Copy and paste it into your blog and then just bold the things you've done!
1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band (Concert Band!)
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo
11. Bungee jumped
12. Gone on a hot air balloon ride
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language (Pig Latin- FLUENT!)
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guard in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle (does 37 mph in a 35 zone count?)
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper (Seagull!)
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee
100. Totally copied a post from someone else's blog to your own
Thursday, December 4, 2008
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
Sunday, November 2, 2008
Halloween
Halloween was a long day for me.
The night before, I stayed up really late with my dad and Eric. We were making shirts for Lora's birthday, which is on Halloween. Eric was silk-screening stuff, and I had some iron on Twilight designs that I had made. I didn't go to bed until 2, but I figured it was good preparation for Halloween night.
In the morning, I got up and started work on Lora's cake. Eric had asked me to make a cake with the Incredibles symbol because of their costumes. (* Thank you, Karen, for letting me use your nice cake stuff- it helped a lot).
Mom and I cleaned the house to get it ready for people. I was so excited, the day seemed to go by too slow. I couldn't wait to start working on my hair, which would be the biggest part of my costume.
Finally, my friends arrived to get ready.
Eric, Lora, my friends Kristine, Brittany, Tim, Cynthia, and I went to the Halloween Boat Dance. It was put on by YSA wards from all over San Diego.
Eric and Lora went as Mr. and Mrs. Incredible.
My friends and I went as characters from the Wizard of Oz.
I was, of course, the Lion.
Tim was the Tin Man.
Kristine was Dorothy.
Cynthia was the Wicked Witch (or Elphaba- if you are a Wicked fan)
and Brittany was the Good Witch (of Glinda)
Our scarecrow didn't have money to buy a ticket, so he couldn't come.
And we were going to have the wizard, but he never showed up and wouldn't answer his phone.
It would have been awesome if we had had them with us.
It was an 'Incredibly Wicked' night.
It began with lots of work on my hair to make my mane. 
We watched Nightmare before Christmas while Kristine ratted and teased my hair and everyone else got makeup on.
Eric and Lora eventually appeared in costume(minus a few finishing touches, like face paint)
After lots of rushing and pictures, we were out the door by 10:20 and we piled into the suburban.
Lora opened my present, but she didn't know about the cake, it was still at home, waiting for her brother to get it and smuggle it on to the boat.
We finally parked at the docks and walked down to the boat, where there was a large crowd of Mormons all dressed up.
The first person that we saw, who we knew, was our cousin David Sensenbaugh. And to our great astonishment (our jaws literally dropped) David was also dressed as Mr. Incredible!!
I sought out my friends from Institute in the crowd and they all screamed and wondered over my hair (it really was incredible huge and poofy). I heard lots of 'wow's and 'awesome hair's as I walked through the crowd. Many people asked me if it was real.
Very shortly, we loaded onto the boat, which had three levels. The top and bottom both had dance floors, and the middle was quieter with food and kareoke. The top dance floor was always packed. Me and my friends rarely went up there simply because we couldn't. But we had a blast on the bottom floor and out on the front deck where the breeze was nice and cool, and we could talk.
We all stood out on the deck and cheered as we passed under the coronado bridge. It's not something you get to do very often, especially at 1 in the morning.
Lora and Eric would find us every once and a while, usually to take pictures.
After what seemed a very short time, the boat was pulling back into port. We were tired, yes, but we certainly were not done having fun.
On the walk back to the car, we took fun pictures with the sculptures that line the docks. We thought about going to Denny's but we weren't really hungry, so we didn't want to waste money.
At home, we watched the Incredibles and fell asleep to Hocus Pocus. Some time near the end of Hocus Pocus, (i think it was 4:30) Cynthia got a call that she had to go home, so we cleaned up and said our good byes.
After my friends left, I did a little more cleaning up just so my mom wouldn't freak out, but there was still plenty to do in the morning.
I woke up earlier than I thought I would and cleaned up more of the mess. Then I began the inevitable washing of my hair. Though I was looking forward to having my hair back to normal, I was not looking forward to the rigorous brushing that it would take to get out all the hairspray and knots that made it as tall as it was.
My shower was an hour long- 45 minutes of conditioning and brushing. My head hurt after that.
The whole day was really weird for me. In the morning, whenever someone talked to me, especially on the phone, I could feel my brain working too slowly. My body would not respond as quickly when I wanted to move or walk. After a while, I laid down in bed and fell asleep for a few hours. I woke up more refreshed, but the day was mostly gone. Dad was already asking me if I wanted to go out to dinner.
Apparently I partied harder than I thought if I needed that much recuperation.
But it was so worth it. It was one of the best nights I have had in a long time, and I can't wait till next year.
Here are some other pictures from the night.
The night before, I stayed up really late with my dad and Eric. We were making shirts for Lora's birthday, which is on Halloween. Eric was silk-screening stuff, and I had some iron on Twilight designs that I had made. I didn't go to bed until 2, but I figured it was good preparation for Halloween night.
In the morning, I got up and started work on Lora's cake. Eric had asked me to make a cake with the Incredibles symbol because of their costumes. (* Thank you, Karen, for letting me use your nice cake stuff- it helped a lot).
