courteney

january. 2012. whoa.

2012-01-19T21:35:00.003-07:00

Is today really January 19, 2012? I honestly wouldn't believe it if I hadn't seen it 17,000 times today on my phone, on facebook, on the computer, at work. They all seem to believe that is the correct date so I guess I shall as well. 2012.
If you would have sat me down 5 years ago and told me what my life would be like on January 19, 2012, I wouldn't have thought it could be my future. I never would have chose this life. Not in a million years. I wouldn't have chosen the trials, the speed bumps, the mistakes, the marital status (23 and not married?!?! I would have keeled over dead). But I never would have guessed the strength, the knowledge, the experience, the endurance I've earned through all the hard times I've given myself. But now that I'm here, I have no regrets and I wouldn't change a thing.
There's a reason someone once said "If you want to make God laugh, tell him your plans" and everyone on the world wide web has repeated it. It's almost comical the things we think are such a life guarantee, that we expect for ourselves to be rewarded with in life. Everything in life is a blessing. You woke up this morning, pay back the favor by being the best you you know how to be.
I'm obsessive. I'm a planner. I'm a control freak. I'm a princess. I'm in love. I'm nuts. I'm a perfectionist. I'm a gemini. Basically, I'm a girl (obvs). But I have to learn to put that all aside and be a daughter of God who was brought here for a reason, for a lot of reasons. Marjorie Hinckley said "We women have a lot to learn about simplifying our lives. We have to decide what is important and then move along at a pace that is comfortable for us. We have to develop the maturity to stop trying to prove something. We have to learn to be content with what we are."

I'm not in control of everything that happens but I'm in control of what my experiences have taught me. My emotions and the actions that follow are my choice and my choice alone. I want to make the best ones that will benefit me and those around me everyday. I need to be a better me.

Love life and see good days.

November 3rd

2011-11-04T01:03:00.001-06:00

Technically, it's the 4th but I haven't gone to bed yet...so it's still the 3rd to me. :)
Today I'm grateful for great friends.
To be honest, family is number one. Always. But I'm 23, I live with roommates, I have a full-time job, and the boyfriend's job adds many more people to the equation. I'm surrounded by my peers, my friends 87% of my life right now. It's a good thing they're so amazing. I know I always have someone there to count on no matter the circumstance, or hour.
I have people to listen, to get my mind off things, to shop with, to craft together, to teach me, to cry with. I'm so blessed to be surrounded by so many wonderful people that I'm so honored to call my friends.

November 2nd

2011-11-02T23:00:00.001-06:00

Today I'm grateful for my childhood.
Cousins.
Barbies.
Sisters.
Rice pudding.
Riverdale.
Camping.
As children, we have little knowledge of the real world and growing up. We live in the moment and into the fantasies we created for ourselves.
My childhood was full of so many amazing times and amazing people. I cherish every moment I can remember and that made me who I am today.

Thankvember begins...

2011-11-01T23:43:00.001-06:00

In an effort to keep a more regular cyber record of my life's happenings for the umpteenth time this decade...I have come up with Thankvember. Life gets so crazy sometimes and we live in such a self-centered world, it's sometimes hard to stay positive and remember how many blessings we are given everyday. This is an effort to blog everyday for the whole month a November, reminding myself of the small things that make a great life.

November 1st:
Today I'm grateful for my job.
Today I was reminded that working is definitely not anyone's favorite activity. Unless you're a billionaire and you work for fun. There are so many people that work jobs they hate, jobs they're over-qualified for, and search for any available job. I'm so blessed to have a job I love going to (almost) everyday where I'm surrounded by so many friends and a great environment. It's not the best place in the world, it's where I want to be for the rest of my life, but it's perfect for me today.

sunday blues

2011-07-24T22:30:00.003-06:00

this term, 'sunday blues.' is pretty common around the rogers' household. as a college drop out and currently employed server, it's a phrase not commonly coined by this chick. but today, i've got them sunday blues. for the first time in months, i have to work monday morning [insert tears]. in an effort to cheer myself up, i thought i would recap this great weekend that just happened.
after a let down change of plans, a weekend that was supposed to be spent driving to the big saint geezy was now to be spent finding the most entertaining, time consuming activities in cv. thought at first to be a challenge, i took on that challenge and fully conquered it. yay me.
thursday night: bees game. the first of many hopefully. the last time i went to a bees/buzz game i think i had diaper rash.
friday: sleeping in until 12, i wasn't mad. boutique shopping in logan (yes, this happened: bella me, and violet hill are a little out of place around these parts but so great) with a few of my favorite ladies. ever been attacked by box elder bugs at 2 am and had to sleep in your friend's bed with said friend plus one when the spouse is out of town? true story. attacked.
saturday: no sleeping in :( but for a greater cause: boating at willard with the veibells and zundels. two great families that have taken me in as one of their own. i can't remember the last time i went tubing but i know for a fact that i definitely wasn't as sore the next day as i am today. ouch, i'm getting too old. first complete grilling adventure finished off with a new recipe: pink lemonade cupcakes.
sunday: sleeping in and laying in bed to watch 3 episodes of bridezillas with celeste. a minor incident of me being a bad friend did occur and put a slight damper on the weekend but i definitely learned my lesson. dinner with my rogers' family. they're are among the greatest people i've ever met. evening walk with jk and lissi lou. loved every second of my extended weekend...

dear monday,
i've been well-prepared. let the games begin.
love, me.

oh, hello blog.

2011-07-18T17:00:00.002-06:00

blogging is hard. at a time in my life when i should be recording my every move; for my future fam to learn that i was young and super awesome once, for myself when i'm old and decrepid and senile to remember how great i really had it; it's hard to sit myself down and analyze my feelings and detail my experiences. i'm at a place where the sky's the limit, i can literally do whatever i want to do: live where i want to, be with who i want to, work where i want to, do whatever my heart desires. i'm trying to live every moment to the fullest and sometimes i need to take a step back and record. so here is the first post in a promise to myself to ponder my decisions and remember what life is all about. in the words of the late gordon b. hinckley, "life is to be enjoyed, not endured." so here you can catch a glimpse at the sources of my enjoyment.

summer is unreal amazing. anyone who knows me knows my feelings about this season. in 2011, nothing has compared to the afternoons i've been able to join up with my roommates and bask in the sun's rays on so many occasions. speaking of roommates, all of mine are some of the world's greatest. lynsi elise allen, the newest addition to our home has been so GREAT. i love her more than words. melissa mortenson, those curls are an announcement of the crazy fun she brings always. i love having her as my floor-mate and waking up to her greatness. margee jean cooper, our little baby who just turned 22. i love her, one of the greatest friends anyone could ever imagine having.

probably the most sucky part about summer is having my amazing boyfriend all the way across the country. looking at the more positive side of the situation, besides the fact that we get to play for the other 7 1/2 months of the year, this means that i get multiple summer vacations in a new place. when else would i get the chance to vacation in beautiful minnesota? hopefully never haha. a visit in may, and a visit a few weeks ago and now we're visited out. minnesota is beautiful. i never thought i would say that but here i am, typing it up. great girls and great activities were the equation for fun afternoons while we waited for work to be over and the boys to get their cute behinds home. his office is now located in toledo, ohio. since we're down to the last six crucial weeks of the summer, my patience is being tested to its max, my heart is being stretched past its emotional capacity, and my understanding button has been taped down, and i can not wait for august 28th. don't tell anyone that all i want is for the summer to be over. i feel like wishing that is committing a sin, who wants summer to be over? this girl does.

i think that's about all the recap needed for now, so prepare yourselves for more insights and replays to come.

Day 20: Your Favorite Christmas Tradition

2011-05-24T11:27:00.002-06:00

My family is what we'll call "unconventional." Whenever I think about holidays I feel like we don't have specific traditions that we've done every year since the beginning of our family. There have been so many disruptions and changing circumstances that we just started blowing in the wind and doing anything that meant we could be together.

During the years of two Cole children at Todd and LuCinda's there was a playroom downstairs and a shared bedroom with bunkbeds upstairs. When two became three, playroom turned preteen bedroom for Kirsten and half bunkbed/crib for Courteney and Spenser. When I think about Christmas as a child there is one specific thing that replays in my head year after year...

We weren't allowed downstairs until 8:00 a.m.

Spenser was always the first one awake, not just because it was Christmas but because this girl was the naughtiest of naughty kids. As soon as she saw one of my eyes bat open I could hear, "Courte? What time is it?" I would bust out of my sheets, let down her crib door, and somehow the two of us together could get her out of the crib. We would run to Mom and Dad's bed and jump on them yelling, "Hurry! It's Christmas!" and then snuggle with them until they told us it was 8 and we could go get Kirst.

Even though we were an official 4 years and 7 months apart, we shared so many moments together. I guess I've always been a little on the immature side. I hope my kids share as many great times as we spent together.

Day 19: A Hobby of Mine

2011-05-24T11:11:00.004-06:00

As I get older, I'm seeing my adolescent hobbies, such as dancing and spending hours on msn messenger (yes, at one point in my life this was considered a hobby), start to diminish. Sometimes I get caught up in the moments of "I don't have any hobbies! All I ever do is go to work, sleep, and eat!" but the difference now is that I've established myself a bit more and realized what hobbies bring the most joy and will most likely be a help to what future goals I have in mind. Dictionary.com defines a hobby as follows...

–noun, plural -bies.

an activity or interest pursued for pleasure or relaxation andnot as a main occupation: Her hobbies include stamp-collecting and woodcarving

While I'm not interested in collecting stamps or picking up on woodcarving, my current main hobby is probably working out. I'm all for looking great for this upcoming swimsuit season, but I don't hit up Sports Academy & Racquet Club for three hours a day pumping iron and running half marathons, I work out because I like it and I feel so much better afterwards. My best workouts come after a fight or a long day of waiting tables or a bad day of missing Ty.

