Blogstalking

Everybody does it.

Okay, maybe not everybody, but I do.

People I know, people I don't know, people who I know but who don't know me...

The good part about it is that from my endeavors blogstalking,

I get ideas of different posts to write.

I realized today, that I've never said much about me.

Maybe inadvertently (I had to google that word to make sure I was using it right...) through my posts,

but I've never written a post about me.

(At least, I don't think so...)

So here goes my peeps, here are a few facts about muah you may, or may not, know...

1. I'm superstitious. 

I'm not lying about that. No, I don't believe in fortune tellers or anything like that, but I was once told that if you drive over railroad tracks without lifting up your feet while touching metal, it was bad luck. I've done my very best to adhere to that advice ever since.

2. My favorite article of clothing is a pair of sweat pants.

Anyone who knew me in high school, or who has known me long enough, knows that I looooove love love love sweatpants. In high school I used to wear jeans to school, only when all of my sweatpants were dirty. If I thought I could wear sweatpants to college every day and still have friends and have a chance at catching me a husband, I would.

3. I have the cutest and best nieces and nephews in the entire world.

That's real. Just meet them, and you'll believe me. Honestly though, one of them told me that I'm his girlfriend and that he's going to love me even when he's a big kid and even when he's an adult. Who couldn't adore a group of people who make you feel that special? They all never cease to amaze me in SO many different ways. I'm incredible attached to and proud of each and every one of them.

(Oh, b.t.dubs, there are currently 16 of them with one on the way, and I wouldn't be too surprised if there were a few more announcements in the near future...)

4. I love movies, and television shows, but mostly I love Netflix.

Granted, they don't always have the highest quality films on there, but there are a plethora of television series in the Netflix universe. And Netflix actually has stepped up their game in the film department adding quality titles like Pocahontas, On the Line, and Hunger Games. I'm currently watching a T.V. show called "Lie to Me". If you haven't watched it, DO! It's fantastic.

5. I dread getting ready for bed.

It is the worst part of my day (except for the waking up and getting out of bed part). I am usually just so exhausted by the end of the day and greatly looking forward to laying under my fluffy white down comforter, closing my eyes, and letting dreams take me away. The getting ready for bed routine (especially the brushing teeth part) just takes up so much time and when it comes time for it, is the only thing standing between me and my slumber.


That's enough for today, can't reveal all my secrets at once!

<3 : Sar

What they don't tell you about college...

is that it's hard.


Okay, they tell you that all the time,

BUT...

 

they don't tell you why.

 

 

Maybe they do give you a reason or two but no one seems to understand it unless they're in it.

 

Even once they've gone through it, people don't remember the intensity of the frustration, the stress, the sleep depravity, the lack of motivation, the traumatization of paying tuition, the constant fatigue, the lack of motivation.

 

That last one's giving me a real run for my money right about now, big time.

 

In fact, I have an assignment due today, plus a draft of a final project I need to work on tonight that I should be working on right now...

 

We'll see how far I get, after this blog post of course.

 

What this post is meant to accomplish is to address a few of those things that make college hard and let you readers know about my experience, thoughts and opinions on the matters. In no ways am I an advice guru, but let's be real, I just don't want to do my homework.

 

 

First...

 

there's that trivial little matter of deciding what you want to study and which major to choose because that choice will determine which job you have for the rest of your life which will determine how happy you are which will determine how long you live...

 

You get the picture.

 

Well, I'm here to tell you something folks, all that blab in the paragraph up above? IT'S NONSENSE. Hear me out here...

 

When you're young, they tell you lots of things. That your major will determine your job, that you need to choose something that will look good on applications, that you need to know what you want to do when you start college and start studying whatever that something is as soon as you walk through the doors of your college or university on that first day.

 

I guess in some cases, those things are true, but all I can tell you is my experience and what my opinions are.

 

I've talked to people in the professional field before about what they look for in someone they hire and you wanna know what most of them have said about what degree they look for?

 

ANY.

 

Yup, you read that right. Any. Of course if you're going to be a doctor you've got to have a med. degree and lawyers obviously can't practice law without going to law school, but for the rest of us who don't really know what we want to do with the rest of our lives, I say...

 

DO WHAT YOU WANT TO DO!!!

 

...and more specifically...

 

STUDY WHAT YOU WANT TO STUDY!!!

 

You don't have to do what anyone tells you to. If you're interested in art, then by all means, STUDY ART! If you think you'd be good at learning languages THEN TAKE CLASSES IN THAT! Find a major that has classes you WANT to take, because I promise you, college is hard enough when you're taking classes you're interested in, now add a [fill in the blank with a type of class you dread] class on top of that? SHEESH!

 

I guess what I'm saying is, you don't have to study what someone else tells you to or thinks you should. You can figure out how to use your major to help you get a job. Rather than spending countless hours finishing your chemistry homework or writing those blasted research papers, spend the time looking for internships/jobs/volunteer opportunities etc. in areas you're interested in to help you GET EXPERIECE and figure out what it is you want to do.

 

 

Second...

It's O.K. to fail.

 

What's that? I'm crazy?