Mom and I cleaned the house to get it ready for people. I was so excited, the day seemed to go by too slow. I couldn't wait to start working on my hair, which would be the biggest part of my costume.
Finally, my friends arrived to get ready.
Eric, Lora, my friends Kristine, Brittany, Tim, Cynthia, and I went to the Halloween Boat Dance. It was put on by YSA wards from all over San Diego.Eric and Lora went as Mr. and Mrs. Incredible.
My friends and I went as characters from the Wizard of Oz.
I was, of course, the Lion.
Tim was the Tin Man.
Kristine was Dorothy.
Cynthia was the Wicked Witch (or Elphaba- if you are a Wicked fan)
and Brittany was the Good Witch (of Glinda)
Our scarecrow didn't have money to buy a ticket, so he couldn't come.And we were going to have the wizard, but he never showed up and wouldn't answer his phone.
It would have been awesome if we had had them with us.
It was an 'Incredibly Wicked' night.
It began with lots of work on my hair to make my mane. 
We watched Nightmare before Christmas while Kristine ratted and teased my hair and everyone else got makeup on.Eric and Lora eventually appeared in costume(minus a few finishing touches, like face paint)
After lots of rushing and pictures, we were out the door by 10:20 and we piled into the suburban.
Lora opened my present, but she didn't know about the cake, it was still at home, waiting for her brother to get it and smuggle it on to the boat.
We finally parked at the docks and walked down to the boat, where there was a large crowd of Mormons all dressed up.
The first person that we saw, who we knew, was our cousin David Sensenbaugh. And to our great astonishment (our jaws literally dropped) David was also dressed as Mr. Incredible!!
I sought out my friends from Institute in the crowd and they all screamed and wondered over my hair (it really was incredible huge and poofy). I heard lots of 'wow's and 'awesome hair's as I walked through the crowd. Many people asked me if it was real.Very shortly, we loaded onto the boat, which had three levels. The top and bottom both had dance floors, and the middle was quieter with food and kareoke. The top dance floor was always packed. Me and my friends rarely went up there simply because we couldn't. But we had a blast on the bottom floor and out on the front deck where the breeze was nice and cool, and we could talk.
We all stood out on the deck and cheered as we passed under the coronado bridge. It's not something you get to do very often, especially at 1 in the morning.Lora and Eric would find us every once and a while, usually to take pictures.
After what seemed a very short time, the boat was pulling back into port. We were tired, yes, but we certainly were not done having fun.
On the walk back to the car, we took fun pictures with the sculptures that line the docks. We thought about going to Denny's but we weren't really hungry, so we didn't want to waste money.
At home, we watched the Incredibles and fell asleep to Hocus Pocus. Some time near the end of Hocus Pocus, (i think it was 4:30) Cynthia got a call that she had to go home, so we cleaned up and said our good byes.
After my friends left, I did a little more cleaning up just so my mom wouldn't freak out, but there was still plenty to do in the morning.
I woke up earlier than I thought I would and cleaned up more of the mess. Then I began the inevitable washing of my hair. Though I was looking forward to having my hair back to normal, I was not looking forward to the rigorous brushing that it would take to get out all the hairspray and knots that made it as tall as it was.
My shower was an hour long- 45 minutes of conditioning and brushing. My head hurt after that.
The whole day was really weird for me. In the morning, whenever someone talked to me, especially on the phone, I could feel my brain working too slowly. My body would not respond as quickly when I wanted to move or walk. After a while, I laid down in bed and fell asleep for a few hours. I woke up more refreshed, but the day was mostly gone. Dad was already asking me if I wanted to go out to dinner.
Apparently I partied harder than I thought if I needed that much recuperation.
But it was so worth it. It was one of the best nights I have had in a long time, and I can't wait till next year.
Here are some other pictures from the night.
Friday, October 17, 2008
Update
so, it has been a while since I posted anything, but then, not much has happened.
I'm very occupied with school, but it has been really good- almost easy. I can't believe I am already halfway done.
Two weekends ago, I house sat for a friend. It was a lot of fun, and a cool experience, living somewhere alone, but I now know how much I despise little dogs- especially untrained ones. Sure, their cute looking, but you really do not want to own one, unless you are a really good dog trainer, and you have to be home all day.
anyways, it was very cool to get away, especially since there was a jacuzzi and a huge TV.
Well, that has been my life- pretty boring, but relaxing
I'm very occupied with school, but it has been really good- almost easy. I can't believe I am already halfway done.
Two weekends ago, I house sat for a friend. It was a lot of fun, and a cool experience, living somewhere alone, but I now know how much I despise little dogs- especially untrained ones. Sure, their cute looking, but you really do not want to own one, unless you are a really good dog trainer, and you have to be home all day.
anyways, it was very cool to get away, especially since there was a jacuzzi and a huge TV.
Well, that has been my life- pretty boring, but relaxing
Monday, September 8, 2008
Institute
I was made Institute President last week.
I'm really excited, but also nervous, of course. I hope I can do well, and serve the way the Lord wants me to.
