May 6 - Keukenhof Tulips

Visited the tulip festival in Holland today. So amazing. Many more photos to post but this is the only one on my phone right now.

Just got to Haarlem and people want food so we're back out the door. So glad our hotel room doesn't smell like weed like everything else.

Giant shoes.

Don't these ones look like peonies? You can guess which were my favorites... Parrot tulips are the way to go.

Of course a jumping pic.

Masses of tulips.

When they think the tulips are past their prime, this guy goes around and snaps them off. Sad!

Mom made me do it, I swear.

May 5 - Frankfurt

Low key day here.

View of the rainy back porch.

Dinner at the very German Altes Zollhaus. CZ is alive.

The good ice cream place on Romer Square was closed. But look what a perfect Dr. Laura message the gate revealed! Love it! (Please excuse the profanity...)

Headed to Holland first thing in the morning. Goodnight!

May 4 - en route.

I wouldn't normally be that person who takes a photo on the airplane
but by the time I land Monday will be over.

CZ and I are on our way! We connected up with Haley for a short
layover in Cincinnati. The flight is very empty thank goodness.

Cabin door closed. Gotta go!

Test post from my cell phone.

May 3 - Sunday BBQ

Today we joined the Wiley's for a lovely Sunday family BBQ. (Remember the buns from Hire's?)

Christine, Nate, me, Scott, Sarah, baby X.

Just as is always the case, the minute we sat down to eat, it started to rain. But as you can see, bad weather has never stopped us from grilling before. See Scott below:

Photo taken January 5, 2009

It all ended up being a lot of fun.

Thanks for always inviting us over Sarah and Scott!

• June was on a roll tonight, serenading us with "happy to you" while quite anxious to eat her "coooooo" (corn).

• Oliver tore it up in Phase 10.

• Brenden displayed his mad guitar hero skills and bike tricks (I was busy on the phone with Delta at the time but I hear the stunts were wild).

**Another side note: These posts are short, but the goal is for them to be consistent, and a complete picture of what I do this May. I hope they're not annoying!

May 2 - Miss Saigon

Tonight Ken and I ventured up to SLC with last minute tickets to Miss Saigon.


Having explored Ho Chi Minh City in May 2007, the story was especially intriguing.


Of course we also made a stop in at Hire's Big H. And brought buns home, in case the family decides they should be part of dinner tomorrow. Sweet.

P.S. I really need to replace my camera ASAP. I can hardly stand the fuzzy/grainy/iphone-ness for one more day...

One photo a day in May.

This is my goal. It may be a bit of a challenge, since Monday I leave on a European adventure that may mean limited computer access. But I'll try.

Here are just a couple from graduation. I know I owe a full photo update to those who are afar off (Annee) but I forgot to download photos from Mom & Dad's camera before they left so I don't really have very many. But I will see them soon and remedy the problem.

Thank you for everything parents!

Here is the whole group at Sundance for a pre-graduation lunch. It was perfectly lovely.
June, Scott, Sarah, Brenden, Ken, Rachel Zack, Oliver, Stephen, Steve, MeiLi, IeLi, Christine, Mom, Dad, Grandma Z.

School is over, grading is over, law school Law Review write-on is over, and apparently all the good weather in Provo is over just in time for me to skip town. Today (now Saturday) is the first day I am finally free of everything. What a relief.

Here's to a wonderful summer up ahead!


**Correction: (At least) one photo a day in May. Thanks.

And with that...

It's over!

I finished my last final at 11:30pm and I am now home free!
All that's left now is some pesky grading to finish up....

I don't feel relieved quite yet, but I assume that feeling will follow shortly.

Now that my life has been seriously freed up, I anticipate a return to blogging. Thank goodness.

There is much family in town but I have yet to intersect with the children during their waking hours (so sad!). Tomorrow graduation festivities begin.

I don't have a cap and gown yet (oops!) but I'm assuming I am smart enough to get that figured out since I am now smart enough to be a college graduate. Woohoo!

Last day ever...

It's a very strange feeling you know, attending class on my last day of school for the rest of my life.

I found myself thinking at times what I think at the end of every semester...

"Next semester I'm going to start studying earlier for finals..."
"Next time I take a class from this teacher I'm really going to work hard from the start."
"I'm glad I only missed 2 quizzes in this class this semester, but next semester I'll aim for missing zero."

But then, oh wait, there is not a "next semester."

I called the health center today about scheduling an appointment for some blood work I've been meaning to do for a long time. Apparently I only have one more week that I am allowed to enter the BYU Student Health Center because, oh yeah, I will no longer be a student.

I know there are wonderful things to come, but I am leaving very wonderful things behind. I have thoroughly enjoyed all of my time at BYU. I do not misspeak when I say ALL.

I still have a ways to go before I'm done (I think I heard someone say we have 1 million seconds left?) but it is a bittersweet time.

