Here I am

Christmas with Brodee

2012-01-20T13:16:00.003-07:00

We got together with Sara, Lane, and Brodee earlier this week so that we could give Brodee our Christmas presents. Like my nephew, he was a little too young to enjoy taring open the presents but he seemed to like what we got him nonetheless.

I wish I had taken more pictures but I got too caught up in the moment. Next time for sure!

No Superbowl Repeat

2012-01-20T13:12:00.003-07:00

Josh and I got all dressed up to watch the Packers play last weekend.

[If you look closely you can see our Packers stock hanging up on the wall behind us]

Sadly, they lost to the NY Giants. Ok, I lied. They didn't lose. They were destroyed! It was terrible. Better luck next year!

Not So White Christmas: Part II

2012-01-16T11:04:00.001-07:00

Josh and I ended up being in CA for about a week. During that time the weather was amazing so we took advantage of that and spent a lot of time outside doing "touristy" things.

[Bike riding in Manhattan Beach]

[Staples Center]

[LA Live]

[Hollywood]

[Walk of Fame]

[Chinese Theater]

[Roosevelt Hotel]

[LA Zoo]

[Josh had never seen a live giraffe before!]

After a fun week in CA, Josh and I made the long trek home and spent New Years Eve in Cedar City watching the ball drop on TV (party animals, right?!).

Thanks family for a great Christmas!

Not So White Christmas: Part I

2012-01-16T07:47:00.000-07:00

Josh and I decided to spend Christmas with my family in CA this year. This is Josh's first "un-white" Christmas! I think the amazing weather in CA made up for the lack of snow.

We spent Christmas Eve day in Temecula with the WHOLE (minus a few missionaries and a couple of cousins) Neilson family. Over 70 people were there! I think Josh was a little overwhelmed at first, but my family was very welcoming.

We had a nice Christmas Eve day dinner, great company, and the younger cousins did a nativity scene performance (tradition).

[Papa, Nana, and Brady]

[Missy, Ryan, Dad, Mom, Me, Josh, Papa, Nana, and Brady]

After the party was over, we (my immediate family) headed up to LA so we could have a nice Christmas Eve at home. We played Monopoly (I won!), drank eggnog, and watched The Muppet Christmas Carol.

The next morning we woke up early, ate our traditional Christmas morning breakfast (pigs in a blanket), and then went to church for the Christmas program.

After church, we hurried home, changed clothes, and then sat down to open presents.

We were all spoiled (as always) this year.

[Missy, Ryan, and Brady]

[Josh was the most spoiled of all!]

[Me]

[Brady opening his presents]

[Brady with his present from me and Josh]

[Cute, happy nephew!]

Merry Christmas!

Brilliant!

2012-01-07T12:53:00.001-07:00

Go here and watch this amazing video.

Do it.

Love This:

2012-01-07T12:50:00.002-07:00

Update Soon!

2012-01-07T12:24:00.002-07:00

Happy New Year! 2011 was good to me and I hope that 2012 is even better!

Once I get my pictures organized I'll blog all about my Christmas break!

Stay tuned!

Winter Work

2011-12-18T10:36:00.000-07:00

The Archaeology world slows WAY down during the winter. We can't survey (which is 90% of what we do) because of the snow and we don't have any excavation projects going on at the moment.

The winter is usually "clean up time" for our company. During the snow season we usually catch up on reports, clean the office, work on analysis and curation, etc.

My job this winter has been to shred "sensitive" paper work. We can't just throw out our old reports or site forms because if they fell into the wrong hands the site could be found and looted. In order to prevent this, we shred all of our forms.

Well, we have been busy this year so the shredding got put off and continued to build up over the last year!

I had 12 boxes full of "sensitive" information to shred and two very slow shredders to assist me.

[The boxes]

[My office with the two shredders]

It took me 2 weeks, working about 6 hours a day, to finish this project!

Can't complain. It's a paycheck!

And yes, all the paper was recycled : )

We Own The Packers!

2011-12-06T14:10:00.005-07:00

The Packers are the only non-profit, community-owned major league professional sports team in the United States. This means if you own Packers stock then you own part of the team.

The Packers have only had four stock sales over team history: 1923, 1935, 1950 and most recently in 1997. A total of 4,748,910 shares are owned by 111,507 stockholders (no one person can own more than 200,000 shares to prevent an individual from attempting to take control of the team).

During the Sunday Packers vs Giants game, it was announced that the Packers would once again be selling stock December 6 at 8:00 am to raise money for renovations on the stadium. There would be 250,000 shares for sale for $250 a pop.

You better believe my die-hard Packers fan boyfriend and I were up at 6:30 this morning to be one of the first people to buy into the company! We bought 2 shares (one each) and we couldn't be more excited for the official certificates to get here! You better believe they are going to be framed and up on the wall : )

Merry Christmas to us!

Everyone Say "Awwww!"

2011-12-03T10:00:00.004-07:00

I came home after a long day at work to my amazing boyfriend and these beautiful gerber daisies (my favorite flower BTW)! Doesn't it mean more when he gets them for you for no apparent reason?!

It's crazy how the simplest thing can make me so happy!

Christmas Spirit

2011-12-01T20:08:00.010-07:00

Josh and I have the Christmas Spirit (Elf reference), do you?!

I have waited long enough! At least I made it pass Thanksgiving before putting up the Christmas decorations : )

[Josh and I on Thanksgiving... but excited about Christmas, I'm sure]

[The humble tree]

[Josh getting ready to decorate]

[Putting the star on top]

[All decorated!]

