T is for Timpanogos T-Wolf

I attended my younger brother's high school graduation on Friday (congrats to Alex!). I found myself in the strangest series of flash backs--good memories, thankfully! It seems as though the Class of 2008 graduates were twins of the Class of 2003 graduates (my class). There were very very similar speeches (I probably only remember because I gave one), and they talked in the same manner that my friends talked. I guess it's really just a teenager thing, but I truly almost felt like I was at my graduation again...or watching it on video or something. When we were outside taking pictures, I was filled with the same excitement I had five years ago. I felt that unconstrained enthusiasm for the exciting life out of high school, and yet at the same time the bit of regret for lost-chances during high school years, as well as the feeling that I might not see any of these people again. I also felt a sense of gratitude (as cheesy as it might be) for Timpanogos High School and all it gave to me.

Three Years Today (Already??)

Today Sam and I have been happily married for three years.


We make a great couple, I must admit. He cooks, I clean; I go to work, he gets to work (planted a garden already...all by himself); we both love dark chocolate and Dr. Laura; we love to spend time with each other (despite that we have lived apart for 8 months...); we have fun together; we're aging together (look how young we look in these photos!!); we love each other.


To another great three years, and infinitely beyond...

Memorial Day Bike Ride & "Hike"

Yesterday Sam and I grabbed our bikes and a sack lunch, and headed up the road to Starvation Reservoir. The length of the road to the reservoir was unknown, but it ended up only being about a 25 minute bike ride from our home.

We enjoyed our PB&BBJ (peanut butter and black berry jam; me) and PB&H (honey; Sam) sandwiches on the shores of the reservoir. The wind picked up and we thought it would start storming, so we took off.

Then we heard this awesome bird, and saw it nesting up above. We still don't know what kind it was, but it sure didn't like Sam taking its picture. (I think I might take up bird watching...)

On the way home, we were distracted by a small hill in the distance. We decided to bike over to it and climb it. It turned out to be much softer than anticipated, which made the climb up and slide down interesting. We quite enjoyed ourselves.

Parents for 5 Nights & 5 Days

Sam and I tended my niece and nephews while my brother and sister-in-law went bear hunting in Montana. We had all sorts of fun parent experiences, including sleepless nights. We took them to the park, to the Tree House Museum in Ogden (we highly recommend it to anyone with children), to the Hogle Zoo (probably on the busiest day of the year!), to church (which was a pain to get them there, but once there they sat through it very nicely), and on a walk in an unexpected hail storm! We had a good time with Brian Jr., Brooklyn, & Mason.

Duchesne County a la Bus

Last week, Sam and I went on a tour of Duchesne County with the Duchesne County Chamber of Commerce. We learned a lot. For example, Duchesne County has the only Honeycomb Calcite quarry in the world, and it costs over $100/sq ft, and is shipped mostly to Italy, but there are more and more people making counter-tops out of it. We learned that Starvation Reservoir is only a short bike ride away, so we now have some Saturday afternoons planned for us. We discovered a beautiful, new, classy restaurant called Hollow Moon Cafe that is just yummy! Now I know where to take people when they come to visit.

And we learned that while there are only about 14,000 residents in Duchesne County, there are 50,000 property tax invoices sent out each year. That means that a lot of people from out of the county own property in Duchesne County. It's a pretty popular place!! And we also learned that there actually are BEAUTIFUL areas around...like Tabiona & Altamont. Gorgeous!

To NOT Be a Grad Student [anymore]

I was hooded on Friday. Awww...what a great feeling to walk across the little platform, shake hands with basically strangers, get a pretty diploma cover (we now have 3 identical diploma covers...), and feel like I'm actually done. WAHOO!! And looking back, the thesis was actually a really good experience. Not that I would recommend for everyone to go and do one (I'm not quite there yet...), but I did learn a lot--and not only about housing affordability in the quaint Cache County, but about myself and what it really takes to accomplish something.

To be a Grad Student...

I took my last final yesterday. I got up early to study and review the material, and I got a strange feeling; a feeling I don't believe I've ever felt before while studying for finals. I felt that I didn't need to study. This feeling kind of scared me, isn't studying always necessary? In the past I have spent a little more time cramming right before the test rather than studying throughout the semester. This was mostly because of the little time I had as an undergraduate music major, but I have never felt that I did not need to study before. After taking the test I realized the reason (which was quite obvious), I already knew all the material. I paid good attention in class over the course of the semester and I think the main reason is because I only have one class to worry about. That's right, I only had one core class. One final. I didn't have four or five classes of material to worry about as I did as an undergrad. It's a very gratifying feeling to feel confident before an exam. I am also grateful for the Holy Ghost, who has taught me to learn efficiently with purpose.