Day 18: Put iPod on shuffle and list the first 10 songs that come up

2011-05-24T11:06:00.002-06:00

1. Frank Sinatra "The Way You Look Tonight"

2. Regina Spektor "Eet"

3. Glee Cast "Pokerface"

4. Janet Jackson "Call on Me"

5. Adele "Turning Tables"

6. Gavin DeGraw "Dancing Shoes"

7. Miley Cyrus "Party in the USA"

8. Britney Spears "Womanizer"

9. In The Heights "When You're Home"

10. Black Eyed Peas "Meet Me Halfway"

My music taste is obviously pretty broad... haha

Day 17: A Habit I Wish I Didn't Have

2011-05-24T10:39:00.002-06:00

SLEEPING IN. I wish I didn't sleep until 10:00 every morning. It's not because of lack of sleep. It's not because of going to bed too late. I genuinely NEED ten hours of sleep every night if my schedule allows.

Day 16: A Favorite YouTube Video

2011-05-24T10:31:00.002-06:00

I love youtube. I use it on a regular basis to keep some healthy laughter in my life. Jake and Amir are among some favorites that I visit. Sorry, it would let me post it here but follow the link for a great laugh.

http://youtu.be/rQt6EQsXZDc

Day 15: Next 3 Items on "The Bucket List"

2011-05-24T10:24:00.001-06:00

For my sister, this question is easy. She has a literal bucket list she actively visits and edits. Whenever she talks about hers I get slightly motivated to start my own but I never get to the step of actually writing anything down on paper. A few things that I do want to conquer in the near future are...

1. Finally get my passport and go on a real out-of-the-country-big-girl trip. With some huge boyfriend convincing, hopefully Bolivia.

2. Kirst and I share this one, but I want to speak Spanish semi-fluently too. Nothing is more embarrassing as when I had to ask for someone that spoke English when I went to a 'tienda' by my house the other day.

3. Finish college.

Day 14: My Dream House

2011-05-24T10:14:00.004-06:00

A few years ago while Ty was looking for his house, we stumbled upon the Kartchner model home in Logan. I instantly fell in love. It had so much space and the greatest layout. If I ever grow up, get married, have a small family, I would be more than happy to have this house.

Day 13: What Did You Do Today?

2011-05-14T00:02:00.000-06:00

What did I do today?...I'm so boring...

9:30. Woke up and called my boyfriend.

10:00. Got out of bed and showered.

11:30. Got to work for a blessed 3 hours.

3:00. Searched Kmart and Shopko for some cheap rubbermaids. Successfully put all my winter clothes into said rubbermaids, a task I've been striving to accomplish for a couple weeks. Accomplished.

4:00. Back to work, for the next 7.5 hours. Yay son.

12:00 am. Laying in bed blogging, reading, waiting for Ty to finish his conference call so I can finally talk to him.

Sometimes I wish I had a cooler life. But then again, I'm pretty happy with the boring stuff. For now :)

Day 12: A. Favorite Quote

2011-05-13T17:34:00.000-06:00

ICBW

My best friend from high school had this amazing father with one of the greatest outlooks on life that I had ever seen. At the bottom of each of his emails he would always have some sort of inspirational quote, most often it was "ICBW. It Could Be Worse."

No matter what life was handing to him, his attitude and manner stood true to this quote. Whatever is going on, whatever trials we're being dealt, It Could Be Worse.

We are so blessed in so many ways it seems almost impossible to focus on the negatives in our lives, but we let ourselves do this from time to time. If we can always just remember It Could Be Worse, we'll realize just how good we really have it and how to stay positive with what we have.

Day 11: A Favorite Book

2011-05-11T00:58:00.001-06:00

Day 10: A Favorite Recipe

2011-05-11T00:54:00.006-06:00

The infamous Neiman Marcus cookie story has been circulating since 1997, but wasn't introduced into my palette until 2009. My friend J.K. is a great baker in my eyes and never ceases to satisfy my sweet tooth cravings. Her rendition of the Neiman Marcus chocolate chip cookie is to die for. She does have a few of her own little changes to the recipe but she follows the original pretty closely...

(Recipe may be halved):
2 cups butter
4 cups flour
2 tsp. baking soda
2 cups granulated sugar
2 cups brown sugar
5 cups blended oatmeal (measure oatmeal and blend in blender to a fine powder)
24 oz. chocolate chips
1 tsp. salt
1 8 oz. Hershey bar (grated)
4 eggs
2 tsp. baking powder
3 cups chopped nuts (your choice)
2 tsp. vanilla
Cream the butter and both sugars. Add eggs and vanilla; mix together with flour, oatmeal, salt, baking powder, and soda. Add chocolate chips, Hershey bar and nuts. Roll into balls and place two inches apart on a cookie sheet..Bake for 10 minutes at 375 degrees. Makes 112 cookies.. Have Fun!!!

Day 9: A Favorite Movie

2011-05-09T22:09:00.002-06:00

At one point in my life I watched this movie every night before bed for at least 40 days straight. My mom was worried that crying myself to sleep everyday was not healthy, but I love it. It makes it even better to watch it when the bf says, "Let's just cuddle on the couch all night and watch a good movie like the Notebook."

Day 8: A Favorite Song

2011-05-09T21:46:00.002-06:00

The first time I really listened to this song was on So You Think You Can Dance a few years ago. Not only was Mia Michaels' choreography unreal but the song was so amazing I instantly became addicted to it. This is one of the very few songs I will blast in my car and sing all the lyrics as loud as I can.

Day 7: Something I Want To Buy

2011-05-07T21:52:00.002-06:00

Better late than never...Day 6: Something I Bought Recently

2011-05-07T21:51:00.000-06:00

Have you ever bought five plane tickets for one round trip? I did this week. Proud moment in my life. I'm going to visit Ty in a few weeks, real excited :). A few of the wives in his office are traveling around the same time and we thought it would be fun to ride the big bus in the sky together. Ticket #1. Our flight was scheduled for a little late in the afternoon on a saturday in may but then a few days later we found one for the same price in the morning. The perfect switch, ticket #2. I still needed a flight home for wednesday and was watching prices when Ty impatiently told me I needed to book one in case the prices shot up. Ticket #3. Ironically, a few days later I learned I had an appointment in Logan BEFORE I was even scheduled to board the plane in Minneapolis. I called US Airways and after a 15 wait i learned that my "nonrefundable, nontransferable" ticket would cost me another $150 + $25 just to come home a day earlier. we are now haters of US Airways. Stressed to the max, I booked a new flight using my very trusty and very favorite Delta Airlines for Tuesday afternoon which shortened my trip a bit. Did i mention this is flight #4? The brat inside me that will only fly with a window seat was frantically changing seat assignments when I looked at the top of my screen and noticed I was booking seats on a flight that went from Salt Lake to Minneapolis. What?!?! Holy smokers! Am I really that dumb? In Ty's words "what happened? You're usually good at this stuff." a very frantic call to Delta then took place. Luckily, I had a good friend by the name of Wanda on the other end of that call that cancelled my incorrect flight allowing me to book a very correct one. Ticket #5. Good thing my boyfriend is so cute and I miss him so very much.

Day 5: Top 10 Pet Peeves

2011-05-05T22:40:00.001-06:00

Pet peeves

10. People who say they'll do something and never do it.

9. Chaos. I need order.

8. Being late. Don't be late and I won't either.

7. People who demand respect. I'll try to give it to you whether you deserve it or not, but don't expect it.

6. Forgetting funny things.

5. Liars.

4. Slow technology. There's nothing worse than waiting for a text message to send or a webpage to upload.

3. Dirty dishes.

2. Losing items.

And the biggest of them all...

1. People who take self portraits and post them on the FB. Please stop.

Day 4: Something I Crave...

2011-05-04T22:55:00.001-06:00

Day 3: A Favorite Photo

2011-05-03T21:19:00.002-06:00

This 9 year old picture is currently displayed at my house, Kirsten's house, and our parents' house. My dad used to make us go to photos all the time as younger children and this one was made an instant favorite. It shows our personalities and my physical dominance in our very special relationship so perfectly. I can't believe how much has happened since this was taken and how much we still need each other in our lives. Love ya sis!

Day 2: A Picture of You Last Year, and Now...

2011-05-02T20:54:00.002-06:00

My dad took this picture last year when we conned him in to taking our 'annual' cousin dance pictures...
At my little Kruzer's first birthday party a month or so ago...

Have I changed at all? Good question...

I got a new job... I'm working as a server at Hamilton's and liking it a lot better than the last one.

I moved out of the rents house. I live with two amazing girls, Miss and Marge, and I don't know how I ever lived without them in my life.

I kind of love working out. I repeat, kind of. I used to despise it and now I at least feel like I need to go daily and don't want to become anorexic in opposition.

I asked for Ty's help with this one... he says I've gotten a lot cuter, and lot less ornery. I hope those are both true.

Day 1: 15 Facts About Me

2011-05-01T23:05:00.002-06:00

1. I'm half Hispanic, have taken 5 years of Spanish classes, and still refuse to speak a lick.

2. I'm addicted to the sun's rays.

3. I hate the word moist.

4. My sisters are my life.

5. If I had all the money in the world I would buy shoes and house decorations.

6. I'm very affectionate, I could cuddle all day.

7. My whole day is ruined if I don't get at least 9 hours of sleep.

8. All I want is a puppy.

9. I hate when people rub their socks or dry feet together.

10. My Grandma and Grandpa Castillo are my idols.

11. I could eat smoothies for every meal.

12. I love babies until they start to cry, then I don't know what to do with them.

13. I could shop at Victoria's Secret all day everyday.

14. My favorite part of my day is when I get to tell Ty everything I did, and he just listens.

15. I love doing laundry, but absolutely despise putting it away.

May Blog Challenge

2011-05-01T23:03:00.000-06:00

My sister has been on my case about blogging for quite some time. It's hard living across the country from each other and staying 100% up-to-date in each other's lives. We've been seeing these 30 day challenges all over the blogging world and thought it would be something fun for both of us to do to up our blog postings.

· Day 01 - 15 facts about you

· Day 02 - A picture of you last year, and now, and how you’ve changed since then

· Day 03 - A favorite photo

· Day 04 - Something I crave

· Day 05 - Top 10 Pet Peeves

· Day 06 - Something I bought recently

· Day 07 - Something I want to buy

· Day 08 - A favorite song

· Day 09 - A favorite movie

· Day 10 - A favorite food and recipe

· Day 11 - A favorite book

· Day 12 - A favorite quote

· Day 13 - What did you do today?

