* birthday kids *

Kali and Kaleb turned 2!! We celebrated at Greg & Karen's with some pumpkin carving and mummy pizza's and mummy hot dog's.

Pumpkin & Piglet

Opening presents. Kaleb loved his trailers & Kali loved her Elmo

Kaleb & Kali blowing out the candles

..cabin time..

A few weeks ago me and my friends went down to Kelsy's cabin in Spanish Fork. We had lots of fun carving pumpkins, eating junk food, and of course watching scary movies (Hocus Pocus). We were lucky enough to have Kelsy's brother-in-law and Parker there to build a fire so we wouldn't freeze to death. Parker did a great job of keeping it going all night too.

Parker and I carved a Y.

Me, Kels, Heather, and Alisa with our pumpkins.

We forgot breakfast, so we had Butterfinger and Muddy Buddies.

Family Photo by the river.

Taking a walk and enjoying the beautiful fall leaves.

FUJI

A few ladies from work are going to FUJI for lunch today. I'm going with them. Fuji is a Japanese Steak and Sushi Bar... I've never tried sushi. Chances are good I won't be trying it today either. The thought of eating raw fish grosses me out. Maybe I'll try a bite. Doubt it though.

I'll let you know how lunch goes.

I know you're all wondering..

What is going on in my life?! Well, lots has happened since my last post, and even before that I left some stuff out. So here's to a little update. ---->

I found a job! Yes, back in June, a little late, I know. I am working as a receptionist at Med One Medical. It is a Sleep Laboratory, so they do studies to test for sleep apnea and such. Then they also sell Cpap machines, along with masks and supplies. So it's something I've never really known much about, but boy have I learned a lot in the month and a half I've been working there. It has been an overwhelming amount of information, but I think it's all sinking in pretty well, at least I hope. :)

My move down to Salt Lake was a quick one. I interviewed with Med One on Wednesday, got a call Friday morning to come in that afternoon for a second interview, got the job an hour after leaving, and started on Monday, two days later. So pretty much, I went home and packed up a bunch of clothes and necessary items and moved in with Karen and Greg. They were kind enough to let me cramp their style until I was able to find an apartment. Luckily, I was able to find one pretty quick and only had to bother them for about a month. {Thanks again Greg & Karen, I really appreciate it!}

So while living with Karen and Greg, I would come home and search online to look for apartments that were available. I checked out a few different locations and met a few different people. Some which were nice and seemed pretty normal, others who were, well, maybe normal to some, but not all... With the few that I looked at, there was one that I couldn't stop thinking about. So, I decided I'd give it a GO! I found it on Craigslist and was so nervous about it. Then I went to the Apartment complex to check it out and meet the girl who posted it. When I met her, I could tell right away that we could be great friends and that we'd get along. You could say it was meant to be. ;) [that's a little joke between Steph & me]. Anyway, so here I am, living with Steph and Alisa. I lucked out big time, because it's not everyday you find a normal person for a roommate, on Craigslist of all places! We live in a three bed, two bath apartment.

my apartment

the complex

It's a great location, easy to work, shopping, freeways, etc. I love it, and I love my roommates. We get along great and have a lot of fun together already! We have only been in our apartment for three and a half weeks, but it feels like it's been much longer than that!

I am getting ready to go up to Idaho tomorrow. My old roommate Lindsey is getting married on Friday! I'm so excited for her and Rob. They are a great couple and I couldn't be happier for them. I try to take the credit of their love, but I'm sure it wasn't all me. :) While I'm up there I'm also going to see my old roommate Kaylee! We lived together Fall 07 and worked together at the Admissions Office. She just returned from her mission in Nauvoo last week. It will be great to see her again after 18 months!!

Well, there's still much more that has happened that I am leaving out. OH! Like the fact that I CHOPPED my hair tonight! Yeah, it's gone. I like it. I think. I will let you know after I do it myself tomorrow. Pictures to come, eventually. We have internet at our apartment, but Steph hasn't quite set up the wireless, so I'm bumming off her laptop right now and that's why there are no pictures for your viewing pleasure. Apologies. Next time!

Bear Lake!

