Date with J

J knew exactly what he wanted to do for our "date". He has been wanting to go to a place called Jumpstreet for a long time. He had heard a lot about it and had even tried going with his friends before only to learn that they had the wrong permission forms.

So we did thorough research to find the right forms and made sure to get there right when it opened so we could take advantage of our time there! I was a little hesitant to go to Jumpstreet because I have never been a huge dare-devil, but much to my surprise, it was TONS of fun! It is a huge warehouse of trampolines that line the floors and the walls. You can literally bounce off the walls! And for you parents with kids who attempt this at home, this is a great place to take them! The second we got out on the tramps, J was trying all sorts of tricks... flips and twists, and all sorts of stuff. The second I got on, I was just trying to see how high I could jump without killing myself.

J didn't let me wimp out for long though. He and I both know that I can do backflips and front flips off of the diving boards so he told me I had to try them on the tramps. He laughed at me as I tried to get up the courage to do it and then wimp out... over and over and over again. It took me about 45 minutes to finally try a back flip after J's constant encouragement. Guess what?! I landed it and it was fun! We had so much fun and it was a great workout too! By the end of the two hours we were EXHAUSTED!! (As you can see in the picture!)

J is such a dare-devil and is always trying new things. If you want to see his amazingness, I posted a video on facebook from our outing! He makes friends without even trying and he always includes those around him. He has an ear for music and loves guitar and piano even though he tries to keep those talents on the down-low! Girls... you have 2 years still so stay back! ;) Love you J!

Date with D

I know you all want to see pictures of Flagstaff stuff but I don't have any yet because I still don't have internet in my apartment. In the mean time, I will catch up on my blog posts!

So before I came up to school, I decided to take all of my siblings on a "date" with me. Just one-on-one time with the hope that they will only remember the good times we had while I lived at home! ;) Anyway, I let each of them choose whatever they wanted to do. D spent the most time deciding what he wanted. He finally made up his mind and told me he wanted to go on a day trip to Disneyland. HAHA! Too bad I am a poor grad student who shouldn't even be spending any money on this in the first place! He was bummed that I didn't approve of that idea and settled on bowling instead.

We went to the bowling alley at 8pm to get a lane for $1.00 bowling that begins at 9pm. And yes, you have to wait that long to get a lane on cheap nights. So while we were waiting we used the two GameZone cards I had (Thanks Heidi!!!) and we went and played air hockey and skeetball and 30-second basketball and Deal or no Deal! It was a blast!! We were pretty evenly matched...except for in basketball - he KILLED my score! (It helps that he can practically drop the ball in the basket) We won 300 tickets and earned ourselves lots of sweet treats for bowling. Well, I was supposed to give him some tips on bowling but... I bowled a lame 105 and he bowled a whopping 152!! Really?! I guess I'll just have to take credit for his win after my bowling tips! ;) Someday D, we will have to take a day trip to Disneyland... once I start making money instead of spending all of it!

D has quite the school load this year and just recently got his drivers license! Yay! My mom was just as grateful seen as she lost me... but now D gets to run all the errands when mom needs to be in 2 places at once! I bet he is already loving it...NOT!

I am so thankful that he is my brother! He constantly sets the example of how to be patient and understanding of others' feelings. He is an amazing young man! He even opened my door for me all night long! Watch out girls, he's about as good as they come! :) Love ya D!!

Yep, I found it!

Girls with dreadlocks. Everyone wearing teva sandals. Boys wearing flowy canvas pants. Girls with mullets. Yep, I found it! I found Flagstaff! :)

More updates to come...

Dierks Bentley Concert

Once upon a time, a seasoned lifeguard got a call from her boss asking her to work last minute. She said, "No thanks." (Be proud that she said no! - It's taken a loooong time to do!) He then begged and she said, "Fine, I'll be there in an hour." (Yeah... she's still working on that "no" thing! Haha!)

Well, she showed up to work early just to be ready... teaching people how to boogie board and surf is a difficult job! Ok, so really she just went to play before work started because it's slightly addicting. When she got there, she found out that she was going to be teaching DIERKS BENTLEY's band how to ride!!!!

Pretty stinkin' cool huh?!? They rented out the Flow Rider. Yeah, I met them, taught them how to surf, got paid... and got VIP tickets to his concert as a tip! Um, have I mentioned that I love my job?!?! I love country music! I love his music! And I love that he is a down-to-earth, family guy who can put on an entire show without having to be foul or crude!

What an awesome way to wrap up my time in Mesa - country concert on a rainy, hot day at ASU stadium. Here is the proof of my wonderful night at the Dierks Bentley concert:

See what the envelope says?! - In case you can't, it says, "Dierks Bentley Guest" followed by my name! :)

Don't worry McKenzie, I wore ear plugs the entire time so I wouldn't have Noise Induced Hearing Loss. People laughed at me as I put them in, but when the concert ended and they couldn't hear, they admitted that I was smart!

"And They Were Still His Brethren In the Lord"

One of my all time FAVORITE things is going to the temple and running into someone I know! It happens to me almost every single time! This summer, I ended up sitting next to a girl I coached 7 years ago... I felt old once we made that connection! I also ran into my 8th grade P.E. coach one time... He felt old that time! I saw a co-worker from years ago there just the other day. I run into someone from my ward almost every time. I see my elementary school friend's parents. I see cousins of cousins. You name it!

Seeing them in the temple is seriously is one of my top highlights of each week!! Every time I see them, I get so excited! I can completely relate to how Alma the Younger felt when he saw all his friends and realized that they were still strong members! The scripture, Alma 17:2 says,

"Alma did rejoice exceedingly to see his brethren; and what added more to his joy, they were still his brethren in the Lord"

I love love love it! I seriously cannot wipe the smile off my face each time I run into someone I know at the temple! I love the temple. I love the gospel. It is what brings true happiness and I look forward to many similar encounters throughout the rest of my life! :)

How Do You Eat Your Oreo's?

Confession: Our family goes through about 2 packs of Oreo's each week. Disclaimer: We have the help of 2 extra teenage boys included into that family circle! I was noticing the brand new pack of oreo's being devoured the other day and realized... we all eat them with our own style:

Dad puts the entire cookie in his mouth and then gulps down a big glass of milk.

Mom dips them very gently and quickly and eats only small bites at a time.

D dips his all the way in his milk for a loooong time and then throws the whole entire thing in his mouth before it crumbles.

J spears his Oreo (the cream part) with a fork, in order to keep his fingers clean, and then proceeds to dunk his and eat whole (Paige taught him that...)

A usually takes hers apart and eats the cookie, then the cream, and then the other cookie.

Our "Brother-From-Another Mother" just devours them as fast as possible! -Seriously, Fast!

Cousin R puts 7 or 8 of them in a bowl and pours milk over them and eats them like cereal.

How do I eat Oreo's. Well, I'm still trying to figure out which method I like best! To be honest, after eating half a package as a young girl, I threw them all up and completely avoided the cookie for about 9 years after that. It wasn't until EFY last summer that I tried them again... and yes, fell right back in love!! :)

How do you eat your Oreo?