2012, It's Very Nice To Meet You, My Name's Jamie...

I realized today that 2011 is over in one more day. I seriously can't even believe it! It seems like just yesterday that I was getting all excited to go out and be a trucker!! It turns out that it was actually a while ago...

This year was pretty amazing though, on loads of different levels and I loved (almost) every moment of it!

What does this year have in store for me? Who really knows, but I am super excited to find out!

I was toying with the idea of creating a 20-12 in 2012 list, but it just wasn't flowing. Then my good friend Zach suggested something that I loved-my new years resolution this year is to live like the world really is going to end in 2012. If it doesn't, that's great, if it does (by some freak coincidence) then at least I will be able to say that I lived it up while I could!

There are so many things that I'm so excited about for this next year, the biggest is probably a pretty epic trip that's beginning to take shape. It's not all finalized, but here's a hint....

Yeah, this is happening this year. I can't even begin to describe how excited I am for 2012 :)

Aroha
XOXO

Better Late Than Never

I came to the realization that not once during Thanksgiving did I voice out loud, to the universe what I'm thankful for.

I'm thankful for my kick ass siblings-there's no on in the world that I'd rather be around for the rest of my life than those two. Seriously, they're my best friends. There's no one else that I laugh as hard with as I do with them. Janae and Kyle. I'm pretty much their biggest fan.

I'm thankful for my parents-even though as you grow up you realize that your folks are every bit as human as you, and even with as hard as that is to come to peace with; there's still no two people who I admire as much as those two as individuals. They have character and stand by what they believe in no matter what. That's pretty cool if you ask me.

I'm thankful for Nitro, Daisy and Gypsy-yeah I'm that girl that gives shout outs to her pets in her thankful list. No creatures on Earth bring me as much unconditional joy as those three, their personalities are so pure and full of just LOVE that I can't help but be in awe of them and love them straight back.

I'm thankful for living in the wild west-the instant access that I have to the great outdoors never ceases to blow my mind. There's no claustrophobia going on out here where the sky is broken only by the jagged peaks of my beloved mountains. The instant soul renewal that I get whenever I take the time to slow down and really take it all in is something that I wouldn't trade for the world.

I'm thankful for my age-I fully realize how this sounds coming from a 22 year old, however looking back at myself even over the course of the last year I have grown SO much! It seriously amazes me. As much as I talk about growing up too fast, and as much as I wander aimlessly more often than not; I wouldn't change a thing about it. With age comes stories and memories and I truly love them all.

I'm thankful for amazing friends-the safety net that they provide me with has caught me more times than they probably even know. They love without judgement and are there without questioning, they seriously amaze me. The memories that I have with them could fill multiple novels, and serve as a mold for who I am today. They are always there when I need them, no matter how moody I happen to be that day. If that's not what best friends are, then I don't know what is.

I'm also thankful for-camping, star gazing, trucks, nail polish, my i pod, having a job, hiking, yoga, hammocks, movies, gyms, America and England, pillows, messy hair, sweats, plants, books, bare feet, coffee, road trips, no plans, and world peace.

AROHA

My Favorite Christmas Song

Do you remember me?
I sat upon your knee.
I wrote to you with childhood fantasies.
Well, I'm all grown up now,
But still need help somehow.
I'm not a child but my heart still can dream.

So here's my lifelong wish,
my grown-up Christmas list,
not for myself, but for a world in need:

No more lives torn apart,
and wars would never start,
and time would heal all hearts.
Every one would have a friend,
that right would always win,
and love would never end:
This is my grown-up Christmas list.

As children we believed
the grandest sight to see
was something lovely wrapped beneath the tree.
Well, heaven surely knows
that packages and bows
can never heal a hurting human soul.

No more lives torn apart,
and wars would never start,
and time would heal all hearts.
Every one would have a friend,
that right would always win,
and love would never end:
This is my grown-up Christmas list.

What is this illusion called the innocence of youth?
Maybe only in our blind belief can we ever find the truth!

There'd be...
No more lives torn apart,
and wars would never start,
and time would heal all hearts.
Every one would have a friend,
that right would always win,
and love would never end:
This is my grown-up Christmas list,
this is my only lifelong wish,

This is my Grown-up Christmas List

I know that this isn't a "traditional" Christmas song, but I love it anyways. It speaks to my soul. Ha, really though. I also love The Christmas Song as far as the oldies go, in case you were wondering :)

Aroha

Learning About Myself

We decorated for Christmas last night and I made a self discovery:

When I'm given free reign to decorate however I want, I like it to feel like a Christmas Tree threw up all over my house. I truly cannot get enough of garland!! Call this my hippie roots coming out and my love of nature shining through-whatever it is, I don't care, all I know is that I'm in heaven.
There's garland over every doorway, around every window and across multiple framed pictures and it's FANTASTIC!!
My sister it seems has an obsession as well, it's called lights and sparkly tinsel.

