Sunsplash!

Yesterday I got the idea to go to Sunsplash (a water theme park that used to be the cool thing to go to when I was 10 years old). Anyway, in deciding who to go with I thought my nephew Gage would probably have a blast and be the most fun to watch. My roommate Bekah jumped on board and invited her nephew Kaden. So today I picked Gage up we spent a day in the sun together. It really was so much fun, I loved spending the one on one time with him. He was fearless and was the absolute best riding buddy on those slides!

My new toy!

Who says adults can't buy themself a toy every now and again. After weeks of visiting multiple scooter shops around the valley and making numerous calls to craigslist sellers, I decided on this lovely scooter. I am so excited to start driving it to work since the hospital is less than a mile from my house. I know I know, why don't I just walk to work? Well, that would just take too much effort and why do it when you can show up riding a barbie looking scooter!

Out of town adventures 2010...and the year isn't close to being over!

I'm pretty sure this stage of my life is my favorite so far. Yeah things are sometimes more complicated (or at least I make them complicated) and I'm expected to work and pay bills but I'm fairly confident I'm living the dream. I work three nights a week at a job I enjoy and come home to a couple of very cute and drama-free roommates (pictures to follow). I've learned the art of scheduling myself at work so I never have to take a day off and I still get to leave town for some fun vacations. Here is a recap of a few this year so far starting with the most recent.

Big Bear Cabin in Colorado:

One of my best friends in high school, Angie Johnson, has a cabin right outside Durango, Colorado. I just spent the last four days four wheeling, learning to fly fish, lounging in hot springs, discovering very small towns in the mountains and eating at their diners, going on nature hikes, playing croquet, cutting down trees, cuddling up in blankets next to a real fireplace (no gas involved), window shopping in Durango, and just enjoyed every second.

This was the view we had whenever we drove anywhere. Absolutely beautiful!

When we were at Walmart buying the food for the cabin we came across these little gems and decided it was a must to have nightgowns. This is next to the real fireplace mentioned above.

I have a bigger respect for life pre-chainsaw. I was just about spent after a few swings and it took a couple of big guys an hour to get the tree down. It's fun to say that I helped chop it down.
We took a 20 minute fourwheel ride up this mountain and had a picnic at the top. Some of the people rode in this ranger but I prefered the four wheeler. By the time we got home I was caked with dirt, it was totally worth it:)

I couldn't believe this! There was a pipe coming out of the mountain and it had the coldest, freshest tasting water ever. I think by the end of the trip people were annoyed by me because I made them stop every time we passed it. It's not my fault that it was right on the way to everything!

Huntington Beach:
My roommate Bekah had to go to a wedding in California so we decided to make a weekend excursion out of it and go with her. We left at 3am Saturday morning and arrived just in time for breakfast in Huntington. We all fell asleep laying on the beach and some of the girls are still recovering from their sunburns to this day. We shopped the main street in Huntington and was able to walk on the beach at sunset. That was a good day!

Here are my two roommates! Sarah Steiner on the left and Bekah Parker on the right. I love these girls and I love how we all have coordinating towels:)

This picture was taken pre-sunburn when everyone is still so happy. The two other girls in the picture is Amy and Angela Lindford.

San Francisco:

Three things that were on my bucket list was to 1) Go to San Francisco 2) Eat french toast at Sear's Fine Restaraunt and 3) Take a picture by the bridge. It just so happens that Andrew's family lives in the bay area and his nephew was being baptized so an incredibly fun trip just seemed logical. I loved spending the weekend with his family but my favorite day was definately the day just he and I went to the city. We rode the trolley everywhere, shopped downtown, ate clam chowder and Fisherman's Warf, shared a Ghiradelli chocolate sundae at the factory and ,of course, took pictures by the bridge and ate French Toast. It will be a day that I can't imagine forgetting.

Just a picture hanging off a trolley, loved this place!

The guy that took this picture was pretty funny. I think he was Indian (from India) and after we asked how it looked, he said "Really good, but (as he looked at Andrew) your shoes are burning." We laughed pretty hard and come to think of it, this is probably only funny to us:)

A trip to Idaho and another trip to California can be added to this list. I'm hoping to take advantage of this time of my life and continue to plan some fun vacations.