· Day 14 - Your dream house…

· Day 15 - Next 3 items on your “Bucket List”

· Day 16 - A favorite YouTube video

· Day 17 - A habit you wish you DIDN’T have

· Day 18 - Put your iPod on shuffle and list the first 10 songs that come up

· Day 19 - A hobby of mine

· Day 20 - Your favorite Christmas tradition

· Day 21 - A travel story

· Day 22 - A photo of my family

· Day 23 - Share a favorite memory

· Day 24 - 5 Things you love about Summer

· Day 25 - A place I love

· Day 26 - A child I love

· Day 27 - A person I love

· Day 28 - A secret you want to get out

· Day 29 - Something you could never get tired of doing

· Day 30 - A photograph of yourself and three good things that have happened in the past 30 days

· Day 31 - Hopes, Dreams, and Plans for the next 365 days

and so my favorite season begins...

2011-04-30T13:51:00.000-06:00

Me: I need a hobby this summer

MarGee: Words with friends can be your hobby

Me: That's not a hobby

MarGee: Well we play it enough it could be one

I knew i needed something enjoyable to keep me busy while the bf is gone for the next 4 1/2 months, a person can only work so much, but this convo was a sign that I was in dire need of something great. While I'm still in search of one substantial something that might actually better my life or fill a void better than words with friends, I'm hoping to bring blogging back into my life as one of hopefully many summer hobbies. As I wait for my summer work schedule to go into affect I find myself passing the seemingly endless amounts of extra time by staying at work longer, participating in multiple but not necessarily more beneficial daily trips to the gym, and a few extra long lunches with friends.

I definitely have summer activity ideas in mind but the key is putting them into affect. The warmer months can most definitely be spent working three days, Bear Lake Wednesday, pool for two days, and rounding off with a three hour block every week. Seven days of fun to be repeated until further notice. But today is not warm, tomorrow will not be warm, and Bear Lake will be a chill festival for many more days.

So, I have created Summer 2011 Life Aspirations. I started the list of few days ago but had to do a slight edit after...

Me: The cupcakes I made last week are still all in the fridge. I don't think anyone ate one.

Ty: Why didn't you make good ones?

Me: I don't know. I just really suck at baking.

Ty: You better get good at that soon.

Me: Why?

Ty: I just need you to.

It's time to buckle down and make a more public announcement of my physical, intellectual, and maybe silly endeavors. If I know other people are aware of my plan to better my daily life I can have my own group of cheerleaders to keep me on track to carry on.

Summer 2011 Life Aspirations:

Complete 2 Quilts

Meet & Maintain Goal Weight

Run DAILY

Host & Attend 5 Garden Tea Parties

Take Too Many Pictures

Attempt 2 New Recipes a Week

Visit Minneapolis, Chicago, Virginia, and Vegas

Blog weekly

Master the Baking Basics

I wish myself good luck and hope you all do the same.

You're welcome :)

the tans may fade but the memories will last forever...

2010-07-25T22:33:00.013-06:00

Summer is amazing. End of story. Vacations, BBQs, sunbathing, outdoor jogs, block parties, what’s not to love about today and envy in 6 months? Summer 2010 has especially brought me great joy that I hope I never forget. Celia Thaxter, an American poet from the 1800s once wrote “There shall be eternal summer in the grateful heart.” I’m undoubtedly grateful for everything that I’ve been able to do these past 2 months.

Summer has created so many opportunities for my family to be together. From family discussions or Sunday bbqs at grandma’s to dance revue time... A new generation of Castillo dancers, Kellee, Ali, and Makendie, performed in their first Tueller School of Dance revue in May. Also on the dance note, Michelle, Katie, and I had our Tuellerette Concert poster photo shoot with Todd and dragged little Taryn in on the fun. Dance has always been such a fun experience, enhanced by the fam. We even invited one of our dance family members to become a real family member last month as Joe’s wife.

A family tradition of an annual ‘gemini sister’ birthday trip started this year in New York City. Remarkable doesn’t even begin to describe the places we explored and the memories we’ll hold forever. A short two weeks later, the Cooleys found themselves in Utah for a few action-packed days.

This summer has also lead to fishing trips, Pocatello, nights with Phil Mickelson, tennis, adventures with Gabe, movie Sunday in Kansas, best friends, baby Makye…

At one point I turned 22…which I consider a very non-monumental age but nonetheless it happened. At 18 you’re an adult, 19 you could buy cigarettes if you wanted, 20 you’re not a teenager anymore, and 21 you can legally do everything you want in Vegas. I guess 22 is just another year to cross off the list. Maybe, and with any luck, one day maturity will come with the age.

Hopefully everyone else is having a marvelous summer as well. Take pleasure in the small things and remember all we have to be grateful for. Love you all!

:)

2010-07-12T15:48:00.001-06:00

some days all you need is a lunch date with your best friend to make everything better.

ps. summer posts to come.

quotes of the week...

2010-03-01T15:43:00.004-07:00

yesterday i had the fabulous opportunity of spending the afternoon with my two very best friends...which now also includes the husband and soon-to-be baby. things are different but maybe better. haley and jake were up for the weekend so me and lyns went up to the thompson's for a hang out and birthday dinner. we were talking about some of my recent dating experiences and discussing the possible physical similarities between two men. well...since haley has been pregnant she has become a great deal more emotional, but also more sassy. she was agreeing with the similar outward appearance of these two individuals but didn't find it relevant to the fact that she was definitely favoring one of them..."it's like comparing jesus to satan."

can we laugh at that? we did.

a few minutes later....we were all sitting at the kitchen table waiting for dinner to be ready, we did help a little bit. haley's niece brylee was looking at my phone-reading my messages, calling people we don't want to talk to...way cool stuff. we came across a picture of elder hales whom lynsi thought it would be a good idea to tell was my boyfriend and ask if he was cute enough for me. not funny, after i assured bry that though i love the man, he is surely not my boyfriend but better yet an apostle "Bry, that's an apostle...do you know what that is?"
Bry: "Yeah I've been there."

"i know...im speechless" quotes of the week #1

2010-02-12T14:44:00.006-07:00

for all of you that have ever spoken to my boyfriend for more than 7 (that's probably pushing it) minutes, you all know there are lots of things that come out of his mouth that make you wonder what really goes on inside his brain. the thing is... he doesn't know a normal person wouldn't say what he says until we all point it out to him. sometimes it's really funny, sometimes it's not funny, sometimes i think he does it on purpose to be funny...funny thing is it's ty speaking, he's funny and we don't know why.

because of the number of outrageous things that he decides not to filter before speaking, i was forced to begin logging these phrases in order to remember them. but why let such great humor be limited to those only who are subjected to be in his presence when he let's these great bits of entertainment be known? as a weekly minute or two of laughter for everyone to read, i'll try to let you in on his best lines. enjoy :)

normal conversation, everyone going back and forth and Ty comes up with this comment:

"I just have to think what I know."

excuse me? we were all confused and couldn't even figure out why he would say those words... we started laughing, kind of making fun of his inability to see what's wrong with what he just said, slightly making him the center of attention. he doesn't see the humor but likes the attention, so serious as can be he comes back with...

"I know, I'm speechless."

honey, we're speechless, you're speech impaired. love ya

but i think it would be unfair to let just ty have the limelight. a lot of other good stuff goes down in my life. so...along with ty's quote of the week...

girls' night at celeste's is a usual occurrence since it seems the boys are always gone. this week we gladly opened our circle up for brenton so he could watch the jazz game. he tried to stay a silent guest but popped into our conversations every few minutes. we were talking about teaching dance class and crazy family members, kind of everything, and kynzie was telling a story about a girl that pretends she's a cat at all times. weird? yes. she was going on about how she acts and what she does, etc. and brenton pops in.

"At least she's a nice kitty and not a mean tiger."

ringin' in two thousand ten

2010-01-25T12:50:00.009-07:00

january isn't even over yet and this year has already brought so many adventures...the best one yet: my baby cousin Michelle is getting married this saturday!

it has been so much fun helping her plan everything and go to wedding showers with her. i can't wait for this weekend!ty's basement is finished :) he's one happy camper to see his finished product but i think i'm the most excited to see this project done...no more trips to home depot three times a day, decreased stress, and a more fun ty.brady's all ready very messy roommy favorite closet lighting

good thing about this set up... i already know he's highly capable of cleaning all by himself

evidence of the happier version of the mani say this all the time but i truly have some of the most amazing friends. they're so much fun to spend time with.

happy new year everyone!

hope you didn't miss me too bad...

2009-10-09T10:13:00.008-06:00

After a four month break from school I had forgotten how emotionally/physically draining classes, parking, homework can really be. I feel like school is all I do...I sleep, eat, breathe the library. I haven't even touched the blog since the semester started so I know there are millions of fans that are wondering what I've been doing with my life. I'll let you in on a little secret: I've been partying like a rockstar. For our last weekend of freedom we took a little trip down to Bear Lake...It was freezing, and the water was choppy but we all had a blast being out in the last glimmerings of our summer sun. Discovery of the day: Ty can't skimboard...but we still love him. 24 hour trips to Jackson Hole, volunteering at "Fall on the River," drives up to PVP, 22nd birthday parties, spur of the moment haircuts, and random dinners have been solid entertainment as I trudge through the endless lifestyle some people call a college education. Here are a few snapshots of some of my daily events. I'll try and keep a better update of the happenings of life. More to come shortly...

Oh Happy Day!

2009-08-18T23:26:00.002-06:00

I just thought I'd take a little time to discuss how grateful I am for life right now...sometimes I forget how many blessings I really have, especially when there are a few not-so-perfect things going on. Let's just take today for example...I went to work! Our economy is having some definite struggles and a lot of people are out of a job with no way to pay for things they need. I'm grateful for the job that I have and how much fun it is. I work with some phenomenal people that have shown me some good life skills. After a few hours of working, one of our esthetitcians, Melissa, gave me the most amazing facial! It was a beautiful way to relax and forget about everything for a minute. (If you're ready for some good relaxation and you want a facial, come make an appointment!) I took some time to hit up the gym and then drove out to Smithfield and helped my grandpa make dinner. My grandparents are without a doubt my favorite people in the world. They're the most generous, loving people you'll ever meet. Then dance time! Tonight was the first day back to dance since the concert over two months ago. It felt so good to be back, seeing all my dancers and being able to dance again! and...Ty gets home in 2 days! No more Skype, no more Philadelphia, just love. Sorry this is kind of rambling-ish but I think you'll kind of get the jist...no matter what, there's always more blessings in your life than you really know.

