2008 Adventures

This year has more than flown by, but has been a great one! I have a list of 101 things I want to do before I die, and this year managed to accomplish quite a few. Here are some of the exciting things I did or saw this year:

Phantom of the Opera-Vegas Spectacular (thanks Les!!)
Disney on Ice-Princess Wishes (3rd row! Thanks Gina!)
Lasik Eye Surgery
Rode a train in Boulder City (I had never riden one before)
Danny Gans (gotta love FREE tickets!)
Making amends with my grandparents after 9 years!
Parasailing in South Carolina
Moving to Utah and getting my own place
Time Out For Women (road trip with Melissa!)
Trick or Treating with Asher and Jaman
Thanksgiving road trip
Christmas early with mom, dad and Leslie staying in my small apartment

Also had some visits from old friends as well. One of the girls I taught on my mission was able to come to Vegas and visit for a week in February, and I was able to go visit a family I taught in July--they have since moved to North Carolina. The end of the year brought on many new adventures and "firsts" with me moving out of state and out on my own, but it all is an adventure. I am thankful for the things I have experienced this year, both good and bad and for the personal growth I have felt. I am excited to begin another year anew and see what it has in store. If 2009 is even half as good to me as 2008 was, I am in for a fun year! Happy New Year!

Christmas

Christmas was so fun this year! Different than any other I have ever experienced. Christmas Eve I was able to go up to Bountiful to spend the evening with my Aunt & Uncle and cousins. Betho is Peruvian and it is their culture to have a feast on Christmas Eve. We went to his niece's house, and what a feast it was! We had Turkey, Chicken, Ribs--for a minute I thought we were celebrating the wrong Holiday--Thanksgiving instead of Christmas! It was so fun to spend time with family and get to know them better instead of sitting home alone all night.

Christmas morning came and I woke up at 4am with excitement--like a kid I couldn't sleep any more, but this year I didn't have to wait for mom and dad to get up in order to come out of my room :) Luke came over about 630 so we could do our gift exchange before heading to his parents house. He came with a big basket of aromatherapy products from Bath & Body that I love, and a jewelery box... for a necklace dad, NOT a ring! We exchanged gifts and were getting ready to leave for his parents house when his phone rang...and he got called in to work. He was already scheduled to work that night, and now had to pull a double shift...needless to say I was not liking his job at that moment.

So I drove down to Alpine for the remainder of my day. I got to Melissa's just after the kids had finished opening presents and they had to show me all their new stuff. Melissa also surprised me with a TV cabinet that I love! She also made me some cow place mats that go perfectly in my kitchen! Funny story behind this...Melissa and I used to be the best of snoopers growing up. We would sneak out of our room at night after mom and dad had gone to bed and cut the tape on gifts so we would know what we were getting. When she drew my name this year I was specifically told I was NOT allowed to snoop when I was watching kids. So the week before Christmas she and Curry were doing some last minute shopping and I was tending kids. We have an understanding that when I watch kids it also means doing laundry, and I noticed in their laundry room a nice little Ar moire that looked new. I thought wow, wouldn't that be cool if that was for me? and went on playing with the kids. Later, Asher lost her ball in Melissa's sewing room and told me it was stuck so I went in to get it for her, and saw these awesome cow place mats. When Melissa got home later I questioned her about the TV stand and she lied and said they had got a new one for downstairs, which I ALMOST believed. So after she and Curry had rescued me from the snowbank I managed to get stuck in on the way to their house Christmas morning, I walked in to the TV stand with a big bow on top. I knew my gifts WITHOUT even snooping! Mom and dad also managed a surprise as they sent a digital camera! Maybe now my blog will be exciting again with clear pictures....after I get Internet back at my apartment...

