Officially Summer

The wonderful season known as summer has officially begun. Hallelujah.

After working two insanely long weeks I had a three day weekend! It was an incredible break and exactly what I needed to recharge.

I kicked the weekend off by filming a commercial thursday night. Jordan, Andrew, and I decided to participate in a shoot for a 5k that will be taking place in Denver. We figured that we would be a welcome addition. We have talents uniquely suited to commercial filming. My goofiness. Jordan's fun spirt. Andrew's photogenic nature. What commercial director could pass us up? Here is the super duper cool result:

Friday morning was wonderful. I slept in and did nothing. I can't remember the last time that happened! That afternoon I left for the coolest ward activity ever. We spent Friday and Saturday camping by Yuba Lake. Friday night was full of fried chicken, "bonfires," laughter, and embarrassing stories. I stayed up entirely too late talking, but it was oh so worth it. Saturday was spent on the lake!! There is just nothing like the feeling of being on a boat zooming through the water. It just means summer to me. It reminds me of all of the times spent at Bear Lake with my family. I got to try wake surfing, which I am assuming is really fun. I wouldn't know... I never got up. Although I am positive that is the water had been less choppy I would have! Most importantly I got to go tubing. Gah! Tubing is sure fun. Even if it beats your body up like nothing else.

Just chillin' on the shore

Can't you tell I'm having fun?

Hanging out.

Monday brought work... It was a very Monday kind of day. However, Monday night included a good game of sushi tag. Sushi tag is basically a race combined with wrestling. I am always amazed by how aggressive I become. This time I walked away with a black eye...

Another exciting adventure came on Tuesday night. A big group of us decided to climb to the roof of our apartment complex. A chair tower and few boosts later we all made it up. We hung out and laughed for a couple of hours. 

I live on the edge.

News Flash: In two months from today I will be walking the streets of Rome!!

Pensive

Disclaimer: Incredibly sappy post. You've been warned.

Home alone (well mostly) + time to think = a new blog post

I've been thinking a lot about how things change as time passes. One of my faults or gifts (depending on how you look at it) is that I get really emotionally invested in people. As a result I saying goodbye is really hard for me. And well it's that time again. Spring term is over and a lot of people are heading home or off on study abroad to see the world. Some of these people I've only known for two months and others I've known for almost a year. Some I know I will see again and others I probably never will.

I've said a lot of goodbyes in my life. Most of them are just little pangs at the realization that they're not going to be a part of my everyday life anymore. Others bring tears. And once, only once, a goodbye brought heart crushing pain. Another goodbye, the most nonchalant of my life, brought regret.

This time, however, the goodbyes seem less of an end and more like a beginning. Of course I will miss all of these people, but I know that there will be new people to meet. When I graduated high school I remember thinking that I would never find another group of friends to compare to the Nerd Herd. Those guys got me through high school. They were my everything for that time. But that's just it, they were everything for THAT time. I've grown up, I have new friends, and they mean just as much (if not more) to me. These friends are for this season of my life. There will be new friends for the next season. That doesn't mean that I will ever forget those friends. I'm not going to stop wishing them well. In fact I am quite certain that some of them will last into new seasons of my life. Perhaps others will  reemerge at later periods. I am just so grateful that I always seem to have the friends that I need for the moment. I am grateful to be blessed with friends who can support me and that I can support.

To everything there is a season.

Bad Decisions

Yesterday I made the worst decision of my life. I participated in a food fight. I thought it sounded fun, but I was oh so wrong. I should have realized that if I can't do the dishes without gagging I surely couldn't survive a food fight. Natalie and I set out armed with yogurt and pizza sauce. We returned covered in BBQ sauce, mustard, oatmeal, sardines, spam, sour cream, and a bunch of mystery items. We reeked so badly that our roommates had to air out the apartment. It was too much for my stomach to handle... Never again.

And this was after we hosed off... So sad.

California Dreamin'

An extra long weekend for Memorial Day? I think yes! In Southern California? How could I refuse?Basically this weekend was amazing. No one understood why we came back to Provo. I mean I guess we should make money, but really why couldn't we just lounge on the beach all day every day? So maybe (if I haven't bored you already) you want to know why this weekend was amazing... Well I'll tell you!

