot this guy, and I think he did a good job!
Here's some pictures that Courtney took of all of us opening gifts and doing our Christmas day traditions.
Austin's on his mission this year so wasn't home for Christmas. But he wrote us a letter saying that all our Christmas presents were upstairs in his old room and not to open them until Christmas. When Christmas day finally arrived we opened his gifts, which were note cards that said "Love" on then. And my mom's said "Most Loved". Cards of Love? Not good enough...he's going to need to make it up to us when he gets back!
The week after Christmas day Grant and I entertained ourselves by again seeing more movies, making returns/exchanged, shopping, and going into NYC! We went in to the city with my parents and Andrea to go to the MET. There were some awesome exhibits there including the Egyptian exhibit, which was huge!
Grant and I were thinking about going back into the city for New Years Eve but decided against it this year. But one of these years we're going to go! I think it would be a lot more fun if all of our friends came out with us...so we need to start planning that!
Speaking of planning trips, one of the presents Grant and I got for Christmas was a Vegas trip!! I am SO excited! Brandon got us a room at the Mirage and my parents got us tickets to see Cirque du Soleil's Mystere! We're going the weekend of January 21-23 and I can't wait! The weekend before that (14-17) is a holiday so we're also planning a trip to the cabin with our friends. And then another trip in February to the cabin, and hopefully another trip in March to St. George/Vegas. This is the last semester with all our friends so I want to make it a good one!
For Thanksgiving we went to Texas for a week to spend time with Grant's family. We road tripped down with Justin and Holly and though I was dreading the drive, it actually ended up being pretty fun. It was almost exactly 18 hours each way and to pass the time we listened to Harry Potter #7. We decided to do the drive all in one day so we left around 6 am and got in around midnight - 1:00ish. The drive wasn't too bad and anyways, it was worth it because instead of spending two days driving, we got it done in one meaning we had more time to hang out with family.
Everyone was there (except Becky & Burton who were in Costa Rica and we missed them!) and I had so much fun playing with all the nephews and my first niece Heidi! Here's some pictures I took during the break. They're not great because of the light, but unfortunately they're all I took.
Caleb & Blaine
From Left to Right: Neil, Blaine, Gavin, Tate, Caleb
Ahhhhh what a horrible flash!
Shannon was there trying to help Gavin focus on smiling for the picture but it didn't quite work out...he was way more interested in leaving the picture to go ride the little car :)
I wish I had taken more photos of the little kids! Next time were all together I'll do better. We actually took a family shot as well and if I'm able to get a hold of any of those photos I'll post them on here!
While in Texas, Grant and I also did all of our Christmas shopping, hung out with Justin and Holly, and went to a rodeo down in Fort Worth.
It was an awesome trip! We had so much fun with everyone and it was really good to spend time with Grant's family!
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
For Christmas this year Grant and I went to Connecticut for two weeks to spend time and celebrate with my family. We had a blast being there hanging out with everyone and since we had so much time, we saw plenty of movies, went out to eat, saw friends, and of course went into NYC.
One thing we did A LOT was play games. Mostly we played words games, which are my family's favorite, such as Boggle, Scrabble, and Banana Grams. Here's a picture of my board when Grant and I were finished playing a round of Banana Grams. (Grant had already turned his over again).
Christmas day was so much fun! We woke up late (to satisfy some siblings who are on a very different sleeping schedule) and opened gifts by the fire. I wish I had thought to get a picture of the tree when all the gifts were still under there! But nonetheless, our tree was really cool this year. Grant and I went and picked it out with Trevor and my parents on Monday the 20th. Grant was actually the one to spot this guy, and I think he did a good job!
Brandon & Trevor opening their watches -- my dad always gets us new watches for Christmas. It's about the only gift he picks out and he's getting pretty good at it!
Me in my brand new onesies! They're bright red and have monkeys on the feet! Santa is THE BEST :)
Courtney brought home her little 6-month puppy Bernard. He is the cutest dog I've ever seen, and the best mannered.
Trevor was given this sweater for Christmas and it just so happened to match the one my mom was wearing perfectly. Twins?!
The week after Christmas day Grant and I entertained ourselves by again seeing more movies, making returns/exchanged, shopping, and going into NYC! We went in to the city with my parents and Andrea to go to the MET. There were some awesome exhibits there including the Egyptian exhibit, which was huge!
My mom in her brand new dress! I think she looks great!
My dad was being so difficult! It was impossible to get him to look at the camera!
Andrea & I
But my favorite exhibit, of course, was the modern art exhibit. I love Jackson Pollock, Andy Warhol, Roy Lichtenstein, and all of them. And the best part is they have some really great Chuck Close's too that I can't get over!
My mom and dad outside the museum
Grant, me, and my dad outside the museum (and me in my brand new coat!)
Grant and I were thinking about going back into the city for New Years Eve but decided against it this year. But one of these years we're going to go! I think it would be a lot more fun if all of our friends came out with us...so we need to start planning that!
Speaking of planning trips, one of the presents Grant and I got for Christmas was a Vegas trip!! I am SO excited! Brandon got us a room at the Mirage and my parents got us tickets to see Cirque du Soleil's Mystere! We're going the weekend of January 21-23 and I can't wait! The weekend before that (14-17) is a holiday so we're also planning a trip to the cabin with our friends. And then another trip in February to the cabin, and hopefully another trip in March to St. George/Vegas. This is the last semester with all our friends so I want to make it a good one!
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