The Perfect Storm

Sailing is probably the sweetest thing I've done all summer! Kelli knew this guy (Seth) who owns a sail boat, and he takes some friends to go sailing pretty often. So we went to Bear Lake and went sailing with him! Good times. Here are some pictures of our adventure...

The weather was absolutely perfect. The perfect amount of wind
to keep us moving, and the sun wasn't too hot, seriously it was perfect.

Ohh, just Kelli and I. I'm not quite sure what she was doing though
LOL!


That's better.

Just relaxing. I love this picture. Kelli also operating the boat.

She was quite the captain!

Too funny! I think Steph took this picture, and we voted that

this totally reminds us of a post card. Caption: "Doing fine without you."

Haha, that's Jake by the way- He did most of the sailing.

Seth taking over- being awkward. Love it.

Two of my AWESOME roommates, love these girls.

Steph and I bundled up, it kinda got a little breezy

Titanic Reenactment. Nice one Kelli!

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Okay, So right after we're all bundled up and it starts to get a little cold, we look at the sky and it appears that a storm is coming up! Seriously it came out of nowhere! The wind picked up, and the sail boat was tipping hardcore! The guys put the sails down, and at this point we're just moving with the help of a motor. Not very fast at all, and the storm is definitely beating us.

Here's what the clouds started to look like.

Here's some lightning. Still 20 minutes away from the marina.

So scary!

I seriously have never thought I was going to die until then. Luckily we did make it home safely, thanks to the guys who didn't choke under pressure. But the boat was rocking, tipping, and I was so scared of that lightning. It was seriously what you see in movies, and hope never happens to you!

* There is a moral to this story though--- Don't go boating on a Sunday! I will NEVER ever ever ever do that again. Needless to say I repented as soon as I got home..

Here's to.. anger?

Haha, I feel like being a pessimist today. I recently posted a blog about ten things that make me terribly happy, and now I'd like to focus on ten things that make me terribly angry. It makes it so much better to write everything down..

1. People who aren't reliable
2. When slow people drive in the fast lane, ahhh I swear Utah Drivers never took drivers ed!
3. When I don't get paid for over 3 weeks, and have no money in the bank on top of that.
4. Not being successful at finding decent jobs
5. When I look my absolute best at church in hopes of running into some hot guy, and never do.
6. When people interrupt me or someone I'm talking to
7. Annoying/self absorbed/thinks the world revolves around them kind of people.
8. LIARS
9. When I have to miss FHE/church/or any other church function.
10. Girl drama. soooooo annoying.

Haha, I feel so much better now!

Stephanie's Birthday Bash and Other Happenings

Yesterday was Stephanie's 20th Birthday!! Woooot! I thought it would be fun to throw a surprise BBQ for her, so the roommates and the guys next door helped too. Steph came home from work early, so while we were preparing her food, it was kind of obvious we were doing this for her.. so the surprise was out, and she went shopping with me for other food items at the store, haha. A failed attempt at a surprise party, but still fun. Here are some pictures.


Happy B-Day Steph! haha the guys went and bought her a b-day
crown. Much better than the one they were going to get at BK!


Oh just Kelli and Steph chillin on the Partio. Notice Kelli's beautiful
drawings, and our random assortment of furniture! That couch
is LEGIT.


Waiting for the awesome food!

Ohh, just cookin up some broccoli. Steph's fav.

Bubbah grillin up some Hawaiian burgers! yummmmay!

Steph riding the Birthday Unicorn! You can see the picnic

table in the back too.. Patio furniture would be nice.. haha

After the BBQ we headed off to check out the NEW Walmart! It's huuuge!

This is Jared and I jamming out to some Jurassic 5, IN THE HOUSE. Youtube it.

We also went to the park after, and tried to play a little ball, but it was too dark to even see the ball.. so we just hung out.

