Somewhere Between Life and Living

Here it is tomorrow! (in really long day world!)

2009-09-11T21:15:00.004-06:00

Me, Trissa, and Kami at our YSA Softball Game!

Alright. I'm sorry. But I do have a very good excuse. I moved to Tucson...officially! I truly love it here. I have made lots of friends, received a calling in church, and gotten a job! I had a lot of internet troubles when I first moved and the majority of my time was spent LOOKING for a job! I really hit the ground running when I moved here. I was really lucky on that front. I have an amazing job as a reservation specialist for Canyon Ranch Spa and Resort. This is the kind of super swanky place that celebrities and millionaires go to relax! I get awesome health insurance, and I also have full use of the facilities. So today for example I studied in the morning, did an hour of service observation, at lunch I played Walleyball, after lunch I went to a lecture from a world-famous astrologist, and ended my day with an hour long class on stretching and relaxation. Pretty good day right?!

I can honestly say that I absolutely love Tucson. I love the people, the weather, and the general 'feel' of it all. Everyone here is very relaxed and friendly. I have made some fantastic friends in just a very short time. I love where I am living, although it is quite a ways away from work. I will probably be moving to the east-side of tucson when my contract is up at the end of January.

I wish everyone could come visit and see for themselves how wonderful it is here. I was truly inspired to move here. I know this is the right place for me, at least for the next four years. If anyone ever wants to get away from the snow, relax, and get away from it all, there is always an invitation open!

Love you all!

Becky

More to Come Tomorrow Stay Tuned!!!

2009-08-01T18:48:00.001-06:00

July 3rd BBQ

2009-08-01T18:44:00.002-06:00

We had our 10th Annual Levanger Family BBQ on July 3rd. Let me tell you now, it was huge, and awesome! We had the whole Lovell family, plus lots of other family friends, Pam and a bunch of her friends and family, Tanya and her boyfriend Brent, Alex, and of course the Anderson's who have been family friends since the '60's! We had so much fun gorging on lots of food, Dad enjoyed his new grill, and we all watched the fireworks from the grass and porch. It was so much fun to see everyone and talk and have fun. I'm glad that it was such a great turn out this year!

June 29th-30th Establishing Arizona residency

2009-08-01T18:36:00.002-06:00

On the 29th I flew to Tucson by myself to do some pre-move preparations. I got my new driver's license, I found a house to rent and signed my rental contract, I transferred all of my bank accounts, and I got an Arizona cell phone and number. It was a whirl-wind trip, but really great. I love being independent, and taking this trip on my own and handling everything without anyone else's help was very re-affirming to my decision to make this move. I am really excited to start this new chapter of my life and I can't wait to get started. The picture is my new house, which is located on the north-western side of Tucson close to Costco and Foothills mall.

June 27th-28th Family Reunion and Bonding

2009-08-01T18:31:00.002-06:00

The day I got home from Flaming Gorge (we got home at about 2AM) we drove to Springville for Forsyth reunion. Technically I am not related to the Forsyth's, but it was fun to be there to honor them. It was actually pretty funny to figure out how I could possibly belong there! I am the Forsyth's oldest daughter's husbands oldest child with his second wife! Yep, gotta love my family! Anyway, the evening was very nice and everyone was there to honor LeGrand and Maria Forsyth in style. The next day, sunday, was our re-scheduled Father's Day dinner where we gave Dad his new grill, which I helped Tom and Jason set-up while Dad was at church. We had all of the family there except Mom and Erik, it was a pretty nice day!

June 25th-27th Flaming Gorge

2009-08-01T18:23:00.002-06:00

My YSA Super Activity was immediately following my trip to Zion's. (I actually had to drive to Mountain Home, ID in between, but I got that done in one day.) I drove the whole way with my friends Kathleen and Jill Bearnson, Kaitlyn Dixon, and of course Tanya. Tanya and I had so much fun singing to all of my iPod songs all the way there and back! We were actually driving and singing Michael Jackson songs when we heard about his death, so of course we listened to the rest of his anthology. When we got there I displayed my exceptional tent-pitching abilities! that night the sky decided a good monsoon rain was in order, and luckily, due to my mad-skillz we were one of the few tents that didn't flood! It did put a bit of a damper in the next day's activities, although it did finally clear up and we went river rafting. We had a great time, but I was stressed during the majority of it because I was on the Activities Committee and had to scramble a lot! We did have fun though and I'm glad I was able to spend the time with my friends, especially since I am moving so soon.

