Perfect Day

Since yesterday was wonderfully perfect, I must write about it, and explain why I call it perfect.  

First of all, I got to sleep in.  Until almost 10!  I haven't slept in that late in...a couple of weeks, at least.  Then our ward breakfast was cancelled, so Mindy and I made a big breakfast of hash browns, eggs, sausage, and toast.  It was delicious!  

Jerin came over, and we decided to go on a hike.  (Mindy and Kayla had both left for the weekend, at this point).  We drove up Provo canyon, stopped at Bridal Veil Falls, because I've 

never seen it, and then drove up past Sundance.  There was still too much snow to hike

 anywhere up there, but we had fun driving on the curvy mountain road, and got out and took some fun pictures.  Then we drove back down the canyon and went over to Rock Canyon.  We hiked up the trail a ways, but on our way back, we had a fun adventure hiking on the stream bed.  We did some scree jumping - jumping from boulder to boulder - and climbed over or under big fallen logs, etc.  After that awesome fun adventure, we had a picnic at the fields near Wyview [where we live] and threw a frisbee around.  The weather was so beautifully nice - around 60 degrees, and sunny, hardly any breeze - that we tried to be outside as long as we possibly could.  

 

Then I went to IFA to buy some gloves for tree climbing (success!) and did some homework (not 

as successful!)  Then Jerin came over and we ate some Banana Cream pie to celebrate Pi day!  It was delicious.  

And last, but not least, swing dancing!  I got there around 7, when the lessons start.  They taught us the Shim Sham, which is a sweet line dance created by Frankie Manning (who pretty much originated swing).  We practiced our team routine a bit too, since we'll be performing it on Tuesday (i'll try to get someone to video it).  Fun dancing, plus, Em Hardman showed up!  It was so much fun to hang out with her and Jessame Peterson.  

All in all, it was a wonderful, glorious, perfect day.  Being outside with such great weather, plus swing dancing to finish it off - what more could i ask for?!

Update and Outlook

It's been a while since I've posted anything here.  I figure the most significant thing during the interim was Andrew and Lindsay's wedding, and as a family have posted about 4 albums on Facebook, so I won't go over that now.  Suficeth to say, it was awesome.  I'm so excited to have a new sister!  Although the recepetion was ridiculously crowded, it was much fun to see people I knew but haven't seen in a long time (Aunt Kara, Mary Kirby, Kelsey Hahne, and everyone else).  One of my favorite parts was the awkward family pictures.  

Since then, I've gotten back into school, work, and dance.  Everything seems to be going fine, except the weather.   We had 60 degree weather for a couple of days, but then it snowed an

d pushed us back into the 20s and 30s. Brr.  I really just want it to be warm for good.  There are only about 6 weeks of this semester left.  It's gone by so fast! I'm so excited for this summer!  I've got such plans...

April - Finish with Finals (April 22).  Hike Mt. Timpanogas (probably April 24).  Mindy and I will move to our new apartment April 25.  Visit home for Lisa's wedding and stuff.

May - Finish Lisa's wedding and whatever other family stuff.  Work full time on the tree crew.  Run. Dance. Hike.  Go to a Swing Dance Camp in Seattle (May 28-30). (http://www.campjitterbug.com/)

June - Go to Europe with my Tina Sister and hang out with my family and the Smiths. 

 Work on the tree crew. Run. Dance. Hike. 

July - Work on the tree crew. Run. Dance. Hike.  Celebrate Alyna's homecoming.

July/August - Fly to Tennessee to visit roommate Kayla, and Mindy & Jeran, and Aunt Kara.  I don't know when, yet.

August - Work on the tree crew.  Run. Dance. Hike.

Sounds fun, ya?  I'm really excited for it all... :)

Harlem Nights

HARLEM NIGHTS SWING DANCING!

This weekend was awesome!!!  I got to go up to Logan to Harlem Nights, a big swing...convention...thing.  There was a Friday dance, and Friday Late Night Dance, Saturday Workshops, a dance, and a late night dance.  I learned a lot, met many fun new people, and had a ton of fun dancing.  I rode up with my friend from Swing Team, Derek, and his friend, Chani.  Chani and I had so much fun hanging out, and became great friends! 

  

I think my favorite part was the Friday Late Night dance, at Club NY.  I've never been to a dance club before, so that was sweet.  I loved meeting new people and trying to figure out what the guys were trying to lead (that often didn't work so well for me).  I did

 not like dancing with guys who didn't know how to dance.  That was uncomfortable and happened far too often.   

I didn't have my camera with me, so I didn't get many pictures, but thanks to cell phone camera capabilities, I did get a few.  This one is me and Chani with our new friend, Grant.  He was so much fun to dance with!

I might post more pictures and/or videos once other people have posted them on facebook.  

 My other favorite part of the weekend was watching the competitions and performances.  There were sweet moves - air steps (lifts and flips and stuff), and styling moves.  If I can find a good video of the intermediate or advanced competition, I'll post them so you all can see how cool swing dancing can be!  

I don't really know what else to talk about, so if you want to know more about something, let me know, and I'll discuss it in my follow-up blog (once I actually have some pictures).  

"Life is too short to wear shoes you can't dance in." 