Saturday I was able to spend a beautiful day up at Bear Lake with Tessa and her dad, aunt, and cousin. We got out on the lake around 11:00 and spent the first couple hours wake boarding and enjoying the water. There were TONS of boats on the lake!! Around 1:00 the sky was starting to look pretty dark and scary. We decided to head back to the marina so we could get the tube out of the truck. As we were heading for the marina it was like a swarm of boats doing the same thing. I'm guessing everyone got worried about the sky and thought a bad storm was coming. But, no grey sky is going to stop us! We got the tube and headed back out on the lake. We just stopped and had lunch and by the time we were done, the sun was peeking out from behind the clouds and the sky had cleared up quite a bit! So, of course, the fun continued. Richard and I had a pretty intense tube ride, thanks to Tessa. Yesterday I was feeling it pretty good, my neck and shoulders were very sore! I also got a little sunburned, but that's okay. I had a ton of fun! Bear Lake is definitely one of my favorite places to go! I don't think I can ever get enough of that place, with the blue water and sunshine! Ah, it's perfect!! It helps that I love to swim, too. :)

Here are a few pictures from the day!

Weekend of the 24th

I'm alive, no worries. Just waaaaaaay out of the habit of blogging. Ooops. Last weekend I went up to Hyrum and stayed with Mom and Dad. It was nice to be back and see old friends. And it was especially nice to sleep in my, oh so comfortable bed back home.

Thursday I went to brunch at Angie's with Tessa. It's always great to catch up with old friends and talk about what's happening in life. Later, I went with Mom and Dad to look for bedroom furniture. We found a mattress, but I still haven't made a decision on a bed. I am trying to decide between two. One from IKEA, and one from Palmer Furniture in Logan. I'm going to try to go to IKEA tomorrow to check out the bed I want, and hopefully after seeing it I will be able to make my decision. :)

In between the furniture search I went to lunch at Beehive Grill with Micah, Cathy, and Scott. It was my first time eating at Beehive Grill. I thought my lunch was okay, but nothing spectacular. I did learn something exciting though. Micah is ENGAGED. He and Cathy are getting married in September. Congratulations to them! Micah and I have been really good friends since my Junior year in high school. So this is very exciting and great news that he's found someone!

Later that night, Nick and I took a drive to Bear Lake. It was just lovely. We went to a beach on the southwest side of the lake and just walked down to the water. Nick went swimming and I took pictures and waded in the water. It is really high this year, and Nick was out pretty far and the water was still only up to his thighs. Before heading back to Logan we stopped at La Beau's Too and got some shakes. Yum! I love La Beau's, and La Beau's Too was great because there was NO line, and it was the SAME shakes. It was great. After the deliscious shakes, we drove back to Logan. We made it just in time to meet up with Micah for the Fireworks at Willow Park. Nick borrowed my camera and caught some really cool shots of the fireworks.

Disneyland & California Adventures

Thursday we went to Disneyland and California Adventures. It has been over ten years since the last time I've been to Disneyland, and I'd never been to C.A. because it wasn't built back then... So, it was really fun for me to be able to go back and see the rides. It was fun thinking back to the things I remember from when I was younger, and also fun to see the new changes. We also saw some people we know! First, A.K. {initials will have to do since I have no clue how to spell his name} from the Utah Jazz. Second, Superman/Host of Ripley's Believe it or Not, Dean Cain w/his family. And third, the Hansen family from right here in Nibley, Utah!! That's right, out of thousands of people, we ran into Brett, Michelle, Carter, and Adisyn! What are the odds? But, not only did we see them, but we ran into them THREE times!! Seriously it was crazy, but so fun to see them! Adisyn was acting shy the first time we ran into them, silly girl. It was fun to see them outside of my house, especially in a place where I'm sure they just loved!

It was Kaleb's first time to Disneyland too. We took him on some rides, and I'm not quite sure what he thought about them. His face is pretty funny in a few of the pictures we caught. By the end of the day though, Kaleb was just happy to be running around and going down the slide in the little park in Toon Towne.