**Stephanie I hope you're reading this, cause this part is alll for you!

-I am so glad I met you! You are seriously like my other half. I've never met anyone that is basically the same person as me. I enjoy our late night chats on the patio, exploring L-town, going on walks, and getting a snow cone like everyday! You are such an inspiration to me, and you're soooo nice. I hope we can remain best friends as the years pass. It sure is going to suck without you as my roommate during the school year.. You are the coolest person ever and everyone loves ya! I hope you had an amazing day, you're the best!

Also... I wanted to mention this.. The night before Stephanie's birthday all of the guys and us decided we wanted to do something extreme. We've heard about Haunted houses and things like that all over Utah, so we thought it would be WAY EXTREME to go to the Haunted Nunnery just up the canyon. Legend has it, that at the nunnery there were little kids who were killed in the pool that's there. or somewhere around there.. Anyway, pretty haunted. Upon arriving at the nunnery, (You have to walk a ways to even get near it. its basically in the middle of nowhere) I started to feel super sick. Like, a feeling I get when I've done something wrong, or something bad has happened.. only times that by like 70. I was seriously going to throw up if I went any further. Maybe it was the Wendy's BACONATOR BURGER that I had a few hours before.. I don't know?? (P.S. I will never eat that heart-attack-in-a-sack again!) But anyway, yeah. So sick. Everyone else was like, come on! We came here, and we're going to see it! It was a good thing Stephanie was on the same page as I was, because she felt like she was going to hurl as well. I was so glad that Steph didn't want to go too, cause there was NO WAY I was going to go back alone, but there was no way I would have gone any further. So Steph and I go back to the car while the others go a little further. When we saw them come back to the car, we asked how it was. They said they didn't even dare go too much further either. We just all felt sick about it. So who knows what would have happened had we gone all the way? I just know that I had a feeling that I needed to stay away from that, and I did. I don't need to know what would have happened. Seriously I've never felt that sick about anything! It was crazy. Weird thing too, Stephanie went to this WAY haunted house where she saw ghosts, and there are pictures of it too, and the organ was playing while she was in the house. But she said when she went inside the house she felt sick, but not to the point of throwing up. She said this was the worst feeling she's ever felt! Ahhhhhhhhh. Anyway, just thought I'd share that with ya.

One last thing.. about the job...

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I didn't get it. :(

Sad day. Oh well, I hate being annoying anyway. Buckle employees buggg. But they've gotta do what they've gotta do. Kudos to them.

More updates!

I've been pretty busy these past couple of weeks, believe it or not! July 1st- I registered for school.. got that step out of the way! I have been studying super hard for a Math Placement test too. I was hoping to get into Math1010, so I wouldn't have to take the easier one. Math1010 is a pre-requisite for a statistics class I need to take for my major, so if I was in the easier math class I would've had to take that class and math 1010 before I could even start taking classes going toward my major. Well, all that studying payed off- cause I passed! I'm in Math 1010 baby. 4 days a week.. suuuck! So I think I'm at 16 credits for the fall semester. And I have to work at least part-time... Kind of over-whelming, but everyone else seems to do it!

Also, I've applied for a job at the Buckle. Ahhhh.. it's going to definitely take some self-discipline not to spend my paychecks on clothes/shoes! But, I don't even know if I got the job yet. I had a 'mini' interview yesterday, and she said she'd keep in touch within the next 48 hours. Can I just say, it was the weirdest interview I've ever had?! First of all, I went in a little early, so when she was with other people in the meeting room, I was totally okay to sit and wait. I was browsing through some clothes, VERY cute ones - might I add.. And she comes out and says, "Laurel?" So I go up and greet her. We're still chillin in the clothing section, I was thinking she was going to take me back into the meeting room. Nope. She asks me all these questions like, "Why do you think you would be a great asset to our team?" "Why not go back to work at Sizzler?" "What other jobs have you done?" Just short questions like that. I told her that I did want to work full time right now, and keep the job throughout the school year. So, I figured that was a good- employers usually want workers who want hours, right? I was kind of disappointed it was so short. I didn't have anytime to sell myself! But I thought it went really well. Hopefully I get the job, I need hours!