Day 1 (Thursday): Drive Numero Uno
Six of us Provo kids drove down to California. I rode in a car with Kevin and Andrew (aka Kevindrew). We had a lot of fun together. Andrew read The Hunger Games out loud, Kevin and I learned a lot about Andrew's taste in literature (supple leather...), and we had long talks about dating. Upon arriving in Yucaipa Natalie's mom greeted us with freshly baked cookies and sloppy joes. That is what I call rolling out the welcome mat!

They put up with me for nine hours! Unbelievable!

Day 2 (Friday): Disneyland :)

I LOVE DISNEYLAND!!! I can't say that enough. The first time I went with my family was the best week of my life. There is just something about that place. It is beautiful and magical. You just can't help, but be happy. Andrew commented saying, "Wow! Disneyland really does have an effect on Katie!" Yes, yes it does. Even though we only got to spend a day there I was completely, blissfully, wonderfully content with life. We started the day out in California Adventure. It was a ton of fun. For some reason the Hollywood Tower of Terror really freaked me out this time. Last time I thought it wasn't worth the hype, but this time I was quite shaken... After lunch we headed over to Disneyland and I became the happiest person on earth. It was really crowded because of Memorial Day, but it was still a blast. I got to ride Pirates which is my favorite ride ever. It is just so well done! Some day I will eat in the Blue Bayou! This time on Splash Mountain I got completely soaked. There was literally no part of me that wasn't wet. The only problem was that it was night and I never really dried. We road it at 6 and got home after midnight and I was still wet!! The best part of the whole was World of Color. Originally I didn't want to go. I thought (well actually screamed...), "Why are we here? To go on the rides!" However, Natalie convinced me and I am so glad she did. It was so incredible. It is a giant water/light/color show. They project videos onto the water. The whole thing was just so moving, romantic, and adorable. I am so glad I got to see it. Overall the best day in a long time!!!

Soaked!

The Awesome Group

Someday our princes(esses) will come.

So happy!

I thought the picture had already been taken...

I love this girl that made it all possible!

Las Chicas

Flynn had already gone to bed :( But I walked where he walked!

Ready for our intergalactic adventure!

Friends!

Pinterest wedding album?

Umbrella hats!

Day 3 (Saturday): Sand, Sun, and Sea

On Saturday Natatat had a wedding to attend and the rest of went to Huntington Beach. It was a perfect day. We played in the ocean, watched street performers, ate gelato, and laid out in the sun. It was a great way to recover from the exhausting awesomeness of Disneyland. I really enjoyed being at the ocean. Utah is just so land locked and it was nice to get away.

Stunning

8 eyes?

Gah! The beauty!

I LOVE GELATO!

Il grupo on the pier.

He had just come out of the bathroom and he still looks this good... It's ridiculous. 

Day 3 (Sunday): Rest

This was quite the relaxing day. We went to Natalie's home ward. It made me SO glad that all of my guy friends are 23ish. I had forgotten how ridiculous boys my age are. After church we had a barbeque and ice cream party. Then we went and met Natalie's adopted grandparents. They are hilarious! They joked around with us the whole time. We ended the night star gazing on top of a hill. Perferct!

Epic light photo from that night.

Day 4 (Monday): Homeward Bound

We left California :( What were we thinking?

The Screamin' Chicken. Our meeting place on route 66.

Sketchy or awesome?

Bucket List: Sand, Boys, a Little Smoke, and a Lot of Chlorine

The last week has been full of bucket listing (yeah, it's a verb now). Sadly no pictures were taken, but I shall commence my written report.

Sand: 
We have all successfully played volleyball. I played in the sand and I'm pretty sure that there was sand all over my body for quite a long time afterwards. I had a lot of fun. I haven't really played volleyball since my stint on our ill-fated young women's team. I had forgotten how enjoyable it was. However, I had also forgotten how much it hurts your forearms.

Boys: 
Well we did it! My entire apartment manned up and asked boys on a giant group date. It was probably one of the scariest things I have ever done. Something about stepping out of my societally assigned role was just terrifying. Although, I will say that I have gained so much respect for guys. I do not know how they are able to ask girls out over and over again. At first you're scared that the person will say no, and then you realize that even if they say yes they could just be doing it to be polite! I often complain about girls' inactive role in dating, but now I am so glad I am not a guy.

