I can't believe I've already been back from DC for just over a month! But at the same time...I absolutely can. I can't blame this past month for being extremely long...it's a tough act to follow up the best summer of my life.

 confederate white house in RICHMOND.

             GOOD STUFF.              u.s. capitol in the U.S. CAPITAL

 being cool by monuments.

 going to memorial day parades on THE MALL.

 going to games as a member of the media...baseball, golf, football...

 seeing my boy kenny in concert at the home of the redskins.

 meeting ann coulter.

 watching the orioles as a fan (but not an orioles fan...)

 good times with awesome people.

 lee house @ ARLINGTON.

 smithsonians

 photo-ops with the washington monument in the background.

 national zoo-ing it up with the guys.

 double date time.

 white house.

 ford's theatre.

 RITA'S.

 fourth of july in WASHINGTON.

 library of congress.

 hangin' by the JEFFERSON.

 monument walk:KOREA.

 hey mr. lincoln.

 SHAKE SHACK concretes.

 weird things...

 GEORGETOWN cupcakes.

beautiful TEMPLE.

I didn't want to picture overload too much...but I did all this and much more. I'm so glad my dad took me out and my mom came out to visit over July 4th. She came about halfway through my adventure and it was great to spend time with her and show her my DC "expertise". We had a lot of fun and I'll always remember it! I love my mom...she's the best.

.....BUT

It would not be the best summer at all without this boy:

Meet Colby. We're both from good ol' Utah county...yet don't meet 'til we're both at the other side of the country. At church. How weird is that?! And I finally met someone who may even be weirder than me. I know, right? Didn't think that was possible either.

My first impression of the hilarious guy in Sunday school was that he looked like the old spice guy. Then, I obviously thought he was hilarious...also really cute. Didn't think I stood a chance. But somehow, I tricked him into thinking I was pretty cool too. I'm still figuring that one out.

Orioles game, zoo, fireworks, sunday pizza days, softball game, transformers 3, heavyweights, and just hanging around together doing absolutely nothing are just a fraction of the things I'll remember. He picked me up from work at 10 in Maryland so I wouldn't have to walk in the dark and came over to hang out almost every day. SO...

The reason these past five weeks have been so long? He's still in Virginia. Only ONE MORE WEEK. I've never been so excited for anything in my life...it's better than Christmas! 

someday...someone might spell my name right.

wednesday i went to my very first MLB game ever! i don't know what i was expecting, but walking into the press room and seeing the field and the players warming up was kind of a surreal feeling. something about anything professional is just cool. i don't care who you are.

i grew up going to jazz games every now and again, which i always loved. i have yet to experience real NFL action. i'm looking at you, denver!

if this doesn't take the cake, i don't know what will:

oh yeah, i was talking about baseball.

to get my media pass, i had to show the lady at the door my driver's license so she could fill out the pass and make sure i'm over 16? or something like that. so she spells my last name out loud, then get to my first name.

"a-i-m-e-e? is that right??"

no, it's just the spelling i like to have on my driver's license.

but don't worry, she spelled it right on the pass!

or mayyybe not.

i'm still working up to that status where people will believe the name on my i.d. is actually my name. it'll happen.

just say no?

doesn't every mother teach her kids to never get in a car with a stranger?? does anyone ever say yes??

there i am, just walking to the metro rockin out to some kelly clarkson, when i see out of the corner of my eye a car slow down and stop right next to me. naturally, i just keep looking straight a head, but i can still feel someone staring so i looked over for a second.

"hey, i'm headed to the metro, can i give you a ride?"

"i'm just gonna walk...thanks though."

"which way are you walking?"

"this way..."

even if this fiftysomething's intentions were good, ya just don't do that! doesn't he realize how creepy that is on so many levels?

so i thought my day couldn't get any more exciting...until i went to safeway.

i'm just minding my own business bagging up some delicious artichokes, when...

"excuse me, you're really beautiful."

"umm, thanks..."

"can i ask you out? it's your eyes..." creepy maybes?

"you know, i don't think so."

"why not? i have a motorcycle and a helmet for you!"

"that's ok...i'm good."