Oh yeah, our house is ready for Christmas.
Bring it on.

Big Decisions...

As much as I love the holidays no matter what the conditions, when finals are coming up, it kind of throws a kink in my holiday spirit. When you take into consideration the fact that I have fallen dangerously behind in my classes on top of the fact that I've lost any and all motivation that I had for school....
...let's just say it's shaping up to be an interesting end of semester.


Which leads me to question what the hell I'm doing going to college. My track record has shown that I obviously don't enjoy it; I'm not getting towards anywhere I want to be any faster by being there. So what's a girl to do?


I'm not going back to SLCC next semester. I don't love what I'm doing, so why keep doing it, right?
I'm looking into the possibilities of trade schools or just packing up and moving. I'm beginning to get a bit stir crazy anyways....


Who knows?

Good deed saves a fellow motorist's life | ksl.com

Good deed saves a fellow motorist's life ksl.com

Coincidence that this shows up the day after my commitment?
I think not.

My Personal Commitment

Yesterday I discovered the most amazing blog in the whole wide world.

http://the-abandoned-dog.blogspot.com

It's a tragedy turned miracle for a little dog that they call Tad. It comes down to the fact that a vet tech found him on a stretch of country road, abandoned and in a horrible state covered in sores and infections and inflicted with all sorts of parasites. She picked him up and with love and the help of the vet staff, nursed him back to health. Not going to lie, I was sort of a mess when I was watching the videos on the site. (I made Nitro and Daisy sit with me so I could have my puppies with me just so I knew that they were alright.) It started me thinking...

I was driving home from school tonight singing as loud as possible in my car with my heater blasting, thoroughly enjoying my evening. Then I noticed orange traffic cones in the far right lane and saw (as I hurtled past) a trucker standing in the freezing cold with a truck that obviously was out of commission for the moment. In that instant, I didn't feel anything but a snotty sense of superiority because my vehicle was still working. Then I realized that this trucker could easily be my own Dad on any given day. As my heart was sinking upon this realization, I knew that I had gone too far to pull over and help this gentleman, however my brain doesn't stop at times like these and I had already figured out that although you hear horror stories all of the time, this was a major interstate where I was unlikely to get abducted or attacked and I could send a mass text to people I'm close to just in case AND I always carry pepper spray with me. I had run out of excuses to not help based on "safety concerns."

As if I wasn't already feeling bad enough about not pulling over to help someone in need, I was thinking back on my day; I visited two very important people in my life, both of whom have gone on to the other side and both of whom wouldn't have even thought twice about turning themselves around and going back to help. Awesome. I'm an awesome person.

So here it is, my personal commitment; not only to myself, but to everyone and everything around me.

For the rest of this year (approximately 53 days) if I see someone on the side of the road for any legitimate reason, I will pull over and offer my assistance. I will also aide any animal that I see that is in need. No questions asked.

Don't worry, I will be smart and safe about it. I'm not going to go getting kidnapped. However, for how much preaching I did last post about the holidays and the great feeling that comes with them, I realized tonight that I sure don't help spread the joy much. Although pulling over to offer assistance may seem a bit strange coming from a blond girl who very obviously doesn't know a thing about cars and will probably make me insanely uncomfortable, I'm confident that this will make me a better person in the long run and that it will make my holiday season more merry :)

AROHA
(feel free to spread the love)

IT'S THE HOLIDAYS!!!!

Guys, I haven't blogged in a while, sorry about that, but on to bigger things...

IT'S THE MOST WONDERFUL TIME OF THE YEAR!!!!

Yeah, I'm totally one of those people who starts the holiday season at the beginning of November. I don't forget about Thanksgiving, believe me it's one of my favorite holidays; I just love the big 4 (Thanksgiving, Christmas, Boxing Day and New Years) so much that I roll them all into one all encompassing party time!! Two whole months of happiness and joy. That's how I roll.

To celebrate today, we started a simmer pot that was composed of cinnamon sticks, orange peels, clove and maple. It turns out that maple isn't my favorite combo in this situation, but of course, it turned out wonderfully anyways! I bought some apple and cinnamon candles and lit them all over. (It was at this point that Kyle informed me that I had too many good smells going on all at once. Ugh. Holiday buzz kill.) We bought the Michael Buble Christmas CD that just came out, best money I've spent all year. Janae and I currently have a holiday-colored-homemade funfetti cake in the oven which we created to Michael's beautiful voice. On the down side, we attempted to make apple chips covered in cinnamon last night...they didn't so much turn out. (Props to Zach W. here for eating not one but two of them...what a good guy.) 

