Number 35

Go to girls camp.

     I love girls camp. I really do. This year the theme was "Race to the temple." It was incredible! To kick off camp, we walked to the Jordan River temple. Yes, we walked 17 miles starting at 5am all the way there. As we walked, we related our journey on the trail to our journey through life. We called them "temple tips."(Thank you Mom for the cute name.) It was amazing how many there really were. For example, sometimes we have to "choose the right, but hang a left" because life doesn't always go as planned. We have to listen to the spirit. After being in that environment for so long and really pondering my life and progress towards the temple, we started getting really close. When we were about two miles away, people started breaking down. People sat down on the ground and said they couldn't go any further. While picking people up, I was reminded that the closer you get, the harder it seems. I was thinking about just that when we entered the temple grounds, and all of our families surprised us by being there, cheering us on. I looked at my mom who walked it with me, and just started to cry. It's going to be amazing when I finally make it there.

   

     Of course we had the actually camping part as well. For those of you (who shall remain nameless of course) who make fun of me for being so clean, I will have you know that I did not shower the entire time I was up there, so bite me.

    

     My mom did such a good job. We had so much fun! I won a pink flamingo. Named Stevie. In a minute to win it game. I was determined. He was proudly stationed outside my tent for the remainder of camp, and has now taken up residency in my closet. He's cool. We also ate a lot of delicious food. I was definitely a fan. Oh, an we made some cool crafts. I was definitely a fan of that too. And we sang a lot of obnoxious songs. They were great. And we glow stick danced. Best thing ever! And we hiked. That was fun. And we played games. Who doesn't love games? And I learned to shuffle. Best new talent ever! And we had testimony meeting. I love testimony meeting.

  And camp was basically the greatest.

Number 17

Get my license.

     I finally have a license. As of today. It's only five months and 3 days late...no biggie. This, my friends, is a very, very good day.

Number 52

Make a wish on a shooting star.

    I love stargazing. I absolutely love it. Maybe it's something about having proof right before my eyes that there is so much more out there than just me. Maybe it's somthing about how beautiful they are. Maybe it's something about the way they make me feel. Maybe it's something about how looking up at them clears my head and lets me think. Maybe it's something about how they make me believe in fairy tales. Maybe it's a combination of everything and more. The point is, I love the stars, and I love shooting stars even more. Not only are they everything I already mentioned, but they're magic too, and I do love magic.  

Number 46

Feed the ducks.

      Sometimes my friends and I go on super adventurous bike rides from Lehi clear to a lovely little duck pond by Lone Peak. Sometimes we let Jackie lead the way, (which is always a dumb idea, FYI) and she takes us up this super steep trail in the middle of nowhere, only to emerge to an even steeper giant sand/dirt hill. Then of course she decides we need to go down it, which was more than a little perilous, mind you.  Finally we get to the cute little pond and feed the ducks. (Check!) The rest of the trip consisted of waterfalls and water fights, kicking Vicky off the island because he can't do a cartwheel, awkward polygamy pictures, hiding in bushes, rescuing caterpillars, playing "last man standing" (which I totally won, by the way) on a fence, and Jackie not getting us lost on the way home. My friends are pretty much the greatest.

Number 30

Get caught in the rain.

Some friends and I went to the temple yesterday afternoon. Aw, aren't we cute? ;)

And on the way home...this happened. Emily happens to have a super fun convertible Jeep which we love to ride in...most of the time. It rained. We were in our church clothes. If we hadn't been in skirts I'm sure we would have thrown our hands in the air and screamed with the radio up, but as it was, we were definitely caught in the rain.  

Number 16

Send Braiden something crazy in a package.

This is why I'm his favorite. These lovlies are currently in a box. On the way to Mexico. You gotta love angry birds, right? It's going to make his entire month. You watch.

Prom 2012

       Prom was last weekend, and I was lucky enough to go with the one and only Derek Wilcox. It was so great! We had our "day date" on Friday night since we both had a meet Saturday morning. (Oh, by the way. If you're wondering how that went, don't ask. Suffice it to say it did not go as planned). We went bowling (Don't ask how that went either ;), then to Tyson's house to play games. Although I lost by a landslide, I did wear very attractive bowling shoes. If I could steal a pair and still go to the temple, I totally would.

I thought the striped socks were a nice touch, too.

 

 

      Then on Saturday we went to the dance. It was at the capitol building and it was gorgeous! I am pleased to announce I did not even fall down the stairs, which for someone such as I, is a completely valid concern. Here are some of my favorite pictures from the evening.

Thanks for the amazing night Derek. You're basically the best.

P.S. This totally counts for number 49 on the bucket list!

    

Kenzie's Sweet 16

     It was Kenzie's birthday on Saturday, so we took all of our craziness to party it up in Salt Lake. We had so much fun! Thanks Kenz, and happy birthday! You're basically one of my favorite people in the history of ever!

I love these girls so much!

Signature faces in front of the temple!

Genie pants! I know they're hideous, but they may be the most comfortable pants I've ever worn in my entire life!

The Garden Restaurant was very tasty if I do say so myself; and look how pretty the food is!

Yep, that is a fried pickle. Feel free to be jealous. Best. Day. Ever!
P.S. This counts for number 9 on the bucket list.

Number 29

Play glow-in-the-dark mini-golf.

