Green River, Utah!

Friday August 27th through Sunday August 29th a group of 10 of my friends went to Green River, UT for the weekend. To be completely honest, I had never heard of Green River, in fact I had to Google it. It's an absolutely breathtaking area! Kristy's uncle was kind enough to allow us to use his amazingly gorgeous cabin. It was a great way to unwind after the first week of school.

Kristy and Heather and I left a few hours before the rest of the group. So, when we got to the cabin we turned the water on (oh yes we did! All by ourselves!) and then we had the whole place to ourselves. What did we do? We played. We lifted weights, we pole danced around the logs throughout the house, and then we crafted a plan to scare everyone as they walked in the front door. We had a great time.

Because we got there when it was dark Friday night (and boy was it ever dark!) I was shocked by the landscape when I woke up! These 2 pictures are the view from the cabin!

Saturday was a low structure low stress day. We got up and some went for runs and 5 of us Jillianed (we are now faithful followers of Jillian Michaels 30-Day Shred). We made German Pancakes for breakfast and then got ready for the day. Half the group went on a hike, while the rest of us went for an adventure-filled drive. Heather is quite the driver (I'll just leave it at that). As we traveled along a random dirt road we came across this masterpiece!

Heather, posing for pictures as always.

This rock was MASSIVE and kind of random. Good thing Heather can lift it.

Next it was Haylee's turn

A small crevice in the rock was the perfect size for Heather.

Then, of course, we had to climb the rock. This is the view from the top. Kristy was reluctant to join us, but after a few minutes of loneliness on the ground she made her way up.

Heather is just that awesome!

Our adventure then took us to the river. Now, for those of you who aren't aware, the Green River is not actually green. It's a dirty reddish brownish color. Not very appealing. And yet we ended up knee deep in it. I just can't ever resist!

The sky threatened a storm all afternoon, but then left us alone.

I was really wishing I had worn my swimming suit.....

When we were done at the river we got lunch at Subway, drove back to the cabin, and then the 5 of us found places to sleep and took 2 hour naps! It really was the perfect getaway. We woke up when the other crew came back and then we went to dinner at Ray's Tavern. Apparently Ray's Tavern has been featured on Guy Fierri's Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives. We weren't terribly impressed with it. Although, the jukebox did win a couple dollars from Erin and Heather. We had that Tavern rocking to Miley Cyrus' "Party in the U.S.A." Yes, that song is played at every gathering we have.

When we got done with dinner we insisted on picking a watermelon. With the permission of Kristy's uncle we set out to pick watermelons across the street. We made it as far as the driveway and were instantly attacked by mosquitoes. We fled back to the house and covered ourselves with bug spray and then set out again. The bug spray was not effective. We spent the entire walk there slapping each other to protect one another from mosquitoes. When we got to the watermelon field we quickly identified 2 watermelons we wanted, cut the vines, and then left. I had nearly 15 mosquito bites just from that adventure!

This is Sarah riding the tractor.

Mackenzie with her prize.

We tried to pose for a picture, but the mosquitoes just wouldn't let us.

Me and Annalissa, isn't the sky beautiful?! Utah truly is a great place to live!

This is a not very good picture of the cabin we stayed in.

I know I've said this before, and I'm sure I'll say it again.... I have the most amazing friends! I am truly blessed!

Apparently I've Earned a Certain Reputation...

Really, is there any explanation needed????

But, it's kind of a funny story. This year (much more than last) I have been referred to as "Princess Sarah." Apparently my principal, Dave, and fellow counselor, Jacob think I'm a princess. They use the phrase in a way that leads me to believe it's not a good thing. The good news is, this year I'm not alone! I guess Tracy and I have both been acting like princesses (we don't want to be the queen, that's just too much responsibility!). So, Friday one of the teachers showed up with princess crowns for us. Mine is now is prominently displayed on my bookcase in my office. Now I have a princess crown at home and one at work. I'm set!

We Need Your Support Please!

These are projects I'm showing off to create some interest. (Don't judge me, usually I try not to brag about things I've made.) I have made a bunch of these super cute headbands to sell at a yard sale. This yard sale is to help one of my cute cousins. Heather and Jason can only have another baby through the process of invitro fertilization and it is an expensive procedure. Please come support our family as we work to help Heather and Jason! The yard sale is this Saturday, August 28th. It is located at 6231 Hopi Dr. in West Jordan. They will also have baked goods (some of which I will have made) and other donated items for sale. Please, please, please come!

August 11th -- 4 Years Later...

