Ode to my 22nd year

With the passing of Christmas, my age increased and another year of my life started. So I figured it close enough to 2012 to look back on 2011 and call it an ode.

So dear 22nd year of my life...

You were good to me.

My biggest travel year to date as you took me on a cruise,

 To Mexico,

Coasta Rica,

and Panama

 then to Ireland and England,

 

 

 

 and across the USA - NY to UT.

Mississippi River!

 

Yay for family visits! :D

 You gave me a degree and lots of useful knowledge

 You strengthened the meaning of friendship.

 Took me to General Conference.

 Allowed me to attend beautiful weddings.

 

 You had a photoshoot on the beach.

Let me hold a butterfly,
while spending a week being "bearly" even human.

 Experience a giant hail storm.

Saw the Beach Boys in concert... sort of.

 Embarked on my 2nd annual Parade of Homes,

You were filled with smiles,

tears,

happiness,

sorrow,

a giant Van Gogh painting,

stress,

fear,
joys,

worry,

a burning sunburn (and experimental solutions),
laughter,

papers,

projects,

sister time,

delicious treats,

memories, new and old

movies,

firework fun,

trips to the zoo,

enjoying the temple beauty 

(logan, salt lake, idaho falls, preston, palmyra, nauvoo),

picnics,

rainy days,

and lots of job hunting. 

I am definitely not the same person I was when I turned 22,
and I am excited for what year 23 will bring!.!.!
(and hoping it opens with a nice little job offer and a big decision being able to be made) 

Happy New Year!

"Psych!"

I know I said I would be MIA 

but life made me change my mind 

because I have to share happiness with you all!

There are blossoms on the trees!

 I can get my Vitamin D for the day today!

(you only need 5-15 minutes unprotected sun exposure between 10-3 each day in summer)

There are DANDELIONS (a weed yes - that brings me JOY)!

And the clouds are marvelous!

My favorite!

Also everytime I walk home and see this:

 . . . I start singing this:

"Just smell the grass, the dirt, just like I dreamed they'd be!"

. . . without fail!

Also the "real" world is so close and I am more than halfway to it . . .

I am finally starting to feel the excitement . . .

8 DAYS.

I cannot figure out how to embed something from vimeo so

click here to see the sky's amazingness.

p.s. while it was indeed possible that the title was referring to the absolutely amazing tv show here it is used to mean . . . I looked it up and I think that we often use this word how Inigo Montoya says, "I do not think it means what you think it means" . . . at least I don't think I made you nervous by posting . . .I meant it as I shocked you with a surprise appearance!

Back to studying and paper writing I guess.

Weather Man

Brilliance with the aforementioned title is found below.

via here

"Life is a Perpetual Invitation."

So I really like that quote.

I think I just need to learn to be better at RSVP'ing,
or even spontaneously heading somewhere new
or sometimes accepting the invitation. . .

On another note, don't worry
I just spent quite a while 

looking at beautiful pictures found here.
(I didn't see all the pictures so I hope none offend)

Life is beautiful.

 Enjoy it.

I highly recommend Border's Hot Cocoa with a friend.

p.s. I want one of these.

Except cuter and more me-like.
 Any ideas on how to make it?
Or what to put in it?

Today I found this while going through my 600 something e-mails and deleting a BUNCH.

It felt good to be "organizing" and "cleaning" even if it wasn't my life

 

It made me happy. 

p.s. I noticed it's missing a lot of people. . .

This Day in My Life.

So thinking about today, last night was not so happy.

I had to get up early to study,

I worked at 7:30 AM (luckily I continued to study there)

Had a final at 11:30 after which I returned to work until 5.

However. I got to work with my sister! :)

And later Cheryl :).

I learned the best way to take a test is

with a pint of Aggie Ice Cream by your side 

provided BY the teacher (love my major)!

My good friend S called me - I have not talked to her in a while!

So far those are the things I am relishing but later today I get to have a grocery store adventure with Kend and Ash.

And in celebration of finals week I get to dine here with Michelle.

Never underestimate how an expected bad day can be the complete opposite.

Picniking away my time. . .

It's actually become a fun past time  at work for all of us.

Here are my "masterpieces" . . .

really I just don't want to put them on facebook yet

so you get a preview.

Yeah . . . I don't want to run into any of us in the forest.

p.s. thanks friends for letting me borrow pictures from facebook.

p.p.s. I am still getting the hang of it and do NOT know why my eye did that after all the editing was done . . .

Overcast Skies

Yesterday I walked out of work to this:

BEAUTIFUL if you ask me.
I'm so glad I had my camera.