I'm really excited, but also nervous, of course. I hope I can do well, and serve the way the Lord wants me to.
Monday, August 25, 2008
Utah Wedding
August 20-24
Salt Lake City, Utah
We just got back from a fantastic trip to Utah for Dustin's wedding. Karen flew to Salt Lake, so we were really excited to see her again this summer. Lora, Eric's girlfriend came with us. We left home on Wednesday, leaving Maia with Steve and Christiane in San Diego.
Our trip started out rough. Just outside of Victorville, we hit terrible traffic. But TERRIBLE doesn't quite describe it. Traffic was completely stopped. No one was moving, and many people, starting with us, turned off our cars and got out to stretch. Eric led us out onto the freeway to play Perudo, the dice game. We can now all say that we have played games on the freeway. I even got out my pillow and blanket and laid out on the road for a picture. We were stopped for almost an hour. Eric and Lora went for a walk.
Finally, we got moving again, and almost lost a shoe as Lora tried to hurry back into the car.
We got into Las Vegas later than we hoped, and our wonderful host was still awake, waiting for us with lots of make-shift beds. It was more than we expected and we all plopped down and were asleep in minutes.
The rest of the trip up went much more smoothly. We stopped to get Dad his cheese curds and had lunch at Subway. We got to the Nicholes' in the afternoon and relaxed until we all went to the family picnic. We loved eating and chatting with all the extended family that we haven't seen for a while. The food was great, but there were a lot of bees- making me and many other girls very uncomfortable the whole evening.
After the picnic, some of the girls and guys left for bachelorette and bachelor parties, while my family went to Iceberg, one of our favorite Utah fast food restaurants. They have delicious, thick shakes that we buy every time we are in Utah. We were eventually joined(kind of) by the bachelor party.
Before going to bed, us kids enjoyed the wonderful Theater Room with a big screen and surround sound at the Nicholes to watch Olympics and the Phantom of the Opera before turning in.
On Friday morning, Karen, Kristen, Lora, and I went to get our nails done. Karen and Kristen had never gotten sets before. It was a lot of fun, and not too expensive. Our family met our cousin Jeannie for lunch at the Red Iguana before dropping my
parents off at the Salt Lake Temple for the wedding.
We went back home to finish getting ready; then we all went back down-town and waited for them to come out of the Temple. There were a lot of wedding parties waiting outside also- the temple was pretty busy. We took pictures on the steps before going BACK to the house to pick up Carl and wait for the reception at 7:00. Karen went early with Kathy to help with setting up and preparing the cake.
The reception was held at the top of the Wells Fargo building- on the 23rd floor. It was beautiful, with a big grand staircase, and tall windows, letting us see across the city and sunset as we ate and danced to a live band. Eventually, the beautiful sunlight was replaced by the beautiful city lights and blue dancing lights. The atmosphere was very fancy and exciting.
There was a lot of
food- yummy sandwiches and salad- and lots of delicious deserts to try, like creme puffs and éclairs- not to mention the delicious cake made by Kathy with a different kind of cake in each layer.
All the traditional activities of receptions were taken care of. The bride and groom shoved cake in each others' mouths; they had their first dance as a couple; and the groom threw the garter and the bride threw the bouquet.
It was very funny and ironic that Eric caught the garter and Karen caught the bouquet. I guess I better get ready for some weddings in our family.
Elise came back with us to sleep at the Nicholes'. She and I watched a movie until we were too tired to keep our eyes open- I was exhausted.
On Saturday, we relaxed around the house during the morning, but not 
wanting to be bums on our last day in Utah, we decided to go to SnowBird- the closest ski resort. Even when there is no snow, there are still things to do. They had a large zip-line, an Alpine slide, a tram to the top of the mountain, and other smaller rides like a mechanical bull and jumpy things.
Since the lines were so long, we spent the whole rest of the day there, but only went on the rides once. But they were all a lot of fun. We had a contest on the mechanical bull for who could stay on the longest with one hand in the air. I won on my second try with a solid 1 minute, 10 seconds. 
But I don't think the operator was trying very hard to throw me. Even two days later, I can still feel it in my thighs.
Dad, Eric, Lora, Nathan and I rode the tram up to the top of the mountain. It was a
quick ride and the views from the top were amazing. There was actually a couple that got married while we were up there. They took cupcakes for the wedding cake. It was pretty funny.
When we all got back down the mountain around 8 o'clock, we all left and went to a fun restaurant called The Pie.
It is a pizza place next to the University of Utah. It was a lot of fun, and full of people, mostly college students. The pizza was delicious! I could definitely go back there again and again.
We got home really late and went straight to bed because we had to get up early on Sunday to be ready to leave. In the morning, we packed up all our stuff, made waffles with delicious buttermilk syrup, and said our goodbyes before we loaded back into the suburban.
The ride back felt much longer than the ride up because we went straight home, not stopping in Las Vegas. Eric took over some of the driving so Dad could have a break. Dad took the opportunity to watch Back to the Future parts 2 and 3 (we had watched part 1 on the way up).
