Ya Vienen Los Cambios....

Life has greatly changed. In reality it has been a change in the making over the past seven years, but the culmination of many years of hard work finally arrived. Graduation. It happened. YAY!!!! That's right ladies and gentlemen, I finished. In answer to the inevitable question, no I did not walk. Honestly, I didn't see the point. I would have if my mom really had wanted to see it, but seeing as she was indifferent to the idea, I decided to skip it. Instead we went out and partied during the day, doing lunch, taking in a movie and having some nice family time. It still hasn't quite sunk it yet. I know it's all over, but in many ways I still feel like I am just on break between semesters.

Next piece of news.....drumroll please.....I have a new job!!! This is a fact which I consider a miracle with the state of the economy. This isn't the greatest time to be a recent college grad on the job hunt. As much as I have loved my job in foreign exchange, unfortunately there is not any room to grow, so I have been on the lookout for other options.

So here it is, my new official title/job. I am a project coordinator in the audiovisual department with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints!! In unofficial terms, I will be working with four different program directors who typically have between 40-60 projects at a time. My job will be working on the financial end making sure that projects are on schedule and on budget. I am so excited! This is a position that I think I can really enjoy and I am looking forward to working for the church. I start on the first of June on the 22nd floor. Check out my new office!! (Since all of you have never seen it before :)

Last but not least...after thirteen years I ditched the glasses and got myself contacts for my birthday. It's great! I bought sunglasses this weekend. First pair that I have ever had :) Here's one last photo of my naked face.

Some Random Things about Moi!

I'm sure some of these will make perfect sense, others might surprise you ;)

1. I'm an only child and when the subject comes up, I do everything in my power to convince people to never have just one kid!!!! Siblings are a GOOD thing, you siblinged people might not agree, but I guarantee you would miss them if they weren't there.

2. I tend to be dramatic... (see #1 ;)

3. People mock me for my laugh.....Honestly, it does tend to be loud and, well, boisterous.

4. I randomly burst into song at least five times a day.

5. I really enjoy my job. Call me a nerd but I find foreign exchange fluctuations fascinating.

6. Jazz intrigues me, but sometimes it gives me a headache.

7. I make up my own words to fit whatever I am trying to say (again, see #1)

8. I served my mission in Argentina and sometimes I feel a desperate ache to go back there.

9. I don't watch TV, however I love movies.

10. I could spend days and hundreds of dollars at Day Murray Music.

11. I have a blog, (obviously) but I am terrible at keeping it updated. (But hey, only three weeks between updates this time! That has to be a record!!)

12. I like dark chocolate and I find it hilarious that American's call it semi-sweet and German's call it half-bitter.

13. I love flowers. I often will buy them at the grocery store just to brighten up my kitchen. However, I tend to forget to water them. Gotta be better at that....

14. I love kitchen items. Plates, bowls, platters, rice cookers, serving dishes, pyrex, silverware, glassware, sometimes I just go and wander through kitchen sections for fun.

15. I have been to more foreign countries than US States.

16. One of my dreams is to sing a solo live with a full piece orchestra.

17. I want to live by the ocean again so I can see the sun rise or set every day. It never fails to be amazing.

18. I enjoy trying new things. However this has been an aquired joy and sometimes my inherant shyness comes out depending on the situations.

19. If I had disposible time and income, I would travel the world staying in places long enough to understand the local culture and see things beyond "the sights".

20. I love the color red. The deep red, not the funky orangie red.

21. Driving relaxes me. If I have had a stressful day, I often take the long way home. Which is usually accompanied by loud singing to whatever music catches my fancy at that moment.

22. Medically speaking, I am 5% permanently disabled. Car accident, long story.

23. I tend to be overly curious.

24. I need some "alone time" every day, even if it's just 15 minutes.

25. I've known since I was 15 that I wanted to major/work in business.

"I Won't Grow Up"

Okay so this is waaaay late, I truly had intentions of posting these pictures awhile ago, but hey, life happens. :) So as I mentioned in my last post, I had the chance to see my quasi-nieces and nephew over Thanksgiving. You know what, they're just going to be my nieces and nephews....it's easier :) So here are some pictures of the fun we had!!

Here is adorable Sara, I cannot be around this girl and not laugh, she is the definition of adorable and there is always a twinkle in her eye ;) And of course, Adam....

Here's Anna, just a bundle of fun. It's amazing how well she can remember where someone is ticklish....

I think this shot of Anna and Grandma Betty is priceless.

And we finally managed to get them all in one spot looking in one direction at the end!

Love ya kids!!

There's So Much to Be Thankful for.....