The afternoon was spent hanging out with Curry's family at his parents and grandparents houses. Jaman and I played a long game of air hockey and he wouldn't let me out of his sight! Later that evening Luke called and had managed to get the night off since he had already worked an 8 hour shift and they had double booked his evening one. I went home (after getting stuck in the snow twice more) and we finally went to his family's house though because of the storm that had not let up all day we didn't stay long as we were afraid of getting stuck there. His mom surprised me as well as there was a gift under their tree for me too--a snowman decoration for my place! I loved being with family and friends all day even though it wasn't at home. I definitely got my wish of a white Christmas, with a few other surprises throughout the day!

Meeting the family

This was a big weekend for me! Last week Luke worked a lot, and we didn't see each other much. He was supposed to make me dinner Saturday night, but got called in so we decided instead to have brunch Saturday morning. He came over and we made eggs and bacon and french toast. After breakfast we enjoyed the snow falling as we drank hot chocolate and listened to Christmas music. It was the perfect setting for the "L" word to be dropped...which it was :)

Sunday was an adventure as well, as it was time to meet the family. We went to a stake choir event first to hear his mom perform. We were a little late--OK, a LOT late and actually missed her group, but were able to hear several others and join in the Hallelujah chorus at the end. His family lives right next to the stake center so we walked over for dinner and they were all waiting to greet me at the door! He has been wanting me to meet the family since the first week we started dating, and I have been hesitant. I have never done well with my boyfriends moms--they have never thought I was good enough for their sons or something so I was really nervous, but we walked in and I was greeted with a hug and a huge grin from Jolene. We sat down to eat and the two brothers there drilled me with questions--the usual, where I am from, what I am doing in Utah and with my life--it almost felt like being on the mission again except without a female companion! We swaped mission stories and told some adventures, and then it was his dad's turn. He asked me about work, and my plans for school and my family and then proceeded to tell me all the travel adventures he has had--and there have been quite a few! After dinner, Jolene took me down to the basement--they just redid it as their Christmas present with new carpet, paint and a new couch and TV. Jolene does hair for an older clientel so she took me into her workroom and was very excited since she used to sell Mary Kay and I just started. We found we have quite a bit in common!

After spending time there, we went next door to Luke's brother and sister-in-laws house so I could meet her and the kids. Stacy is my age and was very excited to have me there-- we are even going on a double date with them this week! We hit it off and her kids are adorable! We went back over to say good night to the parents and his dad gave me a hug this time as well and told me to come back soon. Overall I would say that's a good sign!

Long lost friends

I have only talked to miss Gina once since I moved to Utah about 4 months ago, and as it always goes our lives parallell once again. She called Friday night and was in Salt Lake with her boyfriend to meet his family for the weekend. They had wanted to go see the lights on Temple Square, but it was pretty crazy so she called and came down to my house so I could meet him! It was so fun to see her and catch up and she seems really happy with this one, so I wish her luck! The crazy part is we started dating our boyfriends about the same time, and I met Luke's family this weekend too! Even with 400 miles between us we are, and forever will be "Gelly"

Snowy Salt Lake

Saturday morning I woke up to a snow covered earth. It finally hit--and hard in the valley! It didn't stop until about 2 pm!

My family has a lot of birthdays in December, and my cousins Mellissa and Catherine's fall one week after another. Mellissa called me Thursday and invited me up to Bountiful for a birthday party. Silly me, I though it would be a small family event and I was excited to go. I forget my Uncle's side of the family from Peru all live in their neighborhood! I was a little overwhelmed meeting everyone--and as customary in their culture they kiss on the cheek when saying hello--I have never been kissed by so many strangers in my life! It was fun to see them all gathered together and to spend time talking to my aunt. Our extended family is so spread out that we never have spent a lot of time together so it is nice being close to her now. We ate Peruvian food--a new experience for me that definitely cleared my sinuses! It was great though.