It's our little Charlie Brown tree just so cute?! Looks like it's gonna be a great Christmas!

P.S. All of the presents under the tree are all of my presents to Josh. I get my shopping done early. He hasn't started yet!

Thanksgiving and The Muppets

2011-11-26T10:42:00.009-07:00

I was gone in Tucson (see here and here) for a week and a half before Thanksgiving. When I finally got back home to Cedar City, the fridge was FULLY stocked with Thanksgiving food.

[The 10 Pound Turkey]

[The Food to Prepare]

[Josh Getting the Turkey Ready]

[The Finished Turkey]

[Josh Carving]

[The Feast: Stuffing, Gravy, Turkey, Mashed Potatoes, Rolls, and Homemade Strawberry Rhubarb Pie]

We spent the day eating our feast and watching football. The food turned out great! For our first Thanksgiving together I think we did a great job!

I informed Josh that my family has a tradition of going to the movies on Thanksgiving. We were too involved in the games to pull ourselves away so we decided to go to a movie on Friday instead.

When I was a kid I was in love with The Muppets. I would watch The Muppet Show and Muppet Babies almost everyday. Can you guess what movie I dragged Josh to see?!

That's right!!

And it was well worth seeing. There were a lot of inside jokes from the previous Muppet Movies and The Muppet Show BUT even if you didn't grow up with the Muppets like I did you will still enjoy it. Just keep in mind that it's super cheesy and embrace it!

Well, I hope you all had a great Thanksgiving like I did! I am so thankful for my family, my friends, my job, my country, and, of course, my man who makes me smile every day!

Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum

2011-11-22T21:28:00.001-07:00

Everyone told me that I have to visit the Desert Museum while in Tucson. Apparently it's a "must see!"

So we went. And it was fascinating!

This zoo, or wild animal park or whatever you want to call it, is one of a kind. They built the museum IN the desert. So most of the animals are in their natural habitat.

We were welcomed to the museum by this beautiful falcon.

And this barn owl.

From the entrance we had to make our way through the desert to our first stop, the Bird of Prey Show.

[Me with a giant Saguaro]

[Sam in the desert]

The Birds of Prey Show

[Hawk]

[Owl]

[Falcon]

[Raven]

After getting dive-bombed by raptors, we decided to continue our journey through the park.

[Bat ears!]

[Me and a snake]

[All of the turtles and tortoises were hibernating so we had to improvise]

Later in the day we went to the Live Animal Reptile Show

[Western Diamondback Rattlesnake]

[Gila Monster]

The show was very informative. We got to see and learn all about these two venomous creatures. Pretty much we learned that most of snake bites happen to men and most of those happen because guys are stupid and like to poke at the snakes instead of just walking away. 90 something percent of all snake bites that happen to men are on their arms and hands. 90 percent of all snake bites that happen to women are on their legs and feet. See a pattern here?

Later we saw the Prairie dogs! They are so cute and super social!

[Me trying to make a new friend]

[Sam with the crew]

The rest of the day we spent walking around seeing the other animals.

[Wolf]

[Black bear]

[Cougar]

[Coyote]

[Me climbing through the rocks]

[Fox]

[Adorable owl]

[Ocelot]

[Javelina! These things run wild in Tucson. We were greeted by a group of them our first night in town]

[Sam loves the Saguaro]

We spent about 7 hours at the museum and it was one of the coolest wild animal experiences I have ever had!

Mission San Xavier del Bac

2011-11-21T07:06:00.000-07:00

My coworker Sam and I were invite to come to our company's corporate office in Tucson for 10 days. I won't bore you with details of work, don't worry.

I've never been to Tucson so over the weekend Sam and I did the touristy thing and went to a couple of the sites.

Our first stop was the Mission San Xavier del Bac. This church was built in the late 1700s and is still in use today.

[Sam inside]

[Snake door handle]

[Narrow hallways]

*All photos taken on my Droid

Pizza and tartlets

2011-11-20T08:33:00.000-07:00

Everyone gains weights when they're dating. It just happens. No biggie.

Josh and I decided that we should try and eat healthier and eat in more. Safe money and maybe lose a little weight.

I got a couple Weight Watchers cook books (we aren't doing WW, just trying to find some good healthy recipes) and I've been trying out new recipes every night.

Last weekend Josh and I decided to try a stuffed sausage pizza recipe for dinner. It calls for 3 kinds of low fat cheese, chicken sausage, onions, garlic, and mushrooms. Neither one of us like mushrooms so we substituted the fungus for cilantro and black olives : )

I can't even tell you how amazing this pizza was! And it was low fat! Plus we homemade the crust!

[The finished product]

[Amazing!]

And then for dessert I made tartlets. They were so cute and also delicious!

Eating healthy cost more money and takes more time but it's worth it!

Future Packers Fan?!

2011-11-12T09:29:00.002-07:00

Looks like Josh converted one of us!

Chargers, Packers, and the Family

2011-11-12T08:43:00.000-07:00

I'm a Chargers fan, Josh loves the Packers. As soon as the NFL schedule came out and we saw that the Packers were playing the Chargers in San Diego (yes that matters!) we decided that we had to go.

I called my dad and with all of his connections he was able to get us some tickets to the game!

Not only were we all excited for the game but this was going to be the first time that my family got to meet Josh.

Josh and I flew in from Vegas while my family drove down from LA.

They picked us up at the airport and then we headed over to Wahoo's Fish Tacos for lunch. They have the BEST fish tacos and I really wanted Josh to enjoy a good, California, fish taco : )

After lunch we headed over to Old Town to walk around. There were Packer fans EVERYWHERE!

