Hello??

Wow.

My last post was on July 30.

I began my 30 day challenge on April 1o.

I'm a bad person.

Honestly I have been so busy the past few months that I never made time to sit down and talk about everything that's going on. Here's a quick recap.

1) I started working at Pier 1 Imports in July. It gets me out of the house and is generally a fun place to be. Sometimes I feel really dumb though because I feel like I'm not using my degree at all. Also, I hate working Sunday nights to set out holiday items.

2) I'm up to 5 flute students now. One of my favorite students is 69 years old. She just decided this fall that she wanted to learn the flute and man, is she dedicated. She does absolutely everything I ask her to do and she is progressing so quickly! Also, today in our lesson, she brought me freshly baked homemade bread. I'm eating it right now with butter and honey. Delicious.

3) I started working at an accountant's office last month. One of my dear friends/high school tennis coach offered me a job doing data entry and payrolls for his office. Honestly, it's much more stressful than I thought it would be and I feel really stupid most of the time, but I'm learning new things every day. The hours are really flexible so I can work around my teaching and Pier 1 schedules pretty easily. I'm working a lot between all three jobs so I'm constantly busy. I feel like I'm never home, because I really am not.

4) I have become a gym rat. Before I started working so much, I was going to the gym 4-5 times a week going to various classes. Right now I try to go 3 times a week and it's fun! I finally feel like I'm getting some muscle tone and I feel much better about myself.

5) My Grandma Hazen passed away two weeks ago. Even though I was really sad to lose my Grandma, I was relieved that she wasn't suffering anymore. She was diagnosed with cancer back in February and although she fought really hard for a long time, the cancer finally overtook her body. She wasn't herself at the end, didn't want to see anyone, wouldn't eat, couldn't see, etc so I was relieved to hear the news that she had passed. My grandpa is lonely, but he seems to be doing ok.

6) I applied for the position of Principal Flute of the Utah Symphony. It's only my dream job. No big deal. I was so nervous to send in my resume and I still am. I won't know if I get an audition until sometime next week I think. They have to review all the resumes they get sent in and decide who they want to hear from first. The audition is in February and there is easily three hours worth of music on the list. I feel like everyone expects me to win this, but no one (outside the music world) really understands how competitive it is to win an audition. I don't want to let anyone down, but I don't really have anything to lose by doing it. I have a lot of practicing to do.

7) My puppy is still adorable. She is almost potty trained, but for some reason loves to have accidents in the dining room with white carpet. Of course. Here is a picture to prove her cuteness.
That's all for now. I will try to post more often, but I make no promises.

Day 27 - A person I love

Ladies and Gentlemen, I give you... Bryce Olsen.

Day 25 - A place I love and Day 26 - A child I love

I figured I would roll these into one because we spent the 24th of July at my family's cabin in the Ogden Valley. Maren and Kevin invited us to come spend the night Sunday and then we came back yesterday. It's always a fun time up there. Growing up, I would play outside all day with my cousins. We would ride 4-wheelers all over the mountain, play in the dirt, swim in beaver dams, and get really filthy. Bryce didn't have the greatest time, however... We went on a 4-wheeler ride up the mountain, and halfway down a steep hill on our way back, the brakes went out. Luckily, Bryce is a quick thinker and we were able to stop safely, but I definitely let out a really nice scream. He also got chewed out by my great-uncle Joe, fell in the river when he went fishing and busted up his hand, and got eaten by mosquitoes. Poor guy. Hopefully I can convince him to go up there again.

My nephew Shaun is officially a toddler! He has been taking a couple steps here and there, but up at the cabin he was walking all over the place. He's such a cute little stinker. I didn't take any pictures of this trip, but here is a link of his 1-year pictures that Bryce took: http://bryceolsen.blogspot.com/2011/07/shaun-one-year-ogden-ut.html

On the way down from the cabin, we stopped at The Oaks for dinner. We thought it would be funny to give him a lemon wedge and see what happened. The following video is for your enjoyment.

Day 24 - 5 Things you love about Summer

1) No School!!!!!! And after 19 years of school, I am officially done forever!