Flowers!

Spring is slowly returning (what? it's snowing outside?) and with it my desire to be surrounded by fresh flowers. I may even be able to get a job in a flower shop that is hiring to fill summer vacancies. That would be a good use of my last summer of freedom right?

I signed up for a flower arranging class on Thursday nights taught through University of Utah's community outreach program. It's taught at The Rose Shop in Sandy-ish and is lovely so far. Haley is kind enough to join me on this adventure.

For our final project we get to choose exactly what we want to do. We tell her which flowers we want and bring pictures of some type of arrangement we like and she helps us make it happen. I'm quite excited for that. I really hope the wholesaler has peonies in stock by then...

I had to reshape my parrot tulips once the arrangement started to fall apart and all the greenery died. I picked up some ranunculus at the wholesaler which I arranged in a tight bunch that I plan to dry once they've all fully bloomed.
This class is a lovely way to spend some Thursdays between now and May.



This certainly isn't the comprehensive update you all deserve, but it's a step in the right direction. Part of my reluctance to post over the last few weeks stems from the fact that my life was filled with so much of this:

and this:

and this:

so posting in a completely positive light is a challenge...

I will post this photo of a flower arrangement I saw in a Las Vegas casino. What? Rachel went to Las Vegas? Why yes I did. Details to follow...




***Please forgive the general grainy-ness of all these photos. They were taken with my phone. I don't need to remind you why...***

The storm has passed.

Phew. I made it.

I just returned from the testing center after completing my partnership tax test (awesome Saturday activity right?). The upcoming week will not be nearly as hard and scary as the last few have been. Thus my return to blogdom.

It's been an eventful month. And I have photos to prove it. Just you wait and see...

At this exact moment I must be off to the gym, but an update will occur within the next 24 hours.

Just so you know...

It's still winter here.

Despite the sunny skies.
Despite the late evening sunlight.
Despite what others may be telling you.
Despite the lovely spring items mocking you at Banana and Nordstrom.

Do not venture outside without a coat and leg coverings.

I literally had to RUN to my car from the library on Friday because I was so freezing cold in my "let's all pretend it's appropriate to wear this cotton dress already."

Boo.

While on one of the aforementioned trips to Banana, I kinda fell in love with this trench coat. A trench is a classic that is completely justifiable right?

Turns out, the price tag on the trench is the exact amount I paid to have my window replaced a couple weeks ago.

Darn criminal stole my trench coat...


Oh well. Maybe Lauren will hook me up with her sweet banana discount before it goes on sale. (hint hint! ;-) )

In other news, last Saturday was PWC Ski Day which Ken and I attended. Thursday last week we skipped class and took up Nate's generous offer of free tickets to Deer Valley. That resort is awesome. And that makes two ski days in one week. Go us.
Later that night CZ, Haley and I ventured out to Ashley Anderson (Kirkland)'s wedding reception. It was small and lovely. And had the best yogurt covered pretzels I've ever tasted.




















P.S. My DI browsing continues. This couch is slightly awesome. But don't you want to know it its story so badly?! I can't help but wonder.


That is all.

Monopoly.

Do you want to play Monopoly with me? Because I'm totally up for it.

I don't know why I've always loved this game, but I have. CZ and I played a lot growing up, with whoever would play with us. Recently, I've encouraged a resurgence of this wonderful game.












You can read Sarah's detailed account of the above game.


In addition, I may have stayed up til 4am the other night playing Monopoly against pretend opponents on my phone. Crazy right? But I couldn't sleep. And I was TOTALLY winning.

Valentine's Day Love

Vday 2009 was lovely. Except for the fact that I had to take a tax test that Saturday... And except for the fact that later that night I spent a lot of time throwing up with the onset of the flu...

Ken and I tried a new restaurant in SLC and saw Taken (which was very good). Turns out we never took a photo, which may be due to the fact that I wasn't 100% on top of my game that night...

I baked an apple pie per Ken's specific request and requirements (apples chopped very small and prebaked, LOTS of French crumb topping, homemade everything, etc).

(See the cute DIY Apple Pie box project here on Twig & Thistle.
I had to slightly modify b/c my pies were French Apple instead of turnover style.
I'll post the recipe I used on In Our Mix soon...)

And he gifted me with homemade love all over the place.

















Ken had this apron designed and made for me by one of his classmates. What a wonderful surprise!


This was another exciting surprise. The week before vday I saw this post on Oh Happy Day describing a creative valentine. I immediately LOVED the idea and tried to think who I could commission such a valentine for. To my utter delight, a week later this valentine appeared in my mailbox, designed specifically for me. Ken told her (Aubrey Trinnaman photographer extraordinaire) the message to include and the fact that I love fresh flowers. She came up with the rest, staged the photo shoot, took the pictures, put together the finished product. Isn't that nice?