The snow had stopped when I drove up to Bountiful, but had started again when it was time to leave. I thought I would be fine on the roads I know to drive slow, but once I hit North Salt Lake driving back to my neck of the woods, the roads were pure ice even on the freeway. I was driving VERY slow (30 on the freeway!) and trying to keep my distance. I hit a patch of ice and started fishtailing, in an effort to not spin out I overcorrected and started spinning toward the cement barriers dividing the highway. I was braced to hit the wall and thought for sure I had wrecked my car, but slammed on my breaks and missed it by about an ich. In slamming on my breaks I spun around in circles and ended facing oncoming traffic in the emergency lane. I sat there for a few minutes in order to gain my composure and figure out how to turn around and get home, praying with gratitude the whole time! I did make it home ok after holding to the steering wheel so tight I had white knuckles!

Temple Square Lights

Last night Luke took me up to Salt Lake so we could see the lights on temple square. I get so excited about things I am like a kid, and I have only seen the lights up there once that I remember. He is so thoughtful, and said he had something to show me. I LOVE the nativity scene--it is my favorite part of Christmas. I think I have five or six different ones, and Luke knows this so as soon as we got there he took me to the side of the temple where they have the scene set up and they do the scriptural narration. After hearing it we walked around the rest of the grounds--we were both hoping for snow when we went, but that didn't happen so I just told him he would have to take me again when we DO have snow! After the lights we went back to my place for hot chocolate and to watch the Santa Clause. It was the perfect Christmas date! 

Neither one of us has a camera so we had to settle for pics taken on our phones

Tree!

In honor of Lauren's Birthday, it is our family tradition to set up the Christmas Tree. So I did just that--but I had to run out and buy one first! This was my first time ever setting up a tree as that is usually dad's job and us girls decorate, but this year it was all me. I threw on the Christmas music and got it all set up. Another fun first to blog about! Happy Birthday Lauren!!

Christmas Party

Oh, don't think I am done! It has been quite the exciting couple weeks in my life! Thursday night was my company Christmas party. We had it down at Thanksgiving Point. The food was great, the entertainment was fun, prizes were good, and the bonus was a plus! But, I had a date this year so the company was great too! Luke and I have been dating about three weeks now, but had been exchanging emails for awhile before that. We had four dates in our first week of meeting each other in person, and everyone at the office was so excited to meet the new man in my life. When I asked him about it he was excited to come, and even wanted us to match! Though that didn't work, I was glad he came with me and that my co-workers didn't interrogate him TOO much! It was a big night for us as he met my family that night too! But, he did great, and I think he passed all the "tests" ha ha

Leslie came to help me get ready for the party--hair is credited to her! Thanks for making me pretty Les!!!

Kelly & Luke

Christmas with the Family

Leslie and Dad got here Wednesday and this was the night we celebrated Christmas. The kids were so excited! Mom and Dad bought Asher and Jaman a tent set that has a play tent and a Teepee with tunnels that link the two together. Asher LOVED them--she brought all her blankets and stuffed animals in and each one of us had to take turns getting in the tent. Jaman got a remote controlled dinosaur that Asher loved--until it got out of the box and was turned on--then she was so scared she wanted nothing to do with it! Jaman even tried getting the dinosaur to bite me and thought it was hysterical. They are such fun kids. Kids are really what makes Christmas great. We had a fun time, the only thing that would have made it better would have been if Lauren could have joined us!

Leslie, Asher, and Papa in the tent

Jaman with his new quilt Grandma made him (another thing that makes my mom awesome!) this quilt has the alphabet in sign language embroidered on it

Asher, Curry and Jaman before opening gifts

One Cool Mom

So I know it's not mother's day, but I need to take a minute and pay tribute to my mom. Or maybe it's more like brag about my mom. After a week of me being in Vegas, mom drove back with me to Utah to stay a week. Leslie and Dad were coming up later in the week, but mom came with me. We got to go shopping, and visit her family, and she even attended my Mary Kay debut party. It was so fun to have her here-- Melissa, me and the kids all enjoyed it. But, I have a pretty cool mom. For those of you who don't know, my mom is "magical" she whipped up a dress for my company Christmas party in almost no time, did my grocery shopping for me, and even had Christmas early for Melissa, me and the kids. She is an amazing lady, and I don't we tell her enough. Love you mom!

