Work Trip?

The first weekend of June I ended up going down to Moab for work. At my work we have a summer program for undergrad student's. They come to Utah for the summer and work in the labs to get experience . they also take a class about GRE's and have to do poster presentations at the end of the summer. Since a lot of the students have never been to Utah before we take them to a few places to show them around and to help them get to know the other students in the program. One of the trips that we do is down to Moab. This year my boss asked me to come along and help with driving as well and keeping things organized while we were down there. I have to say that is was a pretty good trip all things considered.

We left on Friday morning and drove down to Moab. Once we got there we checked into the camp ground and got things all set up. I had to help some of the students set up there tent and that was entertaining. I was lucky enough to stay in a cabin so at least i did not have to set up my own. Once we had gotten all of the stuff set up went got back in the vans and headed over to Arches National Park. When we got there we went straight to Delicate Arch (which is really supposed to named Landscape Arch, but some photographer screwed it up and they never changed it.) and hiked our way up. It was really windy and by the time we were only half way through it also started to rain. We did make it to the top though. Once we got up there it was so windy that i thought we were going to get blown off. You had to sit down because you could not keep your balance standing. I also think that i ate about a bucket full of sand along the way and sitting up there. All of our students loved it though and were trying to take as many pictures as they could without losing anything.

Once we got back down we went straight to dinner at a place called Zax's. It was really good and they have the biggest desserts, six of us split one of them. After dinner we just went back to the campground and played games at the playground. It was highly entertaining.

Saturday morning we got up and got ready to go river rafting. I had never been before and was excited to go. The river rafting guides came and picked us up in a bus and drove up the road to where we would start. Once we got there they handed out the vests and gave us all the details about how we could die while rafting. It was quite inspiring. needless to say, we were told to listen to our guides and be careful, but to still have fun. We split up into groups based on who wanted to be in what boat. I choose to be in the paddle boat.

We then spent the morning and afternoon river rafting down the Colorado. It was very fun and i would love to do it again. Of course, i think it was even funner because my boat started all of the water fights. not that we won any of them, but we sure had fun starting them.


If you have not been river rafting i would suggest that you put it on your list of things to do one day. After rafting we went back to the campground and cleaned up. Then we just went down to main street and walked through town and looked at all of the shops. It was fun to go and see how they still all have the same little t-shirts and trinkets that you can buy that they had years ago. It made me laugh. After that we went to dinner at the Moab Brewery. The food was really good and the desert was even better. Then once again we just went back to the campground and messed around until we decided that we should go to bed.

On Sunday we got up and packed up camp. Once we were all ready to go we split up into vans by who wanted to do what. One van was going straight home, one was going hiking, and the others were going to go see some sights and then head home. I ended up in one of the sight seeing vans. It was actually really fun and we went to some places that i had not been to before. First we went to go see some dinosaur tracks. Now, these just made me laugh. first of all... who gets to decide that the indent in the rock is a dinosaur track? Second, It took us a while to find them and they were even marked, so how did someone else find them in the first place? And third, there were only four of them and they weren't that impressive. It was fun though and we made it entertaining.


After the tracks we went to see some petroglyphs up Sego Canyon. These were actually really cool and fun to see. We did decide that some of them look like alien drawings though.


After the petroglyphs we went further up the canyon in search of the ghost town. We didn't really find it, because we took a wrong turn, but we found some really cool old mine shafts and houses. they were kind of creepy though and i wouldn't go inside.





After the adventure of the mine shaft we just headed home. It was a fun trip and i am glad that i got to go to Moab again. It is a very neat place and fun to explore.

Girls Getaway

A couple of weekends ago, May 29, i went up to Park City with a bunch of girl friends for a weekend away. Even though it wasn't far, it was still far enough away to getaway. I went up with Kendra, Maggie, Lexy, Jenny, and Katy. It turned out to be quit the adventure.

It all started on Friday morning when Kendra was supposed to pick me up for work. We had decided to carpool to work so that we could just go tup to Park City after we got off. She ended up running a little bit late which had me worried about wether i should just drive in. But she did make it and then since she works downtown she just dropped me off at the trax's station so i could take the train up to the U. We made it tot he station just in time to catch the train. I got out of the car and ran right on the train. I then proceed up to work were i spent the whole day waiting for it to end. I really did nothing that day. I think the only work thing i did was get the mail. The rest of the day was spent spinning in my chair, visiting with my sister, or laying in the grass in the sun. When i got off at three i rode the train back downtown and then walked over to Kendra's office. From there we went and picked up Lexy so that we could all head up together. From here Kendra took the round about way to get to the freeway. We ended up near where we had started. It was highly entertaining and i think it took us an extra 15-20 minutes...but it was fun and funny. As we were headed up i realized that i never looked up how to get to the hotel that we were staying at. I had the conformation papers and the address but i did not know how to get there. We all figured that we could just figure it out and be fine. So when we get up there we take the Kimball Junction exit and then start looking around for Main Street. We keep going up and down roads trying to find this place. We finally start looking for signs that say Park City Resort because the Marriott hotel is supposed to be right across from it. We finally find one and it says that Park City is 9 miles up the road. It is then that we realize that we aren't even in Park City. None of us had ever actually been up there before. We had all just thought that where the outlets were was Park City. Needless to say we had to laugh at that. From there it was a whole lot easier to find the hotel. It helps when you are in the right city to start with.