I don't normally post these types of details but I just don't want to ever forget how lucky and loved I've been over the last four years.

Oh Chad...

On Thursday, I was killing time in the Blue Line Deli of the Tanner building waiting for my car window to be replaced.

Chad Little came out of a classroom and asked if I wanted to participate in a photo shoot for Women of the School of Accountancy.

For the next couple hours, I sat in various classrooms and pretended to be listening intently to a professor while a photographer snapped away. It was hilarious. And just the kind of random thing I would expect to be involved in thanks to Chad (my old study abroad director from Asia in 2007).

I'll be sure to post links when the posters are finished and blown up life-size in the Wilk.

And next time I get the annoying question "Why are you so dressed up for school today?" I'll be able to honestly answer that you never know when you'll be summoned for a photo shoot!

What do I do?

Does anyone else feel like FOOD STORAGE is a buzz all around us these days?


It seems like everyone is getting their stores organized and ready.

I have my own theories of what sort of "disaster" would cause food storage to be necessary (more along the lines of mass inflation rather than mass flooding)...

I like the idea, the planning, the organization, the labeling, the spreadsheets, the recipes, etc... And I look forward to implementing a plan of my own.

But can I really have food storage, in my present life state? Should I fill my little bedroom with excess Costco goods, even though I will only live here for another 6 (or so) months? Or should I wait til I'm in a more settled state?

If a disaster struck tomorrow (not likely) I would be forced to turn to the goodwill of others (hello Wileys?) which isn't right.

But what IS right? Ahh I'm getting nervous...

Seriously?

Just my luck... Another car break-in, February 2009.

Remember how this happened to me in April 2008?

Yeah... completely annoying.

At least Jones Paint & Glass knows which kind of window to order for me.

What a let down...

During all the crazy sales at Resortation Hardware during Christmas, I happened upon this little gadget. Clip-on talking pedometer. The clerk said it was an employee favorite, the number one item they purchased in November. Hmm...


I have a strange fascination with pedometers, and the idea of keeping track of every single step you take in a day. It's like keeping precise and accurate financial records, except it's about your steps. Think about the spreadsheets that can be made from collecting that kind of data!!

I was sure to have santa stuff the gadget in my stocking and finally broke it out for its debut this past weekend. Through various test runs, it seemed like it would work great.

Imagine my distress when at 9pm, over 12 hours after affixing the pedometer to my waist, the talking pedometer loudly declared:

You have walked 153 steps.

Ahh so disappointing... I walk 153 steps from my room out to the car alone, there's no way that's a whole day's worth. So much for my dreams of a gadget that would help me reach my daily 10,000 step goal... Whatever.

Snippets from January

So I guess I've been busy...

This semester will be the busiest of my college career. Here are some of the things that make my life complete madness from Monday-Friday and complete exhaustion Saturday-Sunday.

• Two tax classes, Partnership and Advanced Individual


• Two undergrad classes, ManEc and Business Law (man I forgot how annoying those classes are...)


• Isaiah class - I really wanted to take it before I graduate


• Intro to Outdoor Recreation class. I know, crazy right? (see photo below) But I felt like trying some new things.


• TAing for two teachers which exceeds 20 hrs per week, even though it's not supposed to...


• VITA Lab manager (fortunately doing taxes has a strange way of bringing me so much joy)
  
  


• Pillars of the Earth. Completely addicting! 75% finished


• Hunting for a replacement bedroom chair (annoying and depressing..)


• Race training (SLC Half Marathon in April)

Each week starts as a spring. But being this busy feels good in a strange way. I feel organized and efficient. Which is good.

Here are a few photos that all could have/should have been complete posts about activities that occurred in January.

SLEDDING

SUNDANCE FILM FESTIVAL DESSERT GALA

SYMPHONY

SNOWY SUNDANCE DINNER DATE

SNOW SHOEING

This is actually a photo from the second activity of Outdoor Adventure class. Haley and I went snow shoeing last Wednesday with our class. If you want to know what shoe shoeing is like, imagine going for a hike, except through the snow. I have mixed feelings about it overall... However, playing snowshoe football is a lot of fun.

So here I am making an effort to return to blogging. Things are busy but with VITA begining there are sure to be lots of great stories to follow!!

Spotted: SLC Airport

During all my December travels, I found this beauty at the SLC airport.


After each trip I would return to the shop to check if the shirt was still available and again assess if the $34.99 was worth the great joke it would be to send the shirt to someone.


It never was.

I LONG TO BE AROUND YOU
(Dog extends to the backside)

What you may not be able to tell is that is a full length t-shirt, head to mid-calf, with sleeves extending down to the elbows. Really, no one should ever wear something like that to bed.

UNLESS the shirt was sent to you as a joke on your 30th birthday with your subscription to LDS Linkup. Then MAYBE it would be funny...