Home improvement time!

It has finally started to cool off a little bit at nights so one night I got a little ambitous and decided to paint my garage floor. I don't think I realized what I was getting myself into. My grandpa moves frequently and every time he moves into a new house he will paint his own garage floor. Let's just say I have a new respect for my grandpa. Three nights and two gallons of paint later I'm finally finished! I wouldn't call it a professional looking floor but not too shabby for a beginner:)

BEFORE

AFTER- Taaaadaaah!

Here I go...

So I've decided officially that I will be running in the PF Changs Rock 'n Roll Marathon on January 17th. By marathon I clearly mean half marathon, c'mon I'm not that crazy. This will be my first running adventure and will be a fun thing to cross of my bucket list. A few friends from work are going to run it with me and our official training starts tomorrow. I just bought a new pair of running shoes and I'm ready to go! I figure if I post my goal on a blog and pay my dues to the marathon then I can't back out:)

Price is Right

"Carly Wood come on down, you're the next contestant on the PRICE IS RIGHT!" The crowd went wild, high fives all over the place, a lot of jumping and running, it was absolute madness! Hmmm... at least it would have gone that way had it worked out the way I hoped:) My two cousins Jared and Blake and I had the whole price is right experience today and it was quite a ride. Blake had made some rockin "ASU loves Drew Carry" shirts and we drove over to Cali Monday morning. So we woke up at 5:30 this morning to go stand in line at CBS studios. We already had tickets but apparently they don't guarantee a spot, we found that out the hard way. We got there and there were hundreds of people already lined up, some camped out all night! They only had room for 300 in the studio and all of the very loud groups you see had an automatic place at the show. We sat around for hours holding onto the hope that we'll get in. When we just about gave up, a group of ASU students showed up, thank goodness! They happen to have 3 spots in their group so we just pretended we were their best friends. Needless to say, I think there were some bitter people around us that we snuck our way in, but hey, arizonans have to stick together! The people in charge wrote my name on the official Price is Right name tag and it was sweet. They took us in groups of about 15 and talked with us and from there they decided who gets on. Blake, Jared, and I were all ashamed at our performance, we just didn't shine! After 7 hours of waiting, the show started and it is way different then what people see on TV, they would redo scenes and in between each game is a waiting period but it's was fun because Drew Carry would talk to us. He's a pretty funny guy. The show airs on November 10th and I'm pretty sure I got a solid 2 seconds total of TV time. Don't think I won't DVR it and watch it, I'll take what I can get!

Just waiting for the show to start in our sweet shirts!

My official name tag, why am I still so excited about it?

Ok ok, I'm almost done, I know I'm going blogging crazy!
The day before we went to the beach and then I got to experience Hollywood for the first time! We toured the wax museum, the genis book of world records museum, and the ripley's museum. The museums were ok but going through them with Blake and Jared was a blast. We laughed so hard I cried, what a memorable night! Here are some pictures!

It would be a trip to Hollywood if there wasn't a star picture. Personally I think Tim Mcgraw and I look very good together:)


Morgan Freeman was the most realistic sculpture at the wax museum. Dang how do they do that?


This guys was crazy. He would move and look like he was a wax statue, when someone would want a picture with him he would scare them half to death. We found ourselves just staring at him and waiting for him to jump at people!

Two posts in one day?!?! I'm exhausted!!!!

In a nutshell...

I know it's hard to believe but after 9 months of deserting this blog I thought I should turn over a new leaf and update it here and there. Too much has happened for me to write all the details but here are some highlights...
1) I bought a new house and with the help of my dad and his crews and a very helpful real estate agent (my mom), this place looks pretty snazzy, I love it! No roommates right now, I haven't found the right one yet.
2) I've been able to go on some dang fun vacations including a Mexican cruise, Rocky Point, Las Vegas, Idaho, and a very fun California trip which will be explained in the next blog.
3) Found out I will be getting a new niece from my sister-in-law/sister Nicole and a new little one from my older sister Rocky.
4) Met some really great people, dated a great guy, and made some fun friends.
5) I hit my one year mark as an ICU nurse. I am still learning like crazy and I absolutely love the people I work with. They make it so I'm excited to go to work, thanks guys!
Whew, I'm sure I've forgotten things but there's the update:)

Thanksgiving!