And the final update for the afternoon: Boys. Totally meeting lots of new guys everyday! Infact, during the 4th of July weekend, I woke up at 5 am just to make it in time to go to my ward! Let me tell you-- TOTALLY WORTH IT! My ward is filled with tons of cute RM's. And my roommate, Stephanie, is the Ward Prayer Coordinator, so I knew I'd be chosen to do the thought or prayer. So I did the thought on Sunday night. Met lots of other guys there. They invited us to watch a movie over at their place. Note to the wise: DO NOT SEE THE KNOWING. Sooo lame. But it was a fun night. Monday night Stephanie and I were just hanging out on our "partio" (we have this enormous balcony/patio in the back of our apt. We share it with the guys that live in our complex as well.) Anyway, we've lived here for like 2 months and barely even hang out with those guys next door. But they were outside when we went out. Hung out a little bit. Lit off some fire works. Lots of other guys came, it was great. Bubba who lives next door made some homemade ice cream too! Then we went over to their apt and watched a movie till like 2 am. (Don't worry mom.. nothing happened. haha) And tomorrow is Stephanie's birthday, so we're going to grill up some Hawaiian burgers and party it up! I'll definitely post pictures tomorrow. or the next day. Bubba is also going to hook us up with a big projector screen so we can watch a movie on our partio! So excited! I feel like the only thing I've done all week is watch movies.. But it's been so fun!

Stay tuned for: Stephanie's BIG Birthday Bash, My favorite places in Logan, and if I got the job!

Tender Mercies and Other Randoms..

This week has been kind of crazy. Tuesday was my last day with Evan, and believe it or not, it was sad! When I left his house, I said, "We'll see ya later Evan!!" and he said, "Let's hope so!" SAD. Good thing he has Alzheimer's, so he's not going to be too distraught about me leaving, he won't even remember me the next day. But when I went to lunch with him that day, his daughter came with us too. I can't remember if I gave you a little background on Evan's family situation, but it's okay, I'll tell you twice. So Evan- totally loaded, right? He's got tons of land (6,000 acres I think?) Anyway, so once he started showing signs of Alzheimer's, 4 or his 6 kids totally went against him and wanted to put him in a nursing home so they could sell all his stuff and keep his money. It's all greed, and it's so sad. They don't even care about their dad, just about his money. If you want to read more about this, his daughter gave a more descriptive background here. Disclaimer: it's pretty long, so only read when you have time. Anyway his daughter Kathy was his main guardian. She lives in NYC so she can only make it to Utah once a month. She's one of the better kids, she helps her dad out whenever she comes down, and she's the one that had aides like me help him in his house. If it were up to his other kids they'd throw him in a nursing home so they could sell all his stuff and keep the money, like I said before. But with Kathy in charge, they couldn't. Anyway, long story short- Kathy gave up guardianship on Tuesday, which was my last day with Evan. She couldn't keep living the way she was. Her other siblings were harassing her and doing all that they could to get her to give up her position as Guardian. So she couldn't handle her siblings anymore and gave up. This means that they can do whatever they want to their dad. The first thing they'll do is put him in a nursing home, which means I would've lost my job. Can we say tender mercy!? I had a feeling I needed to find another job, and now I know why. This other part kind of scares me.. When I was talking to his daughter, she was telling me that they are going to have a hearing in court the 18th of August. She said she might need people to testify on Evan's behalf, and I might have to testify! I've never been in this kind of situation, and I don't want to get involved in this huge family crisis. But if it means that Evan will get the proper care, and won't be treated badly, then I'd gladly do it. It breaks my heart the things his kids did to him, and will continue to do when they take over.. Wish me luck if I have to go to court!

