Recent changes, travel, and..... ALASKA!

Ok ladies and gents, here's the news that I can't wait to share so I'm putting it first. I'm going back to Alaska for the summer! Exciting right?? So let me start in the middle of my ramblings and tell you how it came to be that I'm headed back to paradise :) So in Feb I lost my job with Jared which was bittersweet. Bitter for obvious reasons like losing my job, a cool boss and not having any money. But sweet because I got kinda excited for the new possibilities. So I start applying for jobs in the area and Rach, being the smartypants that she is, says 'why don't you apply for Alaska?' At first I just think yeah that could be fun, but probably not the most rational job choice. So i keep applying for jobs in the Rigby/Rexburg area. I actually get hired at an Arthritis Specialty Center as the receptionist and finish up my first day when I get home and just get the overwhelming feeling that I NEED to apply for jobs in AK. So I hop online, start applying and hear back from a gent on Kodiak Island within minutes. He needed some reference letters so I call up my old boss Kelly and ask him to make me sound good! lol. About a week later I still haven't heard back from Kelly so I start to bug him like my charming personality demands. lol. The next morning he has called, text, and emailed to offer me a job with his new lodge!!! HELL YEAH!!! hehe. I may or may not have spent the rest of the day bursting out in spontaneous screaming I was so excited! It's been four years since I've been back and I can't wait for the adventure to begin! I leave June 3rd and I am counting down the days (38).

Ok on to other news. Let me think back to all the happenings since I last blogged.... Umm so I finished up fall semester... celebrated holidays.... quite honestly I can't really remember what I did last fall so we'll fast forward. lol. So like I said I lost my job end of Feb, moved back home with my parents which was a really good thing since my house was sucking all my money (but that's a different story) and got my new job. I went to Vegas for spring break and just relaxed. It was exactly what I needed. I laid out in the sun, spent time with friends, went to a fair and hit up a rodeo, did a little shopping and hung out with family. It was perfect. Since finding out about my job in AK it seems like time is creeping by/ flying past. Is that even possible?? I have so many plans to see friends and play before I leave that I don't know how I'm going to get it all in. So far I've played in Vegas, like stated previously, spent time with Lacy and her kids and the baby pigs!, seen friends from out of town and played with my sisters. Up on the docket I'm going camping this weekend, SLC next weekend to help my best friend Calaigh celebrate the sealing of her little fam and blessing her baby girl, the following weekend I'm headed back to SF to celebrate my 25th birthday (HOLY SMOKES when did I get so old?! lol), then another camping trip with my family at Lagoon, my cousin's graduation and anything else I can fit in in the next 5 1/2 weeks. lol. It's kinda crazy but I'm loving it and so freakin excited I can't really describe it without using a million exclamation points... which might become tedious to type. lol. So yeah... I think that's about everything. OH! I went rock climbing last night. First time ever and I dominated that wall! haha. Ok I really think that's it. Peace out!

P.s. Sometimes I lie in bed at night and think of super witty things that I could write on my blog, but by the time morning has come my wittiness has left me, along with the memory of what I wanted to say. So I just end up writing things that I think are kinda funny and hope that everyone who reads this thinks it's really funny. haha. Does that ever happend to anyone else?? lol

Hey Good Lookin'

Deke came back to me!!! My sweet handsome boy is back with his mama, right where he belongs :) It has been two and a half weeks, some of the longest most stressful weeks of my life, and I was feeling pretty dang hopeless. But yesterday morning, whilest eating my Raisin Nut Bran (yummy!) I heard a kitty meow outside my kitchen window. It sounded a little familiar, but I thought 'all cats kinda sound the same'. But when I heard it again, I thought what the heck. So I popped open the window, said hello, heard that familiar cry, looked out and my little man was sitting right under my window looking up at me! I went racing out the front door yelling his name and he came running. Best. Moment. Ever. He couldn't stop talking and rubbing all over me. I think he missed me just as much as I missed him since he didn't leave me for one moment when I was home yesterday. We vegged out on the couch all night. Me stretched out on the couch and him snuggled up under my arm. He wasn't skinny so he was finding food somewhere, which is something I am extremely grateful for. I have to confess to having an emotional moment when I finally held him. I called my mom (at 6:45 am) and I was crying my eyes out. She thought something awful had happened, but I reassured her that I was crying because I was so happy. I've never had that happen before. Where you are so happy that you burst into tears. Kinda a great feeling :) Lol. I never go into religion on my blog, but I have to say that prayers really do get answered. So thank you to all my friends and family who prayed for a cat that they've never even met, I know it's a big reason that he came home safely :)YAY!!!!!