June 19th-22nd Family Trip to Zion's and Hurricane

2009-08-01T18:17:00.002-06:00

The next event was a trip back to Zion's, this time with my Dad, his girlfriend Pam, my sister Maria, and her husband and daughter. We went 'family friendly' hiking in Zion's, which means little hikes generally on paved trails and less than a mile long. Isabel and I had fun exploring, ditching the adults, and climbing on rocks though! We also went to church with my 'sort-of step-grandparents' and had a really nice Father's day picnic with them and my brother Jason's family. We also had pictures taken and got a little golf in. I think everyone had fun, but I'm not going to lie, it was a little weird!

May 20th-22nd Zion's Hiking

2009-08-01T17:54:00.002-06:00

Towards the end of May I took an awesome road trip with my good friends Sarah Roberts and Jaci Mabey to St. George and Zion Nat. Park. The first day we were there we just hung out by the pool and ate a huge and delicious dinner at Pizza Factory! We had a lot of fun talking and listening to music. Sarah also brought her friend Taylor from Lee where she goes to school. On Thursday we hiked Angel's Landing. It was ridiculous! The last half mile was pretty much vertical and we had to climb using chains to pull ourselves up and avoid falling several hundred feet! I tell you what though, that view from the top erased any possible doubts that God exists. It was the most amazing view I have ever seen, and we had so much fun hiking all day! We also saw weeping rock and rode the tram all the way through the park. It was a great time. We ended up coming home early because it was kind of rainy the next day and we didn't feel like driving to Moab after hiking all day! It was a lot of fun though, it was great to catch up with such good friends.

Yep...I know

2009-08-01T02:49:00.002-06:00

I know that I suck at this whole blog thing. But, in my defense, life has been insanity since about the first of June. Not that I haven't had time to sit and do this, I have, but it truly has been crazy. I promise to post a long narrative and/or several short posts on what is going on in my life by Monday at the very latest. Love Ya All!

Trip to Tucson

2009-05-07T15:28:00.013-06:00

If you read my previous post you would know that I have been considering the University of Arizona as the institute of higher education where I will pursue a MBA degree. Consequently, that would make Tucson, the location of the school, my new home, at least for the next three years. I did a lot of research on Tucson and the school, but knew that I would be unable to reach an educated decision about whether I would like it there without direct experience. It was this realization that took me to Tucson last week.

I am lucky enough to have an amazing Mom that took off two days of work and suffered through four horrendous plane-rides to come with me! (A girl couldn't ask for a better mom!) We had so much fun exploring and eating and playing. We discovered a couple of DELICIOUS restaurants, got our nails done, went to a movie, went to the Arizona Sonora Desert museum, and bunch of other things.

If I had to describe Tucson in one word I would probably have to say: Breathtaking. Of course, it is impossible to describe Tucson in one word! It is beautiful, warm, green, alive, perfect, wonderful, fabulous, delicious, exciting, and a million other words. I was worried at first because from the air Tucson looks fairly sparse and dead. All thoughts of death end the second you get outside though! It is gorgeous. There are trees everywhere, huge trees, and palm trees, and flowering cacti, etc. I can't understand how anyone could think of Tucson as sparse and desert-ish. Granted, there aren't a lot of grassy lawns, the Tucsonians favor the zero-scape landscaping. However, with the hundreds of multi-colored adobe homes, this zero-scape look actually belongs, grass would look out of place. There are huge parks in several locations throughout the city, with plenty of grass!

Tucson's beauty is surpassed by only one thing, the University of Arizona campus. Now I went to BYU which is nestled under the towering Rocky Mountains, and is absolutely breathtaking. I am quite partial to the geography and landscape of BYU. I have to be honest though, The University of Arizona campus is even more beautiful than BYU. I never thought I would say that, but the U of A campus is unbelievable in itself.

I met with the two directors of admission for the MBA program while I was there. I think that

they were impressed with me, but they couldn't have been as impressed as I was with the program itself. It sounds absolutely perfect, in every possible way. I can't wait to be a student there. The way they have the program set up is really cool. You go on an international trip spring break of your senior year and have internships both the summer of your first and second years. They have an incredible career development program that works with top companies to find internships for their students. Also, they offer quite a few scholarships, so there may be hope for eating in graduate school after all!