[Me and Brady... I missed him so badly]

[Me and Josh having fun in Old Town]

After seeing Old Town, we headed down to the beach. Josh has only seen the California beach once before so he took a lot of pictures.

[Every time Josh and I tried to get a cute picture the wind was blowing and the sun was in our eyes. We still tried]

Next, we headed up to the Old Point Loma to see the view and to visit the Lighthouse.

After seeing San Diego we went back to the beautiful Westgate Hotel to take naps and then went out to the Gaslamp District to get some dinner.

The next day was Game Day! We got up early and headed to the store to buy some tailgating food. Then we went to the stadium and got a great parking spot.

It was a cold day but we made it work!

[Missy]

[Dad and Josh getting the grill goin']

[Dad and Ryan waiting for Brats!]

[Me and my mom]

[Ryan and Missy]

[Ryan and Missy... and the sleeping Brady]

[Enjoying the brats]

[Ok this is the CUTEST thing ever! If you get close behind Brady he will place his hand on your face. It is so sweet!]

[Almost time to go in!]

THE GAME!

[Qualcomm Stadium]

[View from our seats. It rained the ENTIRE game but we were lucky enough to be in the Club Section underneath a nice roof]

[Josh and me]

[The Packers]

[Aaron Rodgers]

[The Chargers]

[Game on!]

[After the Packers went up by 3 touchdowns... oh the shame]

[But wait! The Chargers scored 2 touchdowns and came within 7!]

[Our hope was lifted a little, but in the end we lost to the amazing Packers]

Overall it was a great weekend. I'm bummed my team lost, but Josh's team won and he was so happy and that's all that matters to me. Josh and my family got a long great! Thanks for the tickets mom and dad!

The Stars at Night Are Big and Bright

2011-11-03T16:30:00.000-06:00

Deep in the Heart of Texas!

Josh and I spent a week in Houston.

[Me attempting to get a picture of downtown]

Here's what he did:

When Josh wasn't in class he was studying. Poor guy.

But all his hard work paid off because he passed with flying colors!

[Happy to be done]

Here's what I did:

I traveled across town to visit the Johnson Space Center.

[The Saturn V - this would have been the next rocket in space but the mission got cancelled]

[The Original Mission Control]

Later that week I went to the Natural History Museum

I also rested and played a lot of Wii : )

Here's what we did together:

Ate good ole Texas BBQ. This is some of the best food I've EVER had!

And after Josh's class was done we went out to celebrate at Buffalo Wild Wings!

The boy sure does love his Blazin' wings

Before we left for Texas, Josh was watching Man Vs Food and there was a sushi challenge going on in Salt Lake City. He decided that he would try the challenge when we got back to Utah... oh boy... here we go...

The Hell Fire Challenge

In order to complete the challenge you have to eat 2 pieces of sushi that are a Level 5 hottness, 2 at a Level 6, 2 at a Level 6.5, and 6 pieces at a Level 7.

[Me and Lisa being supportive and eating nice, cool sushi]

[Looking good after completing Levels 5-6.5]

[Can't go onto Level 7 without signing a waiver]

[Here we go! Level 7!]

[2 down, 4 to go!]

[4 out of 4]

[Worried friend]

[Real tears! Yes, it was THAT hot!]

Sadly, Josh was not able to finish the challenge. Apparently the sauce and the pepper mixture that is ontop of the sushi rolls turns into a paste in your mouth and it is unbearable. Poor guy.

He only had 4 pieces left to eat but he couldn't do it. I can't even imagine the pain he was going though. Maybe next time!

Overall our trip was a success : )

Now onto San Diego to watch the Packer vs Charger game!

Great Words from a Great Man

2011-10-19T08:17:00.000-06:00

Love it!

Lake Mountain

2011-10-16T21:34:00.009-06:00

I've been really busy lately because I've been running a huge 5000 acre survey project around Lake Mountain, UT.

When I was informed that I would be leading this project I was both excited and nervous but I like to be challenged and I knew I would be able to handle it in one way or another.

Our first few days of hiking were pretty burley. The terrain is unforgiving and the weather was terrible. To make matters worse I fell hard on my left knee and ended up getting a "bone bruise".

I went to the Dr. and it turns out that bruises can be worse then breaks. I'm out for the rest of the season while my knee heals.

I'm so upset that my knee got hurt because I want to be out there with my crew so badly! I just need to be patient and let it heal...

So, now I spend my day either in the hotel room, at the Dr. office, or at physical therapy. Even though I'm injured I do continue to work. I spend my time in the hotel room writing the report and keeping the crew organized. It's not too much fun but I gotta pay the bills!

Not much has been found on the survey, but we're gonna keep looking!

[Biface tool]

[A cadastral marker from 1918]

[A mine adit]

On another note, Josh and I are heading to Houston, TX this week so that he can take a class and a test to become a coating inspector. He's been studying so hard and just wants to get this test over and done with. I've never been to Texas so while Josh is at class I'm just gonna check out the city. I'll post about this next!

A Day With My Two Studly Men

2011-09-25T10:34:00.014-06:00

Remember this post? Well you should. It's right above this one : )

Anyways, the swing that Josh put together was finally put to use over the weekend by this cute kid:

[Josh and the babe]

[Showing off all that hair]

[Cute smile]

[Playing airplane]

[Watching cartoons]

[Floor time]

[He loves Buzz]

[Definitely his father's son]

[Pooped out after a fun day]

I can't believe how cute this kid is. We only had him for a few hours but he was laughing and smiling the ENTIRE time! It's crazy how much I love him.