Life as I know it

So. School has officially started. I'm on my third day back and it's going pretty good. I think this semester is going to be easier than I originally thought. I'm not sure if I'm happy about this or not. Right now all the classes just seem to be more of a review of previous things I've learned, so I'm hoping they get a little more in-depth within the next couple of weeks. I'm shocked to find myself admitting such a thing, but my Ecology class is actually quite interesting. I know! I feel like I'm betraying my beloved biology but you can't help what your heart decides to love. lol.

Rach had her beautiful baby boy on Sept 6th at 11:03 pm. It was a very long labor. She started labor on Sunday, the 4th, went to the hospital and they sent her home since she wasn't very far along. And then her labor decided to stop. Lame-sauce :P So me and Beaner took her and Taytum for a walk around the greenbelt to see if exercise would speed things along. It didn't. She made it all the way to Tuesday morning where she went in and got induced. It was a very long day full of waiting for the little turkey to get here. He was quite content to just stay inside mom all day and laze around. lol. We finally talked some sense into him and convinced him how awesome the outside world really is and he made his appearance! :) He's the total opposite of Taytum. She is a wild child in every definition of the word and this little dude just sleeps and lets you snuggle on him all day. He's pretty much the coolest kid ever. lol

I have moved into my house! I found an adorable 3 bed/2 bath house in a craftsman style setting that I am in love with. I love having a place that I look forward to coming home to every day. My two roommates are pretty awesome as well. Me and Kacy obviously have a lot of fun and we convince Jess to hang out with us when she's home. For the most part we all do our own thing which I really love, because me and my quiet time are must haves. lol. On a much more serious note, one that has had me crying everyday, is that Deke, my sweet handsome baby, has gotten lost. I put him in the backyard on our first night and a board was missing in the fence. I went out the next morning to find him gone and my heart totally broken. I've been going out every night for hours walking around and calling for him but no luck so far. All the animal shelters, vet clinics and police station have his photo and description. I'm hoping some family will find him and realize that he's someone's baby and turn him in. So please keep in your prayers! I'll keep you updated on his return. Because I will find him. Everything else just isn't an option.

That's a very depressing thought to end on so some more exciting news is my uncle Chaddy is finally tying the knot. The wedding is at the end of the month and I'm excited because weddings in our family our pretty much the party of the year type quality. lol. Okay maybe not that high up, but we do have a DJ, a dance floor and yummy food. And really, what more can you ask for?

A whole lotta nadda

Taytum knows my name! I know this doesn't sound like a blog worthy post, but trust me, it is! She has been able to say Brianna's name for months. I was starting to feel left out. Granted, she sees Bean almost every day and she's lucky if she sees me once every two weeks, but she finally has my name down! Ok, so she calls me Ber, just like she calls Bean, Bee. I walked in her house to babysit her for a few hours this morning and she said my name. It was awesome :)

On another random note, I think I've caught Rachael's pregnancy brain. Last week I pull out of a parking lot and I forgot which side of the road I was supposed to drive on! I kid you not. I had a full 30 seconds of panic before I saw a car coming and figured I should be on the side opposite of them. My mind totally betrayed me and went blank! It was nuts. lol.

Also. House hunting is frustrating. We've probably looked at over a dozen homes and can't find one that we love. Luckily there are new homes popping up everday. We just have to be patient.. something that I have never succeeded at! lol
The End.