The Turn of the Century, or at least a quarter of it

2009-08-07T11:36:00.006-06:00

Today is Ty's 25th birthday! Holy smokes he is getting so old! Living 2000 miles away from each other all summer has definitely proved to be too far away for us. It's hard being so far away from each other on regular days let alone on big events like birthdays, but that's life. I think I can handle another 13 days without him...hopefully. I love having Ty in my life! He is such an amazing person. At any given moment in our lives he's either making me laugh, asking me a question, or giving me awesome advice. He has the best sense of humor and can make even the hardest situation fill with laughter. He's such a goof and I love every second of it! If you ask him, he doesn't know how to be romantic. He 'sucks at that kind of stuff' but he's always thinking of me and does everything he can to make me happy no matter how sassy I get! Being the eldest in the relationship, he tends to be a bit more knowledgeable than I. No matter what's going on in my life I know I can turn to him and he'll have some great advice or at least a nice big shoulder...he's definitely my rock and I know life's not as much fun or meaningful without him. Happy Birthday, babe! Hurry home already...

at last...

2009-08-06T19:35:00.017-06:00

So we officially got home from our trip to the East 16 days ago...and I've yet to post about what all went down. I'll try and give you a little run down if my memory will serve me now...

we loved...

lounged...

swam...and taught the pups how tosunbathed...cut watermelon...

popped a few backs...

cuddled...wrestled...

walked...

posed...

and posed...

with Dad...with Mom...and with Mom AND Dad...

escalated...

slept...

lunged...rested...ate...biked...

danced...

It was so much fun to have my whole family together again! We love and miss you guys!

Virginia is for Lovers

2009-07-23T08:01:00.002-06:00

I just got back from an amazing family vacation! Me and the parentals took a little flight together to the east coast to see my sister and her husband. We had so much fun catching up and hanging out...more to come!

Let Freedom Ring

2009-07-06T12:28:00.019-06:00

Independence day is one of my very favorite holidays. I love it! Each year it's spent in my own little town of Lewiston, lounging about all day with my family and enjoying the festivities. The day starts off with six cannon ball shots at 6:00 a.m. Thank you for the wake up call. I fall asleep for a few more hours and roll out of bed at about 9:25 to 60 family members standing in front of the house waiting for the parade to start. Who doesn't love candy for breakfast?
Everyone is so serious...I'm not sure what the best part of this picture is... my awesome outfit, sitting next to the APX salesman, Grandpa about to dive bomb for a single piece of candy, or Grandma yelling at floats to throw her some more.Nilda and little Scotty!Notice how everyone around me has moved...but I'm still in the same spotAfter the parade, we sorted our candy....Prepared a little lunch...And began the lounging...
Me and the GmadreWe had to take a few of the little tykes inside for a bit during naptime to watch A Goofy Movie, one of mine and Calvin's personal favorites.We decided to try something completely new this year...My cousin Amber took us on a little adventure to a nearby flume. Adventure is an understatment... I was in charge of getting everyone dressed for the event and I was running low on swimsuits...Amber wins best dressed
The flume crew...Cindy, Taryn, Michelle, Amber, me, Vic, Cherie, and HunterI was ready to roll
but Mom was a little scared
The ride back was little scarier though Shelly was ready for another run

I wasn't as daring coming back the second time...it was a long walk
We're fierce After flumin', it was time for some more great conversation circles to partake in... Kasey on the other hand was a little too tuckered out to converse.

A little later...the dance party began...don't judge us...more particularly, me

I hope everyone had an amazing 4th!!

It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia

2009-07-02T09:00:00.023-06:00

On my flight home last night I was reading an article that read, "they say the worse the wedding, the better the marriage." If this isn't true about marriages, I can vouch that it's true about vacations. Buddy Passes are of the devil when trying to fly through major US airports. Someone should have informed me that the Southwest Airlines Denver-Philadelphia flight is completely booked each time it flies out. This would have been very valuable information before I became stranded all alone in Denver for multiple hours. When I arrived at the gate at the Denver International Aiport I was mentally prepared for a five hour layover before leaving for my final destination. I got off the plane, asked the kind employees at the counter where my next plane would be deploying from, walked down the aisle way to the next counter where I was informed my flight was completely, 100% full. No seat for me (a few tears welled up in fear of being alone forever but there were no rolling). Um...what am I supposed to do at this point? The next flight to Philly is the next morning at 5. Not okay. Lefty's Front Range Grill was about to become my permanent home.

The frantic phone calls begin. Mom, Kirsten, Ty, Jordan, Shelly, they were all recipients of stressed conversations and travel ideas. I could fly to Chicago and catch a Philly flight from there, I could wait until the next morning and fly directly to Philly, and the chosen plan: fly to Baltimore, land at 10 pm, catch a shuttle to the train station, jump on the train that leaves at 10:30, and arrive in the great city of Philadelphia at midnight that night. Fool proof,right? Until a storm rolled in and delayed my plane indefinitely (Mind you, there are still no tears rolling). Okay, a little thunder and lightning never hurt anyone, especially when they stopped occurring about 15 minutes later and the plane was back on schedule. Well it was but then there wasn't a plane to be found, it was stuck somewhere trying to land around the storm that was now rolling out (still not crying). All this commotion and confusion ended and in return my flight was delayed a total of 20 minutes, just enough time to ruin my train plan... "Ty...how do you feel about driving to Maryland tonight?"

I caught the Baltimore flight, Ty did some car rearrangements, finished work for the day, drove home from New Jersey, and started heading down to Maryland. An hour and a half drive and I was saying...

Hello PHILADELPHIA!

A little jet lagged, I woke up the next morning to this outside my window. The lights and surrounding construction would be Citizen Bank Field, home of the Phillies, respectively followed by Lincoln Financial Field, home of the Eagles, and the Wachovia Center, home of the 76ers. I do realize I could have gotten a better ghetto shot to represent the slight fear running through my body but I'll just let you enjoy this one and let you in on a little fact: my hotel was 8.4 miles away from the city center of Camden, New Jersey, currently America's highest crime city.

We made a round through the city searching for a place we swore didn't exist, ate a little I-Hop (well, I ate a little, Ty ordered the entire menu AND ate it all), Ty headed out for work, and I decided to take my lazy bum for a little walk. Down the street a bit was FDR park, a beautiful, less scary than my 70s-style hotel place to be alone so I put on my running shoes and headed out. Word of warning: the east is humid. Taking a 1/2 mile walk, 45 minute run, and then walking home means you're going to be sweaty if it's 1 in the afternoon. Good thing I didn't know anyone there. After the sweatfest I decided to surprise a few of the girls and let them know I was in the city. Celeste, Brinley, Karly, and Kynzie wasted no time and were on there way to my hotel. It should have been a 10, 15 minute joy ride but welcome to Philadelphia where the traffic makes you want to punch yourself in the face....an hour later the squad arrived at Econo Lodge and another hour later we arrived at the Riverwalk at Millenium apartments. Kynzie had to go to work and Brin went down for a nap so what was left of us spent an afternoon enjoying a new love, Mexican Train, and a solid love, Diet Coke.

I'm a little too awake for a Saturday morning

Saturday = the event this trip was really planned around... I thought it would be a fun learning experience, trying out to be one of 15 76ers dancers. Definitely an experience. I was little nervous and felt a little awkward that I had to try out in a sports bra and shorts. Little did I know I would have the most clothes on when I got to PCOM. Let's just say it was an eventful day and I wish I had someone to share all the goodness with. Registration began 8:30, choreography promptly at 9:00, first cut done by 9:25. Talk about a rush. A room full of 95 hopeful girls was cut down to 70 in less than an hour. We then learned their hiphop routine, a fun little number to the Black Eyed Peas new single. 2 hours later, 30 more girls left the room. Then it was lunchtime. I mingled with a few of the local girls and learned a lot about the rest of the audition process and few cool things about the area. I was making phone calls all around the country during each break trying to keep everyone posted on the day's outcome. Another dance, another few hours, another cut. The 30 finalists were announced....I made it! haha...it was fun to be out there and do something different.

The rest of the trip was pretty mellow. Sunday we took a little drive down to Ocean City, New Jersey and spent the day at the beach.Brenton and Ty looking for a good wave

Ty, Brenton, and GregTy...boogie board, not surf boardAlways trying to make friends with everyone...he asked these two little old ladies for some sunscreen, he didn't want his nose to burncatching some rays

Thank goodness for 24 hour diners...we might have starvedI had so much fun experiencing Philly and seeing Ty and can't wait to go back!

Happy Birthday to....ME!!

2009-06-21T16:02:00.008-06:00

Last week I turned that grand old age of 21! It feels great...I feel like such a grown up now. Joke. Birthdays that occur after age 7 are almost nonmonumental. Sure, you get all the wall posts, text messages, short phone calls, spankings, but they're not quite the same as getting those sheet cakes divided down the middle: Winnie the Pooh saying Happy 4th Birthday Courteney on one side and The Little Mermaid saying Happy 7th Birthday Kirsten on the other. Those were birthdays. Flag Day 2009 was nothing short of bringing happiness into my life though. I slept in, attended a few hours of Sunday business, ate birthday cake from Glenna, and then headed to Grandma's for an amazing cookout and present-opening ceremony surrounded by those I love the most! I missed my usual bday partner but I'm sure she was having her own little celebration on her side of the country.