Also, I've been looking for some extra money. College fee's are due soon, and I've got nothin. I looked on craigslist today for some stupid ways to make money, and I certainly found the winner! This company just came out with this weight loss product, and they're looking for people to participate in their study. You get $1500 for a 3 week participation. Probably not healthy, probably a scam, but I replied to the add anyway! Haha! But seriously, making money and loosing weight at the same time?! Perfect, right? ....Yeah, almost too perfect. Definitely a scam.
I also started another way to make some money, this one is definitely NOT a scam. It's MELALEUCA! I gave my first presentation yesterday, and I'm getting enrollments too! Huzzzah, say hello to the youngest Corporate Director Melaleuca has ever seen! Haha, I'm pretty proud of myself.

I go to register for school next Wednesday! I reviewed my classes yesterday, and here's what my schedule looks like..
MWF- I have a Writing class at 7:30 am!! That's going to suck. But it lasts till 8:20, then after that I have a Psychology lab at 8:30. On the other side of campus! I'm going to have to book it to make it on time. But the lab is only on Monday's- so I only have to worry about that once a week. The lab ends at 10:30, I believe. Then at 11:30-12:20 I have an American History class, which I am so excited about. I love American History. And that's all the classes I have MWF. Sweeeet.
T&TH- At 1:30-2:45 I have Psychology 1010, also very excited about this one. Obviously because it's my major. And just on the first couple of Thursdays at 4:30 I have a connections class. Which gets you introduced to the school, and you do fun activities. I hear it's awesome!

There's a peek at my schedule, it might change when I talk to my academic advisor, not sure. But I am excited nonetheless.

I think that's about all of the excitement I have for this week. OH WAIT. There is a bonfire Saturday night with the ward. Totally excited about that! There are the cutest boys in my ward, and there's something about being outside, close to nature, that gets guys going. My roommate and I already have our game plan planned out carefully for that night. We're definitely going to score some hot dates! I'll let you know how it goes. :)

Farewell Evan..

Soooo I put in my two weeks notice. There's only so much I can handle with Evan, the shifts were way too long, and I wasn't getting paid nearly enough. Funny how my two weeks turned into like a month, though. My boss called me a couple days ago and said, "Laurel I don't have a replacement yet, would you be able to work through out this month, and your last day could be July 2nd?" UHHHHH... (this was clearly my response..) But I told her I would have to talk to my other boss and see if I could work around that schedule. ( I now clean cabins in Bear Lake for more money than I was making with Evan, plus my roommate does it too, and she loves to drive, so I just pay her for gas money and we carpool! Perfect!) Anyway, I know you've all been dying to see what Evan looks like, so here's a little taste.

Evan and I-- Clearly not the best picture of me, but look how tall he is, and he's hunched over! He could totally take me. And I spilled a little water on my shirt, no big deal.

The only time he decides to take a nap is when we want to take pictures of him, imagine that.

Larissa came for a week to stay with me, she got the real Evan experience. BTW, he's totally not sleeping! Look at that sly smile.

Where's Waldo!?

Ahh, I thought this picture was so cute. Evan lives right by the hillside, so there's always little deer running around.

There ya have it- Evan in a nutshell. Now I'll blog about some tender memories with him..

-I'm totally going to miss Evan's dry jokes. He would say something, and I wasn't sure if he meant for it to be funny or not, but I'll know because he'll do a little chuckle and wait for me to laugh. It was kinda funny.

-He would always say the weirdest phrases for going to the bathroom. One time I asked him where he was going, and he said, "I've gotta drop a load." or something gross like that! Guys never change!

-I definitely won't miss his 'backseat driving.' I'm going 40MPH in a 55MPH area, and he yells at me to slow down..

-Okay this next one is a little explicit, so nobody under the age of 16 can read this.. I just had to mention it, because I laughed SO hard when he said this.. I told Evan he needed to change his pants because they were dirty, he thinks about it for a while, and said, "Well, I'm going to take a guess and say that you don't have any guys going in your pants?" hahaha! Where that came from, nobody will ever know. Maybe he meant to say something like, "Well I'm going to guess that you don't have any guy pants." Who knows, but funny nonetheless.