Dress for my party

Mary Kay

I am the newest member of the Mary Kay Dream Team! I am so excited for this new opportunity. It's a chance not just to sell make up, but to help women improve their self confidence and images of themselves. I have been using MK for about a month now, and have felt that change in me, and now I get to share that with other women as well. Anyone needs any product, or wants to join the team-- I am your girl! 

Thanksgiving in Vegas

Thanksgiving this year made me more grateful for my family than ever before. They say "absence makes the heart grow fonder" well I don't think that only relates to romantic relationships. I am also glad for an understanding boss who let me take almost the full week of Thanksgiving off so I could be with my family. I was able to spend a little time with everyone. Mom and I went shopping and she helped me on a new sewing project, Leslie took me for more shopping and was my date to the Bellagio, I spent one night at Lauren's house so we could play too, and dad even took me to see the Fab Four--A Beatles tribute band. The whole week went by way too quickly, but it was fun to be "home" for awhile. As much as I have loved the adventures of being on my own the last couple months, it is still nice to spend time with my family when the opportunities arise. I have a lot to be thankful for this year, but Mom, Dad, Melissa, Lauren, and Leslie top the list. 

Winter Wonderland

Today I woke up to a world blanketed in snow! It was so beautiful! It started during the night and didn't let up all day--I sat at my desk at work just watching it wishing to be at home with a cup of hot cocoa and reading a good book! BUT, we were listening to christmas music in the office today so that helped. I can't believe the Holidays are upon us and I am really excited to have white ones this year!

The storm rolling in on Sunday Morning

The final results

Parents visit!

Melissa and I really enjoy having our parents in town--it is a time for lots of shopping and fun, and they love to spoil the kids! Saturday morning mom and I met Melissa at Tai Pan cause it's right by my house, and they had all Halloween decorations 75% off. After that, we picked up dad and conned him into going to Gardner Village. They had the stores all decorated with witches from their Halloween festivities still. We walked around the shops and had lunch their. Asher would not leave my dad's side! 

This one is kinda dark, but if you look closely you can see the witch slammed up against the building...  Guess it's back to broom school for her

Hula hooping witch scared Asher

This one is flying through the center of the village

Jaman looking at the witch throwing dynamite in the water

Asher and Papa on the bridge

After the Village mom, dad and I went to visit the Lafoons. This is my Aunt's parents, and Nelson actually interviewed my dad for baptism! They live just on the other side of the temple from me, so we stopped by to surprise her. He is in a nursing home now so we walked over together and visited with him for awhile-- he seemed to be in good spirits, and remembered mom and dad at least. It's been years since he has seen me so I didn't expect him to remember. 

It's kinda funny to be grown up enough to have my own place and have mom and dad come stay with me. I had my room all made up for them-- you can't really have a guest room in a one bedroom apartment--and they insisted on sleeping on their air mattress in the living room! Mom brought me snacks (peanut butter cookies--yummy!) and dad helped me by checking things on my car, and trying to fix the drain in my shower. It was great to have them in town and catch up on the last couple months! Now we get to look forward to thanksgiving for our next visit!

Trick or Treat!

Halloween is a holiday I normally do not enjoy, but this year was fun! My office has a party every year and invites the kids, of all employees to come. Since I don't have kids, I invited Melissa to bring hers, and my parents were in town too and got to meet everyone. All the kids came in their costumes and went trick or treating around the office. We had cookies for the kids to decorate, and made scones and taco soup for the families. Then we went out to the warehouse that was decorated with black lights and a disco ball. Jaman loved the lights, and tried to grab at them as they flashed on the floor! He also enjoyed the fog machine and Alan let him control it once. We played games and the kids got to wrap the adults like mummies, and then we played hot potato with a pumpkin-- the best part was Jaman won and he couldn't even hear the music! It was a fun day, and the best part was we got to close the office early to go enjoy our weekends! I headed down to Melissa's and we drove around to take the kids trick or treating. Mom and dad were staying at my house, and were pretty worn out from a day with the kids. We went back to my apartment and watched It's the great pumpkin, Charlie Brown! A Halloween classic! Even though I didn't make it to the parties I had planned on attending, I really enjoyed Halloween this year! 