"it would be fun, ya know just hang out or something. and i have a motorcycle. i'm sure you like motorcycles! can i get your number?"

now here's where i have a problem. i would rather make up a fake number on the spot then say no. so that's what i did...


not sure why i have an issue with just saying no...and i was terrified he was going to try and call right then and figure out it was fake! not sure what i was scared of, but you just never know i guess.

he was a little more age-appropriate than the previous grandfather instance...but really?

i've said it once and i'll say it a million times...kenny chesney is the only single man old enough to be my dad i wouldn't mind taking a motorcycle ride from.

mmkay.

first instance of d.c. savvy

well, i've figured out a system for car-less grocery shopping! i'm new to it and think it's pretty genius if you ask me. how do people live without cars??

my lovely roommates with their lovely cars would definitely take me when they go, but our schedules don't match up too well.

LUCKILY there's a safeway literally next door to comcast, my home three days of the week. i think i've been every day getting a few things i need each time. a bag or two each time back with me on the metro and my walk home and i've got all i need!

i've even gotten ice cream, people!

it may or may not be close to soup by the time i finally get back...
afterhavingtowait45minutesforthetraincausetheythoughtthey'dclosedownatrackeverytimeitrytogeton...but man does that triple-cookie sundae edy's sound delicious right now.

i also haven't been able to walk past those 50 cent artichokes without getting more each time...50 cents!! are you kidding?! 


my roommate Caitlin thinks eating a plain artichoke is the weirdest thing she's ever seen. i always thought it was normal?? they're a delicacy in my family!

artichokes & ice cream...i could get used to that!

humidity.

i really don't mind humidity. my hair, however, minds a lot.

i know it's only gonna get about a zillion times worse this summer, but i absolutely love heat of any kind. anytime i think i'm too hot, i just think of how miserable i am in the freezing winter and then i love it even more!

but i've discovered humidity affects a lot more than just my hair.

1. the gum in my purse is almost wet when i get it out
2. the sugar on sour gummy watermelons dissolves off of most of them before i eat them
3. it took a total of 48 hours for my sweater to air-dry in my apartment

but it's good in a few ways too!

1. the air smells awesome, especially around my apartment where there are a lot of trees
2. if you look outside and it looks cool and cloudy...it'll still be warm!
3. i think i've noticed a little difference in my dry skin..no more waking up in the middle of the night to get some lotion!

yay for the good stuff, and the bad isn't really that bad.

it does make me miss my dry desert of Utah, and growing up going on vacations to arizona and new mexico. i keep thinking of the red rocks and how awesome it is in the southwest. i'll always be a western girl, but i'm an eastern girl for now.

hopefully soon i'll be southern...

that time my dad dropped me off in d.c.

it's here! i flew out to d.c. last thursday with my awesome dad. he came out to make sure i could find my way around, and we had a great time! i'm really glad he came!

somehow this is the only picture we managed to get together...but i promise we were there at the same time!

we also got to drive to richmond per my request. i really wanted to see some of the civil war/confederate history there. we went to the confederate white house that belonged to jefferson davis, a sweet museum, a cemetery of confederate officers and monuments of robert e. lee, jefferson davis and stonewall jackson. my dad wasn't a big fan of the actual city and "downtown"...i didn't love it either...but i really glad we went. my dad is the coolest.

white house

 john marshall house

 cemetery

 on sunday we checked out the national cathedral...it reminded me of france and was awesome! we didn't get there til late so we couldn't go inside, but the outside was incredible.

we also ate at some great places. friendly's, don pablo's (or was it don francisco??) and good stuff...we had to try it, cause amanda swears by it! it made me sick..but in a good way. i was absolutely stuffed that i could barely walk afterwards. bacon cheeseburger, rosemary fries and a milky way malt shake. absolutely delicious, but note to self: never order all three in the same trip. me and dad even split the fries! but he made me get my own milkshake. the nerve...

on his last night here we went to a little pizza party to meet some of the other interns at n.j.c., and the next day he went home after walking me all the way to my first orientation! i know i'll always remember our time out here and i couldn't be happier that he came out with me!

love you dad!!

softballs are NOT soft.

well I've been twenty for a few weeks and I'm still alive. but I did kick it off right by going in for round 4 of stitches in my lip. the first was for running into a kid's head trying to get candy in fifth grade.

