Yum.

yet another reason to visit NYC.
popbar...gelato on a stick.

my feet walked here

in sunday school yesterday we were reading in Numbers, the word 'egypt' appeared in the reading...i leaned over to alicia...pointed to it and said "i have been there."

{click on the images to see larger.}

egypt i went

my egypt trip is up on my switzerland blog.

see it HERE

i love...

~switzerland

~that i am going to egypt on saturday

~banana topped with nutella on every bite

~cranberry yogurt

~drinking tons of water(though i have to pee alll the time)

~fasnachts

~when people dont talk to me in german thinking i can understand them

~my new boots

~walking

~riding the train

~tvshack.net

~the kids i nanny for

~Haribo candy. "c'est bon, c'est bonbon"

~when my computer doesn't take foreverrrr to open or do something

~standing at the edge of the lake and looking across

~when purchasing a cd on itunes that you previous bought one of the songs, itunes knowing that and doesn't charge you for that song when purchasing the whole cd. thanks itunes

~the music in my head or ipod that travel with me on my big adventures

~the interface and npr: live concert series podcasts on itunes and that they are on my ipod

~my new music that i am in love with and listen to everyday...over and over. {they were all under $8 on itunes}

check them out

Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros

Pete Yorn and Scarlett Johansson

The Temper Trap

obsessed with this song. {oh look it's interface}

new boots

hey you! yes you!

hop on over to my "switzer somewhere" blog and check out my travels!

my switzerland blog is started!

here is what you have all been waiting for!

http://meandswiss.blogspot.com/

i wanted a separate blog so all the information of my travels were in one clear spot and because i am far to organized to mix it with all my other thoughts.

there is a post up now so go check it out!

lookin' good

in a few hours i leave for europe. its true. not lying.
many of you know already. i leave tomorrow for a very long flight to paris. originally i was going to have a long lay over in paris allowing me to venture into the city. for a few days now i have been following the weather report in paris and it looks as though bad weather on the day i arrive is foreseen, "check for flight delays" it says. also, my sister stephanie heard on the radio a warning that flights are being delayed in europe. whether that means that will affect me i don't know for sure. so instead of worrying, i changed my flight to leave paris sooner to just get me to zurich. as nice as paris sounds, im going to zurich. that is my destination. someday i will visit paris. i am going to be an au pair in zurich for a few months. soon i will start a blog for my travels. i don't want to mix my travels with all the other information i have in my head. so a new blog will be on its way soon that way you will be sure not to miss anything.

sure wish i had one of those pillow wigs on the flight with me.

i enjoyed a little old school today

today in class my friend emily passed me this note/drawing...she handed it to me and said "here is an old school text"



here is what she drew...our trip to moab...the arch and the gnome i brought


i miss our trip.
see my trip HERE

utah is good for somethin'

i drove down to utah with my roommate mary last weekend.
mary is my new room roommate, she is fabulous and fun to be with. she likes friendship bracelets like me, mimicking animals, saying silly things that don't make sense, her middle name is elizabeth like mine, we have classes at the same time, she listens to all my stories, she has stories to tell me too, she knows david archuleta, she likes vans(the shoes), longboards and plays the guitar. i caught her trying on all my many sunglasses for her friends on skype once and she likes giving hugs. she is my last room roommate i will ever have in college. i like that mary.
while in utah....

...kaitlin told joslin that i wasn't coming till friday morning(so thursday night when kaitlin picked me up joslin wouldn't come so kaitlin and i could go shopping for joslin...make sense?) so after kaitlin picked me up and shopped we went to joslin's to surprise her. watch her reaction!


...we had a fun girls night. see more about it HERE.
...joslin and i took a picture while waiting for a byu ticket/money exchange. easiest $30 ever made.
...maybe found my wedding ring?
...kaitlin and i decided to celebrate joslin's birthday a week in advance so i could be there to celebrate. we went and bought cupcakes then at red robin we surprised her with the news of it being her birthday night. then we went to a park where we gave her presents, ate the cupcakes and goofed off.




cupcakes from HERE. they were delicious!