We stopped in St. George for lunch at the Iceberg. We had hoped to go to our favorite restaurant called Larsen's, but it was under new management and closed on Sundays. But we still all enjoyed good food and shakes at Iceberg.
Before going home, we picked up Maia from the Staningers. We got home and unloaded the car. I was very disappointed that my scheduled recording for the Olympic Closing Ceremony failed, so we only got to watch a bit of the end- but I was glad that we didn't miss the extinguishing of the torch.
After getting some stuff ready for school on Monday, I went to bed.
Salt Lake City, Utah
We just got back from a fantastic trip to Utah for Dustin's wedding. Karen flew to Salt Lake, so we were really excited to see her again this summer. Lora, Eric's girlfriend came with us. We left home on Wednesday, leaving Maia with Steve and Christiane in San Diego.
Our trip started out rough. Just outside of Victorville, we hit terrible traffic. But TERRIBLE doesn't quite describe it. Traffic was completely stopped. No one was moving, and many people, starting with us, turned off our cars and got out to stretch. Eric led us out onto the freeway to play Perudo, the dice game. We can now all say that we have played games on the freeway. I even got out my pillow and blanket and laid out on the road for a picture. We were stopped for almost an hour. Eric and Lora went for a walk.Finally, we got moving again, and almost lost a shoe as Lora tried to hurry back into the car.
We got into Las Vegas later than we hoped, and our wonderful host was still awake, waiting for us with lots of make-shift beds. It was more than we expected and we all plopped down and were asleep in minutes.
The rest of the trip up went much more smoothly. We stopped to get Dad his cheese curds and had lunch at Subway. We got to the Nicholes' in the afternoon and relaxed until we all went to the family picnic. We loved eating and chatting with all the extended family that we haven't seen for a while. The food was great, but there were a lot of bees- making me and many other girls very uncomfortable the whole evening.After the picnic, some of the girls and guys left for bachelorette and bachelor parties, while my family went to Iceberg, one of our favorite Utah fast food restaurants. They have delicious, thick shakes that we buy every time we are in Utah. We were eventually joined(kind of) by the bachelor party.
Before going to bed, us kids enjoyed the wonderful Theater Room with a big screen and surround sound at the Nicholes to watch Olympics and the Phantom of the Opera before turning in.
On Friday morning, Karen, Kristen, Lora, and I went to get our nails done. Karen and Kristen had never gotten sets before. It was a lot of fun, and not too expensive. Our family met our cousin Jeannie for lunch at the Red Iguana before dropping my parents off at the Salt Lake Temple for the wedding.
We went back home to finish getting ready; then we all went back down-town and waited for them to come out of the Temple. There were a lot of wedding parties waiting outside also- the temple was pretty busy. We took pictures on the steps before going BACK to the house to pick up Carl and wait for the reception at 7:00. Karen went early with Kathy to help with setting up and preparing the cake.
The reception was held at the top of the Wells Fargo building- on the 23rd floor. It was beautiful, with a big grand staircase, and tall windows, letting us see across the city and sunset as we ate and danced to a live band. Eventually, the beautiful sunlight was replaced by the beautiful city lights and blue dancing lights. The atmosphere was very fancy and exciting.
There was a lot of
food- yummy sandwiches and salad- and lots of delicious deserts to try, like creme puffs and éclairs- not to mention the delicious cake made by Kathy with a different kind of cake in each layer.All the traditional activities of receptions were taken care of. The bride and groom shoved cake in each others' mouths; they had their first dance as a couple; and the groom threw the garter and the bride threw the bouquet.
It was very funny and ironic that Eric caught the garter and Karen caught the bouquet. I guess I better get ready for some weddings in our family.
Elise came back with us to sleep at the Nicholes'. She and I watched a movie until we were too tired to keep our eyes open- I was exhausted.
On Saturday, we relaxed around the house during the morning, but not 
wanting to be bums on our last day in Utah, we decided to go to SnowBird- the closest ski resort. Even when there is no snow, there are still things to do. They had a large zip-line, an Alpine slide, a tram to the top of the mountain, and other smaller rides like a mechanical bull and jumpy things.
Since the lines were so long, we spent the whole rest of the day there, but only went on the rides once. But they were all a lot of fun. We had a contest on the mechanical bull for who could stay on the longest with one hand in the air. I won on my second try with a solid 1 minute, 10 seconds. 
But I don't think the operator was trying very hard to throw me. Even two days later, I can still feel it in my thighs.Dad, Eric, Lora, Nathan and I rode the tram up to the top of the mountain. It was a
quick ride and the views from the top were amazing. There was actually a couple that got married while we were up there. They took cupcakes for the wedding cake. It was pretty funny.
When we all got back down the mountain around 8 o'clock, we all left and went to a fun restaurant called The Pie.
It is a pizza place next to the University of Utah. It was a lot of fun, and full of people, mostly college students. The pizza was delicious! I could definitely go back there again and again.