Can I just say that thanksgiving rocks! I mean, what other holiday is it perfectly acceptable to load up a huge plate of yummy food and then not be scoffed at when you go for seconds. Seriously though, thanksgiving is always so much fun! Every year, we get together with my mom's side of the family. I am very close to my cousins and I feel like some of my happiest memories have been with them. It has been fun to have Lexi home this past week. I forget how fun she is until she comes home. Luckily, she'll be home in a few weeks for the Christmas break. Anyway, I am so grateful for family.


And of course, what is a holiday without a few pictures!

THIS IS THE LIFE

It's apart of my daily routine to check for updates on blogs. Seriously, I get this weird over-excitement feeling when new pictures are posted and I am able to get updates on those people I love most. Unfortunately, their diligence in updating their blogs has not rubbed off on me...sorry. It's crazy how life changes. I've made a huge transition in life by moving home away from some of my best friends and the carefree college life. Fortunately, I have learned recently that change, although difficult at times, can turn out to be awesome! Since August I have started an incredible job at a hospital in an intesive care unit that is so updated and the new technology makes it exciting to be apart of. Since August I have been able to hang out with my family a ton. I was so sad to see Ryan, Nicole, and the kids move away but I loved getting to know Alie, Ray, and Jenna better. The highlight was being able to read to Jenna, she is such a sweetheart. I was able to be at the hospital the day my sister Aubry had her first little girl, Josie. Her son Gage will say my name now, it's pretty fun for me. My sister Raquel just moved around the corner from us! I consider her 7 month old girl, Presley, one my best buds. She is the easiest little girl to be around and I love that I get to hang around her more. My mom has taken the role of my real estate agent. We have put in a few offers on houses for me but none of them have been accepted. We term it, "throwing mud against the wall". One of these days, that mud will stick! Until then I will just keep saving my pennies and live for free with my parents who are dang good roommates. Sounds like a good plan to me!

My mom, vampire Gage, and I on halloween!

Here is Presley. I stole this picture off of Raquel's blog, sorry Rock! Anyway, I love this little girl.

This is my new sweet little neice. My sister Aubry just happens to be a photographer, check her website out. http://www.aubryandmegan.com
HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!

Cancun!

Although I rarely get comments on my postings so I question if anyone even looks at my blog, I will continue to update myself on what's going on.
Last week my Grandpa took all of the single cousins (I of course qualify) and the adults to Cancun for a week. It was PARADISE! We stayed at an all inclusive resort so there was unlimited food, pina coladas, and icecream. Let's just say it was delicious to the mouth but detrimental to the hips. Our resort was right on the beach so between the sand and the pool, I was able to get a little tan which is always a good thing. I was able to do things I had never done before which was awesome. My dad and I went scuba diving and I drank alcohol for the first time. Scuba diving was intentional but the alcohol tasting definately wasn't so don't go tell the bishop on me quite yet. All of the workers assumed that since I'm an adult that I drink so I would make sure that I say I wanted virgin pina coladas. Well I guess one time they didn't understand my broken spanish and thought I said, "Load this one up! I love to have a really gross burning taste in my throat." We literally took hundreds of pictures so below I am showing just a few of the highlights. Anyway, it will be a trip I'll never forget!

GRADUATION!

I know that I am a little behind in blogging but that's pretty normal for me! Just know that there are two more blogs coming very soon!
First thing is first though!
I GRADUATED!
I didn't think that day would ever come but it finally did. The girls all had to wear all white as part of the nursing tradition. My parents were able to come to Idaho for the ceremony and it was awesome having them there. Along with my parents, my sister-in-law Nicole and both sets of grandparents drove to get there too. I definately felt loved. The last week of school was actually more emotional than I had expected. Some of my bestest friends are in Idaho so it is still a huge adjustment for me being home. I am going to miss my friends a whole lot but I am excited to go visit them. It has been awesome being home with my family and spending more time with them these past few weeks. We took a trip to Mexico last week but we'll save the details of that for the next blog. I got a job at Banner Gateway hospital in their ICU (Intensive Care Unit). I start August 11 and I am both excited and nervous to start. I will be trained for the next while so I guess I have a little bit of time to get my feet wet. I plan on taking the NCLEX, which is the test to become licensed, the beginning to middle of September. Anyway, more updates are to come! Below is a slideshow of graduation night!