Brainy... the new adjective to describe moi

Just kidding. lol. I wish this was true. It would make my next semester so much easier. Three lectures plus three labs. And each lab is 3 hours long. Can't figure out if that is a good thing or not. lol. Up on the block we've got Invertebrate Zoology, Ecology (ick) and Bio Part 2. I'm excited about the zoology class. I took an invertebrate/vertebrate zoology class last semester so this one is just more in-depth. It'll be wicked cool. Not sure why I just said wicked... it just came to me. lol. The Ecology one... hmmmm. I hate plants. I hate learning about the biospheres, the cycle of life, etc. But such is life that I have to suffer through such a class to save the whales. Yuck. But you know me, I'm no complainer! hahahaha. Today I am cracking myself up! Bio #2.... Not sure what to say about it. It's just more biology. Which I love. Duh :P Mostly I'm just looking forward to the classes I get to take AFTER I finish the Bio class. Like Genetics & Molecular Biology. That class is up next semester and I'm pretty excited for it. I know, I know. I'm a geek. It's one of the things that makes me charming. lol. Of course we've got a religion class thrown in. The school doesn't want me to forget my place in the world... but no worries. I'm sticking it to the man (school lol). I'll die before they get me into Prep for Eternal Marriage. I kid you not. This is a class that they offer/highly recommend. But it's this or Family Foundations. Choices, choices. Pretty sure I won't be able to decide until my final semester when I'm forced to choose. Maybe by then I'll have better options..? lol

P.s. I got out of a $100 Parking ticket today. That's right. I'm hot stuff :P
P.P.s. Is anyone watching the Bachelor? Poor Ashley. She's gonna feel like a prize idiot when she watches the show back and sees what a doucher Bentley was and how she just went on and on and on about how amazing he was, how he totally filled her heart with rainbows and unicorns... I almost feel sorry for her. But she's got hotties like JP to make up for it. Seriously. YUM. lol

I'm AliVe!!

Hehe. Yes it's true. I'm still here. I've just been busy people. Sheesh... cut me a little slack... and by a little I of course mean the past 6 months. lol. Holy smokes a lot has happened. Where to begin... the beginning? Sounds good to me! Clearly I'm in a weird mood. lol

So New Year's. SAN FRANCISCO!! I know. We all did the countdown and then I went and never reported back. Sorry to keep you hanging in such suspense for sooo long. But here it is... without pics cuz my aunt has my camera... I fell completely head-over-feet in L-O-V-E with this city. Like seriously. And it wasn't because of the bridge.. which was cool if you like bridges... I don't really understand the big deal, except it was red. lol. I love the people, the places we got to see, the different cultures. It was amazing. I've always loved cities just because you get the opportunity to be anonymous and do your thing without worrying what others think. It was heaven. Everyday we'd go explore a different part of the city. I did the touristy thing, like Pier 39, Fisherman's Wharf, and the bridge. But my favorite parts where walking the Embarcadero every day, trying new restaurants (I'm crazy about Indian food. YUM!), discovering some mural painted on an alley wall. It was so overwhelming. You really can't take it all in in one trip sooo... I went again :) In April. Katie was turning the big 30 so I flew out for her birthday and to spend some more time with the city I fell in love with. I was more comfortable doing my own thing this time. I knew the places that I loved, Yuerba Buena park being a favorite, and I would just walk and explore all day. It was perfect. I got to meet new people on my flights, in the park, at the beach. Richard and KD were always shocked that I made a new friend. They thought I was way too friendly with people. But KD is kinda paranoid that every person is out to get me... lol. It was nice that she worried I guess. lol

It was the best two vacations ever. I never wanted to leave. But I still have things to finish up here in the Burg before I can move on. So I guess for now SF will just be my new go-to vacay spot. lol.... And quite possibly there might be another trip coming up end of July... :)

On to less exciting things. Right after I got back from my first SF trip I headed down to Las Vegas a week later to help my great-grandma celebrate her 91st birthday! I always love these trips. The whole family goes down. We eat, play, sunbathe. It's always a good escape.