2) Days are longer. I love that the sun decides to stay out a little longer in the summer. It makes me happy inside.

3) Warm summer nights. I love being able to sit outside on a blanket and hang out with my family. Last night was the Weber State fireworks and my sisters and I along with a couple friends sat outside on a blanket til 11:30. It was awesome.

4) Tennis. Growing up I always took tennis lessons in the summer and I always had the best sock tan lines. 3 of the 4 grand slams are in the summer as well and I love to watch me some professional tennis. It inspires me. Unless the person playing is Maria Sharapova, then I vomit.

5) Going to the cabin. My family has a "dirt cabin" in the mountains that has no electricity. Growing up it was one of my favorite places to go and still is. We would spend all day four-wheeling, digging in the dirt, or swimming in the beaver dams. Now we have a second cabin up in Island Park, Idaho which is a lot of fun as well. It's such a laid back atmosphere and I love to spend time with my family.

Day 23 - Share a favorite memory

For some reason this story popped into my head...

8 years ago (wow has it really been that long???) my family went to Seoul, Korea to pick up my brother after he served a faithful two-year mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. None of us had ever been to Asia before and it was a really cool experience, despite the humidity and feeling sticky all day long. We stayed in a pretty fancy hotel with a very fancy toilet. This toilet/bidet had many buttons that performed various cleaning functions. One night, my sisters and I decided to play around with them to see what they did. We all huddled around the toilet and started to push buttons. Nothing too exciting happened until we pressed this one special button. I don't even remember what it was called, but I do remember the stream of shooting water that went up over my head and hit the bathroom door. The three of us just about died laughing in that little bathroom. I seem to remember that Maren went into the bathroom after that to play around with the toilet by herself and hearing some interesting squeals and giggles coming from the bathroom. To this day I can't think of a bidet without thinking about this story.

Day 22 - A photo of my family

I'm tired of apologizing for my slacker-ness. I'm determined to finish this dang 30 day challenge in 100. I'm so bad! I have a hard time just picking one photo of my family so instead I will share some pictures of our recent trip up to Island Park, Idaho where my family has a cabin.Shaun all ready to drive to Idaho!

Nicky just wanted to chew on my mom's yarn.

My dad and Bryce are avid fly-fishermen. Every night they would sit at this table and talk about which flies to tie and where they were going to fish the next day.

My adorable husband and puppy.

All ready to go on a walk!

This kid loves Doritos.

He also loves Uncle Bryce

Maren and I made a few wreaths while we were up there. This one is a balloon wreath for birthdays. It turned out so cute.

The only picture of me from the trip. These two yellow balloons were stuck together. We giggled...


We found Shaun asleep like this one night. His face pressed against the mesh of his pack-n-play.

Close up look at him. It was hilarious. I wonder if he woke up with lines on his face the next morning...

We had a lot of fun on this trip. Going up to Idaho is always really relaxing and fun. While we were up there my parents celebrated their 35th wedding anniversary. Someday that will be me and Bryce! Even though we missed those of my family that couldn't come up, it was great spending so much time together. Next time Angie and Kevin will be able to come for the Hazen family reunion but we'll still miss J.C. and Jordan. Someday we'll get the whole fam dam up there!

Day 21 - A travel story

At the rate I'm going it's going to take me 90 days to finish this blasted challenge. I'm really good at things like this...

We are now getting settled in our new place. I'm not sure who doesn't know, but we're living in a family member's mother's home who passed away like 15 years ago. The family has no intention of selling the house, and they haven't removed practically anything from it. All of her furniture, kitchen utensils, and many of her clothes are still here. I need to take pictures of everything and show everyone what a time warp this house is. Think 1970's grandma house and you'll have a pretty good idea of what we're dealing with. It's a great house though.

