Summer Updates

There has been so much going on this month that I haven't had time to post it all on the blog. Who knew that having fun could be so much work!! Here are some of the highlights from this last month:

1. I went to a baby shower for cousin and met up with some of my favorite bloggers! It was so fun to see so many family members that I haven't seen in ages or have been otherwise neglecting (sorry again Sara, does this shout out in my blog make up for my laziness? When are we going to get together?). Everyone looked awesome, especially the mother-to-be. Someone needs to get married or pregnant so that we can get together again soon!

2. I went to Champaign, IL for a week for some tax training. It was great to get away from the ins and outs of work for a week and the tax training was quite insightful. I couldn't list this trip without mentioning that I fit a week's worth of necessities into nothing but my carry-on bag. My mom was doubtful....I scarcely believed it myself.....but I did it! I am the world's worst packer and am always taking too much stuff with me wherever I go. Let's just say I've turned over a new leaf. I considered having this trip count toward my monthly vacation quota but decided against it once I found out some of my peeps were down with visiting Moab! (see number 4 below).

3. I ran the Des News 10K with Shanel and Jill. It's been a while since I've ran in an actual race so I was a bit nervous. It brought back a lot of good memories though and it was fun to run with people for their first time!

4. I went to Moab, UT for my first time ever!! It was so beautiful and HOT!!!! After taking the LONG way to get there (7 hours in a car when you are expecting to be in there for 4.5 hours is not a pleasant beginning) we finally made it to a campsite and watched as the boys set up the tent! I mentioned to my mom how fun it was to camp with guys because I could sit back and watch while they did all of the work. She tried to tell me that maybe they were expecting the girls to do all of the cooking but then I reminded her that I took along an ample supply of Costco muffins....so we didn't really even have to cook. Our activities for the weekend included hiking at Arches National Park and river rafting down the Colorado river. It was an awesome weekend with a lot of laughs and good memories!

4. I was able to get together with a great friend while she was visiting from Des Moines. She just had her second baby and had the baby blessing in Utah while they were in town. It was so fun to catch up and see some of our other friends that we don't get to see too often! She didn't name her daughter after me but I didn't hold that against her....for too long!

5. I saw The Dark Knight, the latest installment of the Batman movies. I had received mixed reviews from both ends of the spectrum so I really didn't know what to expect. Overall, I thought it was an entertaining movie (sorry Mom) but I liked the first one better. Christian Bale was as gorgeous as ever and Heath did a great job as the Joker.....although I'm going to go out on a limb and say that I didn't think it was as "Academy Award Worthy" as everyone has been saying. You heard it here first.

6. I patroned a couple of concerts and plays. The first concert was Jon Schmidt. He's an awesome pianist who I've always wanted to see live. I've tried playing some of his music but it's so fast, it's definately better listening to him play! Concert #2 was Colbie Caillat and John Mayer (I didn't see Jennifer Aniston anywhere in the audience but she may have been lurking backstage, no one really knows at this point). OK, well technically I haven't been to the plays yet but they are this weekend so technically they count, right? I'm taking my niece Jocelyn for her birthday to Broadway's version of High School Musical. She's basically my cover so that nobody questions why a 28 year old would want to see this play. Troy and Gabriella will go down as one of Hollywood's greatest couples if you ask me. Anyway, I'll also be going to see a spoof off of Indiana Jones with my family. It looks pretty funny so hopefully it will live up to the hype!

7. I've been HOOKED on yet another reality tv show......So You Think You Can Dance. It's amazing. The dancers are incredible and each week provides 3 full hours of blissful entertainment. If you haven't seen any episodes you can tune in for the finale next week and you won't be disappointed. I think I may even like it more than American Idol......

8. I've been losing my mind with anticipation for the newest book in the Twilight series, Breaking Dawn, by Stephenie Meyer. Not only is this the latest book in the series, it's also the final book in the series. Although I love a good story, especially a good love story, I'm ready for it to finally end. I don't know if I'd last another 2 years for another book to come out! It sounds crazy, I don't know why I'm so addicted but I have really loved reading these books. It will be released on Saturday, August 2nd so hopefully people will be ready to blog about it by Monday!

Well, that's about it. It's been a pretty crazy month, but so much fun getting together with friends and family that I haven't seen in a while and creating unforgetable memories!!!

Proud to Be an American

It's July. For me July means fireworks, bbq's, and sprinklers. I don't know why I think of sprinklers but I do. Maybe it's because I have to manually water my lawn and consequently have to rotate the sprinkler location every other day, every hour. I digress. I was fortunate enough to attend the Stadium of Fire on the 4th of July and see.......wait for it......Miley Cyrus live in concert. That's right, I don't know if there's a better way to celebrate the freedoms of our country than by fanatically cheering on a 15 year old girl singing about loves lost and finding an escape from life's pressures. I hear those Jonas Brothers sure are gaining popularity among the tweenage crowd so I can only imagine the sort of stress Miley has been under lately. The Blue Man Group performed right before Miley Cyrus and it was just a little ironic that a portion of their show focused on the lack of talent among modern rock stars. It was a great night of entertainment and fireworks.