I've decided this is going to be my year of travel. I think I'm doing pretty good so far. 2 trips to SF, possibly 3, 4 days in Vegas, a weekend in Park City with my mom and sisters for our birthdays, a weekend in Jackson Hole WY just to get away, 3 different trips down to Logan to see family and just recently I spent Memorial Weekend in Tooele, UT at the superbike races. That was a lot of fun. Me, Kendell, Ashley and Kelsey headed down on Sunday and spent the night with an old friend Tyler. Woke up Monday morning and hit the tracks, drove home that night. I love road trips, even if they're short ones. I've been invited to hit up Ireland in August. We'll see if I can come up with the money for it, but somehow I'm thinking I won't be making that trip. Which really bums me out because I'd love to see that place. But I'll get there eventually. lol

We finally hit the water for the first time of the season! It was so much fun. Me, Ash and Kendell spent most of the day getting the boat ready. Who knew you had to wash, buff, polish, wash again and then wax it just to put it in the water.... doesn't make much sense to me. By the end of all that work my arms felt like wet noodles! All that wax on, wax off stuff really gets ya. lol. And to top off all this hard work we ended up taking someone else's boat! Hopefully tomorrow is a decent day and we can take this baby out! I love being on the water. Not so much behind the boat as in it, but I'm working on that fear. lol. What else.... I'm going to be an aunt again!! Rach is popping out a boy right around Taytum's 2nd birthday. I'm so excited for the little man to get here!

I can't really think of anything else. Life is going good. I seem to be constantly busy. I'm loving my life right now. And I'm way excited that summer is finally starting to show up. Who knows what adventures this summer will give me. lol. So far we have two camping trips planned, a white water rafting trip, a car show in Tooele and Logan, and endless bonfires and spurlunking in caves... It's gonna be a good summer :) And if you made it this far, thanks caring about my life. lol. xoxoxo

Christmas

Christmas this year was amazing. I can't remember the last time I enjoyed this holiday so much. This year has been one of the craziest, busiest, hardest, most rewarding years I've had in... probably ever. lol. I'm so excited for a new year and to see what challenges and adventures await!

But on to the holiday. We did lunch with my G. Patti in Poky on the way down to logan on christmas eve. Rach, Ben and Taterbug met us down there and we ate at Mama Inez. It was pretty good. I had this cream cheese chicken burrito.. YUM! After hanging out with grandma we headed down to utah to the rest of the fam. We dropped off my dad and bean, picked up my aunt crissy and headed into town. We had some last minute shopping that needed to get done. Every year my family provides christmas for a family that can't afford it. This year we got to help out a family that we actually knew and it was amazing. After we dropped off the presents and food we had to circle around to get back home and as we drove past the house we were able to see everyone gathered around the table looking through the boxes with the kids going through the presents. It was an emotional sight. I think we all got a little choked up. This is my favorite tradition that my family does. Every year I look forward to it. It will definitely be one that I carry on with my family. :)

But before we did that we had the christmas eve dinner. It was the usual turkey, ham (ick), green bean casserole (yummy).... basically all the food you eat at THanksgiving. I've already shared my opinion on THAT particular subject so moving on. lol. After dinner we did the secret santa and then went caroling at a family friend. I love my fam! We do the 12 days of christmas song every year. We even have poster signs to hold up when it comes to our day. lol. And the boys do 5 golden rings and it's hilarious! One year I'll have to record them so I can share it with everyone. lol. They really get into it. After that we opened up our pjs and played the christmas game. Everyone starts with a present, sits in a circle and GG reads us The Night Before Christmas. Every time she says the word 'the' we have to rotate the gift to our left. Then when the book is done the littlest go first. They either open the gift they have or exchange it for a different one. It's always funny to see who wants what. This year I got.... drum roll please.... a 5lb container of Dubble Bubble Gum. 380 pieces to be exact. lol. I've been fighting for this gift for three years and I finally got it! YAHOOO!! lol.

Christmas morning my dad woke us up around 8 because he couldn't stand lying in bed any longer. lol. He's more of a kid than we are. This year was awesome. My mom got the Nook! I'm super jealous because her's is the new NookColor one that is a full touch screen. And my dad got a laptop since he's going back to school in January :) I got lots of goodies and beaner definitely got hooked up as well. I think she's probably most excited about her Michael Jackson dance thingy for the Wii. lol. That day consisted of watching movies, taking naps and eating leftovers. It was very relaxing. We packed up and headed home the next morning. All in all it was a fabulous holiday and this was a ridiculously long post. Hope you enjoyed! lol.

P.s. Has anyone else being counting down the days? Because there are only three!! Excitement doesn't even come close to describing how I'm feeling :)