-This was cute, I was taking him to go to the retirement home to eat lunch, and there's like 50 widows there. He had just gotten his new 'teeth' and I said, "Evan you are going to look so sharp, all these ladies will hover over you!" And he said, "Should I run?!" haha, he was pretty funny when we wasn't so agitated!

Anyway, just a taste. I can't really think of any more. But this has been a good job for me. The best and the worst. He taught me to have A LOT of patience and kindness. Thanks for the good times Evan! Keep it real!

Updates

I've totally been slacking on my blogging duties. Allow me to catch up..

-I moved out of my apartment (KK20) and now I'm living with 5 new girls. I've had a whole month to get to know them a little better, and I like them a lot. Although, I do miss my old roomies.. nobody can really compare..
-Yes, I'm still hanging around good ole' Evan. He got his false teeth, and a haircut today. Lookin real sharp. I do need to find another job that pays a little more though, but I can't seem to get myself to quit. I hate being so nice all the time.. Why can't I say NO?
-I promised myself that I am going to start my melaleuca business TODAY. No If's, And's, or But's about it. I need money asap.
-I registered for classes next fall, and I'm super excited to start! I finalize my classes, and meet with my academic advisor on July 1st. Who knew I'd be going to college?!
-I've been in Idaho every weekend for almost a month! It's been a busy one; Mother's Day, Lana's had her baby, and Memorial Day.

Well, I'm pretty sure I've got you all up to date. I promise to be more faithful in blogging.
P.S. There's this boy....







Pssshhh, I wish.

Here's To Happiness.

This blog is inspired by Allie, who was inspired by someone else. But I loved it.

Ten Things That Make Me Terribly Happy:
1. Long drives in my car, but only if the gas tank is full/it's clean on the inside and out/and I have awesome music to jam out to.
2. Having conversations with little kids. Actually, just being with kids makes me terribly happy.
3. Going over to my grandparents house to watch Jazz games.
4. Disney Movies and Music
5. When everything fits together perfectly, and you feel like everything will work out finally.
6. Dance parties
7. Summer nights
8. Watching the sun rise/set
9. The song, "Here Comes The Sun" by The Beatles
10. Knowing I'll see my Grandma again

I love making lists about what makes me happy. It really puts things into perspective a little bit, and keeps me thinking positive. Almost like counting your blessings, if you will.

My New Best Friend

www.pandora.com <---- check it out.

My playlist consists of David Gray and N*SYNC. Awesome, right?
Also, the Jazz are playing the Lakers again tonight at home. I really wanted to go to this game, but I guess I'll have to settle for going to Iggy's and watching the game around the bar, jumping/yelling/screaming throughout the whole game. People will love me for sure. But if this game is as intense as it was on Thursday night, I'll have no voice tomorrow. :)

Good Day

Today was legitimately the sweetest day ever. Days like these get me so excited for the summer season. Anyway, I get a text from Cait (roommate) saying we should have a picnic today! I was totally game for that because it was so nice outside! Well folks, here's what was on the menu for tonight's picnic-
*Appetizer: Veggie Tray with ranch, so easy and simple, but so perfect for the occasion.
*Main Dish: Grilled Salmon with Pesto on Focacia (the store didn't have any Focacia bread, so we used French, an okay substitute.) Couscous with sun dried tomatoes, peas, and feta cheese. And a Fruit and Spinach salad with Raspberry Pomegranate Vinaigrette. (I prepared this dish)
*Dessert: Lemon Bars (I made them.. and they were delicious! Thank you Paula Deen.)

So we sat on our deck and ate this wonderful meal while blasting Bob Marley music, also perfect for the occasion. People would look up at us and be so jealous that we were eating such a perfect meal, while they were going home to fix em up some tomato soup.. We don't eat like poor college students at KK20, we eat like Kings and Queens. Jealous?