Just for fun. Here's another cute picture of me and Josh while we were in Wisconsin:

Irons and Swings

2011-09-16T16:19:00.000-06:00

I bought Josh a couple of nice button down shirts. He wore them, he loved them, he washed them, and voila! they wrinkled.

Since I bought the shirts (they were expensive) and I knew he wouldn't wear them again if they were wrinkled, I decided to run to the store to get an iron.

I made a little mess while adding the water but after that it was smooth sailing.

*Pictures take from Josh's iPhone while he was laughing at me*

Josh also has his own little project too: putting together a swing for the baby.

[Working on it]

[All done]

We are so handy aren't we?

Trip to the Midwest

2011-09-13T17:15:00.001-06:00

Due to a tragic death in the family Josh and I had the opportunity to go to Wisconsin over the long holiday weekend. To be honest, I wish I could have met his family under happier circumstances, but the weekend turned out really well regardless.

Thursday, September 1

Josh and I went to Vegas for the night and stayed at the classy Excalibur hotel (32 bucks a night... can't beat that!).

We got in late, checked in, and then hit the sack (such party people right?!)

Friday, September 2

We got up at 4:00 am and headed over to the airport to catch our flight to Duluth, MN.

No one knew that we were coming and Josh really wanted to surprise his family so we had to find out where everyone was without giving away our plan.

We found out that most of his family and friends were at his Aunt and Uncles house (his Aunt had passed away). Before we headed over there, we stopped by his grandparents house to surprise them.

His grandma was so surprised when Josh walked in the house that she started crying. It was so cute! We sat and visited with his grandparents for a good hour before we decided it was time to surprise the rest of the family.

We arrived at Josh's Aunt and Uncles house and the surprise went off as planned. Everyone was really happy that Josh and I were able to come. I was really excited to meet Josh's sister, Jessi, and to see his mom, Suzi, again.

The rest of the night was spent visiting with family and friends, watching as people cut down trees and started fires, setting off fireworks, shooting a potato gun, eating and drinking, and getting eaten alive by mosquitos!

[Josh, Carla, Dawn, and Suzi]

[My poor knees - covered in mosquito bites!]

Saturday, September 3

Today we decided to do the "tourist thing" and see all the sights in Duluth and Superior.

[The Point]

[Enger Tower and Park]

[Lake Superior, Duluth, and Superior]

After seeing the sights, we went to find a hotel room. [His grandparents offered to have us stay with them but they have cats and I'm so allergic!] We got a nice suite (complete with hot tub) at the Barker Island Inn Resort.

After settling into out room we headed to the Anchor Bar to get some of their World Famous hamburgers. And yes, they were amazing! Greasy and amazing!

The rest of the night was spent hanging out at Champs. Here I got to meet Josh's dad and a lot of his friends. We had a blast!

Sunday, September 4

When we arrived in Wisconsin, Josh told me about all the places he wanted to take me, and all of them were food places. These Wisco people LOVE to eat!

Sunday morning we got up and headed over to Josh's grandparents house. From here we picked up Grandma, Grandpa, and Suzi and then headed out into the country to Bootleggers (one of the places on Josh's list). Just like the Anchor Bar, Bootleggers is know for their hamburgers. We ended up getting hamburgers, french fries, fried cheese curds, onion rings, mozzarella sticks, and fried mushrooms (see a theme here?). Everything was delicious!

During the afternoon, we hungout with the family and ran some errands for Grandma.

That night we went to Gronks (yes another restaurant know for their fried food and hamburgers) to get dinner with Jessi and her friend, Ally. We order cheese curds and I got a french dip. The cheese curds were to die for!

I can't believe I ate fried cheese curds twice in one day! I'm on vacation so it's ok right, RIGHT?

That night we went back to Champs to hang out with some friends. While we were there a girl was walking around selling roses. Josh bought me three of them! They were beautiful!

Monday, September 5

Today was the day I have been waiting for. A week into our relationship, Josh and I went out to breakfast and I ordered biscuits and gravy. I told him this was one of my favorite breakfast meals (next to pancakes of course) and he told me that his grandma makes the BEST biscuits and gravy and that he'll take me to Wisconsin someday so I can have try them.

I have been waiting 6 months for this day!

In the morning Josh and I checked out of our hotel and headed over to the Grandparents house to eat some of Grandmas famous biscuits and gravy. Josh didn't lie to me. Grandmas biscuits and gravy were the BEST I have ever had! She told me that it's taken years to perfect her recipe and let me tell you, it was all worth it!

[Grandparents House]

[Trying to a picture of me and Josh without the sun in our eyes]

[Success!]

[Jessi, Suzi, and I]

[Grandpa]

[Jessi, Suzi, and Josh]

After breakfast it was time for Josh and I to go to the airport. It was sad to leave his family but I told them that we would be back soon. I made a deal with Josh that we can go back during the winter but he has to buy me a really nice/warm pair of boots : )

Overall it was a great trip. Like I said before, I wish it could have been under better circumstances but we made the best out of the situation and had a great time!

Hey you! Yes, YOU!

2011-08-26T20:12:00.003-06:00

Alright here's the deal. Every time I post a new post that little page-viewer-counter-thing goes up a couple hundred hits; HOWEVER, I only ever have 1 or 2 people that leave comments. I'm fine with this but I would like to know who's out there! Who are you? Do I know you? It doesn't matter if you know me in person or not but I'm curious about who reads my blog. I understand not everyone has time to comment on every post... hell, I follow over 200 blogs (thank you Google Reader!) and there is no way I comment on all of them so that's not the problem. Well, there is no problem. I'm just curious. Who is out there? Do you have a blog too? Can I read it?!