My favorite little sister

Today's blog is dedicated to my favorite little sister.  Tina.   No, wait.   Alyna.  Yeah, that's right.  Alyna is my favorite little sister.  We have such great times together through the years.  Pretty much, we can always make each other laugh.  Here are just some of the ways we've entertained ourselves:

• Quoting. We quote books, movies, Psych . . . anything.  
• Playing random games - the alphabetical big word game, or guess the book character, 
• Write quotes on the whiteboard outside our rooms.
• Mime/sing/act songs with duct tape over our mouths, or by glueing our lips shut with a glue stick.
• Draw a face on my forehead.
• Reinact that scene from Mr. Bean's Holiday where the kid blows the handkerchief off his face.  Repeat like, twenty times.
• Laugh at everything at 3am.
• Talk.
• Watch Disney Channel
• Make up songs - the Presidents (Eisenhower through Bush), Vultures We Have Seen on High
• Sing songs really loudly and badly - You Are My Brother, 
• Try to use quotes from Psych in everyday conversation.
  
• Take much pictures of ourselves.
• Read.
• Send Facebook Flair to each other.
• Have song wars - each person sings a different song really loudly, and the first person to stop singing their song loses.
• Dance in the rain.
• Do anything random.  Especially late at night.
• Make up Yoga line dances.
• Alyna jumping into my arms. 
• Scare each other.
• Handclappy game.
• Collect cows.
• Sign language talking during church.
• Make faces at the little kids at church.
• Watch movies, commenting loudly on random trivia.
• Help our siblings and cousins make big piles of ourselves on couches and/or chairs.
• Hang out on the roof of our house.
• Try on prom dresses.
• And probably more...

Needless to say, we've had a lot of good times together.  Also, it really explains, or illustrates our motto: "Blessed are the easily amused, for they shall be amused." 

A short weekend in Cache Valley!

Last weekend my roommates and I took a trip up to Cache Valley.  It was Mindy, Kayla, and I (the three roommates), and April (Oh She Who Lives In Heritage Halls).  After a leisurely morning of test taking and studying, plus I went to the bridal fair with Lisa - which, for the record, was quite fun - we left around 2pm.   Naturally, the car ride was very entertaining, with no actual homework being done, despite the good intentions and plans.  After dropping off April and Mindy at their houses, Kayla and I went to the frat house so I could say hi to Andrew.  Turns out, we came right during the burial services.  It was rather snowy and muddy, so we didn't go to the graveside, but we paid our respects from the porch.  Poor Buddy.  Then we went to Grandma's.  Kayla and I studiously pulled out our homework and promptly fell asleep until shortly before our planned party.  

The party was the girls at Mindy's house.  Being us, we partied by talking a lot.  Then Sam called, so we went over to Villarreal's, where we proceeded to talk some more.  Mindy, Kayla, and I claimed the corner of the couch, ate lots of popcorn, and talked.  There was a point (ok, a long time) where we were half asleep, but someone would start singing, "The sun'll come out, Tomorrow! Bet your bottom dollar that tomorrow..."  I decided that we probably seemed pretty drunk.  Too bad we didn't get a picture or a video of that.   Mindy and Kayla and I all stayed at Grandma Briscoe's that night.  In the same room.  And all slept on the queen sized bed.  It made me think of Andrew's story about sleeping on the same queen bed as Garrett, with five feet and a wall of pillows inbetween them.  Quite a difference. 

Sunday we went to Sam's farewell, where he gave a wonderful talk and was supported by many girls, and not so many boys.  I was so happy to see my Tina sister!  It made us think about how soon our Alyna sister will be here!!!  After post-church naps, we went to Villarreals for lunch and talking, then around headed back to Provo around 5:30.  We stopped shortly at Grandma and Grandpa Hatch's, and got back to Provo around 8 after driving through a couple of hours of rain.  

All in all, a great weekend.  I really didn't get much homework done, but other than that, it was a good use of time, visiting with friends and family, and hanging out with roommates!

Summer

As a P.S., I should probably mention that I found out about the study abroad program. Finally.  It's a "No".  Kinda disappointed.  But I guess this means that I'll have more time to hike and make money and whatnot. I'm also wanting to go visit Kayla in Tennessee, since I suddenly don't have something huge I'm saving for.  July, maybe?  

Climbing!

This is probably the most exciting part of my life right now.  I've started climbing trees for work!  I first climbed (with gear and all that) last Friday, but quite frankly, I was terrible.  On Tuesday I just watched some of the guys climb while I was cleaning up.  I learned at lot by watching them, so by Thursday I was ready to try again.  I did much better.  Here's a picture of the sycamore I did all by myself.

I was up at the very top, at the crown.  It was Sweet!  Plus, I'm really a fan of the hand-saw leg sheath.  I think it's awesome looking.  And then today, I also climbed a sycamore.  I was up in the crown again, and I looked over at the nearest building and saw that I was higher up than the roof of the three story building.  Is that awesome or what!?!  Of course, they made me get out of the tree before I was done, because it was raining.  Apparently sycamores get really slippery and there are other safety hazards or whatnot.  Still, it was awesome. I was tree-climbing for over 5 hours this week!