We got home really late and went straight to bed because we had to get up early on Sunday to be ready to leave. In the morning, we packed up all our stuff, made waffles with delicious buttermilk syrup, and said our goodbyes before we loaded back into the suburban. The ride back felt much longer than the ride up because we went straight home, not stopping in Las Vegas. Eric took over some of the driving so Dad could have a break. Dad took the opportunity to watch Back to the Future parts 2 and 3 (we had watched part 1 on the way up).
We stopped in St. George for lunch at the Iceberg. We had hoped to go to our favorite restaurant called Larsen's, but it was under new management and closed on Sundays. But we still all enjoyed good food and shakes at Iceberg.
Before going home, we picked up Maia from the Staningers. We got home and unloaded the car. I was very disappointed that my scheduled recording for the Olympic Closing Ceremony failed, so we only got to watch a bit of the end- but I was glad that we didn't miss the extinguishing of the torch.
After getting some stuff ready for school on Monday, I went to bed.
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
Remember when...
I was excited that I was able to answer a trivia question that they had for the Olympics last night. It was:
What year was the last time the women's gymnastics team for the US won the gold medal?
anyone? anyone?
1996- the Magnificent Seven
no one had beat the Russians since 1948
What year was the last time the women's gymnastics team for the US won the gold medal?
anyone? anyone?
1996- the Magnificent Seven
no one had beat the Russians since 1948
Olympics
We missed the first big events for Phelps, but we did get to see his last two Gold medals LIVE on Tuesday night. They were very exciting, but mom wanted to see the race from earlier when we beat the french.
Here it is:
Amazing Finish in the Mens 4x100m Relay As the US Wins Gold - video powered by Metacafe
Before they awarded the American Team with the last relay that they just won (Not the one from the video above) they interviewed Phelps and his team and Phelps revealed that during his butterfly swim(one that we had watched and noted that he did not look happy at the end) his goggles had started filling up since he first entered the water. He said that we was unhappy because he could have been faster!!
He won a gold in the butterfly and beat another world record WITHOUT BEING ABLE TO SEE!!!!
Here it is:
Amazing Finish in the Mens 4x100m Relay As the US Wins Gold - video powered by Metacafe
Before they awarded the American Team with the last relay that they just won (Not the one from the video above) they interviewed Phelps and his team and Phelps revealed that during his butterfly swim(one that we had watched and noted that he did not look happy at the end) his goggles had started filling up since he first entered the water. He said that we was unhappy because he could have been faster!!
He won a gold in the butterfly and beat another world record WITHOUT BEING ABLE TO SEE!!!!
Sunday, August 10, 2008
Olympics
On countless occasions I have found my self astounded by jaw-dropping feats that I see online. This was one of those, I couldn't believe it, and I was really sad that I missed the opening ceremony of the Olympics
2008 Olympics AWESOME Opening Ceremony - Funny bloopers are a click away
to see the whole opening ceremony, go to this link
http://manro.1stfreehosting.com/
2008 Olympics AWESOME Opening Ceremony - Funny bloopers are a click away
to see the whole opening ceremony, go to this link
http://manro.1stfreehosting.com/
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
Yosemite 2
Here are a few more cute stories from the Yosemite trip:
1. Maren, the 5-year-old, was very entertaining throughout our trip. It was often fun to watch her running around with her pretend dog without shoes, jabbering away to no one in particular. On one of the first mornings, us five teenage girls were still lying in the tent when we heard Maren demanding that Ben take her to the bathroom (their tent was right next to ours). But Ben was not ready to take her yet, and she wasn't dressed. After a few seconds of arguing, we hear the unmistakable trickling sound of you-know-what, right by our tent. Then Maren said, "see!(accusing Ben) I needed to go!"
2. While we were waiting around camp after breakfast, we soon discovered a marmot wandering around nearby and poking through fire pits. We sat and watched patiently as the marmots slowly got closer and closer. They came all the way to our fire pit *while we were sitting around it* and one passed within a foot of my foot. It was very exciting and cute.
3. On the hike out to the cars on Sunday, Kristine and I had seen a few deer in the meadows, but nothing was as exciting as when suddenly, Kristine yelps and jumps back toward me. I look up and see the back end of a deer jumping across the trail only a few feet in front of her. It scared her so badly. We move around to get a better look, and I realized that it was a buck! and we were so close! We didn't get a good picture of him, but it was still really fun to see a deer with antlers from so close.
4. At every chance I had, I would fill up my water bottles with fresh spring water. It was so deliciously cold and tasty! I've always been a tap-water kind of girl, and mountain tap water is the best kind!!
1. Maren, the 5-year-old, was very entertaining throughout our trip. It was often fun to watch her running around with her pretend dog without shoes, jabbering away to no one in particular. On one of the first mornings, us five teenage girls were still lying in the tent when we heard Maren demanding that Ben take her to the bathroom (their tent was right next to ours). But Ben was not ready to take her yet, and she wasn't dressed. After a few seconds of arguing, we hear the unmistakable trickling sound of you-know-what, right by our tent. Then Maren said, "see!(accusing Ben) I needed to go!"
2. While we were waiting around camp after breakfast, we soon discovered a marmot wandering around nearby and poking through fire pits. We sat and watched patiently as the marmots slowly got closer and closer. They came all the way to our fire pit *while we were sitting around it* and one passed within a foot of my foot. It was very exciting and cute.