Back to the challenge. On May 25, we packed up all of our belongings and put them in an ABF truck and prepared to drive halfway across the country to Utah. We slept on an air mattress that night in our apartment and left bright and early on the 26th. I had planned on taking two days for the trip, but Bryce was determined to do it in one. Austin to Ogden is 1380 miles. That's a long way to do in one day. But we did it. We each took turns driving and sleeping in my little bug so we both felt pretty good the whole day. Once we got to Moab, UT though, I was starting to fade. By that point we had been in the car for 17 hours and it was completely dark. My butt was exceedingly sore. We rolled into my parent's house at 1 am after 21 hours of constant driving.

We decided to stay at my parent's house for a few days until we got settled into Granny's house. My mom told me to go sleep in my brother's room in the basement instead of going up to my old room, which is right above hers. She said that she didn't want to get woken up. I thought that was kind of weird, but didn't really think much of it. The next morning, my mom woke us up at 9 am and plopped an adorable red puppy, the same breed as Penny, on me. I squealed with excitement and joy and maybe had a couple tears. Just maybe. I've been wanting a puppy for soooo long. Bryce and I had been saving our spare change in a jar on our dresser to save up for one. My mom told me that her name was Nicky (short for Nickel) and that we would have joint custody of her. She paid for her and I will take care of all the vet visits, food, and everything else. My mom has been really lonely without Penny around, so having a puppy has been so good for her and for me. Nicky stays with me most of the time, but my mom is always around to puppy-sit.

I can't believe that everyone was able to keep this a secret from me for so long! My mom had emailed the breeder at the end of April about getting her! I was totally surprised. Nicky has been so much fun to have. We just love her. She is the snuggliest and most loving little puppy. She loves being held and is constantly climbing in my lap to cuddle. As I type right now, she's chewing a bone in my lap. Everyone that meets her thinks she is just the cutest thing ever. Here are some pictures for your viewing pleasure.Our puppy fund all rolled up. Grand total was $269.50
Nicky! Bryce is going to take some nice pictures of her, but I just had a couple on my camera. Don't you love our bedspread and matching headboard??? Sleeping on a king size bed after sleeping on a full size for 2 1/2 years has been a strange adjustment. Bryce seems so far away!

She loves to snuggle.

Graduation/Maren's visit

May ended up being such a great month for me. I really needed it after a pretty crappy April. After Bryce moved up to Utah for some weddings, Maren and Shaun came to visit me for graduation! Maren has all the pictures on her computer from graduation, but here is a really small pic of me that the photographer took there. It's pretty awesome. Gotta love super-imposed backdrops. It felt so good to get that hood!Shaun at dinner the first night of their visit. He loves to play with his feet when he eats and he stuck his foot out of the high chair! French fries and diet coke = a happy baby.

Classic Shaun face.

Whenever he's getting ornery, we take off his clothes. Aren't all boys happier when they're naked? Shaun loved playing with the blinds in my apartment and I caught him doing a sexy pose for me.

Ready for some outlet shopping!! Maren and I scored some great deals in San Marcos. Those stores are one of the few things I will miss about Texas.

Coming up... moving and a new puppy!

Russian Immigrant Rosie

I am a bad friend. On Friday, my dear friend Rosie turned 26. I knew it was her birthday and yet I forgot to call her. Then she called me on Sunday and I STILL forgot to tell her happy birthday. Dearest Rosie, I'm so sorry! Hopefully this post will make up a little for that.

Rosie was my very first roommate at UCSB. We shared a room in our apartment that was so small that it was affectionately named "The Dungeon Room". "The Palace Room" was probably three times the size of the dungeon room, yet Amber, Rosie and I always ended up hanging out in the little room. Rosie has become one of my closest friends. We shared so many things together in the two years we lived together. I wouldn't change those two years for anything. I couldn't have asked for a more perfect roommate. Rosie, I love you!

And now, a few pictures for your viewing pleasure.Our first bonding experience. Rosie took me surfing in the frigid water and then we went for ice cream.

Hike at the top of Lizard's Mouth before my first day of college.

Simply the best Cinderella I've ever seen. Our other roommate Kim made this costume with NO pattern.

What's over there Rosie??

This was a bridesmaid's dress that Amber had to wear. I think it was a size 16. We wanted to see if it could fit both of them and the answer is... yup. I think she should have worn it this way.