Jaman as a Vampire, Asher as a Cow, and dad as Papa

Cutest cow I've ever seen!

Cutest Vampire I've ever seen!

Vampire Snacks!

I even dressed up this year! I didn't know this picture was being taken, but at least it shows my snowman that won cutest costume in the office award!

Haunted Cruise

Last weekend some friends from my ward drove down to Provo to go on a Haunted Cruise on the Provo River! I was a little nervous not knowing what to expect, but it was so fun!! While on the cruise Captain Abe told us ghost stories--specifically the Legend of Sleepy Hollow. All along the river banks are lighted pumpkins and other halloween decorations. At one point on the cruise a pirate even attacks the boat! The cruise overall was kinda cheesy, but was so fun!  It helped that Captain Abe was easy on the eyes!

This is the sign going in...

Me and Em pretending to be scared... but then she started laughing instead!

Decorations on the path to the boat

This one is funny--if you cant read it it says "Heads up for Halloween"

Alec & I on the boat... even though you can't see it...

Just call me President...

For those of you whom I have not shared with, I have decided to run for office. I know the election is only eight days away, but I figured a new candidate in the race could not hurt any. So since everything else in my life is new at this moment, why not the new challenge of running for public office? What a better way to get my name out there! So, please view my ad below, and I would appreciate any support you want to give!

http://www.tsgnet.com/pres.php?id=357563&altf=Lfmmz&altl=Gsfjubh

Cornbelly's Corn Maze

For FHE this month we have done everything Halloween. My favorite though was experiencing my first corn maze! We drove down to Thanksgiving Point and every year they have a theme--well this year's was Utah's newest "star" David Archuleta. Yup, American Idol runner up (I suppose that's nicer than LOSER) We got lost in the maze for an hour and a half all the while David's songs were blasting on the PA System. It was so loud that one of the girls in our group really thought David was there in concert! Here is a picture of what the maze looks like from above:

Fall really DOES exist...

Growing up in Vegas and only having two seasons (hot, and hotter) has made me more appreciate the colors and beauty of fall. This picture is more for my mom who also enjoys the beauty of this season that Vegas skips over. Happy Fall! 

Spaghetti Factory and Spoon Me...

This past weekend after going to Logan some of my girlies from Vegas were in town. We went to Old Spaghetti Factory and were in a man hating mood until we got hit on by our waiter! He gave us HIS number, and then we texted him all night.  There is also an ice cream shop at the mouth of the canyon that we thought was hilarious. Yes--it really is called SPOON ME lol... It was great to see the girls, and get caught up on Vegas stories!

Kelly, Heather & Emily

We'll always have Spaghetti... 

The Pie

This place is voted best pizza in Salt Lake! It is the epitome of a college hang out, but  really does have AWESOME pizza! Last weekend Jessica was in town from Vegas and staying with Jamie so we got together for dinner, and this was the place. It was a lot of fun to see Jess and catch up on Vegas gossip even if just for one evening. Thanks Jamie for introducing us to good pizza!

Liz, Jessica, Jamie and Kelly 

T

Logan and Little Women

This weekend I drove to Logan and went to see Little Women the musical with one of my mission companions and her husband. I had never read the book or seen the movie so it was all new to me. They did a great job, and at times, I thought it was written about my sisters and I!

That night we went back to Alana and Rich's and stayed up catching up, then in the morning Rich made us a yummy breakfast of crepes! Following we went to the Logan temple--I had never been before, and wish I had my camera! Alana and I came out of the dressing room just as one session was going upstairs and the cute temple worker was nervous we weren't going to make it in that session. We explained we would wait as we had someone else in our party, and she told us there was nobody else in the chapel--just an older man. So we expected a grandpa to be sitting there and we walk in--it's Rich!! ha ha we gave him such a hard time about that!! After the temple we went back to the house where Rich again whipped up a yummy lunch and they introduced me to a new card game. I thought at times they were making up rules, but it was fun. Rich will be graduating soon wih his masters andthey are hoping to move away from Utah, so I am glad to have time with them while I can. Thanks for a fun weekend!