It's been a fantastic kick off to the holidays!!! Not to mention that our house smells like like candies all of the time thanks to my mothers yummy chocolates!! (This weeks treat straight from Ascot Royale's kitchen were caramel and chocolate dipped apples. Soo delicious!) So from here on out it's all holiday spirit all of the time from me. Prepare yourself world!!!

Aroha

The Basics

http://youtu.be/rNu8XDBSn10

Everything I ever wanted to know about my country.

Meet the Prime Minister

Remember how yesterday I didn't even know the Prime Minister? This is David Cameron.
No, I don't know about his politics. No I don't know about his voting record. No I don't know whether he's English, Welsh, Scottish or Northern Irish. However, I do know his name.

Citizenship

cit-i-zen-ship [sit-uh-zuhn-ship]

noun

1. the state of being vested with the rights, privileges and duties of a citizen.

2. the character of an individual viewed as a member of society; behavior in terms of the duties, obligations and functions of a citizen

Did you catch that? "Vested with the rights, privileges and duties of a citizen. What does that even mean??

IdEnTItY cRiSIs!!

Just the other day I was writing a paper for my Anthropology class, in which I had to personally define my culture. I decided on the wording "I'm an American citizen who is insanely proud of her British heritage." I decided on that definition because it was the perfect wording for me.

It held for about 5 days.

I've been bugging my Mum for months to call the British consulate to figure out what I needed to do to get my dual citizenship. I was thinking along the lines of take some tests, maybe submit a paper on why I felt I would make a good citizen, possibly identify a legit Cadbury's chocolate bar among some impostor bars...you know, typical citizenship stuff. I was more than happy to do whatever was necessary for me to get that passport! So, you can imagine my surprise when my Mum texted me in class informing me that I had in fact been a citizen of the UK since the day that I was born. I was super stoked! I even told my friend sitting next to me about it because it was so cool! I told my friends who I was texting at the time, and I figured that was that.

Ha. Yeah right.

Here's the deal, I have taken my citizenship here in the US pretty seriously for a 22 year old blond girl. I pride myself on the fact that I could pass the citizenship test with flying colors if I needed to, I vote (and not just that, I vote responsibly ever since that one time that I based my vote on who had the coolest name and I seriously stress about it even now. Lesson learned.), I try and stay informed about the issues facing the country and I'm making choices now so that I can stay informed and be a contributing member of society later in life. So when I started thinking about the fact that I was essentially handed citizenship to a country that I love and hold very dear to my heart, I started thinking about my responsibility to England, and in turn the United Kingdom.

Honestly, I couldn't even tell you who the current PM is over there. I have missed out on 22 years of events, government and cultural experiences! My mind began racing as I started realizing all of the things that I was going to have to learn to even begin to feel right about claiming my citizenship! I immediately went home and found a sample Living in the UK test and took a quick pre-test if you will. 38%. There was no way that was going to cut it, so I printed the questions and answers and set out to study. Step one, check!

What is step two you're asking? Honestly, I'm not totally sure. My OCD has kicked itself into overdrive on this one, and I haven't stopped thinking about step two since about noon today. (Ask my co-workers, it was a confusing day at best in Jamieville.) Here's the thing, I truly believe that every person in a society should be an informed, contributing member. I don't believe in following blindly because everyone else is doing something one way, and I also don't believe that freedom and rights are something that should be taken for granted. Neither is the opportunity to be a true member of any society. Especially where it's almost a gift in my eyes right now. I've always been so so proud of my being English by blood, it's something that I've allowed to define me in many ways, and the thought of being able to maybe one day work to become a legal part of that was something that I've thought about for years. Now that I've found that all of that has technically been a part of my life since the day that I was born, I feel like it's not something I should just be throwing around, and it's made me stop and think about how I'm going to redefine MY culture. 

At what point will I feel comfortable completely embracing being a citizen of the UK? What steps do I have to take to get to that point? Is just studying and memorizing facts and figures enough? Or is this something that's going to take some real world application? Should you be required to live in a country in order to be able to claim your citizenship? What even defines citizenship? Is it a purely technical term that simply refers to the country that you were born in/live in/came from? Probably most importantly, why on EARTH is this causing me so much confusion?

All I truly know for sure is that I am ecstatic about the fact that a piece of me (who knows what piece at the moment) truly belongs to England now and forever officially. How I am going to let this define my life now, remains to be seen. But I've always said that I don't dig the mundane so much, this may just be another way of the universe kicking my butt into gear and making me think outside of the box; and honestly, I wouldn't have it any other way. 

I love America AND I love England.
And I love you guys.

Aroha :) 

My ADD in Action...

So, that whole "30 Day Challenge" was super fun, for about five minutes. I still love the idea of it, but I feel like 15 (or whatever number I actually got to) is probably as good as it's going to get. You know what? I'm ok with that!