 

Well let me say it again, and slower this time...

 

It is A.O.K. to fail.

Fail:

1. be unsuccessful in achieving one's goal.
2. neglect to do something.
3. a grade that is not high enough to pass an examination or test.

Type 'define fail' in your handy-dandy google search engine and that's what you'll find.

 

Anywhere in those definitions does it say "when you loose all worth" ? NO!

 

Just because you don't do well on a test, or an assignment, OR EVEN IF YOU FAIL A CLASS, that doesn't mean that you're worthless or that you've let yourself and everyone around you down, or that you should just quit trying.

 

Life exists so that we can make mistakes and so we can experience FAILURE along with SUCCESS.

 

Don't beat yourself if you don't do as well as you wanted or expected. Heck, don't even feel bad if you didn't try your best! You can't do "your best" at everything, that's physically, mentally, spiritually, and in every other way impossible. You've got to divide your time and effort between so many things in life and NOT JUST SCHOOL THINGS. You've got to make time for the other important things too, like exercise, family, friends, sleep, vegging... yes, even vegging.

 

I am a firm believer in the idea that vegging is important.

 

Vegging:

1. the act of sitting around and doing literally nothing, or maybe watching some Netflix.

You can't look that definition up anywhere, I made it up.

 

But seriously guys, TAKE TIME TO DO NOTHING.

 

Now when I say that do I mean that you should watch the whole first season of Vampire Diaries and write a huge long blog post instead of making that brochure that was due hours ago and starting on that encyclopedia proposal that's due on Thursday? Heavens no.

 

All I'm saying is that you've got to have balance.

 

And sometimes, homework doesn't necessarily need to be your first priority.

 

Figure out how to balance and prioritize your "to do" list, I promise it will make you happy.

 

 

Third...

 

One word,

 

CHOOSE.

 

 

CHOOSE your major.

 

CHOOSE your job.

 

CHOOSE your school.

 

CHOOSE your friends.

 

CHOOSE who you date.

 

CHOOSE what you spend your time doing.

 

CHOOSE what happens to you.

 

CHOOSE YOUR LIFE.

 

 

Don't just let life happen to you.

 

 

THIS JUST IN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

You can make your life whatever you want it to be.

 

 

It's just a matter of CHOOSING.



 

 

 

 

Well...

that was fun.

 

I don't know if this blog post is what you expected it to be... or if it's what I expected it to be...

 

Heck, I don't even know what I expected it to be.

 

I just kinda blab my thoughts out on the keyboard.

 

And sorry, but I hate editing... yuck!

 

So there are probs a billion or so typos.

 

 

Until next time!







Sometimes I come through.

Here you are my peeps.

My girl Marti emailed me all the pics yesterday of our trip, so here are a few of the many, for your enjoyment...

*Disclaimer: There are lots of pics, but I loved them all too much to leave any of them out.
**2nd Disclaimer: A big thank you and shout out to Marti for taking all these pics on her phone, for sharing with them me, and for the artsy genius behind many, if not all, of these gems.

Marti and I. No, we didn't plan to do the exact same pose. It honestly just happened. #meanttobe



Then McKay hopped on! This is at the big rocking chair at the Chevron in Beaver, UT.
If you haven't visited there before, check it out!
A pic on this chair is something every human should have in their lifetime.



How many people can you fit on an oversized rocking chair?



We couldn't pass up a photo op with this studly Dino



We like chairs



We like friends



We like lots of friends on chairs



Is Kevin not a stud?



Of course we had to send a snap from the top.

Da Crew.
L to R: Chris Brown, Jenny, Mckay, Brent, Michael, Myself, Marti, Garrett, Kevin

"Angels" on "Angels" Landing.
Get it?

Everyone needs a hiking buddy.

Mah Gurl Marti

Look, Mom...

I made it!



Kevin and I in our Angel's gear enjoying our sandwiches. You can't tell, but Kev is also wearing an Angel's shirt.
He didn't plan it... (just kidding, he did)

Random girl we found on the trail... Not really sure what else to say about this...

Feeling Triumphant

Charlie's Angels... & McKay.

 

Alright, now this next sequence of pics, I couldn't resist adding them. This was at the end of our Angel's Landing hike, we decided to pay a visit to the river. Garrett asked Marti if she would go under the water if he did. She agreed but Garrett was a little too impatient for her to do it on her own, so, this is what happened...

 

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The Wet Ones

 

These puppies are gems.

 

 

Garrett had an accident...
This is a serious contender for "the best pic of the trip" award.

See that tiny person up high there? That's Garrett.

This guy is stellar. McKay earned his place as Marti & I's fav boy on the trip.
Mostly because he complained the least about our singing.
And because he cleaned up my sleeping bag for me.

Look how strong Marti & I are. We can even hold up huge rocks. If you ever need to be rescued, now you know who to call...

 

 

We saw this truck the first day of our trip and made sure we went back to get a pic with it.

The "Marti-Bomb"
A double patty cheese burger topped with bacon, chili, hot dog, and a fried egg.

Garrett eating the "Marti-Bomb". Notice him licking his lips with satisfaction.