Nevadan No More

Well, it's official! As of noon today (MST) I am a Utahn. I registered my car and switched my license today--what an adventure!! Poor Sally was put through the run around. Utah requires an emissions and safety check every two years. I went this morning to have that done before heading off to the DMV, but to my surprise I FAILED the safety inspection! The reason... my window tint was TOO DARK (lame!!). So,the shop referred me to a tint shop and since I don't have the money today to get it re-done to Utah standards I had to have it scrapped off. Then went back to the original shop to have the test re-done. That whole process took two hours. Then, I went to the DMV. Luckily it is a newer one that I found, and they were pretty fast. I waited literally five minutes before being called up for my plates, and was called right away for my license. I had to take a written test and I'm not gonna lie, I was a bit nervous, but I got a 96% which I think is better than I did on my original test when I got my license. It made for a long morning, but now things are official-- I am one step closer. 

One last look at my Nevada Plates

Sally's new ID 

ps...

I got my first snow in Salt Lake this past weekend too! I am so excited to spend the Holidays in pure white bliss!!

Mommy for a weekend..

Last weekend Melissa and Curry went out of town for a fundraiser for Signs of Hope. They were gone for four days, and shuffled the kids between Kylar, Brad & Andrea, and myself. i got to spend two whole days with the kids and loved it! They are such good kids and we had lots of fun! Saturday I took them to the Children's Discovery Museum in Salt Lake, and we had a blast. We  met my friend Emma and her little cousin Jordan and the five of us played for a few hours. Asher loved playing with the ball contraption and driving the cars. Jaman climbed the rock wall and went shopping at the grocery store. After the museum we all went to McDonald's for dinner. It was a fun day. When I got there that morning Brad and Andrea told me Jaman got excited when he found out I was coming, and asked if I was bringing gifts--and to his expectations I showed up with doughnuts! He loved it! Jaman was very creative and making stuff all weekend, and Asher watched Bambi and Bug's life a few times. She also slept with me most of Saturday night! So fun to wake up to her kissing my face and saying "good morning Kyee" I laughed and she said "open eyes Kyee!!"  

By Sunday the kids were so tired and ready to have mom and dad home that they were very clingy. Jaman had a hard time paying attention in church and at one point told Michele (his translator) and I to stay there as he walked into the foyer. We gave him a minute and then went to check on him and he was sprawled out on the couch in the lobby. He did better in Primary, but it was pretty funny. By the end of Sunday night, I was exhausted. They may only be kids, but they wore me out. I have a new respect for my sister and now understand why she goes to bed so early! I love you Melissa!

Jaman playing in the Balls

Asher with the balls--the tube blew the balls up to another location--every time she opened it her hair went crazy and she would squeal--so cute!!

Driving in the car together

Little Cottonwood; Big Racoons

last Tuesday I had a bad day. I am lucky enough to have good friends here however. My friend Emma came and picked me up for a surprise outing. I was told to dress warm and come hungry. She picked me up and we drove up to little cottonwood canyon. It was the perfect time to drive through the canyon as the colors on the trees were just starting to change. It was beautiful! We found a campsite and started a fire...after a little help from some gasoline! ha ha we made tin foil dinners and they turned out wonderful! As we were eating, I heard some rustling in the trees behind me and was just waiting for someone to jump out and scare me. All of a sudden a HUGE raccoon came into our camp. I freaked out as it came closer and jumped up on the table while Emma was yelling to take a picture! I guess just something more to prove how easily I scare! 

Crazy Eights...

Time to play a good old game of tag. Courtesy of Kara, my childhood friend since pre-school!