If you haven't guessed by now I'm in love with Tucson. I truly think that it is the place for me, I felt really good about it the entire time I was there. The plan is to hopefully move down there by the end of August. I am hoping to get a job, an apartment or condo, and get involved in the singles ward and institute there. I would then apply to the school in November and start fall of 2010. Hope it all works out. It is time for me to move on, and Tucson really feels right as my next step.

***In un-related news: Bones is on tonight, the second-to-last episode of the season. To use Erik's favorite word: It is going to be absolutely EPIC!!!! This means that I will be a complete basket-case tonight from seven to eight, and probably in some basketish-case-state until the finale next Thursday. Just warning you all now!***

The Update

2009-03-04T09:41:00.003-07:00

I would apologize for not updating my blog, but I wouldn't really mean it. I like to update my blog when important events happen that I feel obligated and/or excited to share. My life right now is not full of important events. It isn't that I am discontent; I'm not. I truly love my life. I just happen to be in a place right now that is devoid of cliff-jumping, armed robbery, and any other form of excitement that ranks above a 2 on the entertaining scale!

I live with "My Boys," as I call them, my Dad, little brother Erik, dog Buddy, and turtle Toby. They are all wonderful to me and I know they bless my life much more than I do theirs. I am learning valuable life lessons right now, how to work with very difficult people, how to be content with what you have, and to appreciate the enormous value of education.

The activities that fill my day are both varied and monotonous. I wake up every morning between 7 and 8. My dad and I each exercise and then share a protein smoothie breakfast before he goes to work. I then have between 9 am and 3 pm to myself. This time is generally spent exercising on the treadmill, cleaning or doing dishes, reading, or wasting time on the tv or internet. When Erik comes home at three he spends an hour relaxing, and then we complete any homework he might have. The evenings are spent with "My Boys" eating supper, watching tv, talking, and occasionally playing games. You will often find us watching House, Bones, or American Idol, and occasionally Erik performing on Rock Band.

Thursdays are the highlight of my week. From 7 to 8:30 I have an Excel class at Bountiful high school. There are about 25 students in the class and I am probably the only one under 40. I love it! You never realize how much you miss school until you no longer have it. I am usually bouncing off the walls with excitement around 6:30 when I start packing my book-bag. I know that in the future I will have to add more educational opportunities for myself. I am currently looking into spanish and kickboxing classes.

You may be wondering about my blog background. It is a long story. I have lived in Utah my entire life. I am truly a Utahn at heart, always have been, and probably always will be. However, a strange thing happened last year while I was in New Zealand: I realized that I did not miss snow. Furthermore, I realized this winter that I absolutely detest being cold; I hate it. Most of you may know how different Erik and I are. Well this fact is very applicable to my weather feelings. Just the other day Erik and I were discussing the weather. Erik has some strangely sick predilection for snow. I told him that if I had to choose between burning to death and freezing to death, that I would pay my executioners handsomely for the burning, Erik of course felt the opposite.

So now that you understand my weather feelings and love of education I can move on to the next reason for my background. I want to get my MBA. The main reason for this is that with an MBA I am still free to do almost anything I want. I also know that I want to focus on the entrepreneur aspect of business because, as most of you may have guessed, I’m not a big fan of being tied to anyone else’s rules, plans, or even hours! I began searching for business schools that might be a good fit for me. In total I have probably spent well over 100 hours searching, and changed my mind several times. I was originally planning on Utah State. However, there were two problems with that plan: 1 it is only a one-year program and I am done rushing through school. And 2 it is in Utah. I have lived in Utah for 22 years. However, I have had my eyes opened to other things that are out there, and I need to have some experiences away from and out of my comfort zone.

I then began looking at top business schools. I searched schools in California, Pennsylvania, and Ohio, despite my weather preferences! However, I finally realized that I was going about my search the wrong way. I don’t really want to go to a top of the line business school, nor can I afford one. I then began searching schools that had middle of the line business schools, good entrepreneur programs, hot weather, and not in Utah. The result: the University of Arizona in Tucson. It is truly made for me. It is hot all-year-round, not a million miles away from home, and has the fourth highest ranked entrepreneur program in the country, with only an average business school.

I am hoping to make a short pilgrimage to Tucson soon. The great thing is that the housing market is in the tank so I might be able to get a good deal.

The plan is to work hard until fall of 2010 and then become a resident of Arizona. Until then I will be dreaming of cacti, sweat, and tans! I am hoping to make enough money to pay for my first year of school, but the job market is pretty lean at the moment, so wish me luck.