Update on what's going on in my world:
*School is great. Ha, seriously though, I don't mind it all that much. My classes require a massive amount of reading and papers, lucky for me though, I can handle myself in those areas pretty gracefully, so I'm not getting too overwhelmed.
*Work is great too. I'm pulling in close to full time hours, which is great for my bank account, not so great for my sanity sometimes on top of school, but I figure, if I weren't running around between the two, I'd probably just be sitting around surfing the web and bumming around my house, so it's probably not such a bad thing that I'm busy....probably...

*The gym is a work in progress anymore. I ended up winning the competition that we had at my work which means that I (theoretically) won a free year at Skills. Too bad for me while we were in the middle of the competition a Disney villain took over the place and is kind of a meanie and may not make good on the deal. (Disclaimer: I love Skills as a gym and most of the people there, it's just the one rotten apple that ruins the whole bunch!) I did go twice this week. Go me!
*I have been trying to be more creative in my life, I love creating things, the hard part is finding time to fit it in! So it's become a weekend activity. Sometimes I just dont' feel like doing anything by the time the weekend hits though...
*Which leads me to my social life. I'm super lame anymore and I go to bed early and I don't go out. I have narrowed my friend circle down to only the most important ones getting to hang out with me (you're welcome if you've been selected). On the plus side, my good friend Sara got home from her mission this week!!! Yay! It was so great seeing her again!!

That pretty much is an update on the last month in my life. I bet you didn't see all of that excitement coming, did you?

AROHA

Think different

Wow. That's all. Just wow.
I want to be one of these people.

A Hobby of Mine...

Plants! I love plants of all sorts, indoors or outdoors, I don't care where they're at, I love them all. I have quite a collection of house plants in my room, they make me feel so happy! Our backyard is probably my favorite place on Earth, I love all of the different plants that are growing out there! There's nothing better than being outdoors surrounded by plants, trees, flowers, grass, I don't care, any foliage is fantastic!

I Pod Shuffle...

1-In My Head by Mayday Parade
2-Half of My Heart by John Mayer
3-Catalyst by New Found Glory
4-Never Alone by Jim Brickman and Lady Antebellum
5-Break Me Out by The Rescues
6-Jack Sparrow by The Lonely Island with Michael Boulton
7-#1 by Nelly
8-Honkeytonk U by Toby Keith
9-Twisted by Carrie Underwood
10-Never Say Never by Justin Beiber and Jaden Smith

Can I please say how much I LOVE that Never Say Never happened to make it onto the list. Yes. I look soooo cool right now.

A Habit I Wish I Didn't Have...

COUNTING!!
I count absolutely everything! Sometimes it can be almost handy, it helps me remember things at times, but for the most part it is incredibly annoying. In high school they diagnosed it as OCD, I don't know how I feel about that diagnosis, but whatever causes it, it's semi exhausting!! My love of odd numbers and my disdain of even numbers really comes into play here because I spend a lot of my time trying to figure out how to make groups of things have an odd number of items in them. Truly though, I think I'd be just fine without this little habit...

A Photo Of My Family...

We're not a big photo family, we never have been. I think I remember one time growing up when we had a real, professional family picture taken. So this is as good as it gets :)

The Next Three Items on my Bucket List...

1) Go skydiving!
     I have been seriously talking about doing this one for the past year and half at least and yet I haven't quite done it yet...I should just do it already!

2) Get my college degree!
     I put this one as one of my next three because I was functioning under the "get it in, get it done" concept and then I went back to school a couple of weeks ago and I'm really enjoying myself. I've got myself to submit to the idea that I'm going to have to get a masters if I keep going with International Studies as my major. I think it might be worth it...just as well I didn't specify which degree I was going to get. Phewf.

3) Learn to play the guitar!
    I was dedicated to this one for a good solid two weeks earlier this year, I lugged that thing from LA to Phoenix and everywhere in between. I spent hours strumming it (much to my Dad's dismay I'm sure)...I had even gotten calluses on my fingers! (The true sign of a legit guitar player) Then I let myself get distracted. I'm re-dedicating myself starting tomorrow. Just as well my cousin was playing it the other day so it's already tuned.

My Dream House...

My dream house is the one that the Braverman's own on Parenthood. I LOVE IT.

I love everything about this house. I love the yard, it's wooded but not too overcrowded, plus they have the lights strung from the trees (which I adore) and an awesome outdoor table that's BIG. The interior is rustic, but modern enough to not seem old and dank. I truly can't describe it nearly well enough to do this house justice. You should probably just watch Parenthood on NBC Tuesday nights at 9 pm. (I should probably get a kickback for that awesome plug.)

I Suck At Counting...