Roll call!

P.S. I'm thinking about going private BUT if to many people read my blog then I won't because I know what a pain it is to "invite" everyone.

The big 26!

2011-08-19T10:22:00.000-06:00

I had a crazy birthday. I started off at work in Tooele monitoring out on the pipeline.

The crew was excavating in an archaeological site (which is why I had to be there) that happened to be in a chemical dump site. The entire area smelled so bad and we were concerned about Arsenic and Lead poisoning.

I told the crew it was my birthday and I asked them to work as fast (and safe) as possible so that I could go home and be in Cedar for my birthday. The crew finished digging by noon and I was told to go home. Yes! I was so excited to get out of Tooele! I started the long drive home when I got a call from the pipeliners in Mesquite (on the far end of the 400 miles long pipeline). I was informed that I was need out on the line the next day. This was a bitter-sweet deal. As a result I ended up driving from Tooele to Mesquite in one day BUT Josh was working in Mesquite so I got to spend my birthday with him!

I never told Josh what I wanted for my birthday so I was really anxious to see what he got me. It turns out this guy really does listen when I'm talking to him! : )

He got me a Kindle and an old school CA Angels hat!

I had mentioned that I was sick of carrying around all my books (moving is hard when half of your boxes are filled with old books) and he interpreted this to mean that I needed a Kindle. I had never even thought about getting a Kindle but I'm glad he got it for me. I love it. I've already downloaded 26 of the classics and they were all FREE!

And one night we were watching Major League (the movie) and one of the players is wearing an old Angels hat. I mentioned that I would love one of those hats but then never said a word about it again (keep in mind that was months ago). I can't believe he remembered!

I was pleasantly surprised by both my presents.

[Side note: Josh also ordered me and Angels cover for my Kindle and Lord of the Rings in Blu-Ray but they both got lost in the mail... bummer! I'll get them eventually]

After I opened my presents, Josh and I went and got sushi from our favorite place in town.

Over all it was a great day!

I also got a Lakers purse from my parents, a Nightmare Before Christmas scarf from Katey, and a Lush gift card from Ryan and Missy. Thanks everyone!

Too cute huh?! I get tons of compliments!

A baby!

2011-08-17T22:18:00.000-06:00

Don't you hate it when you write an awesome post and then forget to publish it?! I did that! Oops!

This post is from the beginning of July...

After a long wait, I finally got to meet Josh's son!

He has the chubbiest cheeks and the most beautiful eyes!

I love this kid!

*Pictures taken on Josh's iPhone

Ruby Jane

2011-08-12T17:53:00.003-06:00

My friend Ani lost her sweet baby girl last night to a rare disease. They have been praying for a liver to save Ruby's life but it didn't come fast enough. This little girl is now in a better place. Her life was short but I know she touched many lives. Please go here to read her story.

Moral of the story: Please be an organ donor.

Change... and a lot of it!

2011-08-08T19:27:00.000-06:00

No really...

Josh and I have the same strange habit: we don't spend our change. Instead we throw it in a change jar or bowl or whatever and let it pile up for a while (I think mine's going on a year!).

Josh has been working in Mesquite over the last few weeks and I've been bored. So to pass time while he is gone I decided to do a little project: count our coins.

[Disclaimer: I know I can just take our change to the grocery store and pour it in one of those machines BUT they end up taking 20% of your money just because the machine counted it! If you roll your own coins the bank will exchange the money for you for no fee!]

The results:

After three days of separating, counting, and rolling (keep in mind I still went to work), we ended up with $295.50!

Yep! That's right! All in coins!

200 bucks just in quarters!

All I need is 4 quarters and I'll have another roll of $10! That's $305.50 total!

We're going to go out to a nice steak dinner to celebrate. An no, we will not be paying in coins!

: )

Hoover Dam Visit

2011-08-03T20:28:00.001-06:00

I went down to Mesquite for a few days to visit Josh while he was working. Luckily, the pipeline was moving slowly and Josh didn't have to work for a couple days. We took advantage of the time off (you tend to do this when you work 6 days a week and 12 hour days) and decided to make a quick trip to the Hoover Dam.

[The Mike O'Callaghan - Pat Tillman Memorial Bridge]

[Hoover Dam]

Is it strange that I just kept thinking about Transformers the entire time I was there? Where was Megatron?!

After a few hours of hiking around in the 105 degree heat, we started to make our way back to Mesquite. But knowing what I know about Josh and his love of spicy foods (he puts ghost chili pepper powder on EVERYTHING), I decided to take him to Buffalo Wild Wings before we left the Las Vegas area.

Buffalo Wild Wings is known for their amazing wings with their vast choice of sauces (something for everyone). I got the Honey BBQ boneless wings, while Josh went straight for the Blazin' (on the far right).

After a few bites Josh's lips were turning bright red and his eyes were watering. He was LOVING it though! The guy is outta control!

4th of July - Bryce Canyon Adventure

2011-07-29T21:41:00.000-06:00

Yep! Cats outta the bag. I have a boyfriend. We've been dating for 5 months. His name is Josh. He's amazing and he's the reason why I've been so happy lately : )

Anyways, this is what we did over the long 4th of July weekend:

I've lived in Utah since 2003 and I've NEVER been to Bryce Canyon. Josh, on the other hand, has lived in Utah for a year and has been there three times. I need to get out more.

So we decided to go.

After a beautiful drive up the mountain, we arrived at our destination. Of course, Josh's camera ran out of batteries so I gave him mine (I'm not a big picture taker) so he could be the "camera guy" and I could be "the navigator".