Showing off her many talents.

She always has the best Halloween costumes.


Rosie and her husband Jay. I think they had been dating a few months in this picture. Not sure though. They are the cutest married couple you've ever seen.

I had another picture that I really wanted to post that involved a coconut bra, but I don't think that Rosie would approve. Rosie, only because it's your birthday. It's a great picture though. Jay would like it.

Day 20 - Your favorite Christmas tradition

All right, I'm ready to jump back into this...

I know I've talked about it before, but reading A Christmas Carol every year is my absolute favorite thing we do every year.

I also love being in my parents' house every holiday season. My mom is always baking cinnamon rolls for someone, and I'm usually making batches of toffee to give away. I love to bake and make candy, especially at Christmas time.

This past Christmas, my sister Maren and I spent some time at my Grandma Hazen's house and learned how to make her famous caramel. She only makes it at Christmas time and it is sooooo good. It takes a couple hours of constant stirring, but it's definitely worth the time. It was fun to spend the time with my Grandma too.

I have a lot things that I love about Christmas time, but I think I just love spending time with my family.

Toms!

I love Toms. I got my first pair two years ago and have worn them to death. Literally. I think they're dead. My parents came into town last week for my recital and we did a little shopping and I got two new glorious pairs! Pomegranate Corduroy flats and Kenya Stripe wedges. I'm pretty stoked. I guess I need to throw out the old pair...

Survival

I realize I am behind in my 30 day challenge. I needed to take a hiatus for a little while. A lot has happened in the past week and a half, I needed some time to process it all.

Two and a half weeks ago, I found out a dear friend, Christine, who serves in the Young Womens with me was diagnosed with ovarian cancer. She was diagnosed around the beginning of April after doctors found a tumor the size of a cantaloupe on her ovary. She had to have a full hysterectomy in order to remove most of the cancer. They got all that they could, and only about 5 mm was left in her body. As a single woman with no children, this was devastating for her. She was in the hospital for two weeks recovering before she was allowed to go home and get strong enough to go through chemo and radiation. I was told all of this information on Wednesday April 20. She went home on April 22 and we told all the girls in young women what was going on on Sunday. On Monday the 25th, a nurse came to her home to check up on her. Her vitals were so bad, that she had to be transported back to the hospital where doctors found that the cancer had spread to her liver and lungs. On Tuesday I received an email saying that if anyone wanted to come see her, they should do so quickly, as the doctors didn't know how much time she had left. All the young women found out about this and wanted to go see her, but it would have been too overwhelming for her. Instead, all the girls sent me a text and asked me to meet them for some frozen yogurt and hugs. Of course they were all devastated with the news of Christine's rapidly deteriorating condition, but it's amazing what a comfort the plan of salvation is. Christine passed away peacefully in the hospital on Wednesday April 27th. I was heartbroken at the news, but honestly I felt a little bit of relief simply because I knew that she didn't have to suffer anymore. She had completed her mission here on Earth and the Lord needed her elsewhere. Christine was 37 years old. She was such a wonderful spirit and she lit up every room she went in. She was obsessed with all things University of Texas related, and she loved princesses. She had quite the impressive collection of tiaras and princess gear. She had recently lost quite a bit of weight (80 pounds!) and was really trying to look for her eternal companion. All the young women decided that her "hot firefighter husband" was waiting for her in heaven. I totally agree with them.

On top of dealing with all that, I had my last two weeks of school ever and all the stress that goes along with that. Projects, presentations, comprehensive exams, my master's recital, and opera performances all made my to-do list very long. I didn't know how I would be able to do it, but I did it! My last day of school was yesterday and it feels wonderful to be done. My recital went really well! My parents as well as my in-laws were able to come for it which was really great. I was really happy with how it turned out. All that's left for me now is one last lesson on Monday and graduation on the 21st! Less than three weeks and I will once again be a citizen of Utah!