Well, that’s it. If you read this entire post you are now completely and 100% up to date with my life!

Mary Josephine Nelson Pottenger: A Legacy

2008-10-14T16:00:00.008-06:00

Mary Jo Pottenger, know to most as MJP, or to me, Grams, died September 20th, 2008 at the age of 75. She had suffered for the past year from terminal cancer. When my grandma found out that treatment was no longer a viable option, she decided it was time for her to rejoin her Father in Heaven. I had the opportunity to spend her last week with her in Pasco, WA. That experience has been one of the most important in my life, and I will never forget that.

My grandmother was an amazing woman, and I will miss her very much. I do know,

however, that she is in a much better place and finally free of pain, which makes me very happy that she was able to let go. I am going to now tell you about what an amazing woman she truly was, because I find it much better to celebrate her life, than to dwell on her death.

Mary Jo was born July 12, 1933 to Alvin and Josephine Nelson. She also had one brother, Charles, who was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis at a young age and died a few years ago. She was married to my grandfather

Ronald Pottenger in 1954. They went on to have four children Doug, my mom Sue, Jenny, and Robert (Bob). She taught Junior High and High School in Homedale, ID for 36 years. She was so dedicated to her friends, family, and students that literally hundreds attended her funeral.

Since her death I have been scanning thousands of pictures of her throughout her life. I am absolutely stunned at the amazing things she has done and the places she has been. I know that I will forever remember how wonderful my grandma was. It makes me sad that my kids won't be able to meet her, but I know that she is probably hanging out with them right now, so I'm not too worried about it! I know that she has influenced and helped hundreds if not thousands of people to become better then before they met her. I can only hope to be able to help so many people in my own life. She has left an amazing legacy behind her. I am so grateful to be a part of it as her granddaughter.

Depression

2008-10-10T13:14:00.003-06:00

I am sorry about not updating people. I really will do that tribute for my grandma. Unfortunately I am in the throws of despair at the moment. My team, the Los Angeles Angels have been eliminated from the playoffs by the stupid Boston Red Sox for the third year in a row! I don't understand why bad things happen! I mean Boston not only barely got into the playoffs with a wild card, but they don't even have Manny Ramierez!!!! I don't know how much longer I can take this. I truly am appalled at my Angels at the moment....At least BYU football is kicking some serious tail. That is the only thing keeping me going at the moment!

Forthcoming Tribute

2008-09-23T12:47:00.003-06:00

Hello Everyone!

For those of you who have not talked to me, my mom, or visited my sister's blog since saturday, I have some sad news. My Grandma Jo passed away Saturday morning at 8:07 am. I would like to do a very detailed tribute to her, especially since I was privileged enough to spend her last week with her. However, because I am trying to help get things ready for the memorial service, it may take me a few days. I will get it done as soon as possible though. Also, for any who are interested: The memorial service will be held October 5th at 1:00 pm at Homedale High School. All are welcome.

New Layout

2008-09-18T15:52:00.003-06:00

Hello Everyone!

As many of you know, my life and the way that I see things changes frequently. Whether that change is caused by friends, family, my attitude, or the weather I'm not really sure. I can tell you all that I am extremely excited for fall! I love watching the leaves change colors behind my house. There is no greater place than Utah to watch the seasons change. The mountains often look like they are on fire, or at the very least belong on some priceless work of art! I love the trees and the mountains in the fall. Therefore, I decided that my blog should reflect my love of the season! Enjoy!

Tagged: The Five

2008-09-11T07:23:00.005-06:00

10 Years Ago I:

1. Was in sixth grade

2. Was 11 1/2 years old

3. Refused to wear anything but basketball shorts, t-shirts, and basketball shoes to school.

4. Thought I would never survive childhood

5. Thought boys were only good for one thing: They could play basketball without freaking out if the ball came at them too fast!

