HAPPY MOOB!!!

This past weekend was MMT 2008 (Massive Moab Trip), the third annual exodus to the magical land of Moab, Utah with about 200 people mainly from the Provo/Salt Lake area. If you haven't heard about this trip, you are definitely missing out on one of the greatest friend/memory-making experiences of your life and should come partake of MMT goodness next year. MMT sets you up with 200 insta-friends that would be more than happy to share their summer with you. It's so AWESOME! So here's a little break down of the trip...

Carly (sister), Abbie (might-as-well-be-sister) and myself headed down to Moab late Thursday evening along with the Justin/Kendall/Mike caravan. We made it to Happy Moob around midnight and started into the canyon to find our campsite which was about 9 miles in. After about 12 miles and some serious off-roading in an Altima with two sketchy axels, we rendezvoused with other MMTers and camped off the road because our scheduled campsite was taken over by aliens/monsters/hostile enemy campers or something like that. Needless to say, we got ZERO sleep, even though I totally insisted about 400 times that we sleep in the car for some peace and quiet. Forget it. We totally froze and were so uncomfortable, but don't worry...a true Moabite never backs down. My little group of girls left before the rest of the crowd to peace out to McDonalds to grab a bite, wash faces, and change into our suits for a day on the Colorado river. The river trip was most excellent! Juh brought a Jolley Roger (Skull and Crossbones) flag, and Dain dubbed our raft the 'Yellow Banana' and we took over just about every other raft out there thanks to our fearless captain/river guide the Dreaded D-Train (aka Derek). It was a crazy good time and we all felt like the $50 price tag was well worth it.

After we Pirates decided to retire, we hit the local swimming pool for a quick dip and a shower (YEA!) which was definitely worth the three bucks we had to pay. Then we swung over to Zax pizza before heading up to delicate arch. We beat every one else up there and really got to enjoy the beauty of Arches without having to deal with a bunch of people. That place is SO gorgeous! I love Moab, it's the greatest place in Utah!

We decided to get some sleep Friday night by crashing in the last available room in the entire city with 8 people. I have never slept so good in my life! I laid down on the bed and was completely out until 8 o'clock the next morning.

That day we hit Sand hill, swam Ken's (yeah, it was named after me) Lake, and then hiked up to Left Hand for some serious cliff-jumping. Left Hand is probably my favorite place in Moab. Last year's MMT spawned some daredevil tendencies and now I LOVE jumping off stuff. So hitting Left Hand again was a nice was to connect to my inner Evil Kinevil. I tried a couple jumps that I didn't try last year and loved them. Maybe next year I'll have the guts to do a backflip or something crazy.

Well, MMT 2008 wrapped up with a stellar BBQ provided by the brethren (Austin, Jake, Paul, John, Juh, etc.) which included Austin's grilling bounty (40 lbs of steak and 20 lbs of chicken) and topped off with banana's foster. YUM! Delicious food, good friends, sweet hikes, and jumping off cliffs; what else is there?!

All in all, this was definitely one of the best trips I've ever been on. I'd like to thank Carly and Abbie (my ladies!) for coming down this year and letting me gush about how awesome Moab truly is. I think they felt the fire!

24 or something...

This past Saturday I turned 24 years old. I wasn't really caring about turning another year older; I feel great, look relatively good in a tight pair of jeans, and am still playing like I'm 17, but then my friend Rick decided to oh-so-subtly let me know that I am entering my mid-twenties. Ugh! For all that read this and are older and wiser than myself, you're probably thinking that I'm being retarded, but think about it?! I'm in my MID-TWENTIES! When I was younger I thought that once you reached the age of 21 it was over for you, and now I'm 24! Crap. Oh well, right? So besides me freaking out over a stupid number, I actually had an awesome day! Worked out in the morning, went wake-boarding on our 1986 Seville aptly named JAWS (who's definitely been running like a 22 year old boat lately) and then had a BBQ with family and friends where we played a mean game of beach volleyball (have you ever watched a bunch of swimmers play land sports? Oh, you're in for a treat!). It was a fun, fabulous day! Now, I'd better go take out my hearing aids and dentures for my mid-morning nap.

Summer?