3. On the hike out to the cars on Sunday, Kristine and I had seen a few deer in the meadows, but nothing was as exciting as when suddenly, Kristine yelps and jumps back toward me. I look up and see the back end of a deer jumping across the trail only a few feet in front of her. It scared her so badly. We move around to get a better look, and I realized that it was a buck! and we were so close! We didn't get a good picture of him, but it was still really fun to see a deer with antlers from so close.
4. At every chance I had, I would fill up my water bottles with fresh spring water. It was so deliciously cold and tasty! I've always been a tap-water kind of girl, and mountain tap water is the best kind!!
Monday, July 28, 2008
Yosemite Trip
Date: July 22-27
Destination: Yosemite- May Lake and Glen Aulin
Participants: Matt(Dad), Kay(mom), Eric, Karen, Me, Kristen, Kristine, Allen(uncle), Madeleine, Ben, Collin, Maren
So, we left Tuesday night and drove up most of the way.
We slept in a parking lot. My family was all out on a tarp with sleeping bags but Kristine and I were in my car with the seats down. On wednesday morning, we got up and drove into Yosemite, got our permits, walked around Yosemite valley, and then we all went to the trail head.
We had a really easy hike to our first campsite. It was only a mile and a half to May Lake. There were a lot of gorgeous views, and the lake was big and beautiful.
We went swimming- Kristine didn't have a swim suit, so she just stuck her legs in. The water was freezing! I didn't get all the way under, but I got up to my neck, and then got out as soon as possible.
We didn't do much before and after dinner except play a few card games before going
to bed. Oh, Kristine and I shared a large tent with my two sisters and my cousin, Madeleine. That night we were pretty crazy and annoyed the other people in the camp. I won't tell you everything that went on, but I will say the words, 'steam-roller', 'worm-wrestling', and 'marry,date,or dump'.
The kids in my family have a tradition that started on a previous backpacking trip called Toothbrushing Party! We all start brushing our teeth at the same time and we spit at the same time- its all great, silly fun. Sometimes we call it the Toothbrushing Addicts Anonymous, and we introduce ourselves like at a real AA meeting.
Us girls also took a chance to shampoo and condition our hair to keep it smelling nice and looking good. We didn't have very much conditioner, and we had to use little buckets instead of the faucet because we couldn't get soap in the water, but it was still fun. It was cold, but really refreshing.
On Thursday, Kristine and I went with my Dad on a day hike up to the peak by our lake. It was a brutal hike- almost all uphill- and then downhill on the way bake (both extremes are not fun- we like level hiking.)
But the view was amazing from up top, and we saw lots of marmots. They're like giant squirrels with small tails, and are much cuter. We also sat in some snow and looked down at my brother, Eric, and my uncle who had gone cross-country(no trail) over the mountain and then back up to the peak.
When we got back, my family all went swimming at a really cool spot in the lake with good rocks to jump off of and to swim out to.
We were really beat that night, so after dinner, we went to bed again, but were not nearly as rowdy as the previous night.
On Friday, we packed up our tents and hiked out to our next camping spot. This hike was nothing like the first hike we did. This time, we went over 8 miles, most of it downhill. It was long and hot and painful on the knees to go downhill the whole time.
Kristine and my sister Kristen were in the lead (my brother Eric and my sister Karen both went back down to the cars to get some things that we forgot and needed- they came up to the second place from a different, shorter route- they actually beat us there), my parents followed them, and I followed with my
11-year-old cousin, Ben. My other cousins came in last.
I was really glad to hike with Ben, because he was having a lot of trouble. He was extremely worn out and wanted to stop all the time. Our pace was so slow that I was perfectly fine the first 7 miles, even carrying his tent and mat. I didn't get tired until the last mile. It was very nice to have Ben as an excuse to go so slow, and it was really great for me to take a turn, finally, as the stronger one. I was so used to being the slowest in the group that everyone pities, but on this trip, I felt fit, I felt great, and I was even able to carry someone else's weight for the first time ever.
But still, 8 miles is a lot- by the time we got to camp, we were all dead on our
feet. Kristine and Kristen had plopped down with my sister, Karen and were reading Eclipse when Ben and I arrived- we plopped down with them. Once everyone had made it to camp, we set up our tents, changed into swimsuits and went swimming.
This lake was very different from the first. It was much smaller, and it had a large waterfall at one end. Kristine went swimming with us in her clothes, since she didn't have a swimsuit.
My family is very quick to get in the water, unlike me. They were all in and already swimming under the waterfall before Kristine and I could even make it in knee deep. It wasn't as cold as the first lake, but it is still shocking. I decided to just jump in and get it over with.
I swam over to the waterfall with my family and we all would go under, to the rocks behind it, and at the same time, we would all duck under and let the waterfall carry us out. I convinced Kristine to try it, but she didn't like it very much.
The only bad thing about swimming in that lake with the strong currents were the large rocks that were everywhere. If you didn't pay attention, you would bang your knee on one and get a bruise.