5 Things on Todays "To Do" List

1. Cut down a lot of trees

2. Pick up Erik from school

3. Go on Relief Society Presidency visits

4. Make Erik dinner

5. Finish my book

5 Snacks I Enjoy

1. Crystal Light Drink Mixes

2. Peaches (I am completely ADDICTED)

3. Yogurt

4. Gala Apples, the really crisp kind

5. Eggs (I know that sounds weird, but I really love eggs!)

5 Things I Would Do If I Were a Millionaire

1. Pay off my Dad's mortgage

2. Buy Erik a Lotus (We have a deal about that)

3. Take my Mom to either the Australian Open or Wimbledon

4. Pay for me and Tanya to tour Europe (Like we were going to do before we decided we had no money)

5. Buy the newest MAC whenever they come out

5 Places I Have Lived

1. Farmington, Utah (First 10 Years)

2. North Salt Lake, Utah (10-18 and Currently)

3. Provo, Utah (18-20 for college at BYU)

4. New Zealand (Study Abroad beginning of 2008)

5. Seattle (I lived here with my my Grandma for a month while she was receiving cancer treatment)

5 Jobs I Have Had

1. Maverik (Yes the Gas-Station) Cashier, Stocker, Baker, and Manager's Assistant

2. PCT (Patient Care Technician) at Utah Valley Regional Medical Center

3. Nanny: to four of the most adorable kids on the planet, Austin, Tyler, McKell, and Ellie.

4. Master tree cutter (Affectionately known as: Chainsaw Sally!)

5. Private Tutor (for my little Brother) ((This job has no hours!))

I'm not Tagging anyone, but, I thought you all might like a closer look at my highly exciting life!

The Joy of Reading/A Murderer Among Us

2008-08-07T12:02:00.004-06:00

Well, as most of you know, I am hopelessly addicted to the Twilight Saga. Also, for any of you who have been outside lately, you will know that the final book in the saga, Breaking Dawn, was released last saturday! The success of Stephenie Meyer's vampire books are comparable only to the success of Harry Potter, and everyone knows that story! I was sorely tempted to go down to Barnes and Noble on Friday night at midnight, just so I could get the last book! I finally decided that I was too old for such shinanigans, and too practical to think that nine hours would make a difference! (yeah I don't believe either of those things, but thats what I like to tell myself!) So I woke up at nine on saturday morning (yes nine on a SATURDAY, for those of you who know me at all, nine is an accomplishment any day, let alone saturday!) and dragged myself down to Costco to buy the book when it opened at 9:30. I have to tell you all, that by 9:37 there were about 200 people in the store and I saw maybe 5 carts without the book in it! One cart had six copies! The pallets that the books were on were stacked about eight feet high, they have now put a limit that you can only buy ten copies! It was truly an outstanding display at the Bountiful Costco last saturday morning! You may be asking yourselves why I am going on and on about these books? Two reasons. The first, is that these books are currently a part of my life, and since this blog is about my life I thought it would be appropriate. The second, and much more important reason, is to hopefully convince some of you to let these books add the immense pleasure and enjoyment that they have added to mine. I know that those of you who have not read them have excuses like: I don't want to read a book about vampires, or I'm not going to jump on the band-wagon just because everyone else has! Do me a favor, get Twilight, the first in the series, and read the first four chapters. If you are not completely drawn into the impossible and beautiful love story and the age-old discussion of what is right and what is wrong, then you will never hear another peep about it from me. I fully understand that these books are classified as young adult, but just like Harry Potter, they are meant for everyone. I would love to hear about your own twilight saga adventures, I promise it will be worth it. And as for me, I read the 754 pg Breaking Dawn twice in about three and a half days. Yes, I am truly hopeless!

Also last Saturday (Yes I had to put my book down for a few hours,

and yes it almost killed me!) My best friend Tanya threw a How to Host a Murder party. I don't know if any of you have ever attended one of these soires, but they are a total blast! We had four girls and each of us had to invite one boy. I invited my really good friend Nolan Cordon. Well the story was set in 1936 London, so of course we all dressed up and put on fake english accents! (Except me, I'm not about to expose severalof my closest friends to the horrible experience that would be listening to me attempt a British accent!)

It was a great night. Of course I had to play the highly educated and motivated stodgy secretary, BIG surprise! Why can't I ever play the flighty actress? We drank from champagne glasses and ate a tradition english meal complete with yorkshire pudding! It was so much fun! Nolan even turned out to be the murderer! We all decided that we needed to do another one soon!

Long Break...Lots of Stuff!!!!!!!!

