top ten. this year. thus far...

1. First and foremost, my bestest best friend in the whole world left for her mission on Jan. 5. I was lucky enough to get to spend a day with her before she left, and drop her off curbside at the MTC. Our short 'holy' time was spent with running errands and packing. It didn't seem real that she would be gone from my world for 18 months yet. As the time approached to drop her off, I didn't even have the chance to get emotional, which is a really huge deal for me. I gave her a final hug, probably about as long as the 2 minutes they are allowed. I really miss her. The worst part about this whole thing is not the physically not seeing her part, but the I can't instantly talk to her part. We have had our fair share of being geographically separated but never have we not been able to talk. She is the easiest and most reliable person to talk to you. She gives me the best advice, and completely understands me, even when I don't. I know she is going to be the best sister missionary in the world, just because she is so loving of everyone. Those Brazilians won't know what hit them when they feel the intense power of her personality. Sure do miss and love her, but mostly proud of her.

2. School started on the 10th of January. I can't say I was too excited or ready to go back just yet. It's definitely one of those bittersweet moments. This is my last semester. This is the last time I will have projects and crazy college memories. I took a pledge to take a picture every day of this semester... that clearly hasn't happened, but here is one I took on my last drive back.

3. Yes... this one happens to be my birthday. 22? Are you kidding me? Am I seriously that old? Probably the worst birthday so far, not in the fact that I wasn't loved or appreciated, but that every birthday I get older and more responsible. The day started out with going to class, and then dance, and then I drove home for the fastest birthday party. Sue, Preston, and all 4 of the kids came over for some pizza. I opened gifts in probably 10 minutes with the help of the little ones. I am such a lucky girl and got a magic bullet, boots, clothes, and a new ihome. We were in such a rush because my daddy was taking me to the Jazz game, my favorite team of all time. It was such a fun time and the best birthday present. I love my dad. He does everything he can to make my life easy and beautiful. When we got home me and the parents ate my cheesecake birthday cake and attempted to watch 'sixteen candles.' All in all it was a great day.

4. As most of you may know, I was honored as the Outstanding Senior in Interior Design. There was a grand gala and I stood on stage in a pretty dress. The dress shopping part was hard, as usual, but it was nice to be recognized. I felt so honored that I had been chosen out of all my beautiful and great classmates. Aunt Donna made a special trip to come. I loved sharing the Celebration of the Arts with her and my mom. Best part was dancing with dance company in the aisles with music notes, oh and Audra McDonald who is a 2 time Tony winner.

5. Bad news. My astrology sign changed... how does that even happen? I have been a capricorn my entire life only to find out after 22 years that I am actually a sagittarius? RIP OFF. After my soul was in peril about which sign to align with, I did some research, turns out I am more like a sagittarius than I thought... here are some things I align with

1. On the bad side.. are tactless and restless. I can't explain why, but sometimes I say it how it is. My parents think I am mean. Also, restless, I have a real hard time sitting still and relaxing until I am exhausted, and even then I wake up during sleep several times.

2. Honest, straightforward, philosophical- yes, yes, and yes

3. Sagittarians are positive, energetic, versatile, adventurous and eager to experience. They enjoy travel because their minds constantly roam. They are ambitious, optimistic, idealistic, trustworthy, generous, sincere, loyal, independent, and strive for justice. YEP

4. Usually modest and religious, strong sense of morality and ethical codes.

5. They are conventional in relationships. They have a hard time expressing affection and run risk of being seen as frigid, yet seen as responsible for the elderly in their families. Anyone who has dated me can get this frigid one. Sorry.

6. They are natural teachers with a gift for explaining the universe. They make for good lawyers, public servants, musicians, athletes, coaches, and public relations. Anything to do with travel and people. OK... dream job is to travel and design for people

7. They are impatient and tend to demand too much of colleagues due to their fast pace

8. Saggitarius governs the hips and thighs. I will definitely blame my sign on having dominant hips and thighs. Thanks.

After reviewing all of this, I feel that indeed Sagittarius is a pretty good fit. I still like my Capricorn ways, but am willing to give this a try... like I have a choice, right?

6. On the flip side, I got called as a Relief Society Instructor. I am extremely excited to teach, and will on the 27th of this month. I have never had the experience to teach in a religious setting and am just hoping I don't get nervous.

7. Two words. Mardi. Gras. Full Circle has been preparing for a month or so now for this event. Similar to the Howl in that we dance every ten minutes, on the minute, all night, for hours. This years theme was a french burlesque circus. We were stationed in the casino and got to gamble a little bit and flirt a bit with the players. It was a nice change for me to be a little bit slutty. We had such a good time. I love my dance team and consider them some of my best friends. The chemistry this year makes for great events and performances. I do have to say that I do not miss my corset though... or feathers on my eyes. Thanks, Krissy.