Kristine and I got out of the water sooner than the rest of my family and we lounged on the warm rocks in the sun.
After dinner, Kristine went to take pictures of the beautiful sunset. We played more cards and read more Eclipse- we had a bunch of people in the tent listening to Karen read it, including my brother Eric, who had never read it before. Eric did the sound affects.
On Saturday, instead of a hike, we followed the river down to where the river was quieter. My dad and my uncle wanted to fish.
As I was stepping from rock to rock out to where my uncle was, I stepped on one rock and quickly discovered that there was a SNAKE, slithering along in front of me!!!!
I screamed!! and jumped back, almost falling into Kristine. She laughed, but I didn't think it was very funny. If you guys didn't know, I am deathly afraid of snakes, I don't even like looking at the snakes in the zoo, even though they are behind glass.
I called for my brother Eric, and then Karen came, and they called my uncle over. Now, if you knew my uncle, you would laugh. He is like a giant little kid, the minute we said 'snake', he comes barreling over, and without even looking to see what kind of snake it is, he reaches down and picks it up.
Everyone was passing the snake around for the rest of the night while me and my little sister tried to stay as far away as possible. Karen and Eric made plans to take it home and keep it as a pet, even though it is illegal. They named it Iago (from Othello-which I actually approve of, the name fits). Luckily for me, the snake escaped while we all went back down the river to swim.
There were a bunch of smooth rocks that the river flowed over, and my family all had fun sliding down. We got some great pictures and video. It was when we got back to camp that Karen discovered that Iago was gone.
We went to bed early on saturday night because we got up at 5:45 on Sunday morning to pack up our camp and head out. It was really cold as we put away our tent and quickly ate breakfast.
Karen, Kristine, Kristen and I started off together before anyone else left. I wanted a head start because I like to go slow and I don't like getting rushed. Karen and Kristen eventually pushed on ahead and Kristine and I stayed together a little farther behind. Eric very quickly caught up to and passed us. The hike back to the cars was almost 6 miles, but Kristine and I made it in very good time. We left at about 7:30 and made it there by 11. It was great. We saw 3 deer along the way, including a buck, though we didn't get a good picture of him. He really scared Kristine when he jumped across our trail only a few meters in front of her.
The sites were amazing, we only wish they could really be captured with a camera, but alas, they can't. But don't worry, we did take pictures non-the-less; but you really couldn't understand how beautiful it was from a picture.
Here are some numbers from the trip:
Mosquito bites:
Me- 14(minimum)
Kristine- 4 (maybe 5)
Animals:
Chipmunks- a zillion
Marmots- 20
Deer- 3
Snake- 1 (already too many)
Cool birds- 3 different kinds
Fish- 1 (dad and Allen were very disappointed)
Hours on a trail:
(for me) 16
Stars:
I think Kristine went out and saw the stars, but I never did, the night I really wanted to, it was all cloudy. Well actually, it was smoky, because there was a fire somewhere far away.
Destination: Yosemite- May Lake and Glen Aulin
Participants: Matt(Dad), Kay(mom), Eric, Karen, Me, Kristen, Kristine, Allen(uncle), Madeleine, Ben, Collin, Maren
So, we left Tuesday night and drove up most of the way.
We slept in a parking lot. My family was all out on a tarp with sleeping bags but Kristine and I were in my car with the seats down. On wednesday morning, we got up and drove into Yosemite, got our permits, walked around Yosemite valley, and then we all went to the trail head.
We had a really easy hike to our first campsite. It was only a mile and a half to May Lake. There were a lot of gorgeous views, and the lake was big and beautiful.
We went swimming- Kristine didn't have a swim suit, so she just stuck her legs in. The water was freezing! I didn't get all the way under, but I got up to my neck, and then got out as soon as possible.
We didn't do much before and after dinner except play a few card games before going
to bed. Oh, Kristine and I shared a large tent with my two sisters and my cousin, Madeleine. That night we were pretty crazy and annoyed the other people in the camp. I won't tell you everything that went on, but I will say the words, 'steam-roller', 'worm-wrestling', and 'marry,date,or dump'.
The kids in my family have a tradition that started on a previous backpacking trip called Toothbrushing Party! We all start brushing our teeth at the same time and we spit at the same time- its all great, silly fun. Sometimes we call it the Toothbrushing Addicts Anonymous, and we introduce ourselves like at a real AA meeting.
Us girls also took a chance to shampoo and condition our hair to keep it smelling nice and looking good. We didn't have very much conditioner, and we had to use little buckets instead of the faucet because we couldn't get soap in the water, but it was still fun. It was cold, but really refreshing.
On Thursday, Kristine and I went with my Dad on a day hike up to the peak by our lake. It was a brutal hike- almost all uphill- and then downhill on the way bake (both extremes are not fun- we like level hiking.)
But the view was amazing from up top, and we saw lots of marmots. They're like giant squirrels with small tails, and are much cuter. We also sat in some snow and looked down at my brother, Eric, and my uncle who had gone cross-country(no trail) over the mountain and then back up to the peak.