(some things never change).

the second was after I got hit in the face with a softball while fielding a grounder at shortstop. aren't grounders on the ground, you ask??

they should be. unless you're me, then they hit a pebble just right so it bounces up at your face at full speed.

the third was last summer...remember this?

just getting some scar tissue removed and trying to restore it to the way it was before the softball incident. he went conservative, cause you can always do more. so last week, he did more. and hopefully it's the last time.

i just got the stitches out yesterday, which, by the way, is only fun if you enjoy the skin around the stitches being cut up as well. ouch. the swelling is almost all the way down and my lip almost looks normal! yay for me!

i know this is really exciting, and it should be! probably mostly for me though. i'm grateful there are things to be done to fix the results of my graceful moments. :)

did i mention i'll probably have to get a root canal as another result of that darn softball hitting my mouth? it will never end. but if it does, i'm closer to it!

teenage DREAMING

this is my last day as a teenager.

when did this happen?!?

 dramatic? maybe. but I still can't believe I'm almost in my twenties. gross.

earlier today I finished up the last of my finals...ok I only had three...one was online/open book...the other was take home/open book...but who's complaining??

now I'll officially enter my senior year of school in the fall! I've had senior status all this year, but now I literally have one year left. I can't BELIEVE how fast time goes. it seems like just yesterday I was a little high schooler! I never, EVER thought I'd miss that. but sometimes I miss it bad! those were some fantastic years and I definitely took them for granted!

and then there's my two years at BYU. they're seriously over? I've had so much fun, worked so hard I thought I might die and everything in between. but this year will be the best yet.

in the meantime, I'm just going off to DC in 23 days!! look out east coast!

i'll enjoy these last few hours, cause in the morning I'll be an old lady. :)

"how can I be anything but?"

This past week I went to a documentary that Mark Williams, a graduating broadcast student made. It was about a little Romanian boy named Marius who was severely burned on 75% of his body during a house fire that killed both of his a parents. It's a pretty intricate story, and you should definitely read about it here. (Warning: It's pretty graphic!)

I just couldn't believe the strength this little boy had through it all, and he's still going strong! He was there for a Q&A afterwords, and says he wants to be a motivational speaker when he grows up. If anyone could be perfect for that job, it's him!

There are so many things we take for granted every single day, such as having 10 fingers and toes. The documentary was so well done, even if it was really hard to watch at times. It was so inspirational, but there was one part that stuck out to me the most. 

After Marius has undergone several reconstructive surgeries and was living with his new family in the US, someone asked him if he was happy.

"How can I be anything but?"

Wow. He's incredible. I'm so touched by his story and hope that I can be a little more grateful for the millions of things I'm blessed with every single day.

I swear it's always the people who have every reason to be mad at life are the ones that remind us how amazing life really is.

Thanks Marius!!

Cowboys Like Us

Concert from the King of Country? Check.

It's George Strait y'all!


I've always thought if I see Kenny Chesney, Tim McGraw and George Strait, my life will be complete! It's funny cause Tim has been my favorite the longest but he's the only one I haven't seen yet! I can't believe myself sometimes. I'm even seeing Kenny twice before I see Tim! 


I would go this summer when he comes to SLC, but he comes literally THE DAY before I get back from DC! Darn you flight schedule. And he's not playing in DC like Kenny is. Look at me refer to them like I know them. Whatevs.


Back to George, I got to last weekend with my awesome aunts, Julie and Wendy, along with Julie's friend Amber. 

We almost got in a fight with the people behind us because they wanted us to sit down. Umm hello have you ever been to a concert? If you want to sit back for a nice little show then at home on your TV is a nice option. But I go to concerts to do what I wouldn't do every day. Well I could do it every day, but that could be a little weird.


Lee Ann Womack and Reba opened the show, and they were both awesome as well! 


But here's a little taste of what we all came for:

Love it! Hooray for finally getting to see him!

Sweet Sixteen is just some extra frosting...I do like frosting.

So here's the thing.

Would I have loved Elite 8 for my Cougars?

Of course.

Am I extremely happy with this season and loving the fact that I'm actually a student at BYU during Jimmertime?

Oh yes.

The Florida game was close, even when Jimmer had a "off-night". Yes, 32 points in 29 shots isn't great, but the fact that they forced overtime with a big, athletic and talented Florida team is very impressive. Jimmer didn't even score the first 15 minutes of the game and BYU took that Florida team to OT? Dang.