2008-07-24T11:30:00.009-06:00

Basically I have been terrible about updating my blog lately. I know. However, I don't think you will be able to be too mad at me when I give you the update! It's amazing how life can go from mind-numbingly boring to overly exciting in a matter of weeks! (of course it almost always goes back to boring again!) From the last time I updated until the beginning of July all I did was hang out with the coolest kid on earth, my little brother Erik, and nanny four of the most adorable children on the planet, my next-door neighbor kids Austin (7), Tyler (5), Mykell (3), and Ellie (1). Once a week I nanny for my next-door neighbor Maureen while she helps to do the books at her husband's company. So I get to play at the park, do homework, eat ice cream, and go swimming for nine hours once a week with these awesome kids! (Oh, and if you were wondering, the answer is yes: I did tye-dye those t-shirts with the kids!)

On June 18th a momentous occasion occured. My best friend and previous roommate, Tanya, turned 21...finally!!! We are planning to take a trip down to Vegas sometime soon to do some 21-year-old type things. However, we are both a little short on the green stuff, so until we get some spending money we will have to wait. But we did have a really fun little birthday party for her, and my good friend Nolan was able to come as well!

On July 3rd, my 21st and a half birthday, we had a big party at my Dad's house for the Eaglewood fireworks. It was a lot of fun, and everyone had a good time. Dad was able to invite a lot of his friends over, so he had a really great time. My two best friends in the world Tanya and Alex came up as well. It is so great to see them, because I hardly ever do anymore.

About 24 hours after the July 3rd party Erik and I drove up to my Grandma's house in Homedale, Idaho. We got to spend a week and a half spending time with our mom on her 51st birthday, our grandma on her 75th huge birthday bash, and all of our cousins, our sister, and our good friend Peggy. It was so much fun and everyone had a blast being together and being with my Grandma on her special day. Unfortunately I don't have any pictures from our trip. I love taking pictures, but when there are thirty other cameras going I usually bag it and hope for copies!!! So if any of you want to see picture you can go to my sister's blog!

And now the real event and time consumer that I know you have all been waiting for...my online classes. When I decided to go to New Zealand last summer I figured out that I would have two classes, one for my minor and one for my major, that I wouldn't be able to finish up before I left. So I decided to sign up for them online. Which sounded great...in theory. Well fall went by and I still hadn't finished them. I left for New Zealand, and even though I brought the material with me, I couldn't be bothered to do it while I was having so much fun. I came home from New Zealand, walked for graduation, went to Seattle, and kept pushing them aside. Finally it dawns on me that if I don't finish my classes by July 25th then I won't get my diploma!!!!! AAAAAAAHHHHHHH! It was pretty much impossible to do my classes in Homedale because there was no internet. So literally for the past week and a half straight I have been doing statistics 24 hours a day! I did the entire class from start to finish in about eight days, 14 lessons. I took my final yesterday...and here comes the amazing part...I got a B+ IN STATISTICS!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Who does that? No one gets a B+ in statistics, especially when they teach themselves! So anyway, sorry for my little bragging moment, but I am still in utter and complete shock! I took my other final for Philosophy 110 and passed that one as well. Once again procrastination pulls through in the end! So now I am an official college grad, with a diploma in the mail, and a free schedule as far as the eye can see! I love life.

Thoughts

2008-06-12T22:26:00.002-06:00

Hello Everyone!

It is about 10:26 pm, roughly. I don't really have anything new to report. I'm sorry to say that as a middle-class, caucasian, single, LDS, unemployed, 21 year-old, my life is not that exciting! Sorry about that! I have been really lucky lately to be surrounded by so many friends. I have recently started spending a lot of time with Kaitlyn Dixon. We have known each other since we were about ten, but now that we go to the singles ward together we spend at least three hours a week together. My best bud since forever, Kathryn Haynie, is doing wonderful, despite being totally swamped with school and volleyball. She has been trying to teach me stats, but I think I am a lost cause. I am really excited to be able to watch a lot of her games this year, especially since it will be her last season. I also got to see my friend Nicole Albertson last saturday when we got Nielsen's and caught up. I have been able to see my old friend Nolan Cordon a few times and it has been wonderful seeing him again. I hope I get to see him on a regular basis, he is such a fun person. I have had two friends Haeree and Janelle (from my NZ adventures) living at my house for a few weeks and they certainly keep life interesting! My best buds in the whole world, Tanya and Alex, are of course as wonderful, supportive, and fun as ever. I wish I got to see them more than I do. They are two of the greatest people I have ever met. My friends and my family are my life right now. What else can I say? My life may be somewhat subdued, but I certainly have a bunch of people that love me and keep me as entertained as possible! Sometimes you recognize just how lucky you are to have certain people in your life. This has been one of those days. So Dad, Mom, Erik, Maria, Jason, Tom, Amy, Isabel, Alexia, Ethan, Olivia, Missy, CA, Jenny, Mary Jo, Tanya, Alex, Kathryn, Nicole, Kaitlyn, Nolan, Sarah, Haeree, Janelle: Thanks for everything.