8. VDay. Mostly I am not a huge fan of the lovey dovey holiday. It seems that for years now I have celebrated it with someone or had something going on. This year, I didn't have a plan or party or really any care. A few days before, Ev and I decided to be each others Valentine and kick it that night by going to dinner or something. Not only is he the best to hang out with, he made me a valentine and brought chocolate. How adorable. Needless to say, dinner didn't go as planned, which is normally doesn't with us, and we missed all the movies. We had a great idea to go and visit our friend Ashley who works at Hamiltons. Basically we just hung out all night with Ash and talked and observed all the fancy couples. We posed, or attempted to, with couples at the fireplace. I laughed the hardest I have in a long time. Good love day.

9. For Senior Exhibit this year, my idea was used as the main theme. I shouldn't take credit as I just simply used everyone's ideas and made them a bit more cohesive. I won't give too much away just yet but the theme is 'design is' and the colors are black, white, gray, and purple. It's going to be magical, this I know. I have such creative colleagues and teachers. Get pumped for April.

10. Presidents Day Weekend party extravaganza to ST. GEORGE. Yep. That's today. I am just waiting for Evan to get off work and we are headed down to some sun and fun with the fam. This vaca is much needed. Can't wait to see my cutest baby Ko. In case you forgot how adorable he is... here you go.

11 resolutions for college this year

I found this on my aunt's facebook page and thought it to be perfect for some goals of my college years, some have been accomplished, others not quite. Let's hope I achieve all of these things before I graduate in May.

1. Do not obsess over weight. As someone who battled an eating disorder at university, I get the pressure -- and I'd love to tell you that it goes away as you get older, but it doesn't. So learn to deal in a healthy way now because becoming demonically-possessed by weight does nothing to put it on or take it off. It only makes you feel worse. So if you need help, reach out. If not, stop beating yourself up and go live your life.
2. Have an adventure. As I've said before, college offers a unique window to go big. You're young. You're relatively free. You're still forming impressions about the world and your place in it. Use this opportunity to do something extraordinary you'll remember forever. Take a road trip. Serve as a missionary. Work at a summer camp. Be smart and be safe, but be bold. This is your time.
3. Study abroad. Speaking of being bold and adventures, here's a way to knock out both at once. Even if you don't think you can afford it -- at the very least visit your campus study abroad office and research options. I had to take a semester off and save up the funds to study in England, but every double-shift I worked was totally, completely, 100% worth it.
4. Do not go in to debt. Trust me when I tell you that living beyond your means will limit the opportunities available when you graduate. Don't blow your shot at post-college freedom -- e.g. freedom to move to a cool new town, freedom to take a lower-paying job in the short-term for better opportunity long-term, etc. -- because you ran up a crippling debt in school. Sometimes you have to make sacrifices (See #3 above), but if you can't pay cash for it, don't buy it. Period.
5. Give back. You could line up all the bars in town, and you still wouldn't get a better buzz than helping others in need. It's an amazing feeling and one I wish I would have discovered earlier in life.
6. Do not lose yourself for anyone. In my journals from college, I should have written more about the courses I was taking and less about the boy I was chasing. I definitely lost a ton of time (See #10 below) -- not to mention looked ridiculous -- trying to alter things that were simply outside my control. If your mental magnet wants to be with you, is single (!), and is willing to make a commitment, great. If not, respect yourself enough to m-o-v-e o-n. Life - and college in particular - is too short.
7. Find a mentor. Great mentors should be on the "Endangered Species" list. These days, you really have to seek them out and the earlier you can find them, the better. The trick is that mentoring is like dating - you either vibe with a person or you don't. But, like dating, if you keep looking you will eventually find someone who fits.
8. Start building your network now. Whether you already have a great mentor -- or you're looking for ideas on how to find one -- take a tip from workplace expert Tory Johnsonand reach out to five new people each week. It doesn't matter if you connect in person or via social networks, the only rule is they have to be in a position to help you achieve your goals. I just started doing this a few weeks ago, but if I'd begun in college I'd be up to almost 3,000 new contacts by now. Damn.
9. Find valuable work experience while in school. My biggest regret about college by far is that I didn't complete an internship. Not a single one. So, when I graduated I didn't have any contacts to leverage, any work experience to speak of, and -- oh yeah -- no job prospects to consider. Really. Stupid. Move.
10. Be present. While it's foolish to worry about what's now to the point you forget to focus on what's next (See #9 above), I do think it's wise to hop off the carousel once in a while and just live in the moment. Believe me, the ride will be over before you know it.
11. Create your own list of "Things to Accomplish in 2011" -- and go after them like a heat-seeking missile. From 14-year-old fashion bloggers to billionaire CEOs, this is an age of unprecedented opportunity for young talent. Even still, success won't just come to you. You have to attack it with two parts work ethic and one part lunacy. Of course, you'll learn a few hard lessons along the way, but just think of the stories you'll have for the kids in 2021.

food network

This is part of my senior project I have been working on. It's designed to be a corporate headquarters here in Salt Lake for Food Network. Enjoy!

the time where i had no time

Let me do some explaining...

yes, I realize it has been MONTHS since I have blogged. I want to apologize to all my faithful readers ( I always knew I could count on you mom), for the lack of great stories, magical moments, and treasured memories. Let's go deeper into why this 'lack' has occured:

1. School. Who knew senior year would be the most busy of all 4 years here at Utah State. not this girl.

2. I am lucky enough to have 2, count them 2, jobs. Both have to do with teaching, my new found love in life. I teach 2 modern dance classes and am the UTF for an interior design class.