...took many silly pictures





...shopped because that is what we do.

...i helped kaitlin get ride of shoes and clothes she didn't need anymore
...and you know, took PICS of the girls


more info about the trip is found HERE.

fountain of goodness

like i said down below "i am the bellagio fountain shows number one fan. i may move down and live by that fountain of goodness." i may have been lying about moving down there, but not about being the fountain's number one fan. at night they have a show every 15 minuets, heather and i watched 3 of them...i wanted to watch them all night. water to me is an amazing creation- the large(but scary) ocean to that simple glass of water i drink right before bed. i had no idea the combination of melodic music and dancing water in the middle of a busy city could put me in such a trance. obviously, these 3in videos cannot capture the magnitude of the show nor do it justice. enjoy my little videos, ignore my occasional gasps.

oh and if anyone knows the name of this first song or who sings it would you let me know.

would never say i loved it...part two

somethings i decided since being in vegas...

~i really enjoyed the north end of the vegas strip
~student teachers go to bed just as early as real teachers...boring
~i dont see the need to wear makeup in vegas
~lisa hannigan's music is fab
~i am the bellagio fountain shows number one fan. i may move down and live by that fountain of goodness.
~i could eat at yogurtland everyday.
~my favorite(besides the bellagio) would have to be the exterior to the venetian
~i enjoy walking around for hours(however i already knew that prior to vegas)
~im thirsty all the time
~i love roasted coconut frozen yogurt
~im seriously narcoleptic on long car rides(sometimes short ones)
~Yogurtland is just as good the second time
~the movie New in Town was cute and funny
~i love Boulder City, Nevada. i could live there
~i love Indian(native american) shops and can spend(and did spend) a lot of money there
~i love Mel's Diner who really does have an amazing famous stake sandwich
~Hoover Dam is beautiful and an enjoyable time
~missing home
~missing baby clara and miss leah
~i really enjoy dam jokes. like "this dam escalator is narrow" and "oh good we beat the dam traffic"
~watching movies with vegas scenes are cooler now cuz i know where they are and have been there
~the air conditioner in heather's apartment genuinely freaks me out, so loud and scary when it turns on
~the vegas temple is small and simple
~it was nice making friends with the old lady in the tiger stripped bikini at the pool
~captain crunch cereal is good on frozen yogurt
~i enjoyed being with heather for a week
~i am grateful i could come to vegas

would never say i loved it turned into...
i liked vegas a lot but wouldn't say i loved it...but maybe one day

would never say i loved it...part one

somethings i decided since being in vegas...
(for the most part i refer to the strip downtown)
keep in mind these are my opinions and maybe don't read outloud to children for some of the content is shocking and should not be heard by such angelic ears