Some say a picture is worth a thousand words...how many words is an entrance started by 2 words worth?what if there's a walker and fake cords?or the birthday girl herself?Katie's ready to begin my cookout!I promise she's not homeless...she's just the cutest baby in the worldclassic Grandpa moment...busy at the grillCousin Robbie is ready to eat!so are the girlsslow down there tigerI love her!but then the storm rolled in and the party had to be moved inside...so we woke Shelly up from her nap. Good morning sunshineCousin Kenny was super excited!I had a personal present opener. That's how cool and grown up I am.All done!21 big ones!

photography by tc

2009-06-15T09:47:00.024-06:00

Tuellerette Concert means so many things to me...last performance, long practices, costume changes, bonding, making a poster about my life as a dancer...the last item is usually a last minute task but this year me and the cousins tried to be a little more on the ball. So Wednesday rolled around and we called up my daddy to help us with a little photo shoot. He is amazing! Even with his bum knee. Thanks dad for helping us out! The pictures turned out perfect and our posters looked awesome. Here's a sneak peek of the outcome...there's a lot of pictures on here so you can only imagine that it really is a sneak peek to how many photos he actually took, over 400! Thanks again Pops, enjoy! (sorry they're a little out of order)

My Summer Vol. I

2009-06-01T12:10:00.012-06:00

With one month of my summer vacation down, there have already been so many adventures. I almost forgot how much of my heart is enveloped by my love of Cache Valley summers. What's not to love about nights at the cabin... searching for the koalas...feeding the ducks...night rides with the boys... mid-construction parties with the boyfriend...
hanging with my favorite kindergarteners...
having sass-fests with some of those kindergarteners...
taking random trips to Jackson...

posing for pictures at the golf course...and after sweating to death at the golf course for 7 hours...

and afternoon boat runs?

Yay for summer.

Ode to Summer

2009-05-15T12:01:00.002-06:00

At the conclusion of the second week of my summer vacation, I am very happy. I'm happy about the events that have already taken place as part of the summer package and I'm happy about the things that will come about this summer. I got my old job back at the Phiv! Yay for employment. I'm turning 21 in 30 days! I'm planning multiple trips involving both coasts of our beautiful nation. I hate that the people I love and the places I love happen to be so far away from me but that just means vacations galore, hopefully. From Virginia to Vegas, may this be the best summer ever!

IDF!!

2009-04-27T09:27:00.013-06:00

Last weekend we made our journey to the beautiful Pocatello, Idaho for the annual Idaho Dance Fest. It was quite the family adventure...myself, the friend, the mother, 2 aunts, 2 babes, 3 cousins, and 3 cars. Talk about a Mexican roadblock... Calvin rode with us because of his love for the Red Car and Cindy. With a few handfuls of Cheetos, his book, and a mini DVD player with the Little Rascals he was pretty content the whole ride. After getting lost in Pokey for about a half hour and arriving late and in a rush to Pocatello High School we finally calmed down and got prepared to rock the socks off the audience. Okay...this video is for the soul purpose of making my sister happy so please, if you would refrain from watching it unless your name is Kirsten Cooley that would be fantastic...

After makin Peace it was time to change the mood a bit and get ready for Rockgirls. This is where Dressing Room + Extra Time = Pure Madness.I don't like to get ready too quickly...I might mess up the hairBecky...Katie...Shelly...Smalls...Kelina...we rock itKelina and I found some new boyfriends...can you say hotties?

The Rockgirls brought it & brought it hard...again, just for you Kirst

Some family photos... pose it

The whole gang
The dancers! Before we headed back to Utah we had to stop at another PHS, Preston High School to check out Shelly's ballroom team. She is amazing! Katie and I did get a little bored though...we wanted to go home! But before we could leave for Utah, Mom had to take a little trip down memory lane. She's such a cute little Preston girl.

and we're just fierce modelsWe heart Idaho!

PJ

2009-04-27T09:13:00.005-06:00

I have a new love in my life....her name is PJ. She's such a little cutie and provides so many hours of entertainment. We love her.This was PJ's first night ride and first passenger...I was a little nervousYeah...still quite nervous...

Just fillin' her up with some gasoline....$2.57 for over 100 miles of fun is so worth itOff on another scootThe addition of the third passenger wasn't exactly the best slash safest idea

Service Sunday

2009-04-27T08:56:00.004-06:00

Although I do have strong feelings of love towards Sundays, there are some weeks where I wonder how I can possibly fill my entire afternoon without sleeping the day away. For the purpose of providing some time fulfillment and entertainment maybe, Service Sunday was born a few weeks ago. Jordan and I take a few moments to bake a few cookies and then we disperse them around our community aka to a few of our friends. Here's a few of our stops over the last few weeks...maybe you're next on our list!

Poppa B

Diana, Jack, & LeahSkyler & StavonSkylerJordan

Utah Dance Fest

2009-03-31T10:12:00.010-06:00

Competition season is here! Which ultimately means spending countless hours with the team entertaining ourselves in the dressing room before we wow the crowd with our four minutes of real entertainment. On Saturday we had our first competition of the year, the Utah Dance Fest. This is always a tough comp so we knew we needed a lot of mental preparation before we hit the Spectrum floor...

and that's how it's done...this is also how it's done

some of my favorite T's...

Smalls needs to wash her hair

Lina and I trying to figure out how to make Peace
The face game...Alicia...Alyssa...Courteney...Kelina...Janessa
Makin Peace! and bringin home a trophy not as big as we would have liked...but we felt some serious peace being made that night.The official Rockgirls!
me and cousin Shelly

We Bring the Fire! Make You Come Alive!

We also bring home a 1st Place, Best Choreography, Best Showmanship, and second highest score of the day!

The Remnants of a Perfect Day

2009-03-19T09:31:00.017-06:00

You know those days where nothing in the category of incredible happens but everything that does happen is great? Meet my Wednesday March 18, 2009. Pretty perfect. Although the day began at 7:20 a.m. and waking up before 11 a.m. is definitely not my style, I could already feel in my bones that some great things were about to go down. When your day begins with Frank Shuman, principle lecturer at the School of Accountancy of the Jon M. Huntsman School of Business, accompanied by Jordan Kendrick and Sheldon Hill, your life is basically perfection at its best. Even more so when Frank decides to move Exam 3 from Friday to Monday. I heart Frank Shuman.

After class, LuCinda sent me off to Kohl's Department Store in search of an amazing baby shower gift for one of her friends. I have to admit, I could shop for babies for a living. I love it! Especially little girls, I was basically in heaven.

After some very thoughtful searching I found this cute Carter's dress. I can't wait to see little baby Bell rockin' out this summer in her little brown frock! I spent about an hour goggling at the cuteness I was surrounded by in the baby section and then I was off school again to study at my all-time favorite study spot on campus, the Eccles Conference Center. I didn't ever plan on sharing my secret spot with anyone but I just have to tell you why I love it so much and why it is the perfect place for my life.

The quiet. Only on rare occasions are there other people on the 2nd floor where I study. No one comes to bug ya.
The windows. For two reasons: a. the sun was shining! It was so warm and I was so happy to feel the sun! b. creeping, that's right. My day would not be perfect without a little bit of this. When your homework gets a little boring and class is getting out I love to watch the peeps walking around.
The banquet food. There wasn't one yesterday, but when there is a conference or something of that sort there is always catering going on. Smelling it while I study satisfies some great cravings that are usually never acted upon. Two birds with one stone kind of thing.
The music. They don't play overhead music at the library. But most days inside my Eccles Conference center, they play music. The best is during Christmastime.

Math assignment finished and I was off to another one of my favorite places...SARC as I like to call it or Sports Academy is what it is more commonly known as. I'll be honest, a lot of the time I

dink around at the gym. I kind of suck at self-motivation until I see the half anorexic mom's working out and then I might work a little harder. But yesterday, I worked hard. I was even a little sweaty when I was done. Don't worry, I gave myself a solid high five. Hopefully my desire to get in better shape continues to outweigh my desire to be a lazy bum. Cross your fingers for me if you will.

I finished my intense workout sesh, got re-ready for the day and sat like a 5 year old child indian style with my backpack on waiting for my ride to pick me up from after school club. Jordan and I were headed back to school for some more greatness. Math was fantastic. My main man Jim is a great teacher. When your professor writes the answer to your homework as (pardon my french) "See, you jackass..." you can't help but smile and be glad you're in Math 1030 on a sunny Wednesday afternoon. I studied a little in the library before Jordan was back and we went on our first adventure of the day. Although the car was parked by the Engineering building, we had to take a detour around the library, down old main, to our friends' who live at the welcoming home at 5th & 6th. I'm sure Matt loved driving us back to our car too. We love him. We also deeply love the man who inspired to go on that 1/2 mile walk.

Have you ever noticed the ranger station on the top of the hill right before Logan canyon? It's pretty sweet...and the view is beautiful so we had to stop for a short photo session. We love Spring and we love our valley!

We drove around for a little bit...saw some amazing houses we will one day own...I got to see Keller's new haircut...shared some chips & salsa with Glenna & Lane...and then dipped cones were in order.

Now, last week was Spring Break so there were lots of our friends that we hadn't seen for a small period of time. We needed to rekindle some of those friendships...

Jamie Coy is one of the loves of my life...she is an angel.
Jordan went out for a little night ride with Sheldon.

Our new friend Zac and old friends Sammy & Gish.
Poppa B... love

Jord, Doyle, and I before another infamous wrestling match. I don't know why we keep going in for more, he kills us every time.

We shared a few laughs together...Then, at the request of Matthew we were off to our cleaning duty...we're pretty good at sorting clothing. We just wanted to make some peace down there.
and we have mad bed-making skills.

Off to the last adventure...Lynsi was home from her date and we needed to see her beautiful face, too bad she just wanted to make peace too. Dustin was busy studying so we had to try our quiet voices out, we're not very good so he just joined our fun.
The perfect ending to the perfect day couldn't be anything but Tim shimmying. Self-taught, I'd say he's amazing but maybe that's just me!

Mr. & Mrs. Jake Cowdin!

2009-03-09T12:56:00.005-06:00

It's official!!! Haley and Jake got married on Saturday! They both looked so happy coming out of the temple and their smiles only grew throughout the day.

The 3 amigos at the temple So mine and Lynsi's day began pretty early to make it to the temple in time...and then we had a lot of spare time at different periods of the day. We killed a few hours at the Gateway before heading to Layton for the luncheon...we found our new favorite toy at Z Gallerie.
Jordan, me, Lynsi, and Morgan at Corbin's Grill for the luncheonAfter an amazing meal, we again passed a few hours at the mall before we had to be at the reception. Layton Hills Mall doesn't have any oversized magnifying glasses, but they do have a LoveSac store. The boys met us over there and we had a nice long chat on the couches. This is what happens when Ben has your camera, just a small word of warning.