A lot of memories this season that I'll never forget. Thanks for the memories, Jimmer.

Bring on the NBA draft for this boy.

So the other day when I was driving home from my internship, I got past Lehi and drove for a while before thinking to myself...

"Man, this drive seems longer than usual...oh well."

A few minutes later, I think...

"Why is this drive so long??"

It finally occurs to me to look up and see where I am.

I see Provo Town Center.

I usually exit at University Parkway in Orem.

For those of us keeping track, that's a difference of 6 exits.

6!

And I have absolutely no memory of anything from Lehi to south Provo.

Although I was extremely tired, it's not like I fell asleep or anything. I even remember singing to the radio and all.

It made me think of my senior year in AP Psychology, we learned about how if you go a certain route often, sometimes you'll end up at your destination without remembering actually getting there.

I just missed my destination by the entire length of Provo.

nbd.

remember this?

well oh yeah it's about to go down again with those gators. just in case you've been living in your closet and haven't heard.

this time, it's sweet sixteen time! and here's to it ending with the same result as last year...minus double overtime. please and thank you!

what I wouldn't give to be in New Orleans right now.

this season has been incredible and I'm incredibly lucky to have witnessed every game in one way or another.

I called this Jimmermania from a mile away, he's been my favorite since the beginning of his freshman season. I've got some journal entries to prove it, which I'll have to post some time. I promise you'll get a good laugh.

But here's this quote from the end of this freshman season from yours truly on the good old blog:

"He will do great things with his three remaining years..."

K so maybe it's the understatement of the century, but I can still say I told you so. So...


i told you so.

and although any school Tim Tebow graced with his presence is a friend of mine...Florida...

it's jimmertime.

baby i'll be outta here

Has it really been over three months since I've posted?

It's not like I've been busy or anything...

Oh, wait.

But thanks to the beautiful Hailey Randall, I've been pushed to post again! (Check out her cute blog here.)

I've been busier than ever before and haven't even posted about all the craziness that's gone down. This may be the first 30 seconds of free time I've had all semester.

Or not. Thanks to the Bachelor, Psych, and the Biggest Loser. The latter, by the way, makes me want to cry... or actually tear up a little...just about every episode.

It's my first semester in the broadcast program! Super time-consuming and stressful are two adjectives that describe it well. But I don't regret it for a second. Just getting closer to living the dream! (In the South if I have anything to do with it...hellooo southern accents, country music, heat and fried food. Sounds like heaven to me!)

I'm also interning at ABC 4 in Salt Lake this semester. Working over 20 hours a week without getting paid for it (not to mention driving to SLC three times a week...) is not always ideal...but I enjoy it and have got to do some really cool things and meet great people. I really wanted to intern right away, cause the more internships the better! Speaking of which...

I'm off to live in DC this summer! I decided I wanted to do something crazy this summer because maybe I'm a little envious of all the adventures in Connecticut and DC Amanda and Dave had the past two summers. Am I crazy for going off to the big city by myself? Maybe. Am I excited? Most definitely.

And as much as it makes me want to cry just thinking about it...I will be the big 2-0 soon. gross. but my point is, that's old enough to handle it.

What on earth am I going for? The National Journalism Center. Sounds pretty rockin', I know. :) I'll be there one day out of the week and will be at another media outlet..yet to be determined...another three or so.

I have one thing lined up that could already be the highlight of an awesome summer:

His name is KENNY CHESNEY.  Yep, one of the first things I did was buy tickets to his show at FedEx Field (home of the Redskins baby!). I've already seen him once but have never seen one of his famous big-stadium shows OR ever been to an NFL stadium! He's no doubt the best entertainer in music.
and i love him and his hot 42-year-old self. ok he'll be 43 in a few days...

Cheese-ball as this sounds, his music is such a big part of my life. Seriously, I have so many memories associated with his music, and I know every song he's ever recorded by heart. 13 of my 25 most-played songs are his (the other half is very Tim McGraw and George Strait heavy).

moments with her, they're all a blur

except for every second, every word

every drop of rain, every single grain of sand...

--Seven Days. you have to check it out. listen to it all while you're at it. k thanks :)

I don't all the details of my summer yet, but it'll be amazing. I'll make sure of it.