8 Favorite TV shows... 

1. The Office

2. Chuck


3. Gray's Anatomy (my guilty pleasure!)

4. Dancing with the Stars


5. King of Queens


6.  Gilmore Girls


7. Eli Stone


8. 

Samantha Who?

8 Favorite Restaurants...


1. California Pizza Kitchen


2. Claim Jumper


3. Rainforest Cafe

4. Macaroni Grill


5.  PF Chang's

6. Capriottis

7. 
Chipotle

8. 
Yolie’s

8 things that happened yesterday...


1. Woke up feeling yuckie

2. Pilates!

3. Caught up on the life of Leslie


4. Talked to a mission companion (that I get to see tomorrow!!)

5. Got hit on by a customer at work


6.Caught up on Grey's Anatomy from last week


7. Went to institute


8. Went to bed early





8 things to look forward to...


1. Seeing Alana Tomorrow!

2. Watching Conference this weekend

3.  Being done with the GMAT

4. The cooler weather coming our way!!

5.  Seeing the family at the Holidays

6.  My next paycheck! Ha ha

7.  My first corn maze on Monday

8.  SNOW!!

8 things I love about Fall...


1. Actually getting to see leaves change this season!

2. hoodies


3. cooler weather

4. Fall decorations

5. The smell in the air


6. Knowing snow is coming!

7. Holiday Food (Toffee, Carmel, fudge)


8.  Hot Chocolate Season!

8 things on my wishlist...


1. Getting out of debt

2. Getting a raise!

3. Visit Germany

4. For McCain to win the elections!

5. Fall in love

6. A washer and dryer in my apartment!

7. A digital camera that is not ruined by ocean water

8. For the economy to get better

8 people I tag...


1. Meliisa

2. Mom

3. Theresa

4. Kerstin


5. Karissa

6. Andrea

7.  Jamie

8.  Emily

 

 

 

I'm from Vegas, What's your excuse?

Some of you will appreciate this-- I found it on a Facebook group.

You know you're from Vegas when...

1. You have no idea what a scarf does, but think it looks good

2. You know how to get to any casino on the strip without taking Las Vegas Blvd

3. You know where the natural history museum, art museum and zoo are.

4. The last time you went to the strip, your cousins were in town last summer

5. You know the seasons: Really hot, 2 weeks of nice, not so hot, 2 weeks of nice.

6. Your favorite chocolate is Ethel M. (Desert Chocolate means something to you)

7. When you go to different cities, you're amazed things aren't open after 9pm (and that there are no flashing neon signs to direct you!)

8. You've never seen a closed gas station

9. When arriving home from vacation the slot machines in McCarran are comforting (or you get to other airports and can't understand why they are so quiet!)

10. You are still asked "smoking or non?" when you go to out to eat.

11. You laugh at people playing the slots at 7-11

12. Your most prized possession as a Nevadan is your blue and white license plate

13. You know the spaghetti bowl has nothing to do with food

14. You know never to merge right when driving north on I-15, it'll end anyway.

15. You think a pile of rocks is a nice lawn

16. The term Lake Las Vegas doesn't seem redundant in the slightest.

17. You remember the ugly lion

18. You need to walk through a casino to see a movie.

19. You go in circles through McCarran on purpose

20. You can spot a tourist from 3 miles away

21. Limos are an everyday sighting

22. You laugh at people taking pictures in front of the "welcome to las vegas" sign

23. You don't own an umbrella

24. 70 degrees is cold enough to wear a jacket

25. You've never HAD to pay for parking.

26. You get completely lost whenever you go to another city because you always navigate town based upon the Stratosphere.

27. You've seen more local building demolitions by the age of 18 than most people will their entire lives.

28. You remember saying "Stupak's Tower? More like Stupids' Tower."

29. You were devastated by the loss of the marshmallow factory in the PEPCON explosion.

30. You park in the shade no matter how far you have to walk

31. A bowling alley not attached to a casino frightens and confuses you.

32. The pool can be warmer than you are.

33. You've had a second degree burn from your seatbelt.

34. You leave a bottle of water in your car for only 30 minutes, and it's boiling hot.

35. When buying a car, a/c is not a luxury! and leather seats are not an option!

36. 4 minutes of sprinkling is considered a rainy day.