Well for those of you who have mentioned that I don’t keep up with the blog much, here’s a nice LONG update. Congrats to anyone who reads it all!! :)

First of all it was a marvelous Thanksgiving!! I love having family close and having a day to be with family and be grateful for all the blessings that we have. My cousin Lisa and her family were with us for some of the day and it was marvelous to spend time with them. I love being a pseudo-aunt and playing with these adorable kids as they somehow manage to find all of my most ticklish spots ;)

On a more serious note, in this time of gratitude I am so grateful for the knowledge we have of our Father’s plan for each of us and the help and guidance we can receive. As I approach graduation from college (after many a year :) I am coming to a crossroads that as a youth I somehow never thought that I would reach. I have an inherited fashion of trying to plan out everything in life…since I was twelve I’ve always seemed to have a five year plan, or at the very least a one year plan. But somehow, all of plans never extended past college and I now find myself having to stare down an uncharted and open road. With thousands of ideas rumbling around in my brain, I was jumping from one idea to the next with alarming frequency as I tried to decide where I should go and what I should do.

As of two weeks ago I was about 90% decided that I would move out of state upon graduation and search out new adventures. I felt comfortable with this decision and simply needed to search jobs and decide on a location. Possibilities included Washington D.C., Chicago, San Francisco, Seattle, and Hawaii. You’re probably wondering why Hawaii? Well, let’s face it; it would be loads of fun! However, as I sat in Relief Society last week a new plan forcefully came to mind. Ironically we were talking about living bravely and trying new things, even though we open ourselves up to failure, that we should step out and be bold. But, the thought came to mind to stay put. STAY PUT? What?!? While I found the prospect of moving somewhere new very exciting, I also wanted to force myself to grow a little more. To be more independent, to find new friends, learn a new city, all those lessons that come with new starts. So I was very surprised to have a strong prompting to stay put for at least another year after graduation. Nonetheless, it feels right. With the economy in limbo, financially speaking I am better off to stay here than to pack up and move. Also, by staying with Zions Bank for another year, I will have almost three years with the same company which is a strong reference for new jobs. I also felt that for various reasons there are connections here that need to be maintained and allowed to grow. On a completely different note, I also have ambitions to try out for the Tabernacle Choir next year, something that obviously can’t happen if I leave the state.

So while the plan is very different from the one I was charting out in my mind, I feel sure that there is a purpose for me here that I have yet to fulfill. Time will tell what that purpose might be….

The Things That Make Life Funny...

At the insistance of my friend Laureen, I am going to delight you with a peppy anecdote of my day. This is also in keeping with my once-a-month posting trend, which one day I'm sure will become more frequent....maybe ;)

So, randomly I saw Laureen and Rosa (friends and neighbors) as I was dropping off library books and I ended up giving Rosa a ride to work and Laureen came with me for my last errand to Chase to pay a bill and then on to work. Well as I was turning in the parking lot of Chase, I reached through my steering wheel to grab the bill (which I had previously placed on the dashboard in front of my speedometer) so I could be all prepared when I got to the drive-up window. However, despite my efforts to think ahead and have my bill ready, I didn't think far enough ahead to realize that I was in the middle of a turn and by putting my arm through the small section of the steering wheel, I ended up yanking my arm with the wheel!!! There is no way to fully describe this, but basically the wheel took my arm for a trip, which caused me to lose control (momentarily) of the car so I had to slam on the brakes and extract my arm so that my car would stop turning into a very solid cement building. At this point Laureen and I busted up laughing as we realized that I had just been taken hostage by an inanimate object. Moral of the story, be careful where you put your arm when you are driving... :)

Lluvia de Otoño

We had a tremendous rainstorm yesterday and today. It was fabulous. I had practically forgotten that rain actually existed. I went outside yesterday afternoon and just sat on a small wall outside our front door, getting soaked, listening to the wind in the trees, and breathing in the refreshing smell of the earth being washed clean. It was so invigorating. This morning I woke up and the rain was still pounding down as I lay in bed listening to it splatter off the leaves and ping against the drain pipe. Cuddled up under the covers with my nose getting cold helped excite me for leaves turning colors, sweaters, and the promise of holiday fun. When I got out of bed I walked in the living room to find my roommate sitting in the rocking chair with the window open listening to the rain. (A woman after my own heart, how awesome to have a kindred spirit roommate!!) We sat and watched and also turned on Debussy, which is very good rain music, just for the record. All in all, good moments. Which is what makes life worth living. :) Happy Fall everyone....

Moving and Settling

The move is done!! After a few days of preparatory work on the apartment (let's just say people have different definitions of "clean") it was time to move. My mom was very helpful in getting it ready and helping me move up all the boxes of stuff. Then this past Saturday with the help of family and some friends (thanks again SO much :) we moved up all of the furniture. I promise that I will post some pictures as soon as I find my camera cable, because I have yet to unpack everything. Honestly it might be awhile yet, because I have been slammed with projects for school in these weeks leading up until the end of the semester, so until the 23rd of July when everything will be over except for one final, there will be a lack of activity on the house settling front.

I love being in the avenues for several reasons. The atmosphere here is so nice, it's peaceful, eclectic, and neighborly. It is fantastic to live one block away from the library and being so close to work and school is very convenient. I like starting a new phase in life that I am sure will lead to different adventures, new friends, exciting challenges and new opportunities.

p.s. If any of you ever want a fun music listening experience, pick up something by Paolo Conte. Italian guy, nice vibe.