Lantern Fest

Friday night I met up with my friends Amber and Kristen in Salt Lake and we headed to the Bonneville Sea Base near Grantsville. I had been to there before... to scuba dive, which was an ... interesting experience. I swore I would never go back there... but this time it wasn't to scuba dive. This time it was for the Lantern Fest.

Thank goodness we bought out tickets the weekend before because it ended up selling out. I didn't have super high expectations for this... because honestly, nothing is going to beat the lantern festival in Thailand. I also did it for my 30th birthday which was also pretty magical. This one turned out to be pretty awesome as well. We got there, parked and signed in. With the purchase of our ticket, we got a lantern, a pen to write our wishes on the lantern, a lighter to set it off and a S'more kit!

We got S'more kit's because the set up of the event.... they had a stage where people performed and then scattered everywhere were tiki torches and fire pits to gather around and hang out and roast marshmallows. I loved the set up. Thought it was awesome. So we watched the sunset, made our S'more, wrote our wishes on our lanterns and hung out. Already we were off to a great start.

We waited until it got dark and then around 9, it was lantern launch time. We were so excited. They played music while everyone lit and let go of their lanterns at the same time. It was way better than I expected. Very magical. On top of that, I thought it was a beautiful activity to do in honor of September 11th (which is when the festival was). We already talked about wanting to go back next year.

Bubble Balls

Today we had a team activity at work. We went out on the field in front of our building and had pizza and other yummy food and we played Bubble Balls. There are many games you can play with Bubble Balls. Whatever you play just becomes more exciting because you can run into each other and knock each other over. We played soccer and Shark and Red Rover. Then we got to go home. Not going to complain about that.

Here I am with my work BFF Tyler.... that I'm super sad that I rarely see anymore now that we are not on the same team.

Confessions of a Brunette on the Internet 288

It has been a while since I have picked up my guitar... but I have started playing again. Wanted to learn a new song, so I have been working on it. I get frustrated because I wish I were better, but at the same time, I have never practiced enough to get really good... so it's my own fault. Patience has never been a great quality of mine.

Today was super productive. Those days are always nice. The trick is... I can't go home and sit down or else I'm not motivated to do anything. So I went to my parents house and finally washed most of those nasty mosquitoes and other bugs off my car that have built up over many road trips. I then went home and vacuumed and did laundry and cleaned my fish tank (which I still need to sell) and my bathroom. I felt great about all of that.

I had another picture of mine get featured on Instagram. This is my 3rd picture, but this time, it was on an account that get's A LOT more traffic. It is igUtah. I'm super flattered when someone consider's my pictures good enough to feature on one of those accounts. It got me a lot more followers and a lot of people finding me. I think next I am going to submit a picture to try and get in a calendar. There is prize money and stuff. We shall see.

I did U-Jam class again this week. It's super fun. I hope more people start coming to class so they don't cancel it. I need fun classes at work to motivate me to want to go to the gym. I for reals need to get in the habit of going every day again. I don't know why I can't get my act together. I have gained so much weight back that I am disgusted with myself. Oh how I miss Lauren, my gym buddy and my only work friend.

Speaking of work, things just got busier for me because our new girl just switched to a new team. So it is back to just Paula and I... until we find someone else. I'm not that mad about losing the other girl because I didn't end up being that big of a fan of her anyway. I hope that I can find someone to replace her that I like AND so that I will get the recruit bonus. I could use that money... especially with this trip I am now committed to. I'm excited, just expensive.

Speaking of that trip, Stacey picked me up at work today and I took a long lunch so that we could drive to Salt Lake to take care of our Visa's. I still think it is stupid that we had to do it in person instead of just mailing it in... because we just had to pay them a lot of money to mail it in for us. UGH! We made the best out of it though. We had fun jamming in the car and went out to lunch after and then he drove my back to work. It was nice to leave work for 2 1/2 hours and have some fun in the middle of the day and not have that much work left when I get back. I'm glad that is done and over with. We will just have to go back up there to pick them up... but I guess we don't have to go for that. Maybe we will rock, paper, scissors for who has to go. ha ha. Whatever.

I blogged about Tuesday's craft night for Sarah's birthday. Wednesday was another one of my friends birthday's. Lindsay! She invited her close friends to go to Cracker Barrell for her birthday. She has a bigger crowd going to dinner next Tuesday but closer friends Tuesday. As usual, we had a blast with our little group. We all hung out for a couple of hours and later that night went to the park to star gaze. I love my little group of friends. I don't always have that, so I appreciate that I have it now.