Well, summer has finally come. Or so we thought. School wrapped up on May 30 and in my great anticipation for 90+ degree weather, I failed to recognize the ominous thunderheads rolling in to destroy my first week of summer. It has seriously rained almost everyday since the 30th. For cryin' in the night, people! It's supposed to be warm! I guess all I can do is wait for the sunshine and bask in its greatness as soon as it decides to show up. (At least I already have a killer tan! Yeah for 14 years of swimming!)
My baby sister also graduated from AFHS this week making the Smith family 4 for 4 on getting HS diplomas. As she was on Senior Council like Carly and I were, she had the wonderous opportunity to speak at graduation. She thanked the teachers and I cried like I was at a wedding/funeral/U of U football game in the last two years...She did so good. Its so weird, I think the majority of adults in this country still feel like they're 18 years old. I do. High school will forever be one of my favorite memories, but honestly I'm really glad that it's over.

American Idol

I love American Idol. Its such an awesome show, despite what some people think. I was a huge fan of this season and was so excited last night to see David Cook win! As I am a Utahn, (more in actuality than perspective), I loved Archuleta just like everybody else. The kid's got pipes and was awesome to listen to...BUT, Tuesday night (the throwdown) Cookies rendition of 'The World I know' by Collective Soul took my breath away and made me fall completely in love with the ex-bartender so-to-be Mr. Kendall Smith, (who will also be joining the church shortly because he's so pure in heart. We'll meet, fall in love, go to the Temple...and the rest is history!). The man is incredible! He sings with so much heart and sincerity, it brought tears to my eyes. I'm not the type of person to fall for celebrities or really anybody for that matter, but I think I've found someone I could truly be happy with! Now I just have to find a way to meet him??? American Idol tryouts-here I come! (Maybe we can sing a duet!)

Catching up...

I haven't blogged for a little while...just been busy and honestly don't feel like I've had that much to say. But, I'll give a little update on life anyways...
April was a fun month, but still way too cold in Utah. I wait for the snow to melt more than I think I've ever anticipated Christmas or my birthday. I HATE snow. It's pretty for about a day and then you have to drive in it and it's just stupid. With that said, spring break was spent at Zions with my family to get away from the stinkin' arctic tundra that is Northern Utah. It was gorgeous and so liberating to be able to wear shorts and a t-shirt, swim outside, and sprint the Temple of Sinewava trail with my brother Kyle. All-in-all, a fabulous trip.
After spring break, going back to school has been interesting...my students have zero desire to be here, (and a lot of the time I do, too!) Keeping them focused and entertained is harder than taming a wild bull, but it's been great hearing all the excuses why they can't do their homework. One of my favorite excuses is that they didn't grab their A-day or B-day backpack. Since when did you need two backpacks to go to school? It's called a locker people. The school's covered with them...Use it.
I've also started swimming pretty consistently again and am really proud of how I've done so far. I feel like a total 'has-been' a lot of the time, but I'm only a few seconds off my college in-season times even being older and fatter! Yea! I've re-realized that I am NOT a freestyler, (when your 50 fly is a 25.1 and your 50 free is a 24.8 something's wrong), but seeing as fly is the most beautiful stroke in swimming, I'm all set. I started a marathon training program as well, but have been sidelined because of stress-fractures in my shins...I think swimming all those years kinda did me a disservice in developing my bone density. Calcium-HERE I COME! But hopefully soon, I'll be able to get my butt back on the road to train.
My job gives me a lot of time to read. I love it! I've probably read about 25 books since January, some I've loved and others i just got through, but here's a list of my top 10.

1) The Book of Mormon (I did a cover to cover read in 3 weeks-it was awesome!)
2) The Alchemist-Paulo Coelho
3) The Twilight Series (they only count as one book)-Stephanie Meyer
4) A Wrinkle in Time- Madeline L'Engle
5) Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln- Doris Kearns Goodwin
6) Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban- J.K. Rowling
7) A History of Joseph Smith by His Mother- Lucy Mack Smith
8) The Illiad- Homer
9) The Lord of the Rings- J.R.R. Tolkien
10) Mere Christianity- C.S. Lewis

Just a few goodies. Read them, Love them.
Finishing up. I'm looking for coaching jobs around the country and have had a few interviews, but no takers yet. I start my Masters degree in June in Secondary Education and am looking forward to being a student again. (Weird?) I'm also looking to possibly move out of Utah, most likely to California or Arizona, but we'll see how things work out. Life is good and I'll post again soon!