After we found the place and checked in are other friends showed up as well. Good timing on our part. When we got in the room we all had to check it out and see what we could find. We found great big beds, a fireplace, a nice kitchen, and a giant bathtub that we could all fit in. so of course we all had to get it it at once.



After we got settled we took a walk down Main Street. It is very nice and pretty cool to say the least. On our walk we found our good friends Franz the Bear and Lilly the Moose.


We had to take pictures. My favorite part about the moose was that her toes nails were painted and she was wearing heels. What a moose. We then found the cutest book store.

All of us that were there really like to read and a few of us absolutly love children's books. Needless to say we spent a good hour there in that store reading the books and looking around the shop. After the store we went to dinner at .......

We got four different kinds of pizza and split it all up so that we each got to taste them all. It was really good. After dinner we kept walking down Main Street and looking at all of the shops and cute buildings along the way.




When we got back to the hotel we decided to to go the store to get some snacks for the night and some breakfast for the morning. All six of us squeezed into Kendra's car and went down to Albertson's. Lets just say that that was one entertaining car ride. After we had all decided what we wanted to eat we headed back to the hotel. We then played Mad Libs. During which we found out that we are a famous rock band and that we have a hit single called "Love Kaboom". I hear it sounds great.

If you have never played Mad Libs, or have not in awhile, i suggest that you do so. They are highly entertaining as usually very funny. Just make sure that you know you nouns, adverbs, and adjectives, otherwise it could get confusing. After that game we played Last Word. I would also recommend playing this one as well. It is also very funny and entertaining. Then we decided to watch The Wedding Planner, which is always cute. From there we proceed to go to bed.

On Saturday we got up and had breakfast and then proceeded to the outlet stores for a wonderful day of shopping. We spent the morning going in and out of our favorite shops. It was a blast and i got a few great things. And it is always fun to go shopping with friends.

Overall, we all really had a great time. It is trips like these that make me grateful for the friends that i have. i love them all and love spending time with them no matter where it is.

Memorial Day Weekend

For Memorial Day weekend i went to St. George with 3 of my cousins. I went with Brett, Allie, and Jacqui. We drove down that friday and had a blast the whole ride. It was Jacqui's birthday that day so we gave her gifts every hour of the trip to keep her awake.


Once there we checked into the hotel and then decided to go and get some dinner. We went to the Pizza factory and ate way to much yummy pizza. Then we got birthday ice cream after.


After that we went to the park and played then went back and watched a movie to end the night.

Saturday we went and got pedicures and then went to lunch at In-N-Out. When in St. George it is a must to eat there. We then spent the rest of the afternoon shopping! Which is always a blast when you get to shop the sidewalk sales and the outlets. After shopping we went and saw 17 Again because Jacqui had not seen it yet. It was just as much fun the second time as it was the first. Then we went to dinner at Taco Bell. We decided that Taco Bell always sounds good late at night. And of course we had to go to Iceberg afterwards. We then went back to the hotel and played Last Word, which was so funny i was laughing so hard i could hardly breath. (If you have not played this i highly recamend it).






On Sunday we went to Church and then we went to the Temple. It is always so much and so peaceful to go and walk around the Temple ground's. After that we went back to the hotel and hung out by the pool for a couple of hours. After the pool we slowly got ready and then went to the Entrada Resort. We had to go here to get our traditional 'New York hair cut' photos with Zac Efron. It is a must! Then we went to dinner at the Olive Garden and had to get dessert. The Cheesecake was amazingly good. When we got back to the hotel we went for a walk since it was still light. Once it got dark though we decided we should head back to the hotel. Then, since we were board, we had the grand idea to jump on the bed. It was actually really fun and entertained us for a good hour or so. Then we ended the night with a movie once again.










On Monday we got up and packed and then went to Spoon Me for yogurt before we left. The sign said "No spooning on Sunday's". it made us laugh. They do have very good yogurt though. Then we just headed home. We did have some entertainment though when we decided to follow this yellow jeep full of really cute boys. That entertained us for a good hour and a half as we tried to not loose them. I am sure that they thought we were stocking them...which we were, so they had a right o be afraid. it was fun though. All in all it was a great weekend and so fun much to just get away.