...so I'm not going to anymore. No more counting days. So, for today's post it's all about what I did today! I slept in this morning until 6:40 am, then I got up got ready and headed out the door for school. At school I ran into an awkward acquaintance, got chased down and asked for my number by a sort of weird boy, I got told that my hair looked "tamer" today than usual and got picked out of one of my classes to read a paper in a "valley girl" voice because I'm the only blond. I love SLCC. At work I felt kind of sick, but luckily that went away because it was a typical Monday busy, busy! Then I went to the gym, looking and feeling pretty sick, which worked out fabulously because it turns out that it was a high school reunion of all the boys I've ever known ever. Yes. Good old Mondays.

Day Thirteen...

A favorite quote.

"There is no need for temples, no need for complicated philosophies. My brain and my heart are my temple; my philosopy kindness." Dalai Lama

Day Twelve...

Favorite books.

There are far too many to count! Walden by Henry David Thoreau is definitely at the top of the list, along with The Tao Te Ching by Lao Tzu, Eat Pray Love by Elizabeth Gilbert and anything by the Dalai Lama. I love Gabrielle Bernstein and her take on modern day spirituality, her book Add More -ing To Your Life is one of my favorites and her new book Spirit Junkie comes out on Tuesday (yes, I will be buying that very day). I love historical fiction, The Memoirs of Cleopatra by Margaret George, The Greatest Knight by Elizabeth Chadwick and the follow up book The Scarlet Lion were both great, as were The Heretic Queen, Nefertiti: A Novel and Cleopatra's Daughter all by Michelle Moran, I love them all.

Day Eleven...

My favorite food.

CHOCOLATE.

Anything chocolate. Pure chocolate is best, but I'm an equal opportunity chocoholic. Chocolate cake, chocolate ice cream, chocolate cupcakes, chocolate chip cookies, double chocolate cookies, chocolate creamer in coffee...you name it, I love it.

Day Ten...

A favorite movie. (Seriously, these "favorites" days make my head hurt. I can't narrow it down.) I'm always a big fan of Ocean's 11. I love High Society with Grace Kelly, Bing Crosby and Frank Sinatra. I love How To Lose A Guy in 10 Days, it's my favorite chick flick ever. The Bourne trilogy always keep my attention. Harry Potter marathons always make me smile and return to my youth... Cinderella (the one with Brandy, Whoopi Goldberg and Jason Alexander) is one that I have memorized word for word, and that my sister and I love singing as loud as we can to. The Departed is always on the list. The Hangover is a classic that I would feel like a bad person for not including here....I really have only discovered the love of watching movies the past couple of years, so my list probably isn't as long as some others may be...

Day Nine...

A favorite song.

How about a couple favorite songs?

Ok, sure.

It is one of the most talked about topics in my life, how Shakira is unnaturally favored by God because she got this unbelievable trifecta of amazing looks, wicked hips and an other worldly voice-all jealousy aside though, Gypsy is hands down one of my favorite songs. The words literally explain what's going on in my head all of the time. Love. There will always be a special little corner of my heart reserved for Peace of Mind by Boston, that song never ever gets old. Sound of Sunshine by Michael Franti is an all time fan favorite in my world. Anything Bob Marley makes me feel that every little thing is gonna be alright. No one makes me want to shake it to a country song like Luke Bryan does. Donovan Frankenreiter is quickly climbing the list to my all time favorites along with newcomer Trevor Hall.

Pretty much music makes my world turn and there are far too many options to list here.

Day Seven....

Something I want to buy.
Books! Always books. Especially now, I've told myself that I have to start taking advantage of the library-because I'm saving myself money that way. But there's something about having my own book that a rented one can't replicate. So I've made myself a deal, if I get the book from the library first and I truly love it (as in, can't live without it) then I'll allow myself to buy it from the book store after I've tried to find it cheaper online.
It's just as well I'm good at bargaining with myself.

I'm Off...

I messed up on counting on my blog titles...I suck.

Day Five...

Something I bought recently...a Mr. Coffee maker.

I'm in love.

Day Four...

10 Pet Peeves

1-Stupid Drivers. Seriously though, I think there should be a mandatory stupidity test that everyone has to pass before they're allowed on the roads. Some people astound me.
2-People With Big LOUD Opinions. We're all entitled to them, however, there's a time and a place and an audience that we should share them with. Not at the I Hop while you're having pancakes.
3-Guys Wearing Girl Pants. Girl pants are made for girls. Guys, you have your very own section to shop in. Use it.
4-Feminists. Men and women are different, anatomically, emotionally and personality wise. We do not need to be 100% equal, that doesn't mean that women should have to play Suzie homemaker, however I enjoy getting my oil changed for discount prices because I'm a lady.
5-Reality TV Stars. They shouldn't be famous. They haven't done anything.
6-News Media. There's so many slants, aiming so many different directions, you're never getting the up and up.
7-The "Hit It And Quit It" Type of Guys. They give all other guys a bad name and they're just jerks.
8-College Degree Required. I hate that I have to go to years of school and pay a small fortune just to be considered for jobs. I like the apprenticeship idea. Let's go back to that.
9-Semi Haters. Seriously, lay off the big guys. They can't gain the speed as quickly as us little guys can. They have blind spots. We know these things, so don't get so upset and be dumb around them!! They're hauling 80,000 pounds of stuff, so no, they can't stop as fast as you when you zip in front of them.
10-"Album Only" Songs on Itunes. Really, you can't just let us buy the damn song?!