A Bridal Shower For the Future Mrs. Cowdin

2009-03-09T12:31:00.009-06:00

With 13 days to go before the big day, Lynsi and I threw a little friendly get-together known more commonly as a bridal shower for the bride-to-be. After a few rejections and a very stressful last minute search for a location our amazing friend Morgan loaned us the Phiv for the evening. It was the perfect place for the shower! Things finally came all together and we started the pre-shower preparations when we ran into another bump in the road...our frozen soups weren't thawing.We had to take to a few extreme measures but everything turned out perfectly and everyone enjoyed the soups... Melissa and Alyssa pretend they want to see the big rock, but as we can see something else was a little more cool.

A candid shot of the girls...Sharice, Haylee, Hollie, Dani, and the woman of the hour
Maria, Steph, and Amanda Shanda just wanted to eat the cake...
You would think since Jordan made the dessert she wouldn't be so in love with it that she had to lick her plate...

Morgs and I

My Life as a Dancer

2009-02-22T23:55:00.007-07:00

As we got our first public appearance of our "Rock Girls" hip hop out of the way last night, a huge weight is lifted off my shoulders. I've been scared shizless for the past week or so for this performance...I hadn't been in front of a crowd like that in over a year. Things went good and I'm excited for another season of competitions. Now that I'm mostly over my fear of performing I had some time today to think about how much fun I've had dancing over the years. I can't even count how many times I've slipped on this costume and applied that makeup...it's crazy to think how much of my life has been filled with dance. My short break may have decreased my technique a little, but it for sure reminded me of and strenghthened my love and passion for dance. Here is a little montage of mostly my high school days of dancing...enjoy. Sorry, I feel like a blogtard. I can't figure out how to post the video any other way...if someone knows how to fix it let me know!

The Week In Review

2009-02-15T11:38:00.010-07:00

Throughout the week I've been thinking about sitting down at the computer and blogging a few of the things that have been going on. I always end up either thinking it's too small a thing to actually blog about or something else comes up to distract me (this is very easy to do) and fill my time. I've also been trying to get myself to write in my journal, something I used to be really good at but that has somehow been slipping my mind the past few months. So in an attempt to give you blog followers something to read about and myself something to remember what I was doing this past week, here is my week in review.

On Monday night the Utah State gymnastics team hosted the #1 Utes. I love going to gymnastics even though the meets are not the same without Tanner's commentary. Although I am an Aggie, you can't help but cheer for the Utes. They are amazing and basically flawless. My favorite gymnast of the night was Kristina Baskett. She is almost unhuman. She is such a cute girl and did so so good on Monday. Our team put up a pretty good fight but in the end we lost, 196.95-193.5, with our second highest score of the season. Not bad against the number 1 ranked team in the country.

Back in the studio of the Tueller School of Dance, our specialty dance is almost done! On Tuesday we spent a little more time finishing up our beginning and end, leaving only a small hole somewhere in the middle. It's coming together so good! It is going to be amazing! Our first performance is this Saturday so we're a little stressed to get it all down but I think we can pull it off. Janessa posted our progress from this week on facebook so take a look! http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#/video/video.php?v=51882512359&subj=1093029127

My good friend Jordan Kendrick has been on this crocheting kick for a few weeks. Mainly with beanies, but she's thrown a few headbands and other things in there. I think she's crocheted a total of 700 beanies, maybe. She even spent an evening trying to teach me. Useless. I do not have the patience or domestication to sit down and create anything of that sort. I wanted one to give to my little baby Brinley a.k.a. my friend Celeste's 3 month old baby, so we picked out a new yarn color and we found some cute flowers and ribbon for a tiny sized beanie. I think it turned out so cute! I've also been trying to figure out how those peeps make the cute headbands with the big flowers so I made an attempt to make my own. It's not the cutest of cute headbands but for a first try I'll give myself a high five. I was afraid they wouldn't fit her but they did and they looked so cute! She is such a cute little girl!

Last night we got home from a little dance convention in Layton called Hollywood Vibe. We had a lot of fun and learned a lot of fun and crazy dances. We took class from Al Bee, Jennifer Parsley, Chali Jennings, Roman Vasquez, Joaquin, and of course Christopher Smith. Even though I walked away with 1000 new bruises and I woke up this morning not being able to walk it was a lot of fun to take the classes and get to know such amazing professional dancers. It was fun to just get away for the weekend too. There were a lot of other dancers there to provide some good entertainment. We had the trani, the 15 year old smoldering temptress, the BYU booty shorts along with a few others.

After our own dinner at Subway, we came back to the convention center and walked in on this eating contest...they were apparently starving.

This is one of the times it's good to be older. This is how Brycelyn and Maddi slept for the night! Poor little lambsMy little bedmate KelinaWe were there to make peace.

Kirsten Cooley

2009-02-08T18:09:00.004-07:00

My sister has always been such an amazing friend. For the past 20 years we have been filling our lives with memories of each other. From building Barbie mansions in the living room to being threatened with the loss of a mole. We definitely have had our ups and downs...but no matter how bad...

We always make up! I don't know what I would do without my big sister! I love you, Kirst!

My New Home

2009-02-02T19:20:00.002-07:00

Happy Birthday!

2009-01-26T17:03:00.003-07:00

I just wanted to wish my cute little Spenser a very Happy Birthday....I love you!

School...school...school...

2009-01-19T20:43:00.002-07:00

Spring semester is in full swing! I can't believe we've already been through 2 whole weeks. Hopefully the whole semester goes by this fast! There's been very little going on besides classes, trips to the library, hours passed in the tsc, and many, many nuka-filled walks acrossed the quad. I love all my classes this time around and I'm actually loving studying (don't judge me). This weekend I took a little time away from the books for a little fun... on Saturday Ryan and I headed down to Salt Lake for the Auto Expo. So much fun! It was a little sad leaving though, as I realized that I don't even have a car haha.

The new V10 bike

The Ford Raptor...very hotI think the Audi Q7 is a very good choice for me...somedayand one day maybe it will be the Lexus ISF...haha....these men were pretty spent, they had to take a little lunch breakThis is the new Camaro...just for you daddy!

1969 Shelby...beautiful

On Sunday we had a little family dinner up at the Carpenter's...after dinner activities are so unpredictable.

Don't mess...

They Do Come Home!

2009-01-05T10:39:00.006-07:00

My fav cousin Charlie returned home from the Indiana Indianapolis mission a few weeks ago! It's crazy to think 2 years can go by so quickly yet take so long! He completed his service, though, and came back to us! Let's just begin with the fact that it was freezing that morning... Michelle was driving so she had to scrape the windows. Shut the door!

Our knowledge of his flight information was being blown around between times so we ended up in Salt Lake a little early. We decided to take our extra time over to Temple Square. We spent some time doing activities....

Even though we all needed a little help, after a few phone calls we completed our family trees!

Then we walked upstairs and watched the Joseph Smith movie. No matter how many times I see it, it is still amazing! It's fine that I cry everytime too. After a highly unexpected run in with my girl Jaclyn we were off to the airport!

The first embrace with mama
Elder Carpenter returns home!!
We love you Charlie and are so excited you're home!

Tagged!

2008-11-25T22:07:00.002-07:00

I got tagged by my awesome mother!

The Rules:
1. Post the rules
2. Answer the 6 "8" items
3. Let each person know they have been tagged

Let's begin...

8 Favorite T.V. Shows-

1. The Office
2. Kath & Kim
3. Grey's Anatomy
4. The Hill's
5. Friends
6. Chelsea Lately
7. The Biggest Loser
8. So You Think You Can Dance

8 Things I Did Yesterday-

1. Left my phone at home...ouch
2. Went to school
3. Worked Out
4. Changed all of Grandma's light bulbs
5. Got my new high score on BrickBreaker!!
6. Hung out with my little Meskimo
7. Saw my new baby cousin, Taylee
8. Got to bed before midnight!

8 Favorite Restaurants-

1. Cafe Sabor
2. Chili's
3. Coppermill
4. Mandarin Garden
5. Firehouse
6. Old Grist Mill
7. Hamilton's
8. Tepanyaki

8 Things I Am Looking Forward To-

1. No school!
2. The Cooley's to come home
3. Christmas parties
4. Charlie coming home
5. a new semester
6. Haley's wedding
7. babysitting my boys!
8. figuring life out

8 Things on My Wishlist-

1. straight A's
2. laptop
3. a kitty
4. a maid
5. get skinny!
6. new car
7. an amazing new wardrobe
8. you know who

8 People I Tag-
(everyone I know has been tagged already...)
1. Celeste Veibell
2. Karly Palmer
3. Ashley Tibbitts
4. Lindsay Shipley
5. Jamie Norton
6. Erin Davis
7. Taiya Brown
8. Lacy Broberg