Day 18 - Put your iPod on shuffle and list the first 10 songs that come up and Day 19 - A hobby of mine

1. Dreamcatcher- Andy McKee
2. I'm Yours- Jason Mraz
3. Quantz Flute Concert0- James Galway
4. Hey There Delilah- Plain White T's
5. Interlude- Muse
6. Always Be- Jimmy Eat World
7. The Lady is a Tramp- Frank Sinatra
8. Hello Alone- Anberlin
9. Your New Twin Size Bed- Deathcab for Cutie
10. The Great Disappointment- AFI

A hobby... I have several that I don't do enough. I love to crochet. I've made tons of stuff: blankets, stuffed animals, and I've been working on a tablecloth for years that I don't know if it will ever get done... I like to knit as well, but I'm not very good at it. I'd like to do it more though. I love tennis, but I haven't played much in my six years of college. I hope to play a lot this summer and try to regain some of my former "glory".

Day 17 - A habit you wish you DIDN'T have

I wish I didn't procrastinate so much. I would save myself so much stress if I just did things ahead of time... Maybe I'll learn someday... Maybe...

Day 16 - A favorite YouTube video

This is a total music nerd moment, but I watched this recently and it is AWESOME. If you have time you should listen to the whole symphony.

Day 15 - Next 3 items on your "Bucket List"

I don't really have a bucket list, so I'll just name a few things that I would like to do.

1) Start a family. I really feel strongly that I'm supposed to be a mom. I don't know when it will happen, but I'm excited for the possibility someday.

2) Get in shape. I hesitate to say that I'd like to do a half marathon, but I've thought about it and I think I could do it if I really wanted to.

3) GRADUATE!- This is something that has been on my mind a lot lately. I officially finish classes on May 6 and graduation is May 21. YAY!

Day 14 - Your dream house...

Right now my dream house is any house. After 6 years of living in an apartment, I'm ready for my own space. I can't wait until I can do my laundry inside my house! Oh the simple joys in life...

There are some homes that I have fallen in love with in my parent's neighborhood in Ogden, UT. They are all older homes with a lot of character. I'd love something with a big back yard and a porch that I can sit on. This home was for sale a year ago or so and I really love it. A little too pricey, but still fun to think about.

Day 13 - What did you do today?

Today I...

-Slept in! I didn't have class or rehearsal until 3 pm so I took advantage of the extra time and slept in a little.

-Went to pick up some moving boxes from a girl in our ward, but she wasn't home. Bummer.

-Went to school and practiced for a couple hours

-Had a two hour rehearsal with my woodwind quartet

-Went and bought flowers for a recital I had to go to

-Went to a lecture recital

-Went to my friend Claire's apartment to borrow her piccolo excerpt book

-9:15 pm: got home. Not sure what I'm gonna do now. Watch a movie?? Eat ice cream?? Probably both.

Day 12 - A favorite quote

"Go forward in life with a twinkle in your eye and a smile on your face, but with great purpose in heart."

— Gordon B. Hinckley

Day 11 - A favorite book

I read this book a year ago. It took me about three days to read, it was just totally captivating. I highly recommend it!

Day 10 - A favorite food and recipe

Hmmm.... I think I'm gonna have to go with Beef Teriyaki Don from Temari... I'm salivating right now thinking about it...

A favorite recipe of mine is this chewy chocolate chip cookie recipe. For years and years I have been making my family's chocolate chip cookie recipe. It's delicious and trusty, but I was curious about this recipe because it calls for melting the butter instead of creaming it. The result is a really dense, chewy cookie. Try it out!

Day 09 - A favorite movie

I can pretty much quote this movie verbatim.
The 4th one comes out May 20! I'm so excited.

Day 08- A favorite song

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P5CUHHGlQg0

Makes me smile.

Day 07 - Something I want to buy

I recently had a birthday... and so I have birthday money to spend! I think I really would like to spend it on some new clothes. I've been pretty sick of my wardrobe lately. I feel like I need something new and fresh. Maren, when you come next month we are totally hitting up the outlets!