37. You have no idea what snow boots are (or ice scrapers! ha ha)

38. You are amused by people who do not wear flip-flops year round

39. You've gotten a tan just by staying inside.

40. You drive straight to the top of a casino's parking garage...you know that 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th...and so on floors are all taken so there's no need to waste your time or gas.

Girls' Night Out

Yesterday Melissa, Asher and I went to the "What women want Expo" in Sandy. It was a room full of people giving out samples and doing drawings for free make up, massages, tupperware, recipes, ect. I won a book with recipes, a dieting tips book and $40 in free mary kay product as well as a free eyebrow waxing! Asher loved it since she got candy at almost every table! We even took pictures in a photo booth! 

This one is my favorite!

Last night was the General Relief Society Meeting as well and this year I was lucky enough to get tickets to be in the conference center! I went with my friend Liz and we were both excited since we don't know how often how often in our lives we will have that opportunity. The site was amazing--the conference center was full-21,000 women of all ages! The spirit in the meeting was amazing. After we continued girls night by meeting friends who were also at the conference for dinner at Z tezas. Luckily, not many of the other women had that idea-- all the other restaurants in the area were packed, but not this one! 

Also this weekend, my cousin Wendy was in town from Vegas. So today after church we ran up to Ogden to see the Grandparents. I am really excited to be so much closer to them since I have not known them much throughout my life. Grandma is in pretty poor shape. At one point she grabbed my hand and asked me how long I had known Sid (my grandpa) and told me he was quite a catch. Then she asked if I lived at the house we were at and that she had to get going because her family was going to start missing her. Yes, Grandma, we miss you, but it is sure good to spend time with you now even if you don't know who we are. I made a promise to myself that my kids will have a relationship with their grandparents before "papa" and "gandma" are too old to know them when they visit. 

Vegas Time!

This past weekend I went Home to Vegas with my older sister. We had so much fun on the way down blasting our music as if we were teenagers again... and we were reminiscing about high school so it was fitting! We pulled into our parents house about midnight to us and felt bad because they wanted to talk to  us, and we just wanted to go to bed... and our ears were ringing for some weird reason ha ha! Friday was a great day! we got to relax and hang out, I went to lunch with a friend from high school and then we went to the temple as a family to do sealings for family names. We have heard these names our whole lives and finally got to do the highest work possible for them, and be together as a family doing it. It was a great way to start a weekend. That night melissa, me, leslie and mom went to Time Out for Women. We have had tickets since February, but it was the same weekend as President Hinckley's funeral so it got post poned. Well worth the wait! That night we heard from Hilary Weeks (who I have loved for awhile and even more in person! she is so funny!) and also the Nashville Tribute band that I love! They do a tribute to Joseph Smith and also the pioneers. They did songs from both CD"s and told stories about how the songs came to be. The lead singer served his mission in Vegas too so he was way excited to be there. Saturday Leslie had to work so Lauren came with us and we heard from Virginia Hinckley Pearce on the power of prayer, and Pam Hanson on liking what you see in the mirror, Amanda Dickson on how to deal with a messy life, and two other speakers whose names have escaped me at the moment. It was a long day, but gave me lots of things to think about and work on. 

The weekend prior was Leslie's 20th birthday--yay!! no longer a teenager!!  For my birthday this year she took me to see Phantom Las Vegas, so now it was my turn to treat her to a show, and her pick was Jersey Boys. This is the story of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons and how they came to be famous. It was great music and interesting to see all they went through. Just be careful of the "authentic Jersey language" should you see the show!

It was a busy weekend, but come Sunday I was ready to head back to my new home. Always good to see the family, but even though I have lived there nearly my whole life (and only been in Utah a month!) Vegas didn't feel like home any more. Maybe another sign that I am where I need to be at this point in my life!