Hullabaloo

What a weekend!  I definitely did too much.  Friday night started out with two parties, both of which had some fabulous company:)  Saturday morning I woke up and helped a friend move, went for a jog up the canyon, played tennis, then tried to take a nap, but a friend came to visit me.  I love when people come to visit me or drop by unexpectedly.  Actually surprise visits are one of my favorite things.  Well surprises in general and I loved that she brought me cherries (I have been craving them for the past month or so). 

The highlight and low light happened Saturday night.  I was lucky enough to win 4 tickets through a radio station to another concert at Deer Valley in Park City.  I had so much fun eating Irish food for the first time, being with friends, and enjoying Broadway music.  I love outdoor concerts in the Summer so much!  The low light consisted of me being in the most pain I have EVER been in thus far in my life.  I don't need to share all the hullabaloo, but by the time I got home from Park City I couldn't walk, talk, see, etc...  I didn't want to go to the hospital so Dad came over to give me a blessing.  I HAVE NEVER BEEN SO HAPPY IN MY LIFE TO HAVE A DAD WITH THE PRIESTHOOD!  All I can say is I don't know what people do without faith and Priesthood blessings!!!

  

The lady in the middle is Laura Bedore, the host of Show tunes Saturday night on Kosy 106.5


Sunday was an amazing day at church with so much to ponder.  I am sad that I didn't get to go to a family fireside that night, but I get to listen to all of it soon.  Monday was also fun because I got to go play with my family at Seven Peaks.  I enjoyed every slide, although I know my brother was annoyed with my screaming on one slide.  Dinner from Costa Vida was great too.  Wish Brett and Steph could have been there, but we enjoyed laughing together watching the latest E video. 
 

Worth watching

I know this video is long, but it is very worth listening/watching.  My Dad recommended it to me since Andy came to his workplace to speak.  I worked while I listened, but it was hard not to stop and just listen.  I love motivational speakers especially when there is so much bad news out there. 

I dream of...

Last night I dreamed about food, yes the food I have been eating in the last week.  Weird I know and I am not sure what to make of it, but it made me think of my 3 favorite meals in the last week.  I am sucker for fresh ingredients with lots of flavor!

Quinoa Lettuce Wraps-I made these at home and probably ate them 4 times in the last week.  I loved the combination of avocado, quinoa, black beans, onion, garlic with a chicken base.  Lime to top it off:)

Sushi-Had on a date...it was the best sushi that I have ever had!  I now know my top 2 or 3 favorite rolls.

Sesame Noodle Salad-My Mom made this.  She was so worried about the taste, but I loved it!  It was really simple too.  Basically Sesame dressing, noodles, celery, chicken, green onion, and cilantro.  There may have been more, but that's all I remember.  I would love the addition of peanuts, peas and/or maybe coconut. 

Opera Anyone?

In the last week I have done a lot, specifically concerts.  Last week I was able to go to a patriotic performance put on by the American Fork Symphony and my favorite so far was called Opera Hits.  Opera Hits was performed by the Utah Symphony and Opera singers.  They sang 10-15 popular selections and some of my favorite Opera pieces.  Oh, I thought I was in HEAVEN!!!  Plus it was fabulous that we were outdoors at Deer Valley in fabulous Park City enjoying a picnic. Sunday I was able to attend "Music and the Spoken Word" by the Mormon Tabernacle Choir for the first time.  The orchestra, choir, Lloyd Newell and so many other aspects were great!  Today I get to go to to a Ukulele concert too:) So 4 concerts in one week over a movie is better option to me anytime!  In other news I ate dinner with my parents last night and the 3 of us cleaned up a Blueberry Sour Cream Pie I made!  Yummy!  The only downside was I didn't get a picture of the pie, LOL!  ...and HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY SWEET BROTHER TODAY!

Beautiful Deer Valley and Utah Mountains



Sweet friends who I haven't seen in awhile.  So glad I have friends who also like Opera!