Nursing Group

So I am in what is considered to be the "alternate" group in nursing school. There are only 9 of us and there are 32 traditional students. Although I have been able to become friends with many of the other people in the traditional group, I have become very close to those in my group. We have had clinicals every Saturday together since the beginning and we have had many other activities with just us. We have all been through a lot together and it was great to have such a huge support group. They have been like family up here. We finally got a picture together in our uniforms yesterday morning before clinical. I am excited for my parents to meet all of them come Thursday when I GRADUATE!!!


Top row starting from the left- Eloise, JoAnna, Brandon, Steve, Jory, Mitchell
Bottom row starting from the left- Kirstie, Cade, Me

MONTANA!!!

Last weekend Julie and I ditched the Idaho Falls festivities and drove to Montana to see Bonnie! We had so much fun! If Montana had my family there and better opportunities for nursing, I’d be there in a second. It is so beautiful. We were planning on camping but then the thought of mosquitoes scared us so we just set up a tent in her front yard. We did, however, go to the top of the mountain the night of the fourth and watch all of the fireworks that were going on in the valley. We had a great time hitting golf balls off the side of the mountain and sitting around a campfire eating s’mores. I am definitely going to miss these girls, we have had a lot of fun and they have made the past few years very fun for me. I’ll forever be grateful for them! Here are a few pictures of the weekend!

CAMPING!!!

This past Saturday was the first Saturday of the semester that I did not have to be at the hospital. My roommate Julie really wanted to go camping so we invited a few boys from the ward and went. We had a great time! One of the boys owns a motor bike and so he gave me a fun ride and it was gorgeous! While we were on our ride a black bug flew into my friends ear. Not just around his ear, but it actually flew into the hole! He was shaking his head around trying to get the bug out and at that moment we both remember that we saw an episode of "Trauma: life in the ER" and this exact thing happened to a man where he was getting stung by a mosquito over and over in his ear. I'm pretty sure at this moment we both got more panicky and so I started to blow in his ear trying to get it out. IT WORKED! I looked in his ear and saw a little part of the bug and so I motioned him to get it out. He told me to get it so I stuck my finger in his ear and retrieved the dead bug...poor little guy, he was probably just as scared as we were! Afterwards we just laughed and now we have a funny story between the two of us. Other than that, I think the mosquitos were on vacation because I did not get bitten once, I felt super lucky. We left the campsite early the next morning which was perfect because none of us were grumpy campers yet. This weekend Julie and I are off to Montana for the 4th to visit our friend Bonnie, I am very excited and I'll have to post pictures later!

This one's for Austin!

It has been a long time since I have made a post and Austin made sure I was aware of it so this blog is for him!
Our class has a countdown board and when I looked at it today it said that we only have 33 more days till graduation. I couldn't believe it! I have been at college for so long that it has become a part of me. I am very excited to see my family more but I also am starting to feel sad that I'll be leaving Rexburg and all of my best friends up here. I have been so blessed to be here. So yeah, after I graduate I am planning on going on a way fun trip with some of my family and cousins and then I'll study for a few weeks for the NCLEX exam. After I pass that, I will be a full fledged nurse and I'll look for a job. I have learned recently that my passion is the ER. I got a full taste of what it is like last Saturday and my love for the high energy floor was confirmed. Ryan was able to come up here for a night and it was a blast seeing him and I'm psyched to see Nicole and the kids later today! Anyway, that's about it right now! Happy Father's Day DAD! I'm excited to be there for it next year!!!


This picture was taken on my birthday last month! Here are 3 of my roommates this semester, they are very fun to live with!

Happy Easter!