I absolutely love roller coasters and theme parks! At C.A. I went on Tower of Terror and the Screamin' ride. LOVED them both. I had to go alone though, because of party poopers that get sick! Ha ha. At Disneyland I went on Pirates, Splash Mountain, Indiana Jones {twice :)...}, Madder Horn, Thunder Mountain, and Winnie the Pooh! It was pretty busy and the lines were pretty long, so we didn't get to every ride, but, it was still awesome! I am ready to go back already! :)

Karen and Kaleb on Winnie the Pooh, Kaleb's first ride.

Karen & me on Main St.

Greg, Karen, & Kaleb

Karen, me, & Kaleb on A Bug's Life ride

Kaleb's cheeser!! Cute.

Newport Beach & Angel's Game

Our last day in California we decided to hit the beach, no matter what the weather was like. We went to Newport again since we knew exactly how to get there. It worked out quite nicely. We spent a few hours playing in the water and the sand. I loved it. I think the beach is one of my favorite places to go. I love being out in the water and playing in the waves. This time we took Uncle Burke's old boogie boards he has. It's been quite a while since I have been on a boogie board, and I didn't catch that many waves. But I did manage to catch a few and it was a lot of fun! Greg and Karen both gave the boogie boards a shot and had a blast too. While I was in the water, Karen and Greg would switch off watching Kaleb and swimming. Kaleb enjoyed playing in the sand and just running around. He did like the water, although it was a little cold for him. His teeth were chattering, so we didn't keep him in the water too long. The water was really cold though! That first time the waves hit your feet, ahh, freezing! And making your way in deeper is bad too! Karen and I were going to run and just dive in to get it over with, but I chickened out. The waves hit me enough though, so after being in for a while I finally took a dive under a wave. After that it was warmer under the water than out! We didn't get a whole lot of sun on Friday, but we still had a great time.

Kaleb and I enjoying the sand. Kaleb decided to kiss it. Silly boy.

Kaleb hanging out on the beach. Greg and me waiting to catch some waves with the boogie boards!

After spending the day at the beach we went back to Uncle Burke's to get ready for the Angel's game and tailgate party. My cousin's husband, David, got us tickets for the Angel's vs. Padres game Friday night. It was great! The Angel's beat the Padres 11-6 {if I remember right}. Before the game David's co-workers threw a tailgate party with yummy hot dogs and salads and nachos and other snacky foods. It was fun to eat and visit with family before the game. We were able to see David & Lauriann with Kylie and Chad, and also Michelle and Ryan. It's been a long time since I've seen them, so it was really fun.

Aunt Mary, me, Karen, Kaleb, Greg, & Nathan at the tailgate party.

The Gunnell Fam

Watchin' (kind of) the baseball game. Karen, Kaleb, Brittany, & me.

apologies

i know i haven't been updating like i should, or at all for that matter. i just got back from spending a week in California with Greg, Karen, and Kaleb. we had a great time and i will post pictures and write about it as soon as i can get them on the computer!

[post] grad stuff

well it's been a month now since graduation, and since the last time i updated! i feel like this month has flown by, but at the same time, lasted so long? weird.

i am still in search of a job. a few weeks ago i went to salt lake and stayed with my sister, jill. while i was there i called some places to see if they were hiring. i was able to get an interview and even a job offer out of it. however, the job did not pay near what i should get paid... especially for having a college degree. so i turned the offer down after thinking about it for a few days. i feel good about the decision. now i am back to square one, with pretty much nothing. that is the downside of things. after a month of living at home and not having a job, i am feeling so ready to start working and move into my own apartment. i love my parents and they make living at home easier, however, my social life is not what i would like it to be, and i am just ready to have my OWN place. i am facing the dilemma of when to move and where to move. since i don't have a job yet i'm not sure where to move because of location. i am just feeling ready to start my life and having a hard time with patience right now. big test for me, that's for sure.

when i haven't been looking for a job i've been trying to stay busy with other things. last weekend i spontaneously decided to go to rexburg to visit. my weekend trip ended up lasting until wednesday. i loved being back! just being around my friends again, in such a social, comfortable setting. that's what i've known for four years, so i like it. but, by wednesday i was ready to come home. as much as i loved being there i need to move on from rexburg. the time spent there was so great and i love thinking about all the memories! but now it is time to make new memories in a new place! just gotta find out where that place is going to be... haha.

{some pictures from my rexburg visit}

{i even got to see lauren and dayna! love them!}

and finally...

on my way home the car hit

66,666 miles!!

eeek!