Okay, I actually REALLY like this pic.

Garrett and Kev-Bot in a hole inside the cave.

 

 

The Way Home...

 

Brent

McKay

Myself

Aww... Cute sleepy kids.
This photo was not posed at all......

"Our Mental Synchronization, Can Have But One Explaination..."

Well, last week was Spring Break here at my school so what did I do? Deserted this place like 90% of the humans who frequently occupy this campus. Some people I know went on an exotic cruise, some to Australia, Hawaii or Mexico. I decided to take the more exotic route...

Camping.

I have never been a huge fan of camping. Have I ever hated it? No. But there are usually so many more things I'd rather do than sleep on the ground, eat ash, and smell like who knows what.

But this time... I LOVED IT!

I honestly had SO much fun.

When my friend invited me to go with their group, I was a little hesitant to say yes. I knew most the people going, but we weren't, like, besties, and camping is the kind of thing where you kinda want to be preety comfortable with the people you're with. I agreed to go and even then I worried a little. I knew the boys going pretty well but I didn't know any of the girls going very well, and if anyone knows anything about girls, it's that they always need their gal-pal in situations like this, in case of an emergency...

The day came, my heart fluttered a little, and there I went!

The group ended up being 6 boys and 3 girls. 3 of the boys I knew pretty well, 1 I'd met, but never really gotten to know, 1 I went to highschool with but hadn't seen since senior year, and one was that boy's friend who I met for the first time on our trip. 1 girl was the boy from high school's girlfriend and the other, I'd met before but the closest to a conversation we had before that was both saying we liked certain shows on netflix and me complimenting her overalls.

We camped in the Watchman Campground just inside the entrace to Zion's National Park. We got there late sunday night and left Wedneday late morning/afternoon.


Monday's highlight was dreaded but infamous hike, Angel's Landing. This was another reason why I was hesitant to come on the trip at first.

On the switchbacks aka "Walter's Wiggles" on the way down.
See that red hat in the far far back? That's me.

I'd hiked Angel's Landing once before in my lifetime. It was on my senior trip. All you need to know about the experience is that I may or may not have cried at one point and there was a stretch where one of my friends physically and literally pushed me from behind to help me keep going. (Apparently I also slipped on the scary rock part and could have fallen, but I don't really remember that part.)

3 cutie patooties. Love these boys!

This time, I was golden. Remember the girl I mentioned above that I knew before but hadn't really talked to much? Yeah, we became besties. And we both felt the need to stop at the same times so we stayed together while we let the rest of our group go ahead a bit. I don't know if I would have been able to make it without her.

View from the top!

The hike was also a lot less strenuous than I remembered, who knew?

All in all, except for the foot blisters, Monday was a success.

Tuesday, the highlight was going to Sand Hollow Reservoir. I also went there on my senior trip and it was fantastic. We cliff dived and sun bathed and played the whole day long. This time though, was different.

With clouds in the sky, we pulled up to the kiosk where you pay to get in. On the side of the little booth was a sign that read "No jumping or diving from rocks due to shallow water". That was disappointing, but I could cope with that. It's when we got out of the car that I wanted to curse my first great experience there that led me to believe we'd have a great time at that reservoir.

Marti (my new bestie) and I shivering and trying to work up the courage to jump in the water.

 

The wind was whooshing, the sky was dim, and the water, felt like it was made up of thousands of the smallest, coldest icicles. Despite the conditions, we still had a ton of fun. Although only a few of us got into the water (and for a fraction of a second at that), we had a blast roaming around and exploring the surrounding area.

Wednesday, the main/best part of the day was when we went to "Cave Valley". When we got to the supposed "Cave Valley" there were no signs, no parking lot, no trail, nothing... We pulled off the side of the road to park and began to wander toward some mountains in the distance.

I was a little skeptical at first, especially because it was pretty chilly and we were headed deeper toward shade, but it ended up being a splendid afternoon. We did find one little cave where they have a guest book outside, and inside on the walls were pretty cool pictographs. Whether the pictographs were real or not, I don't really know, but either way, it was cool to see.

Marti and I at the caves.
Notice how we're doing pretty much the same pose and how we both even have a head tilt goin' on.
Aren't we adorable?

A highlight of the whole trip was Marti and I singing. We sang, and sang, and sang. Seriously. Whenever something someone said reminded us of a song, we'd sing it. We'd often break out into the same song at the same time at the same part of the song. Our favorite song to sing was "Love is an open door" from the movie Frozen. Our friends are champs for listening to that for 4 days...

The best part of the whole trip was getting to know the people I was with. They are some quality human beings and I truly am grateful to have them as friends. Call me crazy but I truly have missed them each day since and when I do see them, I feel genuine excitement and joy, even though it's been a few days, at most, between seeing them.


*Disclaimer: I stole these photos from the pals I was with, (I didn't take a camera). Marti has the best ones, but I haven't gotten them from her. When/if I do, I'll post more of them up on here.
**2nd Disclaimer: It's very likely that there are spelling errors in this post because the little red squigly lines aren't showing up on this browser for one reason or another... Whoops...