[My studley man rockin' the farmers tan]

We started off at Sunrise Point.

Then, hiked over to Sunset Point.

At this point I noticed that there are two ways to experience Bryce: (1) Drive along the ridge, stop at the designated look-out points, get out of your car, walk 10 feet, enjoy the view, take pictures OR (2) hike down into the amphitheater and experience nature.

Obviously the first way is the easiest, but we like adventure, so we decided to drop down into the amphitheater on the Navajo Trail.

After hiking down the gnarly switch backs, through the slot canyon, and into the amphitheater we came across this sign:

3 miles? Easy, right?!

We couldn't be more wrong. The hike was beautiful but burley! And running out of water a mile into it and getting altitude sickness didn't make things any better.

[Tired and out of water]

[Half way there and holding strong]

[Almost done!]

After a long hike we finally made it back to the bottom of the Navajo Trail. And this is what we had to climb back up in order to get some water:

Of course we made it out just fine (I kept saying "baby steps, baby steps")

Next, we headed over to the general store and got some much needed water and hot dogs.

I still wanted to see some of the legendary look out points so we decided to drive to the different look out points and check out the views.

[Rainbow Point]

[Natural Bridge]

[Inspiration Point]

Overall it was a great day! I can't believe that this gorgeous place is in my very own backyard! Josh and I decided that we would come back again and do some more hikes but that time we would be more prepared : )

Mediterranean Cruise: Part VIII

2011-07-08T10:14:00.001-06:00

Wednesday, June 1, 2011 {Olympia, Greece}

The Final Port

- We finally arrived at Olympia: the birth place of the Olympics!

- Also home to one of the Ancient Wonders of the World: The Statue of Zeus. Sadly, all that's left is a single pillar from the temple.

- This is the place where the torch is lit for the summer and winter Olympics before the flames' epic trip around the world.

- Our last stop in the ancient city was the original Olympic field.

With the power of the ancient Olympians behind us, we ran all the way across the field (I have a hilarious video of this but blogger is taking FOREVER to upload it so I'll have to put it in a later post).

[Me running in the field]

- And this ends my legendary journey! Overall it was an amazing trip and I'm so glad I could share this experience with one of my best friends!

So where to next? New Zealand? Peru? Spain? Africa? Texas?!

I'll let you know once I figure it out...

Mediterranean Cruise: Part VII

2011-07-05T16:12:00.001-06:00

Tuesday, May 31, 2011 {Santorini, Greece}

- There are three ways to get to the top of the island: take the gondola lift, walk, or ride a donkey. Which one do you think we did?!

- I'm pretty sure my donkey was drunk because he kept running into walls and other donkeys. As a result I got a lot of bruises and scrapes all over my legs! Heidi enjoyed the experience (she had a well behaved donkey), I did not.

- We decided not to do an organized tour but instead did some intense shopping and explored the gorgeous city.

- We made our way to the top of the city and found the famous blue church that we were searching for.

- Then we headed back into the city to do some more shopping and exploring.

- I had to buy a bag because I bought so many souvenirs!

- As the ship was leaving the caldera, we stood up on deck and took pictures of the amazing scenery.

Mediterranean Cruise: Part VI

2011-06-28T17:41:00.000-06:00

Monday, May 30, 2011 {Ephesus, Turkey}

- First stop: House of the Virgin Mary. This is where Virgin Mary is believed to have spent the last years of her life. It is believed that Jesus asked John to take care of his mother after he died so John took Mary here and kept her hidden.

[The sacred house where the Virgin Mary lived]

[Me getting water at the fresh water spring by the house]

- After visiting the sacred site we headed to Ephesus. This ancient city used to be an important port city until it was abandoned in 700 AD. Since then the city has been destroyed by earthquakes and was completely buried before excavations started. Excavations have been going on here for over 100 years and only 15 percent of the city is revealed!

[The symbol for medicine]

[Temple of Hadrian]

[Public toilets. The men used to come here to do their business while they talked with other people about politics and news]

[Nike]

[The famous Library of Celsus]

[The Theatre]

- Ephesus was one of the most spectacular sites I have ever been to. As Heidi and I were walking around the area we were in shock! I wish we could have spent more time here but, alas, we had to head back to the ship so we could head to Santorini!

Mediterranean Cruise: Part V

2011-06-27T19:41:00.000-06:00

Sunday, May 29, 2011 {Mykonos, Greece}

- We arrived in Mykonos!

- Met our gorgeous tour guide, Constantine, and then took a ferry to Delos.

- Explored the ancient city. Only about 10 percent of the city is excavated so there is much to discover and learn.

- Took the ferry ride back to Mykonos, walked along the sea, got gelatos, and headed back to the ship.

Mediterranean Cruise: Part IV

2011-06-26T09:20:00.000-06:00

Friday, May 27, 2011 and Saturday, May 28, 2011 {Istanbul, Turkey}
Istanbul was Constantinople
ANow it's Istanbul, not Constantinople
Been a long time gone, Constantinople

Now it's Turkish delight on a moonlit night

- We arrived in Turkey Friday night, left the ship, and headed to the Spice Bazaar.

- Next, we headed to the largest cistern in the world: The Basilica Cistern

- Before heading back to the boat for the night we took a boat ride around the Golden Horn

- Saturday morning we woke up, left the ship, and headed to a carpet demonstration

[I bought a handmade silk carpet!]

- Next, we headed to the Hippodrome of Constantinople

- Onto the beautiful Blue Mosque (we were allowed to take pictures inside the mosque but I didn't feel right about it... sorry!)