Day Four...

Something I crave...

VaRieTY!!

I cannot begin to describe how it goes in my head, but it's a constant search for new adventures, thoughts, people, ideas, places, anything.

Nothing is worse than the mundane.

No one should live it a "going through the motions" life.

That's not living.

Experience your life.

Day Three...

Favorite Picture

Ok, so it's definitely my favorite picture for now. My favorite picture is changing all of the time. But seriously, who wouldn't want to shimmy at this shin dig?!



Day Two...

Changes Within A Year

As I was looking through pictures from last year, I found this one that was posted almost to the day a year ago. It seems fitting that two of my bff's are in the picture with me and so is Brynleigh, Lindsay and Justin's beautiful baby. These guys have been a huge part of my last year and so it was also fitting that I found this super cute picture for this year...

(Too bad Jade's not in it too.)

First of all, for changes in a year just look at Bryn now! So big! Haha as far as changes for me go, here it is.

This time last year I had just moved home from St. George. Now I'm happily living in Bountiful.

Then I was all mixed up trying to create a plan because I didn't want to go on a mission anymore. Now I don't affiliate with any church (a year gives you lots of time to think and ponder).

Then I was debating school and decided not to go. Now I'm enrolled full time.

Then I was working at Zions Bank in peak time. Now I'm working at Zions bank at the Centerville branch.

Then I had two dogs. Now I have two dogs and a cat.

Then I had lots of friends. Now I have a few very close friends.

Then I was addicted to Gossip Girl. Now I'm addicted to Parenthood.

Then my siblings and I liked each other. Now we're best friends.

 

Mostly what I think of as I look back on this last year is how much I've grown as a person. I'm more confident in my skin that I've ever been before. I've asked more questions this year, and looked to myself more for the answers than I ever have, and it's led me in directions that I never would have dreamed, but it feels like it's exactly where I'm supposed to be. I've actively tried to become more balanced and more in tune with my spirit. It's been a totally personal, completely transforming year and I wouldn't change a thing!

Day One...

Alright, so my friend Jillian Rose turned me on to this idea of doing a 30 day blog post sort of deal...it's sort of a "getting to know you" thing...it sounds fun and I've had fun reading hers so far so I figured that I'd give it a shot!! Here we go!

Day One
Five Things No One Really Knows About Me

1. I'm an Itunes shopping junkie. I truly can't help myself. I look forward to Monday nights around 11 pm because I can get on and browse through the newly released music.

2. I absolutely despise even numbers. I love odd numbers. If I'm in charge of the volume on the TV it's always on an odd number setting. This only creates problems when my sister's in the room because she has to have it on evens. 

3. I love it when people play with my hair! 

4. I'm kind of a metaphysics junkie. I totally believe all of it. (The Secret included.) I believe that there's absolute power in positive thinking. I completely buy into love being all that matters. I absolutely believe in powers (multiple) in the universe that we can't explain but that we can harness through forgiveness of everyone (including ourselves).

5. I talk myself through things like crazy. If you ever see me walking down a hallway and talking out loud, it's fine, I'm not crazy, just figuring stuff out. 

Probably A True Statement...

Before I Die...

I want to see one of these up close.

Yet another reason that I need to take learning to swim seriously.



How Life Should Be...

Seriously though. This fox knows how to do it.

Lots and Lots of Thinking...

I know that I wrote this as a half joking-typical hippie thing to say, but the more I
think about it, the more I realize just how much I truly meant it.

Shouldn't we all always be living like love was the only rule?

The fact that I say we should be living that way shows that I have a long, long way to go...

Skool is Khool...

Yes, school starts tomorrow.
The shocking part ?
I'M ENROLLED. 

That's right ladies and gentlemen, I Jamie Rachelle Graham, am once again a full time student.

...I'm thrilled...

Actually I am kinda excited. It's been a while since I went to school. It will be great to be learning again! Using my brain is something that I really actually love. And I will get to be around all sorts of new people which is always good for broadening your horizons.

Whether or not I can afford to go to school remains to be seen...hopefully good ol' Uncle Sam will pull through for me next semester.

Until then, we're running on hope...

AROHA

More of This Please...