Day 06- Something I bought recently

Sorry for the day delay... Yesterday was pretty busy. In addition to a full day at school I did this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gtblqb9XTG4

So I'm really lame and am having a hard time thinking of something I bought recently... Um... Groceries! 5 dollar pizza from Little Caesars so that I didn't have to make dinner! I did buy some chocolate chips so that I can satisfy my chocolate chip cookie dough/cookie craving. I think that will be on the menu verrrrry soon. Maybe now actually...

Day 05 - Top 10 Pet Peeves

1. When people chew with their mouth open. I don't need to see your food as you eat it. It's disgusting. I hate the noise it makes and it makes me not want to eat with you ever.

2. Related to number 1. Gum chewers. If you wanna chew gum, that's fine. Just keep your mouth closed. And for heaven sakes, DON'T POP IT! I can't think of anything more annoying than listening to people pop their gum in their mouth repeatedly. Cut it out.

3. Being late. I hate being late. I try to be as on-time as possible. When I'm expecting something or someone at a certain time and it doesn't happen, I get really annoyed.

4. Flakey people. I absolutely hate it when I have plans with someone and they either don't show up, or flake out at the last minute. It makes me feel like I'm not important.

5. Messy-ness. I hate being cluttered or messy. Dishes in the sink annoy me to no end. When I have a clean house, I feel so much more at peace.

6. Being ignored. I hate when I'm trying to talk to someone and they won't stop what they're doing to talk to me. Or when I ask a question and wait like 30 seconds for a response. Lame.

7. Cussing. I understand that most people don't have the same views I do about cursing. However, it really bothers me when people can't speak without using some expletive in every *freaking* (haha) sentence!

8. Close-minded-ness. Yes, everyone is entitled to their own opinion. No, you don't have to agree with me, but that doesn't make me a) ignorant b) bigoted or c) stupid. I'm more than happy to listen to you and consider your thoughts if you'll give me the same courtesy.

9. "Photographers". As the wife of a photographer I have very strong feelings about this. My husband went to a world class photography school and has a degree in professional photography. You don't necessarily need to have a degree in photography to be a photographer, but it sure helps! He works really hard and has a real understanding of things like light, exposure, ISO, aperture, FOCUS, etc. It really makes me mad when someone who happens to own a semi-nice camera tries to make a business when they have no idea what they're doing. I'm all about having hobbies, trust me, but I don't think that it should come at the expense of people who are trained in their profession. It makes me so upset to see people pay for less than professional photographers and get less than professional results just because it was a little cheaper. Just because I own a pair of scissors doesn't make me a hair stylist and just because you own a camera does not make you a "professional" photographer.

10. People who sniff when they have nothing to sniff. I don't know why this bothers me so much, but it does. If there is no snot in your nose, there is no need to sniff like there is! You can breathe without sniffing quickly!

Ahhh feels good to get that off my chest.

Day 04 - Something I crave

Easy. Cadbury Mini Eggs. It's a good thing these things aren't around all year because I would weigh 400 pounds. I can't stop eating them at one handful, I eat until I get sick. Awesome. And delicious.

I'd like to also mention that my family's beloved dog, Penny passed away peacefully this morning at my parent's home. She has been really sick since around Christmas time, and her little body couldn't handle the stress on her heart anymore. I was hoping to see her one last time when I move home next month, but I'm glad that she didn't have to suffer too much. It will be very strange going home and not have her run to meet me. When Bryce went home in March, I asked him to take some nice portraits of her since I didn't know how much longer she would be with us. Here are a couple of my favorite shots.Goodbye sweet Penny girl. I miss you already.

Day 03 - A favorite photo

I love this picture for several reasons:
1) It's in Maui
2) It's with my little sister
3) It was such a fantastic vacation
4) I was freaking tan
5) It's in Maui

Day 2

Day 02 - A picture of you last year, and now, and how you've changed since then
This picture was taken last year at Spring Break. Angie and Jordan came to Austin to visit!

Bryce took this picture a month ago during spring break. I don't really think I've changed a ton in the past year. I'm almost done with school forever though! I think I've gotten a tougher skin too. A year ago I almost wanted to quit school but I changed my attitude and decided I would finish. I think I'm better because of that.