- The day continued with a walk through the Topkapi Palace

- Before leaving Istanbul, we went through Hagia Sophia [was a mosque and church but is now a museum]

- Istanbul is an incredible city with a rich history. I would love to come back here and spend more time exploring the city!

Mediterranean Cruise: Part III

2011-06-20T19:22:00.000-06:00

Thursday, May 26, 2011 {Athens, Greece}

Trip to my Mecca

- We got off the ship, jumped on a bus, and headed to The Acropolis!

- Athens is the birthplace of logic and politics and I consider it to be my personal Mecca so you can imagine my excitement!

[Odeon of Herodes Atticus]

[Propylaea]

[Temple of Athena Nike]

[Erechtheum]

[Parthenon]

- Aside from The Acropolis being SUPER crowded and our tour guide only knowing "general knowledge" information about the area, the experience was amazing.

Excuses

2011-06-14T12:37:00.002-06:00

My apartment flooded and I have to move this week! I'll write more about my trip as soon as I'm all settled in at my new place!

Mediterranean Cruise: Part II

2011-06-09T18:56:00.000-06:00

Tuesday, May 24, 2011 {Split, Salona, and Trogir, Croatia}

- We left the ship via tender boats and were taken to Split where we found our tour guide and bus.

- Boarded the bus and headed to the Ivan Mestrovic Gallery where we saw works of art by Mestrovic (1883-1962). The art museum is located in Mestrovic's mansion which is pretty impressive but I don’t really like modern art so I wasn’t that into the tour.

- Next, we headed to the ancient city of Solin (Salona). Here we explored the ruins of this old city. Most of the walls had fallen down and very little was left except for some pathways, walls and sarcophagus.

- After exploring the ruins we headed over to the old city of Trogir. The city is still in use and retains most of its original beauty.

- After exploring the city we got back on the bus and headed back to Split where we caught a tender boat back to the ship.

- I have to honestly say that I knew very little about Croatia before going there but it was a very pleasant surprise. What a gorgeous country!

Wednesday, May 25, 2011 {Cruising the Dardanelles}

- Day at Sea

- Hung out by the pool, gazed at the shore from the ship, played a few trivial games, went to "Battle of the Sexes" game show, went to the night time show, and got ready for Greece!

Mediterranean Cruise: Part I

2011-06-07T15:22:00.016-06:00

I know, I know. I've been so bad about keeping up with my blog. I've been super busy (and really happy) but I can't talk about that now... maybe later?

Now onto the one thing I know you've been waiting for: My Mediterranean Cruise!

May 21 - 23 {Cedar City, UT; Los Angeles, CA; Venice, Italy}

"It's like walking through a picture!" - Heidi

Heidi and I left Cedar City, Utah and headed south to LA where we met up with Ryan, Missy, and baby Brady [it was my first time meeting Brady! He is too cute]

Next, we headed to the airport and caught our 12-hour flight to Madrid, Spain and then a 2 1/2 hour puddle jumper to Venice, Italy

Once in Venice we took a water taxi to the ms Nieuw Amsterdam, got on board, found our room, got some grub, and went to bed [gotta love the jet lag]

The next day we got up, left the ship, and headed into Venice

Since I have been here before I acted like a tour guide for Heidi

We got lost in the city [something you can't avoid] and ended up at San Marco

Took pictures, got some pizza and gelato [classic], and then headed back to the ship so that we could leave for Croatia.

Dear Lakers,

2011-05-05T08:16:00.004-06:00

I've watched every single one of your games this year. I ordered the NBA package on my Directv. I cheered for you. I stood up for you. I wore your jersey. I yelled. I cried. I loved.

I'm sad to see you guys go out like this. You're gonna get swept by the Mavs. That sucks!

I'm a true fan. I always have been and I always will be. I didn't boo you last night when you played horribly.

Am I disappointed? Yes. Am I sad that last night was probably Phil's last night coaching? Hell yea.

Please promise me that you won't go out without a fight. Give me something. Show some spirit!

No matter what I will still watch all of your games next year.

Love, your biggest fan,

Courtney

Still Alive!

2011-04-23T16:50:00.002-06:00

Yep! I'm still here! I've been so busy with work, my personal life, and the NBA Playoffs (GO LAKERS!) that I haven't had much time to blog. Don't worry... a nice update will be coming soon. Until then, enjoy the Playoffs!

GO LAKERS!

Ready To Move On

2011-03-27T15:50:00.002-06:00

There is a hierarchy in the archaeology world, much like there is in every other job situation. Let me lay out the basic hierarchy for you:

Principle Investigator (PhD)

Project Director (PhD)

Crew Chief/Senior Archaeologist (Masters)

Staff Archaeologist (Bachelors)

Shovel Bum (no experience required)

Since I just have a bachelors degree I am automatically placed above the shovel bums and below everyone else.

The problem here is that experience doesn't really count. For example there are people that are considered shovel bums because they don't have degrees but they have 20 years of experience. Why am I "over" them when they have more experience and know more then me?

Same goes with the Crew Chiefs... just because some one has a Masters doesn't mean they are automatically smarter and more qualified then me to run a crew.

It's all so frustrating. I've gone as "high" as I can as an archaeologist without a graduate degree.

I guess I need a Masters if I want to stay in the archaeology world....

That being said. I did apply to graduate school for my Masters and I did get accepted. However, I'm 99% sure I'm NOT going.

I'm ready to move on. I love archaeology and I always will but I feel like I need a change. I'm ready for a change. I'm scared but I believe it's for the best.