I just wanted to wish everyone a very Happy Easter! I for one had a great Easter this year! My roommates and a few guy friends came over and we had sort of a potluck dinner. I had made Nicole's sugar cookies earlier in the week but we still had a lot of dough so we rolled them out and all decorated them, it was really fun. My friend Brandon is a paramedic so I asked him if he could get me a pair of scrubs, anyway he remembered and suprised me with them today. I am definately excited to be able to wear scrubs to work starting in July or August, you can't beat their comfort! School is going pretty good but I'm psyched for it to be done for the semester. We are about two weeks and a half weeks away and then I get to go home for a week or so, I miss my family a ton! Clinicals have been so much fun this semester. We are on the labor and delivery unit so I've been able to see a lot of births, it's amazing. I started my first IV in a patient yesterday so that was really exciting for me, kind of nerve racking though. Anyway, that's about it, I love you all and am excited to see my favorite Arizonans in a few weeks!

Here is a picture of two of my roommates and I in our matching scrubs, I'm the only one that got the full outfit though...I felt special!

Funny Movie

Hey I know I haven't updated in a while, sorry. Anyway, I was at this comedy thing and they showed this youtube video at it. So yeah I went home and showed my roommates and we've watched it so many times. I think it gets funnier every time. You'll just have to go to the bottom of my blog and stop the music. Anyway, it cracks me up, enjoy!

Back in Rexburg!

After a fun christmas break, I am now going full force in school again. It was hard leaving the warm Arizona sun to come to the bitter cold windy icebox known as Rexburg. I think today was the coldest I've ever been and yesterday it was so windy and cold that the local schools were cancelled and the power was out in my apartment when I woke up. My cell phone was my only light source so it was a fun little adventure trying to get ready. Other than the cold, I love being in Rexburg. It has been fun to reunite with old friends and meet new ones. School is busy but that's expected. I'm psyched to hang out with newborns and their moms starting next week, I've never seen anyone give birth. I get to go to see the Rexburg Temple open house tomorrow morning...I'm pretty excited, I hear it's beautiful! Ok well that's as good of update as I can give, I'll try to get pictures when I can!

Cruise to Mexico!!!

I have been in paradise for the past week with my parents, grandparents, and Lexi. My parents gave Lexi and I a cruise to Mexico for christmas and we had a blast. The day after finishing some stressful finals, I flew into San Diego and that is where the adventure and nonstop eating began. The ship was so fun, the service was top notch, and the food was amazing! We stopped at Puerto Vararta where we were able to enjoy laying out on the beach, parasailing, and jet skiing in the ocean. We were all used to jet skiing in lakes where you have to make your own waves, the ocean is a whole different experience. In Mazetlan we just shopped around down town and had a blast. Cabo San Lucas was also so fun. We took a boat out to a little island and went snorkling. We saw some pretty fish but it was the feeling of swimming in the ocean with dad and lexi that was the funnest part. After we got off the boat, we stayed in California an extra day where we went shopping and walked on the beach on Coronado Island. It will be a vacation I will never forget.

Thanksgiving!

I didn't go home for Thanksgiving this year so I went to my roommate Bonnie's house for the week break. Although nothing beats being with family, I had a great time. Our days mostly consisted of sleeping in and then laying around all day, it was so relaxing. We got snowed in the first day and so we bundled up in her dads snow gear and we had a blast in our size 15 boots and extra large snow pants. We ended up making a large mound resembling a snowman that was taller than all of us, it was sweet. Her mom put together an awesome Thanksgiving dinner and it was even comparable to a Peterson Thanksgiving (if that's even possible). I contributed the sausage stuffing and I must say that it was pretty delicious. Thanks mom for giving me very detailed instructions on how you make it, it just wouldn't have been the same if I would have tried to wing it. Bonnie made this frog eye salad and I've never liked it in the past but it might have been my favorite thing there. There were tons of leftovers so I think I had frog eye salad for most of the meals afterwards. I know I know, that sounds gross! Anyway, I'm back in Rexburg now just bracing myself for the last three weeks of school. It definately makes it easier to finish out a semester knowing that a super fun Christmas break is ahead of me. Well I love you all and I put together a little slide show of thanksgiving!