2008-11-23T22:11:00.001-07:00

200 loves

2008-11-23T20:00:00.002-07:00

I was looking through some files on my computer and I came acrossed a list I had made a few years ago. When I'm feeling a little down I like to try and think of all the things I'm thankful for and the things that make me happy. Haha I'm still pretty much the same as I was three years ago, I love all the same things. I know it's a little long but bare with me, there are some pretty good subjects on the list... Here it goes:

spider solitaire
lightning
park benches
playing tag
making lists
diet coke
looking at old pictures
talking
laughing
listening to a new song
kissing
cuddling
making movies
reading cute quotes
eating
sleeping
beaches
smoothies
sunsets
dancing
guitars
diamonds
eyelashes
pools
licorice
tan lines
fountains
shopping
summer
flowers
babies
days off
love songs
new shoes
flirting
café sabor
presents
my family
dates
all-night chats
Gordon B. Hinckley
emails from people you love
watching movies
fireworks
taking weird pictures
spring break
annual Christmas parties
cheer camp
Hawaii
SLC at Christmastime
riding bikes
surprise weddings
jumping on the tramp
stealing clothes
birthdays
homecoming
snuggling at football games
making cookies
dance competitions
sleepovers
getting dressed up
watching basketball
coldstone ice cream
sweats
glow sticks
midnight movies
the Heat
SOAR
st. george, ut
bus rides
graduating
el toro
my sisters
growing up
getting money
hotels
massages
getting text messages
sending letters
open fields
big blue eyes
cheeseburgers
kalai
smiling
going to new places
friends
making people happy
sweating
getting ready
my grandparents
reading my scriptures
brushing my teeth
clean sheets
firehouse pazookies
talking by the fire
hammocks
jamocha shakes
g2 pens
pearls
love
long conversations
sleeping in
concerts
vacations
traditions
learning
staying up with someone you love
new friends
weddings
quiet
reminiscing
being crazy
being predictable
shooting stars
rain
Abercrombie fierce
being a role model
listening
doing absolutely nothing
watermelon
hearing my gma’s stories
being alone
rehearsals
lava lamps
comfy chairs
pineapple
water beds
the birthday song
making curfew
inside jokes
embarrassing moments
being healthy
road signs
new towels
7 layer dip
cute underwear
pink
einstein’s omelets
being on time
promises
“I’m sorries”
stuffed animals
special k bars
princess snacks
getting mail
having choices
bags
free samples
shaving
candy
seminary
disneyland
aggies
smells
chicken
ribbons
sunglasses
seashells
palm trees
baseball diamonds
san francisco
family cookouts
making cards
oranges
hotel roofs
daisies
songs I can sing to
making a scene
tutus
scars
tickle fights
Shakespeare
parasailing
gum
hand sanitizer
candles
holding hands
long drives home
winking
bruises
having a shoulder to cry on
waterfalls
the rainforest café
love sacs
necklaces
secrets
musicals
temples
june
skirts
Aladdin
missionaires
flip flops
hot chocolate & donuts
pep assemblies
leaf piles
VS Pink
6:14
dippin dots
falling in love

Aggie Pride

2008-11-02T16:46:00.005-07:00

With the basketball opener this Friday and the Hawaii football team visiting on Saturday, there was a lot of school spirit to let out. I almost forgot how wild and crazy the spectrum can get during these matchups and how fun they are. Just adding more victories to our tally.And another to the football team! My parents took me and Grandma and Grandpa to the game yesterday. It was so much fun to see all their hardwork pay off in a victory against the #14 ranked University of Hawaii. Go Aggies!

My Guardian Angel

2008-11-02T16:21:00.004-07:00

The other day was just one of those days where nothing goes right and there's nothing you can do about. After a long day at school I headed home to sort everything out but I just couldn't. I felt like everything was falling apart. I decided to go up to the one place I know no one will bug me and I can just sit and think as long as I need to...in front of Spenser's headstone. It's always been somewhere I can go to clear my head and remember what's most important to me. Somewhere I've been neglecting for awhile. It was so peaceful up there. It helped me remember what I need to be doing and what I can give up. It's like she's my little guardian angel and I needed to spend some time with her to let me know she's still here and I'm still her big sister.

Ali

2008-11-02T16:12:00.002-07:00

I just had a post a few pics of my baby cousin Ali. She is so adorable! I just could just eat her up. With all her little rolls and her silent laugh who wouldn't want to hang out with her all day?

Viva Las Vegas

2008-11-02T15:54:00.005-07:00

We went to Vegas for a night and stayed at the beautiful Bellagio.
This was my first trip to the big LV, it was a little different than I imagined it but it was fun. We went to Cirque du Soleil's Criss Angel Believe. So cool! The magic and dancing was so fun to see!

Back to St. George and a trip to Tuacahn for a Big River performance. I had never seen this musical before and it was so good. They even flooded the stage twice for the river. Towards the end it started getting really cold but it just added to the experience. Coming home is always hard after having so much fun...but we had to get back to school!

The 21st!

2008-11-02T15:50:00.002-07:00

Lynsi turned 21! Whoo... holy cow we are getting so old. While sitting in church she made Haley and I a list of vetoes for the day.

Yellowcard

2008-11-02T15:41:00.004-07:00

It's a rare occasion when Lynsi, Haley, and I get out together with no boys... but when we do... party. When Yellowcard came into town we knew we had to be there. Not #1 on our playlists, but always an entertaining concert to attend. We had a blast! maybe too much... but that's always what seems to happen.
Chocolate Thunder, Mocha, and Vanilla Lightning
Floor!!Allred is amazingGetting sobotaged by everyone

Date Night

2008-11-02T15:35:00.003-07:00

Even though I'm 20, it's okay to bring out your inner child to take your 11 year old cousin on a date. We had a lot of fun...at first we didn't know what we wanted to do! For I think the first time in my life there were multiple things to do in Logan. Our final decision was go karting followed by a five course meal at Chili's. I love being so close to my family! There are a lot of us so it can be challenging but my family is so amazing so it's worth the effort. Thanks Hunter for always being my favorite boyfriend!

Memoir of a Dare

2008-09-21T09:37:00.003-06:00

My sister has been harassing me about blogging... I'm living at home and going to school. Not much excitement in my life right now to blog about. As I was rummaging through some old photos on my computer I came across this one from about three years ago...

It is indeed a giant spoonful of sour cream. I never back down on a dare. Yum.

Your Voice Was The Soundtrack of My Summer

2008-08-22T14:06:00.006-06:00

Well the summer is over! Holy smokes... Louisville, Kentucky has been what I would call a collaboration of good times. I have never spent this many consecutive days away from my home of Cache Valley but I made it! I feel so adult-ish now, maybe a little too much. I've had so much fun eating at BW's every Tuesday, driving up to Cincinnati, hanging out at Fifth Avenue every afternoon, renting Red Boxes, and laying by the pool but it will feel so great to be back home! I've already posted most of these pics but these are my favorite times of Summer '08. See all of you in a couple days!!!

D to the C

2008-08-13T17:28:00.005-06:00

Sorry this is a little late... My sister and Tanner made the big move across the country a couple weeks ago to begin the next chapter of their lives. As Tanner and his friend Derek drove the many miles and hours from Logan, UT to Leesburg, VA, Kirsten and my mom flew with the two pups. As I am located in a different state, I flew on my own to meet them all over there. After what I would call a not so good flying experience I arrived at Dulles Airport and anxiously waited for the rest of the Cole girls to get there. I hadn't seen either of them for three whole months! We had lots of laughs and created lots of memories while we were there... Unloading the U-Haul, going to our (me & mom) first NFL game, shopping... I'm glad we got to spend some time together. It will probably be awhile before we get to do that again. Growing up isn't fun when your family starts to move around the country!

Welcome to Maryland

The U-Haul

Kirst is pretty buff
I had just woken up...don't judge me
Kirsten's new work!

Me and my momma on the way to the game

The girls mid-walk from the car to the game
The cutest little Cooley baby ever!
Waiting for the game to start
FedEx field
The Redskins won!
Me, Tanner, Kirst, and Lucy
Holy petting zoo! George, Chip, Jack, Dale, and Baxter.
The Camero...
Tanner's bro Chris let my mom drive his newly restored car...she was in heaven!!! I was a little scared.

Surprise!

2008-08-12T18:36:00.009-06:00

The Cincy Adventure

2008-08-04T11:36:00.015-06:00

Sunday was quite the day! We drove up to Cincinnati and spent the day exploring...first by petting sharks at the Newport Aquarium and then peering at every vein, artery, and vital organ in the body at the Body Exibition. Here are our best shots.

Cincinnati is such a pretty city! We wished we had more time to stay and play. There seemed to be a lot of fun things to do!
We got to see Nemo!

Just chillin at the Bayou...can you see the American Alligator?

Celeste and I watching the otters play.

The scary sharks...

And the not-so-scary sharks...

The cute penguins

Pulling up to the Cincinnati Museum Center at Union Terminal

M.I.C...K.E.Y...MOUSE...

2008-07-31T20:17:00.005-06:00

So it's been awhile since the last post...I have a pretty boring life with nothing to show for it. My bad. This last weekend was spent with my babysitter Celeste. Some definite good times were had scouting out a new read, eating, Wii-ing, and puzzle-ing. Celeste was in search of a new puzzle to pass the time and I insisted in this Mickey Mouse one. Bad choice on my part...I mean it's been fun peering at nearly all-black minute-sized photos for hours on end and not finding the one piece you are in need of. Fun, I swear it. It has helped pass many hours, approximately 10 of them, which is exactly its purpose. This is as far as we've gotten. Wish us luck.

The Blackberry Bold

2008-07-16T17:34:00.004-06:00

So a few months ago my very favorite phone ever purchased DIED...It was a very sad day. Somehow it acquired some water damage and the screen goes all skee-wumpis whenever you try to do anything. So my very kind and favorite brother-in-law has been letting me use his old SLVR. Motorola is not my favorite but it has definitely been a lifesaver so I wouldn't have to purchase a new phone yet. My next upgrade isn't until September 10 (don't worry I've been counting down the days). I look at all the new phones almost daily and stop in the AT&T stores close by when I have a free minute to see what they have and to maybe play with their iPhones for a bit. I finally found one I think I'm in love with. It hasn't been released yet but I'm hoping this will be my September purchase.

Fireflies!!

2008-07-16T15:18:00.003-06:00

I had never seen a firefly before I moved out to Kentucky. I never knew how deprived of a life I was living. They are beautiful! There are so many trees and so many fireflies it's almost like they are lit like Christmas trees. Well last night we were walking up to the apartment after a Tuesday dinner at BW's and there was a little firefly on the wall. I must say that for how pretty their little bums are, they are not very attractive little bugs but I still thought it was cool to see it light up. Here's a little video I caught of the insect. You kind of have to watch closely...

Belated Update

2008-07-16T14:43:00.015-06:00

I've been too lazy to update but decided someone out there might wonder what's going on over here in the East... Last Thursday the whole office went bowling. I'm way good at bowling... Karly, Lindsey, Kynzie, Celeste, and me! This Sunday we again trekked up to the golf course known as Sleepy Hollow. When I went to sit in my cart there was a furry little friend sitting there. We named him Creamsicle. He ran away at the first hole though...he was a good friend. I have to sneak the pregnant lady snacks sometimes...

Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend But She'll Always Remember Crabs

2008-07-05T09:41:00.006-06:00

Independence Day is a whole different ballgame in Kentucky versus my usual routine of the Lewiston celebration. We kind of had to make our own fun during the day, filling it with an extensive t-shirt search across the city and an intense Wii session. The males finally got home from work and we headed downtown. We thought we might have to had to watch the fireworks from the freeway but because of the weather they were postponed a bit. We arrived at Joe's Crab Shack, right on the edge of the river, and were told we had a two hour wait so we passed the time taking photos of ourselves, what else is new haha. They ended up shooting the fireworks off right in the middle of dinner. They were so pretty over the Ohio river (sorry I didn't get any photos of them though)!!

I have a small crush...

The Girls! Me, Karly, Celeste, Lindsey, and Jamie

The Picture Search

2008-06-25T19:33:00.009-06:00

The concept:
a. Type your answer to each of the questions below into Flickr Search .
b. Using only the first page, pick an image.
c. Copy and paste each of the URLs for the images into fd’s mosaic maker.

The Questions:
1. What is your first name?
2. What is your favorite food?
3. What school did you go to?
4. What is your favorite color?
5. Who is your celebrity crush?
6. Favorite drink?
7. Dream vacation?
8. Favorite dessert?
9. What you want to be when you grow up?
10. What do you love most in life?
11. One word to describe you.
12. Your nickname.

My answers:
1. Courteney
2. rice
3. Utah State University
4. Pink
5. Patrick Dempsey
6. Diet Coke
7. Bahamas
8. Cheesecake
9. Mommy
10. the sun
11. fun
12. Courte (haha I love that it's a monkey! I swear I put in the six letters oh my name and this came up!)

Largest Go Kart track in America!

2008-06-23T19:01:00.006-06:00

I'll just go ahead and say bigger does not always mean better. No offense to the residents of Kentucky who fully enjoy Kart Kountry, but I was a little scared being out there in the country. Sunday afternoons are always filled with some kind of adventure. This week it was go karts. After a 40 minute drive we arrive at our destination. A short walk through the casino/arcade area and we made it to the line. We bought a few tickets and headed on back to the track. Once I was seated in my little kart my legs stuck to bottom, my hair was being rubbed with some sort of sticky, syrupy matter and the sleeves of my jacket immediately began to be blackened by the wheel. One lap around the 1.5 mile track was all that was needed and I was done 'karting.' I was fine sitting on the sideline with the pregnant lady waiting for the next adventure to begin...mini golf. I had a lot more fun and was much better at the second activity even though I think I came in last place.

What's a kitty?

2008-06-23T19:00:00.002-06:00

Love ya, Celeste!

Mario Kart-athon

2008-06-23T18:16:00.013-06:00

Saturday nights are by far the best night of the week. It's the only time we can all stay up with no work the next day. This Saturday we planned a little get together of Mario Kart madness, with a bracket and all. Even though I suck way bad and got out the first round it was fun to watch everyone else play and to try and guess who was going to win the prize money. It got a little intense at times and seemed to be a bit rigged but everyone was still enjoying just hanging out together.
The Official Bracket

Lindsey and I were the first to go head to head
Parker loved trying to play the Wii too

Dylan was the champion!

I'm 20!

2008-06-16T16:21:00.007-06:00

I can't believe it...I'm not a teenage anymore. I don't feel more grown up, maybe more like a child because my age has increased but my maturity hasn't quite caught up. Anyway, I had such a fun birthday! Saturday's are usually the early day of the week, waking up around 7:30, so it felt nice to start the day off by sleeping in. I was finally allowed to open my presents that were sent all the way from Utah and then it was off to an entire day of shopping. We went to dinner at Ruth's Chris Steakhouse. So good!!!! Wow it was quite the exquisite dining experience. Sorry I only have a few photos but it was mostly trying on clothes all day...
My family's gifts arrived on Friday while I was at work...I came home to this sad little wet box. Everything was nice and dry inside though!

I can't wait to see what's inside!

A Goofy Movie!! I love it!

Kirst sent a cute photo of the two of us

I'm not sure if I'm excited about the shirt or mad at Ty...

So good...
My birthday cake!

We're about to burn the building down...

A Night at the Jewish Hospital

2008-06-13T10:12:00.004-06:00

What started as a slight but ever present pain ended with a trip to the Jewish Hospital Medical Center East at midnight last night. No need to be alarmed though, the pain was caused only by a bladder infection. My second one...they are no fun. After fifteen minutes of Rachel's (our navigator) efforts to find us an ER, Ty finally just called 411 and found the closest one. We sat in the waiting room for an hour reading up on Louisville's top women of today with short intermissions of checking my BP and temperature, and making copies of my insurance card. Finally Nurse Julie called my name and we went through the doors. She gave me my little sample cup and explained the procedure. I was obviously confused because I thought she wanted me to fill it up right there in the room in front of Ty but then she led me to the restroom. Thanks for not making it awkward... The hospital staff was not all the way on top of things because about ten minutes after Julie had come back and retrieved my sample another girl came to pick it up. Did they lose it? Just when I had had about enough of watching the Louisville news, learning of new crime in the area, the doctor came in and assured me that, yes, I indeed had a UTI. He asked me if I needed a note to miss work but I reluctantly told him I would not be needing one. My meds and prescriptions were dispensed and we made the trek home at 2 a.m.

An Afternoon at Churchill Downs

2008-06-11T19:41:00.011-06:00

This Sunday was a fun-filled adventure. We played at the pool, bet on some races at Churchill Downs, and enjoyed yet another game of Louisville Bats' baseball. Here are a few snapshots of the track.

The crazy redcoat that sounded the horn a few minutes before each race.

Getting ready to race...

Celeste, Lindsey, and I

Info from the KY

2008-06-05T11:43:00.009-06:00

Well Kentucky has been a fun little experience. I finally found a job!! I'm a receptionist at a little place called 5th Avenue Salon Spa & Limo. It's an adventure being there everyday. After work we don't have a lot of time to get out and do stuff but we found a few minutes this last weekend to run downtown to enjoy the last two outs of a Louisville Sluggers' game and drive up to Cincinnati to a Reds v. Atlanta Braves game that was a blast! Here are a few photos.

Yes, this is Ken Griffey Jr.!

JackJack

2008-05-22T17:40:00.003-06:00

My youngest little nephew Jack is pretty crazy...Love him to death but he's crazy. The other day he kept jumping on me and wanting me to play games with him so I played a little game with him. It's called the side ponytail game. Let's just say he didn't beg me to play any more games, but he looked so cute

Weddings in Utah

2008-05-22T17:19:00.005-06:00

I made a return to Utah in time to give my mom a high five on her special day and then give a couple more high fives for two very special days. Last Thursday my good friend, Jennifer Lyn Griffin was wed to her new hubby Chris and my cousin Tara married the love of her life, Brad. They were beautiful receptions but I think there might have been some more beautiful people sitting at the tables...

Louisville, KY

2008-05-09T15:19:00.005-06:00

So I arrived in the beautiful state of Kentucky on Sunday and it's been a pretty random week. I've looked for an apartment, driven on 6,000 different freeways, and searched for a laundry bag for a solid hour. Here are the top 10 most important things I've learned so far:

1. Wyoming has big horn sheep.
2. Nebraska has the nicest rest stops and the largest Harley Davidson stores.
3. Don't eat at Taco Bell during the long day.
4. Without mountains I have absolutely no idea where I am.
5. Single ply toilet paper has the possibility of ruining a whole day.
6. Seat heaters/coolers are beyond amazing.
7. Living with 4 boys isn't the worst thing in the world.
8. Stouffer's lasagnas really do take 2 hours and 10 minutes to bake, plan accordingly.
9. Waking up at 10:30 everyday wastes half the morning but feels so good.
10. Richard Branson has the #1 Priciest Pad on Cribs, coming in at $150,000,000.

She's gone...

2008-04-03T22:24:00.004-06:00

Missy's mom came home today so we had to take her home...all three puppies were so sad. She didn't want to leave us...and Bax and Jack didn't want to see her go. We'll all have to play again soon.

SB '08

2008-04-03T21:00:00.009-06:00

Spring Break this year was spent in sunny Huntington Beach, California. It wasn't as warm as we planned or wanted it to be but we had a lot of fun eating, shopping, and watching March Madness unfurl. I know Spring Break was a month ago, I'm a little behind on the blogging!

Laguna Beach

Sunset on Huntington Beach

Clark Planetarium

2008-04-03T20:58:00.002-06:00

Ladies and Gentlemen...Kirsten Cooley. Last time I checked she was 22 years old. A seven year old boy saw her doing this and was made an attempt to get inside his own sphere when his mother put him in his place. What a great example haha I was laughing so hard.

Double Date

2008-04-03T19:50:00.001-06:00

Haley and I went on a date the other night...It started with two boys and two girls but somehow we ended up like this. Weird

Haley Ross Thompson

2008-02-25T11:04:00.015-07:00

What would my life be like without Haley? This is an area I don't even want to wander into. She's amazing. There's nothing better than having someone to go to scary movies, make certain music videos, stay up late, cry, go to chili's, eat anywhere, share bunk beds, and go on dates with. Haley, here's to you. May the memories never die. I love you!

Mesquite baby!

2008-02-25T10:47:00.006-07:00

It was so warm and beautiful in Mesquite! We had a lot of fun gambling (my bad...), golfing, and getting massages. It was so hard to come home to the cold.

$120 later we finally got a spin!

The Narrows

2008-02-25T10:23:00.006-07:00

The first day in St. George we went on a little hike through the narrows. The guys thought they were in high school again and decided it would be a good idea to jump around a little bit. We're not quite sure what Erin or Dillon are doing...

No More Snow!

2008-02-19T11:20:00.001-07:00

We just got back from St. George this morning and I couldn't be more sad! It's freezing here!! I don't think I'm going to survive through the rest of the winter. Anyway I'll get the trip photos posted later, just wanted to you all to know I love you in case I don't make it through the cold.

In Memory of President Gordon B. Hinckley

2008-02-06T11:16:00.000-07:00

My First One!!!

2008-01-30T10:07:00.000-07:00

On the way home from Bear Lake I saw my very first moose! It was just a baby but it was still cool. This isn't a very good shot of it but I just wanted to share the news.

Bear Lake

2008-01-30T09:59:00.002-07:00

Last weekend we headed through the canyon up to Tyson's cabin. The boys cooked us dinner. It was delicious!! I think someone ate a couple cookies too.