I can't go back to school and dedicate 3 hard years of my life and a lot of money to get a degree in something that I don't want to do anymore.

That's it. Bottom line. I don't want to do it any more.

Yes, there are other things that are playing a role in this decision but I can't talk about them right now. Sorry. Once I make the move and the word is out I'll tell you all about it.

You Gotta Be Kidding Me

2011-03-11T20:07:00.002-07:00

I was happy. For the first time in a long time I was actually happy. I was enjoying my job, I was loving my social life, I was smiling again... and then shit hit the fan.

Of course it did.

My Job is a Piece of Cake

2011-03-06T15:26:00.004-07:00

My current job is to monitor the construction of a petroleum pipeline that extends from Salt Lake City to Vegas. So what I basically do is (1) watch bulldozers as they clear a 100 foot wide right-of-way (ROW), (2) watch bladers as they come in and smooth out the ROW, (3) watch trench hoes as they dig the trench for the pipe, and (4) watch bulldozers as they cover the pipe up with dirt.

So pretty much I stand around all day looking for cultural materials while construction workers build a pipeline.

This job may sound boring (and it can be) but it's mostly a lot of fun. There are anywhere from 15-45 people present on the ROW during construction and ALL of them love to chat! There is very rarely a dull moment. Everyone is really friendly and they would never pass up an opportunity to talk to you. I usually can't go more then 30 minutes without someone coming over and striking up a conversation or someone just driving by and waving at me.

[Heidi and I freezing out on the ROW]

I've made some pretty great friends on this pipeline but one of my favorites would have to be a 74-year-old inspector named Zinc. He is a hoot! He has the best stories and he always makes me laugh.

A few days I was watching a track hoe dig the trench and old man Zinc pulls up behind me in his truck.

"Miss Courtney! Get over there!"

I run over.

"Courtney, [he shakes his head] I'm worried about you. You're too skinny! It's windy out here and I'm afraid you are going to blow away! Here I want you to have this."

Right then he pulls out a piece of cake that his wife had made.

"Eat this! It'll help you stay on the ground!"

How could I say no?! A cute old man offering me a piece of homemade cake in the middle of a pipeline ROW... priceless.

So I ate it! And it was delicious!

It's Your Choice

2011-02-27T20:25:00.000-07:00

BYU played SDSU yesterday (great win Cougars!!) and I was reading on ESPN.com about "The Show" (the SDSU student section at the basketball games) and the different views about them.

"The Show" is know for being loud, distracting, supportive (of their team), and a little controversial. According to ESPN.com, SDSU staff was worried about the student section not being classy during the BYU game. The Aztec head coach asked the students to be respectful to the BYU players and fans and to avoid religious slurs. This all stemmed from a game last year when an SDSU fan brought a sign that read "Which wife gave you mono?" (pointed at Jimmer who was dealing with the virus at the time). According to some reports, Jimmer saw the sign and laughed.

I love this. Yes, Jimmer could have been offended. He could have given that fan the bird. He could have jumped into the stands and punched a fan in the face (*cough cough Ron*). But he didn't. He laughed. He didn't care.

Being angry and getting offended is our choice. Why cause a scene? Why get angry? I've been to tons of BYU sporting events where the opposing teams fans end up chanting "F*** the Mormons!" (clap clap clap clap clap) at the end of the game. But you just shrug it off. Getting mad and causing a scene will only make it worse. Why sink to their level? Don't give them the satisfaction of letting them know they got to you.

Hey Jimmer, thanks for being awesome!!

Go Cougars!

I'm An AUNT!

2011-02-26T15:15:00.003-07:00

Missy (my sister-in-law) had her baby today!! Congrats to the happy parents!!

This kid is going to be so spoiled!!

I love him already!!

P.S. BYU (7) beat SDSU (6) today : ) What a great day huh?!

Tribute to Luke

2011-02-14T20:01:00.000-07:00

My little brother is entering the Missionary Training Center (MTC) on Wednesday so he can prepare to serve a two year mission for the LDS Church in Billings, Montana.

I'm gonna miss this kid so much but I am so proud of him! Not just because he decided to give up two years of his life to serve the Lord but because of what an amazing guy he has become.

[Luke in 2004... on a cruise]

[Luke in 2006... football stud]

In Luke's mission farewell talk he mentioned how he was happy that we are so close even though there is a large age difference (almost 7 years) between us. He also mentioned that I am an example to him but I want him to know that he is such an amazing example to me. Luke, you are selfless, funny, smart, nice, caring, and all around such a great guy!

[Ryan, Luke, and me in 2007... sibling love]

Luke, I will miss you while you serve but keep in mind that when you get back we are heading straight to Disneyland! With a stop at In-n-Out, of course!

[Luke and me in 2009 at Disneyland]

Good luck brother! Just remember that we love you and we are all cheering for you!

P.S. Happy Birthday!

Back-to-Back Awesomeness

2011-01-26T22:29:00.003-07:00

Last night the Lakers spanked the Jazz 120-91! Odom made an AMAZING shot that was honored on PTI.

And tonight BYU (9) beat SDSU (4) 71-58! Jimmer scored 43 points! Can we say Final 4?!

Oh how I love my teams!!

Little Things

2011-01-16T17:48:00.000-07:00

"There's a lot of little reasons why the big things in our lives happen." - Ted Mosby

I was watching How I Met Your Mother, one of my favorite TV shows, the other day and the main character, Ted Mosby, said this quote during one of his narratives.

The quote impacted me in a strange way... deeply... soul piercing you could say. I really like it and I thought I would share it with you.