~the water is STILL better in washington
~vegas kinda just looks like im in utah but more tropical/deserty...you know palm trees
~i can handle the heat
~having the pool all to myself is pretty enjoyable
~getting tan tan tan is still great
~the strip is not that exciting nor that cool...unless you like strippers/nakedness, alcohol and or gambling.
~TOMS shoes are mega comfy
~the quality of life in vegas(downtown) is not really present
~if i come back to vegas its because i am forced to
~i like vegas and would never say i loved it
~i liked watching 17 Again, the Hannah Montana Movie and Ghost Town while in vegas...and on my computer screen
~cafe rio is as delicious as i remembered
~in-n-out burger...meh
~i am still good with my sense of direction
~people either look floozy or like a tourist(i will have you know i fell under the tourist category)
~my future husband will need to either be patient when i stop every 5 seconds to take a picture or he will be doing the same thing i am and not care
~im still a good photographer even in vegas, however walking and taking pictures while on manual will still produce blurry pictures no matter how many photography classes i have taken
~coleslaw is great on hot dogs
~elvis(elvises) still reside(s) in vegas
~vegas is not at all how i pictured it going to look
~teal m&m's are far more superior
~don't be deceived by the "m&m world"...its more just like "m&m store"
~i guess its okay to just walk around drinking alcohol and wearing a swimsuit (could be done together or seperate)?
~people take children to the strip...hmm
~ignoring people (while you walk past them and they're trying to give you something/tell you about something) feels great
~the casinos just look and smell to me like im in some po-dunk town at some gas station that has a few slot machines...tacky and smokey
~i would rather be vacationing some place else.
~i am a fan of the architecture
~i still like gummy bears in my ice cream
~i will not advise someone to go to vegas for fun...if they want a great city experience i will say, go to seattle or portland or boston or hanover or new york or hong kong, heck go to paris!
~heather gets confused which way is north and south and which is west and east(even when written so on the street sign)
~i don't mind helping someone move into their new town and new apt even if it means going to vegas or climbing stairs multiple times with heavy boxes to do so
~happy to be here in vegas so i can help my friend feel comfortable during this life transition
~never wanted a coca~cola key chain so bad as i did in vegas
~it doesn't matter what angle or spot you are at taking a photo of the statue of liberty...she is still one cool lady
~putting a walgreens and 7-11 on the strip was a brilliant idea
~i tend to take slightly cricked pictures sometimes...hmm
~from now on when people say "i love vegas!" i will ask..."wait, the same vegas i went to?"
~people don't look too happy and people don't laugh on the strip
~purchasing a travel size collection book of 'where's waldo' books is a good idea(get your copy at an urban outfitters near you)

mostly im exaggerating...well...maybe not.

my much needed adventure

one graduating as an art major is required to either do an internship or go on a travel trip. i chose the Southern Utah photography travel trip. 3 teachers who came were photography teachers and 1 was a drawing teacher(my drawing teacher from a year ago in fact). we met a few times before the trip to discuss it and also to give presentations of the places we would be visiting. there were 8 students, most photo majors and some us who are not. now that the trip is over we have to present a small selection of our favorite photos taken and then we will frame and mat our favorite and showcase it in a gallery like manor.

Delicate Arch
wednesday
when we got into moab we set up camp at our first camping spot. it was by the river and by gorgeous mountains. lizards were all over(and all over everywhere else we went that week). after set up we went to the Arches National Park. our first destination was Delicate Arch. we got to the beginning of the hike at about 5pm. our trek up was tough. it was the first hike of the trip and i was not expecting it to be so hard. but, we made it and it was a beautiful place. we stayed up there till about 9pm. we wanted to catch the sunset, but too many clouds prohibited sun rays to turn the rock an awesome orange.








Dead Horse Point
thursday
this was my favorite place we went. it is sooo beautiful and vast. i couldn't believe it. it literally looked like the home to dinosaurs. we woke up this morning, being our first morning out shooting, at 4am to get to this spot by sunrise. sunrise came and it was too cloudy to really get some good lighting. we were here for a couple hours. it was a nice calm morning. i loved it.







Balancing Rock
on the way to more arches we stopped here

photo of me courtesy of my friend kristen




more arches












Black Dragon Wash
friday
this was a fun spot. a long dirt road that came to a very rocky dirt road. we were dropped off and walked to the rock art. we were here for a few hours. i never knew, maybe i did, how much fun it is to explore by myself. the best photos i got was just going off by myself and seeing what i could find. later, the teachers decided to drive the vans over on the rocky terrain so we could have lunch at that spot. check out the videos, my teachers are so funny. there was a lot of singing going on this weekend and a lot of laughing due to the teachers. ps. we called the teachers by their first names while on the trip. they are great men.







so now that we had the van we enjoyed a very bumpy ride out of there.




Slot Canyons
after, we went to the Slot Canyons. that was about a 3 mile round trip hike in slot canyons(meaning really tight walls)-climbing up, climbing down, squeezing thru narrow walls and rocks, walking on a shaky log on top of water, scratches/bruises from climbing between rocks, handing up and handing down my backpack, taking photos, and cursing that hike. it was hard, but afterward i appreciated the challenge.