All I'm saying is that if there was more of THIS stuff around, we'd probably
all smile a lot more often.
Just a thought.

The Good Life...

Remember how I only have 2 months contract left with the bank and I've always wanted to learn to snowboard?

My river tour guide in Jackson Hole went to there one season to be a ski bum.

That was eleven years ago.

Just sayin.

Life Lately...

I came to a realization. When I eat crappy, I feel crappy.
Ground breaking, I know.
How did I come by this gem of knowledge? I've been living better in the last two months than I ever have in my life before, and I've been feeling it. I've felt GREAT! Then this weekend hit, yesterday especially and I (honest to goodness, swear this is the truth) ate about 6 servings of potato chips and a FOURTH of a custard and fruit cake. Disgusting, I know. The cake itself was divine, how I felt after, not so much. Solution? I worked my butt off today and had a nearly flawless eating day today (blasted salt water taffy, why do you have to tempt me so?), and I'm feeling better! I'm still not completely over my binge day yet, but I'm at least on my way. How so? I'm running a 5K on Saturday with my friend Morgan. This is more than I've run before...here's hoping I don't collapse or something. That would sure be embarrassing...

Best song in the universe? Possibly Party Rock Anthem by LMFAO. I seriously am in love. I can't help myself when that song comes on, I just HAVE to dance. I've tried not moving while it's playing...it's hopeless. "Every day I'm shufflin..." Hell yeah.

I'm also trying a new tactic with my life. I'm setting goals. Up to this point I've pretty much avoided that game plan at all costs, I don't love goals. But I think this may be a good thing for me. I'll let you know how it goes.

Also, the rumors you've heard are true, I AM in fact a Zions Bank star employee. It's official. It was in the company wide email and everything. This is a whole new high for my life so far. Thank you to all of the little people who made this possible.

AROHA!

I feel like I just HAVE to share my new discovery/obsession. Watermelon smoothies. Mmmmm....

Seriously though, I believe that everyone should try it.
Now.
Go.

Love, Love, Love...



 Love.



Rivers just scream summer to me. I love them. Too bad they're so dangerously full. Tubing and rafting will just have to wait another month or so :)



Longboarding. Need I say more?






Art! Any way you create it. It's inspiring.



Parfaits...Mmmmm...

Ask me if I've been to a game this season for either of these home town teams. No. But I am DYING to get to some!


AROHA

Poetry Is For When You're In Love...

L-onging to be with you
O-ne, that's what we are when we're together
N-ot a day goes by when I don't think of you
G-reat memories, that's what we create
B-est use of time I can imagine
O-nly thing I would risk injury for...you
A-mazing how in love we are
R-iding you...my favorite passtime (HAHAHAHAHA I crack myself up)
D-aring is how you make me feel
I-ncredible sensations are what you create for me
N-early perfect match, you and I
G-reastest love poem EVER...right here folks!!

AROHA

The Best Holiday of the Year...

Everybody knows that summer is the best season of the year, hands down. What makes it even better? The best holiday of the year.

The fourth of July.
I love it with my whole heart.
Everything about it.

I love BBQ's, fireworks, parades, America, camping, days off of work, socializing, live music, cotton candy, laying on blankets on the grass...you name it, I love it. George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, Benjamin Franklin. The Statue of Liberty, baseball games. Red, white and blue.

Our wonderful, amazing, brave, heroic troops. I love them a whole lot. Those that have made it back and those that paid the ultimate price for our freedom.

I was pretty worried about this July 4th being a dud, my family was all going to be out of town, and I've been in a rut as far as my social life goes. Turns out that it's been the best one I can remember!

It started Friday night when Jamie, Morgan, Kaitlyn, Jed, Andrew, Zach and I hiked up Spanish Fork Canyon at midnight to go to hot springs. Then there was longboarding to the Eaglewood firework show with Ben and Zach and meeting Morgan after for some good old In N Out happiness. Camping last night was a stroke of genius on Zach's part; everyone is apparently pretty excited about being able to legally do aerials, because from our vantage point on a ledge in the mountains we could see the area from North Salt Lake to Syracuse and the sky was COVERED with fireworks! The Kaysville parade this morning with Lindsay, Justin, Brynleigh, Andrew and Zach was incredibly fun, I had never been before! It was pretty excellent! I'm on my way to a BBQ with friends now and then MORE fireworks after.

Seriously, it's been the best. I needed this weekend.

God bless America, the land that I LOVE!!

Aroha

Sunday Rituals...

There's one day a week where I don't have to worry about work ever. Sunday. One day where I don't have to plan a social life. Sunday. Sundays are so great. I have developed some habits for Sundays that I look forward to the entire rest of the week. What are they?