So long BYU-Idaho!

It is official- I am a COLLEGE GRADUATE. Woot!! Now I guess that means it is time for me to grow up and get a real job. Oh dang. Actually I probably won't really grow up for a while. This is a weird feeling. I don't feel old enough to be a college graduate, but turns out, I am. Who would'a thought?!

Graduation was awesome! Started out Friday morning at Commencement, with all the graduates. We got to hear from President Clark (Pres. of BYU-I) and from Elder Neil L. Andersen of the Quorum of the Twelve. They both had great words of advice and hope for the graduates. After that we made our way up to the Taylor Building for my College's Convocation. It was actually pretty awesome because President Clark and Elder Andersen came to my convocation too. So, I got to hear from them twice. Then, President Clark awarded me with my diploma (cover) and Elder Andersen was right behind him shaking hands with all the graduates. It was just an awesome day! Dad had my camera and wasn't quite sure if he got any pictures or not, but luckily he snagged a great one with me shaking Elder Andersen's hand! [see picture]. So cool! The day just ended up being great. After Convocation I took Mom and Dad to the Admissions Office and introduced them to my supervisors, past and present. Then we went to the new Bookstore and I got some sweatpants [which i absolutely LOVE]. After that I took them to the Clarke Building, where I spent most of my time because that's where the Child Development Department is located. I had to pick up a handbook for one of my classes, then I introduced them to a few of my teachers. I think they liked seeing where I spent my days and who I associated with. Finally, we went and took some pictures in the Hart Building. I spent a lot of my time in there too, either watching basketball, playing dodgeball, or working out! I sure am going to miss having access to a FREE GYM. Sigh. I hope the weather warms up enough so I can be able to run outside regularly! I am definitely going to miss a lot about living in Rexburg and attending BYU-Idaho! But, I think I'm ready for a new adventure in my life. The last four years sure have been great and I have some great memories that I'll never forget. But it is time to move on to bigger and better things [so they say at least].

Thanks for all the memories BYU-I!! It's been fun!!

countdown.

in 35 minutes i will be done working for the BYU-Idaho Admissions Office. it's realy starting to hit me. i have worked here throughout my entire four years and have loved it. i couldn't have asked for a better job with better people than the admissions team. (jessica has given us the name, "team admissions"). i have met some wonderful people and formed great relationships that i will never forget.

i have one last paper to finish and my last final tomorrow morning at 8:00 am. if i finish my paper today, i will be done with college tomorrow by 9:30. (if i procrastinate, i'll probably be done by 1:00 pm). :) after finishing these final assignments all that is left for me to do, which i am dreading and putting off on purpose, is to pack up my stuff and clean. i have not even started packing and don't really plan on starting until tomorrow afternoon. yes, i am a procrastinator, but like i said, i'm good at it.

Graduation is Friday morning at 9:00 am. The newly called Apostle, Elder Neil L. Andersen will be speaking at Commencement. i don't know about you guys, but i think that is pretty neat. then, i will be walking at convocation at 11:00 am. then, i will be a BYU-Idaho College Graduate. weird. i don't know where the last four years have gone. i feel like i just started college not that long ago. definitely not long enough to already be graduating from it.

what now you ask? well, that is still up in the air. after graduation i plan on driving back to logan and moving home for the time being. i am looking for jobs down in the salt lake valley, more specifically the sandy/draper area. (but really i'll take anything). i have applied to a few different job openings within a few preschools. we'll see what happens with them. this is a scary thing, mainly because of the unknown that is out there. not knowing where i'll work, where i'll live, etc, etc. but, after a long journey of being in school, i am really excited to be DONE.

to my sister

[we're a little sun-kissed after a beautiful day for a wedding]

today is my biggest sister's birthday.

we are 10 years, 1 day, and 1 minute apart.

she is awesome and amazing and i love her very much.

because we have our birthdays right next to each other

we have always celebrated them together for years.

now that she has her family and i'm in college,

we aren't always able to celebrate together,

and let me just tell you, it's weird.

i liked always celebrating and sharing parties.

{happy birthday Jill, i love you!!}

[i am currently at work and these are the only photos i had of jill]