3. Also, lucky for me I happen to be the Interior Design ASID President here on campus. This means I get to plan meetings, events, and do paperwork. Holler.

4. Another lucky moment, I happen to be the Student Rep. to the Board for ASID. This means I am in charge of all design program students in 4 states, along with meetings, phone calls, and planning events.

5. I am on USU's dance company, Full Circle. This means I have practice 4 times a week and performances periodically. If you haven't checked us out do it.

6. Not only am I on the team, I happen to be the public relations officer, meaning I get to do posters, and fliers, and announcing.

7. Also, it seems as though I have broken into the freelance market of graphic design and interior design, creating much needed real experience.

8. Church, no it's not a bad time waster, but it still has to be thrown in there for dramatic effect.

9. Dating. It didn't exist before, it definitely doesn't exist now.

And there you have it, that's been my life the past 4 months. I honestly am so blessed to be put into all these positions and have all of these amazing opportunities. I cherish the people I work with in all capacities so much. My life may be extremely busy but it's also filled with the most joy I have ever had.

So it's been called to my attention that I graduate in less than 6 months. Yes this causes an instant heart attack. I have always been in school, and probably always will be. I love it far to much. If it wasn't expensive I think i would stay forever. I think I inherited this from my father. This brings a lot of anxiety, but also a lot of hope. I have the world before me, and I can't seem to take that step forward into starting out the rest of my life. That step is going to leave a huge mark on my life path. Here are my options:

1. I have thought so much lately about going on a mission. I had an incredible answer to a prayer, only 2 years too late. I've always found answers through hymns. It even mentions that in my patriarchal blessing. It actually mentions many things related to missionary work.

Anyway, the story goes, one morning at relief society in my parents ward we had a lesson on the priesthood. My mom was in the nursery so I was sitting by myself. As we begin to sing the closing song, my throat closes up, my eyes begin to tear uncontrollably, and I can't even sign. The song- Called to serve. How many millions of times have I sung that song... but for some reason it hit me really hard and heavenly father told me that i need to go. As I am uncontrollably crying... I run into mom who asks me, naturally, what was wrong. I reply nothing bad, let's talk later. We get home and mom needs to know. I start crying and say it's not a bad thing. Her response was immediately, " you want to go on a mission." I have had several more experiences where people just randomly say when are you going on a mission, or are you going on a mission. It's such a hard decision to make due the fact that I'm a baby.

2. I can get a job in SLC and live and work and be happy.

3. I can get a job anywhere in the world, make money, gain experience, and miss my family like crazy.

4. I can go back to school and get a masters so I can teach at the university.

5. I can take a test to be a teacher at the new high school in Draper and also coach dance.

TOO MANY CHOICES! Isn't life supposed to be easy? Oh, oh yeah, that's right. I almost feel lost, but it's not lost. Its so hard for me to believe that I am at this stage in my life. As a little girl, I imagined myself going to college and being a teacher. I think that's where my true passions really meet. As for now, here I am writing a blog, while I should be sleeping or doing homework so I can graduate. Story of my OCD life.

finalized

Many of you know that I had the opportunity to design and plan a salon this summer. Amber Reid has cut my hair for years now, and when she asked me to help her make her dreams come true and design her salon, I had to say yes. There are many things that I learned while in the process of this project. Floorplans and space planning take the majority of the time. The most important thing I learned was that your clients make all the difference. Amber, John, and the entire Reid family were so willing to listen to my ideas and ask me for my advice. They worked day and night for months and months, and now I am pleased to present you with

Amber Rene Salon...

kwid goodbye

last day of the internship. so many great memories and things learned. i will miss it much.

...the rest of my days

My last week in California started out with a 4th of July weekend... Whitney and I headed for Long Beach. We went to the Aquarium of the Pacific, which turned out to be a really cool place to be on the holiday. They had a lovely barbecue on the front lawn full of all the usual holiday favorites. I touched all sorts of crazy sea creatures and saw all kinds of new things. When it became dark, we watched the fireworks off the Queen Mary in the harbor. Truly patriotic. It was a joyous time.

On our holiday off of work, we took a day easy and wandered around down town LA. We came upon this little treat, Olvera Street, an old Mexican market. We wandered around in the blazing heat and naturally, ate a churo.

We continued our travels to Angels Flight which is an old rail car system that pulleys two cars opposite each other up a hill. Pretty magical, especially after discovering that in 2001 there was a fatal crash and it just recently opened again.

On my last night, the girls and I went out to eat in true Hollywood fashion. Whitney discovered this little place called ketchup... hence the red lights. It was fancy! They had all sorts of ketchup... chocolate ketchup... mango ketchup... banana ketchup.... interesting, yet delicious. It was good to spend time with them before we all parted our California dreaming.

Nice look after a long day at work. Oh boy.