Monday I spent all day doing a hike up to Lake Blanche which had been on my list all summer. It was a beast of a hike, but the views are rewarding. I will blog more about that later.

I already blogged all about last weekend also, so I guess that is all I have to say. Oh... except I think I said last time that I finished Nashville. After I finished that, I decided to watch Agents of Shield since my sister, Jamie, recommended it to me and wants me to watch it. I only have a few more episodes until I am done (well caught up until next season). It took me half way through the first season because I really got into it, but I like it now. I'm involved. I have also been re-watching bits of Revenge with my roommate Mackenzie who is watching it for the first time. I liked that show. A little cheesy and super serious, but I liked it and I felt like they ended it when they should have. I'm not sure what I will watch next. I still have a few more shows left in my list on Netflix.

I was clicking on my Wifi this last week... and it pulled up all of the other people's Wifi names around me. All I have to say is, you can tell that it is an area of Young Single Adults.

Guess that is all for me. Here's to another week. I'm ready for the weekend. As always. I live for the weekends.

Photo of the Week 286

One last picture from the slot canyon's. I have never hiked through anything like this before. It was crazy awesome.

Yarn Wall Hanging

My good friend Sarah's birthday is today. For her birthday, she wanted all her good girl friend to come over and hang out and craft and eat pizza and watch a movie. She is worth the drive up to Salt Lake... so I went. My favorite of Sarah's birthday's was her flashmob... but this was good too.

Whenever we have a girls night with Sarah, we always craft. The cool thing about craft night with Sarah is that she picks crafts that I would never pick out on my own, but I go with it and end up loving the craft. This craft is for sure not one that I would have picked out and thought I would like. Even when I decided to do it, I had no idea what I wanted to do and where I would put it when I was done. It was a craft found on Pinterest and fits the new trendy Boho style which I am loving lately. It was supposed to just be tassels, but I decided to do something different.

I went off of a drawing that Sarah designed, but then mine ended up totally different and I actually did it on accident and ended up loving it. I had no idea where I would put it, but it goes perfectly above my bed... so that is where it is and where it will stay. Another successful craft. Simple too. Gotta love those.

Random Text

In church we get lectured a lot to put away our phones and not be distracted during church. I really have tried to do this. It's a bad habit. Every once in a while my phone will vibrate in my purse and I can't help but check to at least see who it is from. It's usually from Stacey.

One time he was asking me how Goblin Valley was and I told him how it was so hot and then he made a GIF out of my Instagram. A couple of them actually. I just copied it so it isn't the GIF and just a picture, but it made me laugh.

The other one made me laugh even harder. Why? Because he took a picture of us together, blacked everything out and then drew a sombrero and a mustache on me. Why? He just felt like drawing sombrero's on people. I guess I should feel honored that he thought of me to draw on? ha ha. Technology can be a distraction to life, but it can also be quite entertaining and bring a smile and a few good laughs. Just can't laugh out loud during church.

Cousin Hike to Cecret Lake - Take 2

So I don't get to see my cousins very often. I had just visited Trav in Indiana and then the next week he flew out to Utah to hang out with Dave and go to a wedding in St. George. So I got to hang out with Trav 2 weeks in a row! Lucky me! He was going to be here for a little over a week and while he was here he and Dave wanted to go on a hike. I'm always up for that. I'm also always up for leaving work early. So Tuesday we went on a cousin hike, just the 3 of us.

I actually meant to take them to Lake Catherine, because I hadn't done that hike yet and nor had they. I put it in my GPS and for some reason it took me to Cecret Lake. Although Dave and I had just done that hike a little over a month ago, we weren't mad about it. It was also a lot less crowded this time.

We saw moose last time we were there... and well, there was another one this time as well. This time it was a big bull moose. He was just laying down by the lake. Just doing his thing. I tried to get a good picture of him, but he was just too far away. I tried to get a little closer (as close as I thought safe) but he was too covered by bushes and such and still far away. Trav took this picture of me trying to get a closer look at the moose in the bushes.

I have been to this lake many times now, but I had never hiked above it, so I decided to do that this time while the cousins stayed down by the lake.

We left right after sunset and were back to the car before dark. Then we were down the mountain and went out to eat together and had the best nachos ever. It was great. I loved my cousin bonding time with Dave and Trav. They are so much fun. Love them.