I was caught unprepared by this date this year. While I think of Tyler every day, I try not to think about what August 11th means in my life, therefore this year I think I subconsciously took the "If I ignore it, it will go away" approach by keeping myself crazy busy. That makes this anniversary a little more difficult than most people would expect after 4 years. Despite my emotions at this moment I would like to share a little bit of the handsome Tyler Scott Elder that I know and love so very much.

Tyler was always very thoughtful. His gifts on Christmas, Valentine's Day, my birthday, anniversary, etc. were always so special and well thought out and absolutely perfect. One of my favorite things about Tyler was his small acts of love and kindness that he often showed to me that I hold very dear. Above is a picture of a few of these acts. There were several times I would walk out to my car in the mornings before school and he would have already been there (even if he didn't have to be up yet) and scraped the snow and frost off my windows. There were other times when I would walk out there and I would have little post-it notes stuck to my rearview mirrors. These are 4 of those notes (some have faded because I kept them in my car for so long). A couple of my favorites read:

"Hey Beautiful,

Have a great time at work. Make it the best day of work! Remember, I'm thinking of you.

Tyler"

"Hey Beautiful,

Have a wonderful day. Hope you do well on your test. Drive safe.

Love, Tyler"

I am blessed to have been so loved. Tyler's love for me changed me. I learned to love myself through him. I love you Tyler Scott and I miss you every day!

Millcreek Canyon-- August 7, 2010

Saturday night a group of us got together to go up Millcreek Canyon to make tin foil dinners and roast marshmallows. It was super fun! I have the most awesomely fun friends!

Amber, D'Nell and I went up ahead of everyone else to secure a good picnic site. We then got the fire going so it would be ready when everyone else got there. You bet I did just start another fire! That's 2 for me this summer! This one was a little more difficult, so luckily Amber, D'Nell, and I were able to work together to get it going.

Our fire we did all by ourselves. No boys needed! Our goal was to have the fire roaring by the time Jared got there just to prove a point.

Annalissa and Amber trying to create coals to cook our dinners in. Unfortunately, this effort nearly killed our fire, and when Jared got there he wouldn't believe that we had a fire going. I was so frustrated!

D'Nell and Liz playing cards. I found a new buddy to play games with! D'Nell and I had a blast playing card games for a good portion of the evening.

Heather and Annalissa

So, this random 8 year old girl wandered over from the neighboring picnic area and pretty much stayed with us most of the evening (where were her parents?!). She allowed all of us into the club. Here she is with Kristy, Erin, and Heather.

We had a great evening. It was relaxed. We didn't plan anything or force any "activities," we just spent most of our time playing cards and visiting. The food was delicious and the company was great!

August 6, 2010 Relay For Life

Friday night a small group of my friends got together and went up to This Is The Place park to participate in the night activities for Relay For Life. We went in honor of Kathleen Gauchay. Kathleen is the mother of our dear friend Lisa. Kathleen passed away in the early morning hours Monday after a nearly 2 year battle with Melanoma. We want Lisa to know that we love her and that she is in all of our prayers!

Annalissa, Amber, and Liz

I made pink headbands for everyone to wear in honor of Lisa's mom.

Liz, Erin, Nicole, Amber, me, and Annalissa

It was a great evening. We watched a slideshow that was very moving. It made me think of sweet Joanne Elder who passed away last year after fighting Leukemia for a really long time. Cancer is such a sad and terrible disease and I hope that someday there will be a cure.

Eat Pray Love

I just finished reading Eat Pray Love by Elizabeth Gilbert. It's a really great book, and I'm excited to see the movie. There were a few quotes from the book I wanted to remember and here they are:


You were given life; it is your duty (and also your entitlement as a human being) to find something beautiful within life, no matter how slight. (Pg. 115)

But the Yogis believe a human life is a very special opportunity, because only in a human form and only with a human mind can God-realization ever occur. The turnips, the bedbugs, the coral- they never get a chance to find out who they really are. But we do have that chance. (pg. 123)

...people universally tend to think that happiness is a stroke of luck, something that will maybe descend upon you like fine weather if you're fortunate enough. But that's not how happiness works. Happiness is the consequence of personal effort. You fight for it, strive for it, insist upon it, and sometimes even travel around the world looking for it. You have to participate relentlessly in the manifestations of your own blessings. And once you have achieved a state of happiness, you must never become lax about maintaining it, you must make a mighty effort to keep swimming upward into that happiness forever, to stay afloat on top of it. If you don't you will leak away your innate contentment. It's easy enough to pray when you're in distress but continuing to pray even when your crisis has passed is like a sealing process, helping your soul hold tight to its good attainments. (pg. 260)