Cleaning

Sunday mornings are my most productive time for cleaning, hands down. There's no better time to do it! Today I cleaned out the refrigerator in my house. I threw out 3 garbage bags FULL of old, expired food items. True story. Then I scrubbed it down and replaced everything. It looks amazing. Better yet? It makes me feel amazing every time I open the fridge door!

Relaxing

This one may seem like a given, but I used to fill my Sundays with so much stuff that it was just another day filled with a different kind of busy. I have recently discovered the art of enjoying relaxing. Today I spent 3 hours at the hospital with my grandma eating a bagel and strawberries, watching Mrs. Doubtfire and reading Instyle. It was so great.

Jogging

Sunday's are the one day of the week that I don't have the option of going to the gym (which I love with my whole heart). But I don't really love the idea of a day of rest from exercise, so I use these days as a day to reconnect with Mother Nature....or at least with the pavement. Nitro and Daisy love Sunday's too because I generally take them with me when I run.

Produce Shopping

I saved the best for last. I am truly addicted to buying produce. I live for it. I love the anticipation of going to the store. I love perusing the selection and deciding what I'm going to buy. I love how my shopping cart looks filled with completely healthy food. I love unloading and washing my loot. I love cutting it all up. I love snacking as I prep it. I love everything about it. I truly can't even put into words my feelings for this weekly ritual. I try and get one new thing every time I'm there. Today I got a red pepper. Did you know that they have more Vitamin C than an orange? True story.

To sum it all up, I love Sundays.
A lot.

Aroha

They Call Me Miss Productivity...

Today may have been the most productive day of my life. Seriously. I think it's because I caught just a glimpse of the sunrise. I BLITZED my house (it's easier to do this when every one's out of town, that way no one yells when I move their stuff.), I cleaned the kitchen, living room, bathroom and my room, I did my laundry, socialized with Jamie and Benjamin, hung out with Grandma, bought some produce at the store, painted my nails, chatted with my mama on the phone, uploaded pictures to Facebook, gave myself a mani/pedi, played with my pets (they are NOT used to only having one person in the house all day...I think it makes them un-easy, which in turn makes them needy), I'm posting on my blog AND I'm going to write a letter to Sara on her mission. I'm exhausted. If this is what catching a glimpse of the sunrise can do, imagine what I could do if I saw the ENTIRE thing. Oh man. The world is just not ready for that.

My nice, CLEAN room.

A sparkling clean bathroom.

Nitro was an excellent helper.

Daisy, not so much...

Gypsy is getting better at hiding from birds.

Yep, it was a pretty great day.
Aroha

Summertime...

I want to state just how much I love summer. It's the best season of the year, hands down. Everyone has come out of hibernation and there are people out everywhere! Clothing options are unlimited, my shorts can be worn again without getting awkward looks from random people. Love it! Smoothies are being made in abundance, yum! Fresh fruits and vegetables are all over the place, from the grocery store to farmers markets to my own backyard! Tans are beginning to look lovely, there's nothing better than tan skin. When facing the dilemma of "what to do" the options are once again endless! There's fires, camping, hiking, tennis and volleyball, bbq's, longboarding, stargazing (which is so much better when you have a cute boy to do it with :). I love being woken up by birds chirping, or even the guy next door mowing his lawn, the smell of freshly cut grass...everything!! I LOVE SUMMER!

Aroha

Oh Life...

Life's been pretty great lately. Today I went repelling with Jamie and Jed and Jed's boss up Ogden canyon. It was kind of scary, but all around a really, really fun time! I got some blisters on my hands from the rope, so I'm feeling pretty legit! Then there are the trips to the Gateway for caramel apples, zoo visits, Janae's graduation, both of my sibling's birthdays...busy, busy! I've been spending most of my time at work or at the gym lately, but the two of them bring some needed balance and stability into my life! I really enjoy being able to channel my energy into working out and seeing my body change with the added effort :) The other really great part about the gym? I'm in LOVE with making protein shakes! I think they're so delicious! I just throw in soy milk, an assortment of fruits, some oats, kale and some protein powder...delicious!!

My mum and sister are leaving for England in less than a week now which means that I'm THIS close to getting this house to myself for a while because my brother is going out on the road with my dad. I love this idea. A lot. My aunt is coming for a visit and staying in my mum's room for a while, but we don't talk about that because it wasn't my idea. Ha. Really though.

I was worried that by not going to church my social life would start lacking, but surprisingly it's turning out to be alive and thriving! I'm hanging out with good people doing fun things, it's good. I do, however, remember sometimes why it's easier to just have random hook ups than to be legitimately interested in someone. It takes work! Ugh. I sometimes hate it. But I mostly like it...I think...

All in all life is pretty good these days. Summer is here, I can go outside and do things anytime I like without having to worry about the weather. There's delicious fruits and veggies everywhere! Yep, life's pretty amazing.

AROHA :)