Race for the Cure

Last Saturday, on May 9, 2009, I participated in the Race for the Cure. This is a 5k race that they hold every year to help raise money for breast cancer. For those of you who do not know a 5k is a little over 3 miles long. They hold the race down by the Gateway Mail. I goes from the north end of the mail up 3rd west to the gas station and then back down 4th west to the mail.

I had not heard of this race until my cousin Brett told me that she was walking in it with her family and asked me to join. They were walking in it because her boss's wife had breast cancer and she was also in her ward. So there Young Woman's group was walking in it as well. It was sort of last minute, but i signed up right before the deadline anyway. And i am glad i did.

On race day i rode the train and trax down to the mail. I figured that this would be the best option considering how many people go and how many people would have to park downtown which is a mess anyway. It was really fun to tide the train and trax because all of the other people on them were also going to the race. Once down there i meet up with Brett and her family for the race. They got there right as it was starting so we just went up and started walking. It was amazing to see how many people were there. We could look in front of us and see people going on for ever and we could look behind us and see the same thing. It was amazing to think that all of these people were gathered together to support one cause. In a world that is full of hate and wars and so many people fighting against others it was nice to see people working together for a change.

Throughout the race we kept talking and laughing just like we always do. The original plan was just to do half of the 5k because we were not sure how far the Young Woman would want to go or how far Amy would want to go because she is pregnant. As we were going though we got seperated from the group. When we came to the point were you could cut through we were having so much fun that we decided to just keep going and do the whole thing. By the end of the race we were all really glad that we did the whole thing. By the time we got back to the Gateway it had taken us over an hour to walk it all.

When you get to the end you walk through the mail and they have booths set up were they hand out all of this stuff. We got our free banana, orange, and water. There were also booths from all of the supporter's. Our favorite one was the Great Harvest one that was giving out free slices of bread. One other thing that we all really enjoyed throughout the race was people's team name's. For the race you could sign up as a team and make your own name and t-shirts. Some of our favorite team names were The 3 B's support double "D's, Lab Rat's Forever, and Let's do the Race for Second Base.

All in all it was a great day and we all had a great time. It was a lot of fun to walk in it and to see that many people together for the same reason. We were all there to support the same cause and to help out another in the process. It felt great to be a part of something so big that was doing something for hope and for the good. We learned later that there was a total of 18,000 people that walked that day. 18,000 people that were joined together for one cause. 18,000 people who came out to help another. We all had such a good time that we have all already decided that we are going to join in again next year.

Living for Eden

A few weeks ago, on Monday April 6, I went to the benefit concert for Paul Cardaul. This concert was entitled "Living for Edan". Edan is Paul's daughter. As some of you may know, Paul was born with a heart condition. Throughout his life he has undergone may heart surgeries and treatments. He has had to take medication every day of his life to regulate these changes. Through it all though he has managed to work and write wonderful inspiring music for us all. He has also happened to get get married and have a wonderful daughter named Eden.

Paul is now in need of another heart transplant. To help raise money for this surgery his friends decided to throw him a benefit concert. All proceeds would be given to Paul and his family to help them in this time of need. This concert was held on April 6. All of the time and effort that was put into this by the musicians, stage crew, lighting, and publicity was all donated for free. For this night 1,500 people came together to support another.

The musicians at this concert where Kurt Bestor, Ryan Shupe and the Rubber Band, Colors, David Tolk, and Peter Brian Holt. Through these musicians and the stage crews talent this was an amazing concert. The stage crew was good and the music was great, but that is not what made this night so amazing. What did make it truly amazing is the love that was shown by everyone that participated.

With each musician came a sense of awe and wonder for Paul and his family. They each preformed songs that had made them think of Paul or songs that they had written for him and his family. With each performance came the support and admiration that they had for a man they all cared about. A man that they all wanted to help. A man that they all love. A man that performed at the end of the concert to show that he cared as well.

This concert was such an amazing concert because of everything that it combined and everything that it brought together. It not only combined great talent with amazing music, but it also brought together a wonderful group of friends and family. This concert brought together people, which in this world today is one of the greatest things that you can accomplish. Being able to unite that many people for one cause is one of the greatest things you can do. So many people came together to support another. To show another that they cared and that they were here. To help another in the only way that they knew how. It did not matter that most of us were strangers. It did not matter that you did not know the person you were sitting next to or the people in front of you. What mattered is that they were all there. They were all there to help one person and his family in their time of need. And that one thing is what united them all. It was having that one purpose in mind that made them all friends for the evening.

It is things like this that give me hope. That give me hope that one day the world may be united. united in one purpose. In one mind. In one heart. All it takes is a person who cares. A person who cares enough to find the common ground. A person who cares enough to unite.