When we got back, my family all went swimming at a really cool spot in the lake with good rocks to jump off of and to swim out to.
We were really beat that night, so after dinner, we went to bed again, but were not nearly as rowdy as the previous night.
On Friday, we packed up our tents and hiked out to our next camping spot. This hike was nothing like the first hike we did. This time, we went over 8 miles, most of it downhill. It was long and hot and painful on the knees to go downhill the whole time.
Kristine and my sister Kristen were in the lead (my brother Eric and my sister Karen both went back down to the cars to get some things that we forgot and needed- they came up to the second place from a different, shorter route- they actually beat us there), my parents followed them, and I followed with my
11-year-old cousin, Ben. My other cousins came in last.
I was really glad to hike with Ben, because he was having a lot of trouble. He was extremely worn out and wanted to stop all the time. Our pace was so slow that I was perfectly fine the first 7 miles, even carrying his tent and mat. I didn't get tired until the last mile. It was very nice to have Ben as an excuse to go so slow, and it was really great for me to take a turn, finally, as the stronger one. I was so used to being the slowest in the group that everyone pities, but on this trip, I felt fit, I felt great, and I was even able to carry someone else's weight for the first time ever.
But still, 8 miles is a lot- by the time we got to camp, we were all dead on our
feet. Kristine and Kristen had plopped down with my sister, Karen and were reading Eclipse when Ben and I arrived- we plopped down with them. Once everyone had made it to camp, we set up our tents, changed into swimsuits and went swimming.
This lake was very different from the first. It was much smaller, and it had a large waterfall at one end. Kristine went swimming with us in her clothes, since she didn't have a swimsuit.
My family is very quick to get in the water, unlike me. They were all in and already swimming under the waterfall before Kristine and I could even make it in knee deep. It wasn't as cold as the first lake, but it is still shocking. I decided to just jump in and get it over with.
I swam over to the waterfall with my family and we all would go under, to the rocks behind it, and at the same time, we would all duck under and let the waterfall carry us out. I convinced Kristine to try it, but she didn't like it very much.
The only bad thing about swimming in that lake with the strong currents were the large rocks that were everywhere. If you didn't pay attention, you would bang your knee on one and get a bruise.
Kristine and I got out of the water sooner than the rest of my family and we lounged on the warm rocks in the sun.
After dinner, Kristine went to take pictures of the beautiful sunset. We played more cards and read more Eclipse- we had a bunch of people in the tent listening to Karen read it, including my brother Eric, who had never read it before. Eric did the sound affects.
On Saturday, instead of a hike, we followed the river down to where the river was quieter. My dad and my uncle wanted to fish.
As I was stepping from rock to rock out to where my uncle was, I stepped on one rock and quickly discovered that there was a SNAKE, slithering along in front of me!!!!
I screamed!! and jumped back, almost falling into Kristine. She laughed, but I didn't think it was very funny. If you guys didn't know, I am deathly afraid of snakes, I don't even like looking at the snakes in the zoo, even though they are behind glass.
I called for my brother Eric, and then Karen came, and they called my uncle over. Now, if you knew my uncle, you would laugh. He is like a giant little kid, the minute we said 'snake', he comes barreling over, and without even looking to see what kind of snake it is, he reaches down and picks it up.
Everyone was passing the snake around for the rest of the night while me and my little sister tried to stay as far away as possible. Karen and Eric made plans to take it home and keep it as a pet, even though it is illegal. They named it Iago (from Othello-which I actually approve of, the name fits). Luckily for me, the snake escaped while we all went back down the river to swim.
There were a bunch of smooth rocks that the river flowed over, and my family all had fun sliding down. We got some great pictures and video. It was when we got back to camp that Karen discovered that Iago was gone.
We went to bed early on saturday night because we got up at 5:45 on Sunday morning to pack up our camp and head out. It was really cold as we put away our tent and quickly ate breakfast.
Karen, Kristine, Kristen and I started off together before anyone else left. I wanted a head start because I like to go slow and I don't like getting rushed. Karen and Kristen eventually pushed on ahead and Kristine and I stayed together a little farther behind. Eric very quickly caught up to and passed us. The hike back to the cars was almost 6 miles, but Kristine and I made it in very good time. We left at about 7:30 and made it there by 11. It was great. We saw 3 deer along the way, including a buck, though we didn't get a good picture of him. He really scared Kristine when he jumped across our trail only a few meters in front of her.
The sites were amazing, we only wish they could really be captured with a camera, but alas, they can't. But don't worry, we did take pictures non-the-less; but you really couldn't understand how beautiful it was from a picture.
Here are some numbers from the trip:
Mosquito bites:
Me- 14(minimum)
Kristine- 4 (maybe 5)
Animals:
Chipmunks- a zillion
Marmots- 20
Deer- 3
Snake- 1 (already too many)
Cool birds- 3 different kinds
Fish- 1 (dad and Allen were very disappointed)
Hours on a trail:
(for me) 16
Stars:
I think Kristine went out and saw the stars, but I never did, the night I really wanted to, it was all cloudy. Well actually, it was smoky, because there was a fire somewhere far away.
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