Erik

2008-06-05T15:01:00.002-06:00

As many of you may know, my little brother Erik and I are really close. We do a lot together, work out, play frisbee, play with Buddy, talk, laugh, etc. Well this week he has been at Scout Camp. I hope he is having fun, but I can tell you all that I can't wait until he comes home! I sent up a little bag of his favorite treats with one of the leaders, and I hope he likes it. But I am really bored without him here to entertain me to no end! We got his hair cut the day before camp and it look awesome! Buddy is getting his hair cut right now, so when Erik comes home they can be twinners!

Memorial Day Weekend

2008-06-05T14:46:00.003-06:00

Hello Everyone!

I know this post is A a little late for Memorial Day, and B a little late period, but hey it's my blog right? So Memorial Day this year was an absolute blast. On Friday my best friends Alex and Tanya came over. We watched movies for a while. After a while we decided we were bored and drove down to Salt Lake to go to a little coffee shop there. We ended up talking until about 2:30 in the morning at this little place! It was a lot of fun, those two can always make me laugh. On Saturday Tanya and I woke up late and went to get manicures. It was kind of fun being all girly. After that we went to a party for Heather Jenson. Heather is a friend from high school who is leaving for her mission soon. It was so fun to see a lot of my old high school friends. I spent most of the night talking to my old friend Nolan Cordon, who I hadn't seen on over two years. Tanya spent the night flirting with his cousin! Sunday Alex and Tanya and I all went to Heather's farewell. It was really good. On Monday we were supposed to go golfing, but it ended up raining all day. Still it was a really fun weekend.

Life in Seattle

2008-05-06T23:57:00.010-06:00

Hello Everyone!

As many of you may know, my Grandma Jo has terminal cancer. Currently she is participating in a special type of radiation therapy that will hopefully shrink her tumors to prevent them from reaching her nerves and causing pain. Unfortunately, one of the few places in the world that offers this kind of treatment is in Seattle, WA. My grandma was going to just come up to Seattle, get an apartment, and go to the hospital each day for the five and a half week treatment. However, a few weeks ago she had a terrible fall which hurt her feet really bad. No one wanted my grandma to be alone, but no one could just take five weeks out of their every day life to move to Seattle with her either.

Cue, recently graduated, with no idea what to do with her life granddaughter! About an hour after my graduation from college I drove with my mom and brother up to Seattle to take care of my grandmother. Erik was only here through the weekend, but my mom stayed until the following saturday. No I am here for two weeks with just Grams, until my mom comes back on the 17th to talk to the surgeon.

So far it has been really fun. I have really enjoyed being thrown into a city which I knew nothing about before I came. (except of course that it was near Forks, WA where Twilight takes place!) Each day my grandma and I go to radiation at 3:30, and then the rest of the day is ours! Tonight I made my sister's famous and ultra-delicious chicken enchiladas. I was a little worried because my grandma usually doesn't like mexican food, but she loved the enchiladas!

I am looking forward to the next week and a half. We are going to look into aquarium and zoo tickets, plus maybe even Mariners tickets! (You all know what a baseball nut I am!) Here are a few pictures of our time so far:

Erik in front of the huge guitar

Statue at The EMP (Experience Music Project)

Us at the Cheesecake Factory

My cousin CA at his

golf tournament

A Living Blog about Life

2008-05-06T11:56:00.002-06:00

Hello my wonderful Blog followers,

As you all know, I have been adventuring in NZ for the last four months. I started a blog to describe all of my adventures and keep everyone updated on how I was doing. Now that my adventure is over, I've decided to create a blog that is about the things I do in everyday life. I know, in comparison it will probably be a let down, and frankly, kind of boring. But my sister has a blog that I absolutely love. Besides, it might be fun for you to all watch me try to figure out what to do with my life now that I have graduated from college! So here I go: My life according to Me! (Oh and about my blog's title: I think that we, as a human race, are constantly in a state of being that resides in some unknown space between life and living. The trick is to never let life pass you by, and live each day to the fullest, hence, somewhere between life and living.)