     What's better than playing golf? Mini-golf. What's better than mini-golf? Glow-in-the-dark mini-golf. What's better than glow-in-the-dark mini-golf? Playing glow-in-the-dark mini-golf with one of my best friends, that's what! I've been meaning to post this for forever! Better late than never, right? Too bad we're not good at mini-golf. Just ask the people behind us who were constantly on guard from golf balls flying across the room. Ya...On the bright side, we had a complete and total blast! Best first date ever! Thanks Derek. :)

Number 3

Win a race, even if it's only in my own heat.

     Well friends, it looks like this track season is off to a great start already! We had our first official meet today, which just so happened to be against our biggest rivals...Westlake (if you read that in a super intense voice like I intended, you are the greatest). We smoked them! Feel the burn Westlake, feel the burn.
     On top of that, I had a really great meet personally. My time on the 100M was 14.13. It was 14.63 in time trials, so this was actually quite a surprising improvement for me. It's still not quite where I want it, but improvements improvement, right? I took either 1st or 2nd in my heat...it's still a little bit up in the air until I see the actual times. The point is, it was a close race!
     I also ran the 200M, which is the race that surprisingly brought me to complete this goal. I've found the shorter the race, the more competition I am, but maybe that isn't so true after all. I came in very first in my heat! Whoohoo! You have no idea what I great feeling it is to take off running, and not see anyone in front of you the entire race. It's just you, all by yourself, pushing yourself to your very max until your legs are so tight you think you're going to collapse. Best. feeling. ever.This was especially great because I did not want to run this race. At all. In fact, I threw a huge internal fit before the race started because I was pretty sure I was going to lose the entire thing, so I didn't want to run and embarrass myself. It was seriously the best feeling ever. I love it when hard work pays off. Oh, and I love winning, too. Nobigdeal. (If you can't tell, I'm a little bit of a competitive soul.)
     Basically, I'm just super excited for the season! We have so many great athletes on our team. We are going to dominate.

Number 45

Go to the temple with friends.

You know those weeks (or months) where you feel a lot like a chicken running around with its head chopped off? For the past little while I feel like I've been running around like crazy just going, going, going all day long without stopping for air or getting very much done, for that matter. Then something amazing happened. One of my very favorite people sent me a text asking if I wanted to go to the temple later that afternoon. Did I ever! It sounded like heaven on earth. It did not disappoint my friends, it did not disappoint. It was the breath of fresh air I needed so much. It forced me to stop and think of nothing but my blessings, the scriptures, and my relationship with the savior. I needed that. I needed to be forced to slow down so that my thoughts could be redirected by the spirit. Min, Jacob, Derek, and I were able to sit in the temple for about an hour and a half and talk about the scriptures, life, the gospel, you name it. I cannot even tell you how good I felt by the time we left. I felt brand new. I felt like an old, wrinkly shirt that had been dry cleaned and pressed to perfection. I think that's the best feeling in the whole world. I love the temple so much. It's by far my favorite place in the entire world. It's the greatest.

Number 14

Play my violin in front of an audience.

Ok friends, I don't know why, but playing my violin in front of people calls upon some of the worst stage fright I ever get. I would rather give a talk in stake conference, or sing and dance in a silly costume in front of the whole school than play my violin in front of people. I don't know why. Shouldn't my violin be comforting? Like having a friend up there with me? You would think so...but it's not. It has quite the opposite effect actually. For some reason, this particular recital was especially bad. I haven't gotten this serious of stage fright since the eighth grade. Eighth grade! Funny enough, that was playing my violin on Trek in front of all the youth in my stake, but that's a different story. Maybe it's because the song I was playing was an absolute beast! Just look at it!

Or maybe it's because I'm a chicken. Who knows. Whatever the cause, it went well, now it's over, and I get to cross the first thing off of my bucket list!

2012 Bucket List

1. Watch an outdoor movie.
2. Fly a kite.
3. Win a race, even if it's only in my own heat.
4. Go snowshoeing.
5. Drive using a quarter to tell me which direction to turn.
6. Go to General Conference at the conference center.
7. Go sledding.
8. Run XC.
9. Shop at either the Gateway or City Creek.
10. Sew something.
11. See a play I wouldn't have seen if I hadn't made this goal.
12. Go to some sort of a museum.
13. Kidnap someone and take them to breakfast.
14. Play my violin in front of an audience.
15. Drink hot chocolate with people I love.
16. Send Braiden something crazy in a package.
17. Get my license.
18. Go on a picnic at mystic park (Idea passed down by Ann Marie.)
19. Go hiking.
20. Picnic in the back of my truck.
21. Have a themed movie marathon.
22. Make some kind of "work of art."
23. Make someone cookies.
24. Visit the gardens at Thanksgiving Point.
25. Go to the zoo.
26. Tape quarters to a vending machine.
27. Own a pillow pet.
28. Send someone besides a missionary an actual letter.  
29. Play glow in the dark mini golf.
30. Get caught in the rain.
31. See the lights at temple square.
32. Have a GNO complete with chocolate and a chick flick.
33. Succesfully move an oreo from my forehead to my mouth without using my hands.
34. Go to EFY.
35. Go to girls camp.
36. Read a whole book in one day. (200 pages or more)
37. Add a new picture book to my list of favorites.
38. Go on a Slurpee run.
39. Dress Izzie up for Halloween.
40. Actually do something I see on pinterest.
41. Have someone sing to me.
42. Hang pictures I took myself in my room.
43. Go over the wake on my ski 10 times in one pass.
44. Take Abbie on a sister date.
45. Go to the temple with friends.
46. Feed the ducks.
48. Learn how to play a new card game.
49. Get my hair done for something special.
50. Watch a sunset with someone I love.
51. Cross a finish line backwards.
52. Make a wish on a shooting star.