The Daily Grind...or Clench & Peta Day

For the last month or so I've been clenching my jaw at night and because of that it has caused some major stiffness in my neck and back along with a major case of insomnia, (ha, I sound so old), but this situation has totally SUCKED! I finally broke down and went to Wal Mart with my mom who almost broke the bank and bought me a 97 cent football mouth guard, one of those that you boil then stick in your mouth to let it form around your teeth. Assuming that this would be a quick fix, I excitedly placed the guard in my mouth and went to bed. While I was laying there, enjoying the fact that my jaw was relaxing around this drool-promoting piece of plastic, I started popping the retainer-like mouthpiece in and out of its secure place around my teeth hundreds of times. While I was sort of enjoying this new toy, (ya know when you have something in your mouth and your tongue won't just leave it alone? It's like that), I failed to realize that despite my joy of having a relaxed face, I still wasn't getting any sleep!!! I stayed up almost the entire night playing with this stupid thing! It's been a few days and I still use it, but also still find it totally irrestistable to fore-go the incessant motion of popping it in and out at least 300 times before falling asleep. I think on the whole I am getting more sleep than I did before, I don't understand why I have such ADD with this wonderfully dreadful little device.

Moving on, yesterday was PETA day...a day for the world to try and understand the vegan way of life. While I'm not a huge meat-eater, I think that the vegan mentality is completely out-of-whack. So with this in mind, and with a fridge full of meat that my sweet aunt gave me on my last visit, and knowing that there was no way that my roommates and I could eat it all, I decided to host a PETA/Eat a big, tasty animal for PETA day party in hopes that the animal-rights activists who hate the so-called mindless slaughtering of innocent animals would nod in approval at my fervent endeavor that these animals did not die in vain. So I covered an enormous roast in an excellent dry-rub of my own creation and stuck it in the oven to cook to perfection. I also made my signature biscuits and veggies and invited the masses. The party was a huge success. The meat was delicious, the company was fabulous, and we had a rousing game of 'screaming ninjas' and a deep, political discussion about how none of the presidential candidates spark any of our fancies. So with a heart full of love, and a stomach full of beef, I wish to thank the PETA people, where ever they are, for a wonderful day!

Things that I love...

I was thinking about this today and thought that it would be fun to list some of my loves, regardless of how 'out there' they are...so here goes: I love laughing until my cheeks hurt, hot showers, warm, clean blankets, good books, cheap dates, the way my legs feel after a 7-mile hill run, going to the Temple, playing the violin/piano, singing on stage, giving talks/teaching in church, the perfect fitting jeans, the way guys look in football pads and those tight pants (whew!), random text messages, swimming fast, smooth butterfly, making a fabulous meal, soft kisses, and big hugs.:) I think the best smells in the world are: chlorine and hot, wet cement, Mom's sunday roasts, Grandma Pat's house, chocolate chip cookies right out of the oven and Abercrombie and Fitch's 'Jake' cologne on the guy you like. I also love the smell of rain and wet grass, new shoes, and puppy breath (I know it kinda sounds gross, but they're so cute!). I love the feeling I get when I finish a huge assignment or project, and when my students realize that they are capable of achieving everything they want in life regardless of their past. I love my bed soooooo much and my 7 foot lovesac is a pretty close second. I love petting my dogs and my cat, throwing a football, and long walks in pretty places. Looking at houses, people watching and test-driving cars are also favorite activities. I love the way a guy looks at me after I've spent three hours in the bathroom with my mom and sisters applying enough make-up and hairspray to make a drag queen sick, and then adding the perfect dress to make his jaw drop. I love being told that I'm beautiful, that I am a Daughter of God, and that I can make a difference in this world. I love fast swimming, fast cars, and slow dances with cute boys. I love spoiling my siblings and am excited for being able to spoil both my own kids and my siblings' kids someday. I love thinking about my future and remembering my past, laughing at all the dumb things I've done, but being so grateful that they happened. I love to live in the moment, be spontaneous, and do things that are unexpected. I love my family and my friends and above everything else listed, My God.