 

Amazing Motab



Not my pic, but it really did look like this when I was making it:)



Love you Bro!



Grandparents!

I sure love my Grandpa Zobell!  He has told some really great stories over the years, even if some of them were tall tales.  He has always been a hard worker, outdoor enthusiast, and sports fanatic.  Today I realized I am really going to miss him when he's gone.  I have 3 sets of really great grandparents and 4 of the 6 living. I love them all so much and cherish what they teach me:)

Click

I have been thinking a lot in the last week about tender mercies in my life.  More specifically "Clicks."  I say clicks because I recently read an article about Hilary Weeks (an LDS singer/songwriter) who uses a hand clicker to keep track of all the positive things that happen in a day.  So some of the clicks that I have been thinking about this past week are:

*Free tuition to a class I have been wanting to go to for years
*Figuring out what my favorite ice cream place is, I will be going there regularly now
*Technology.  I have been missing some family members and was blessed that I could talk to them on the phone or through IM.
*Jellybelllies, especially the fruit ones!
*Living in a place I like...the city, house, roommates, and all!
*Arbitration, I am loving it (yes, more than indexing)
*An air conditioned gym when it is too hot to work out outdoors
*Some great siblings.  I'm so appreciative that they have called and cared about me in the last week:)

Finally! First camping of the year!

I have been wanting to go camping FOREVER.  Okay, really just this year.  Who knows why I love it so.  I never get enough sleep,  it ends up being really cold or hot, you have to use a gross bathroom, and you are covered in dirt by the end.  I also like to rough it, so I don't use a mattress, which in turn means a rock and I become best friends overnight.  Yet I love it!  I think I narrowed it down to the top reason I enjoy it.  Togetherness!  I love playing games, talking around the campfire, being in nature, and especially laying in the tent together talking, imagining, and laughing hysterically!  We probably burned at least a thousand calories laughing.  I enjoyed sleeping without a roof to view the stars and Dr. Seuss like shapes.  In the morning we packed up and went to breakfast which is so much better then having to clean up a mess.  Overall I would give my first trip of the summer a 10 out of 10.

Doesn't it look idealic?  Yep, flowers on the table, that's girl camping!

Tent I inherited from my Mom.  Easiest tent to put up ever and fits 6.

Some people did not want to be in the picture, but I got it!

Shorts and flip-flops are the way to camp!

Don't we have cute feet:)  The funny thing is it took 30 minutes to start the fire
 while wildfires were burning everywhere around us. 

Breakfast!  Hats are the way to go the next morning!

Loaded 4th!

The fourth of July is my favorite holiday of the entire year!  I like it because it is such a family and friend oriented holiday, not to say that Thanksgiving and Christmas are not, but it is more visual since people are mostly outdoors.  I loved seeing families bike, hike, and eat together!  I also love it because I am pretty patriotic:)  So because it is my favorite I crammed it with as many things as I could do in a day.  I don't have time to sit at home!!! 

So here's the play by play:
1-Get up at 6 am and go to the balloon rising
2-Eat breakfast there and then head to the Y
3-Hike the Y at a pace that allows balloon viewing
4-Grab a recharging smoothie and drive to the next hike.
5-Hike Big Springs (2nd time for me in the last month) because my friend thinks it sounds amazing and it is!
6-Refuel with Cafe Rio
7-Change clothes and run to Spanish Fork Reservoir for fun
8-Swim, Canoe, Kayak, and play with kids (this really is a privilege for me since I don't have nieces/nephews around).
9-Run to the store to pick up food for BBQ and change again
10-BBQ and visit
11-Watch all of Orem's fireworks (from a deck that has a view of the whole city) with family
12-Quickly grab a view of the "Stadium of Fire" fireworks
13-Pass out in bed (after 17 hours away from home)

Such an amazing day!  I really wish I could do it all over and would only change one thing.  I am so grateful for America and the freedoms we have!