Goblin Valley
after the slot canyons we set up camp at our new campsite. we camped at a great campground just a few minuets from goblin valley. they had showers:)



friday night while all went to down to goblin valley, aubree and i stayed behind and showered. what a marvelous thing to be able to shower. on saturday morning, we were awoken at 5am to get to the valley by 6am to catch the sunrise on the valley. it took about a half hour for the light to hit the valley. it was an interesting thing to be there to watch the lightening change so beautifully. when we got there, those who went all found a spot and stayed there till we got the shots we wanted. after that, kristen and i played around on the hodos(the 'goblin' looking rocks) and took some fun pics. we were there till about 9am. that was such a fun morning and who knew you could have so much fun from 5-9am.
this picture below is what i shot for about an hour to catch the light change.













The Great Gallery
after goblin valley we hung out at the campsite for a while till lunch time where we went into hankville to have lunch at this fun little diner. after, we started are journey to The Great Gallery. this was the event we had been anticipating all week. it was a 6.5 mile round trip hike with a 750ft drop/decline at the start. oh did i mention that decline was down rocks? the hike down wasnt too bad actually. it was such a good feeling to be in such a secluded place. once we got down the 750 ft it was about a 2 mile walk on SAND. oh boy. needless to say my shoes filled up with sand and i had to empty them out at every stop. there were 3 stops which were all rock art. the 3rd spot being The Great Gallery. it is the biggest display of rock art, which are life-sized.



the great gallery








we started the hike at 2pm and at 6pm we started our trek back to the top. man, walking on sand for over 2 miles is not so enjoyable. what is even worse is walking up a hill/major incline of sand. that was the hardest part of the whole hike. i was so tired, had to use the bathroom and forgot to stop to empty the sand out of my shoes. once we reached where the climbing of rocks started it was not so bad. i kinda enjoyed that part. i walked it alone. occasionally, i could see someone far behind or way up ahead. i had an interesting experience doing so. there was many times i had to trust in myself to figure out which way to go. there were stacked rocks to help guide me, but often you don't see them at first. i learned a lot about myself during that part of the hike. when i reached the finish, i unloaded the sand out of my shoes and i had about a cup of sand in each shoe.


while down in the canyons of the rock art we had MANY sand storms. many times sand was thrown at us from the harsh wind. joy.

because of that wind....after the hike was over upon returning to our campsite the picture below is what we found. the wind was up at goblin valley as well and completely lifted up and FLIPPED our tent. that is right flipped. the first night i slept on the left side, when we got back all my stuff was on the right side. first we thought that it just threw our stuff around, but then we realized it just compeltly lifted and turned the tent. i thought that was pretty cool
After math
that blue and green pads were on opposite sides of the tent, under sleeping bags, before the wind. we found them in the middle of the tent on top of each other. odd.


Last Day
the last day we were able to sleep in till about 7 and we packed up and headed out of town. the plan was to check out some more sites on the way out of town. well we came upon more bumpy roads and the result was a flat tire. that took over an hour to change so we had to cut out some of the stops we wanted to make. the ride home was good, after a few hours we decided to play some car games. we played telephone and for over an hour and a half we played the celebrity name game. some starts and says a celebs first and last name and the next person has to name a celeb that starts with the last letter of the previous name. so fun.
i had an AMAZING 5 days. it was such an adventure. i have never experienced camping, hiking and the outdoors like that. i learned many things while on this trip. i learned how to be better at photographing certain lighting, be patient...sooo many times did i have to be patient, how to just sit and be patient to get shot after shot while observing that all around me, i learned things about the people around me, i learned i can drink a lot of water, that i am not the biggest fan of photographing rock art(but i gave it a try everywhere we went) how to be prepared, how to get over things that make me nervous and how to problem solve. i loved the people i was with and couldn't have asked for a greater experience. i miss it.