However, the date went really well. Originally it was just going to be the six of us gals and our dates, but by the time the date rolled around there were 18 people on the date! The plan was to play games, have a picnic, have a bonfire, and make peach cobbler. And I guess that was what happened... but lets just say there were a few mishaps along the way. First we realized that we forgot a can opener. Luckily, one of the guys went all cavemen and became a human can opener. Then we realized that there was no butter for our cobbler (never put guys in charge of getting supplies). The peach cobbler took forever and a day to cook. So while it cooked we went for a walk. On this walk we were told not to exceed a speed of 3 mph and were warned of the illegality of trespassing dogs. Just remember trespassing humans are ok! Finally the peach cobbler was all cooked. Then we realized that we did not have enough forks. So basically we all went a little savage and dug in with our fingers or faces, whichever was our preferred utensil. All in all it was a fun experience that I will definitely remember for a long while.

A Little (ok, a lot of) Smoke:
When we said we wanted to have a bonfire I don't think we realized that we would be having at least one a week. Luckily, I love bonfires, they are so summery and they just bring me so much comfort.

A Lot of Chlorine:
We put swimming on the bucket list and let me tell we have definitely been able to cross it off. Over the last week I have gone swimming or hot tubbing at least every other day.  It has been a ton of fun. I love the water and I love that his been warm enough to be to be in it. The only problem is that my hair really holds on to smells, for like a week... So between all of this swimming and bonfiring I now smell like a pool set on fire or a fire put out with chlorinated water, take your pick.

I love summer and can't wait to continue finishing our bucket list!!!

Mother's Day: A Tribute

This Mother's Day actually fills me with guilt. It is my first one away from home and I totally forgot to send my mom a card (there will one arriving late, I promise)! So in light of my failure to express my gratitude in a private card I thought I would do so on my public blog. I love my mom! She is great and inspiring. She has taught me so much and done so much for me. So here is a list of the reasons I love her (these are just a few of the many):

1) She's my biggest fan. From my spectacular play in softball when I was in 4th grade to my high school orchestra concerts to acing a test in college my mom has always been there to cheer me on. She alway's sees the best in me even when I don't.

2) Her relationship with my father. My parents have one of the best relationships I have ever seen. They always take time for each other and they are not afraid to let their kids see how in love they are. Their relationship is what I want in my life. My mother's devotion to my father is something I aspire to have.

3) She is willing to work hard for her children. My mom has worked hard both for pay and as a volunteer mother. Raising four kids must be tough, but I have never heard her complain. Now she works at a job that really challenges her emotionally. I know that she does this because she loves us and wants us to have all of the best things.

4) She is fun. My mom is a happy person. She likes to do fun things as a family. Many of my fondest memories are of those fun times. Like our trip to disneyland, random game nights, and slightly scandalous shopping trips to Fred Meyer's with her sister (Mom, remember Holly's special wallet?). She loves to laugh and smile and she does so easily.

I love you mom! Have a great day!

I know it's mother's day, but I think it is appropriate to honor my grandmas as well.

Grandma Nielsen: It's been nine years since she passed away. She has had such a profound impact on my life. She is the reason I like the movies I do, the reason I love reading, and the reason I love lemon yoplait yogurt. I will always remember loving her pink toilet paper, playing cat's cradle, and having tea party's. I miss her, but I know that she is in a better place and that I will one day be reunited with her. I love you Grandma Nadeane!

Grandma Francom: She is one of the most giving people I know. She always gives the best Christmas/Birthday presents. She is also very giving with her time. Best of all she is giving with here talents. My grandma is an incredible cook. She is always willing to make more than enough of whatever food we want.  I love you Grandma Mary!

Bucket List: Shooting

So I am going to try and do a post for everything that we do on our bucket list. Today we went shooting! I love shooting. It's probably something about feeling powerful and threatening when I am normally so small and puny. Last time I went shooting it was with a revolver and I was actually a pretty darn good shot. This time, however, my abilities did not manifest themselves... I don't think any soda cans will be quivering at the pull of my trigger. However, it was still a ton of fun. Two of my roommates had never been and it was awesome to see how much they liked it.

P.S. Have you ever had one girl steal all the guys you like? It kind of sucks. But, alas, one day I will be victorious!