if Gina were an alphebetized list...

Just a few of the things I love. Things that make me smile, if you will. From A to Z...

*Apple pie *America *Accents *Autumn *my Alaskan Adventure *BBQ *Brigham City *Blogging *Bon Jovi *Brown *Brothers *Being teased *Book stores *my Bike *Cala lilies *Coloring *Cinnamon rolls *Christmas *Covent Garden *Campfires *my Dad *Denali NP *Driving in Logan Canyon *Dreaming *Dr. Seuss *Edinburgh *Eskimo kisses *Endorphins *FAMILY *Freedom *FRIENDS *Flying *Flowers *Firefox *the Gospel *Grillin' *Guitar Hero *House *HIKING *Handsome men *Hygiene *Hoodies *Hawaiian pizza *Hugs *my iPod *Independence Day *Inside jokes *Idaho Falls *Jackets *Josh Groban *Jim Henson *Kids *Keeping in touch with friends *LAUGHTER *Lists *London *Loch Ness *Lotion *Logan *Leisurely Sundays *Music *Mexican food *my Momma *Mild temperatures *Mountains *Memory foam *Nectarines *my Nephews *Naps *OK Go *the Office *the Outdoors *Peaches (especially if they're fresh from BC!) *People *Potatoes *Pens *Portland *Phantom of the Opera *Quilts *Quiet nights *Road trips *Random acts of kindness *Raspberries *Reading *SCOTLAND *Singin' *the Scorpions *Sisters-in-law *Slurpees *Smiling *Sweaters *Soup *Stargazing *Sense & Sensibility *Travel *Tomatoes *Tom Petty *Teddy Grahams *Teton NP *Three-day weekends *UTAH *the UK *Utah State University (go Aggies!) *Urquhart Castle *Vancouver, BC *Vacations *Veggies *Walks *Wicked *Writing poetry *Watching the clouds go by *White water rafting *X Men movies (and Wolverine!) *Yellowstone NP *the Zoo *ZION NP *Zzzz

I'm tagging anyone else who wants to play...it's kinda fun! Took some time, and making a list. (Good thing I like lists, eh?!)

Tagged aGAIN...

My cute friend Heather tagged me...I'm supposed to tell you 10 interesting things about myself that you might not know. And since I know myself pretty well, here goes. :)

1. I'm not hypoglycemic or diabetic or anything, but going without food for an extended amount of time seriously affects my mood. Not in a good way either.
2. Want to know what hurts real bad? Getting tree bark stuck between your finger and the fingernail. OUCH! I actually had to go to the ER for that one...
3. I don't really like cake, but somehow I kinda like cupcakes.
4. While I enjoy the TV show Friends (as posted by Heather and Julia), I prefer The Office, House and 3rd Rock From the Sun. I really LOVE all three of those shows!
5. I sleep best when it's a bit cool in my room and my bed is piled high with blankies.
6. I hate to pack, but I'm not dreading it so bad since I learned that Brooke is letting Lisa bring her doggy Ian to our new place. (He's a Shetland Sheepdog, and he's cute.)
7. I hate hot weather; typically anything over 75 degrees makes me uncomfortable.
8. Sometimes in the morning before heading to work, I try on like 4 different outfits before I find the one I end up settling on. I never used to do this, and I am annoyed that I started! (It happens only maybe once a week, but it's still really annoying.)
9. One of my favorite words is "wee" (meaning "very small"). They use this word all the time in Scotland, and I figure that's why I love it so much.
10. I think it'd be dynamite if I owned my very own Slurpee machine.

I tag: Coretta, Brooke, and Hillary.

Up to bat...

This picture was taken at Jackson's birthday party...a pinata! Seth looks like a natural holding that bat, eh? I'm sure that makes his grandpa Wade very happy indeed.

The little slugger: Sethington!

Little Stinker!

So I wasn't actually in UT to see Jackson's birthday party go down, but my sister-in-law Amy posted this picture on the family website and I got a kick out of it.

Destroying Angel...

The story behind it: Amy was in the other room wrapping presents and came to check on the birthday boy. She found him on the counter smooshing the heck out of the birthday cake! If you will notice, his face is that of perfect joy and serenity. Fortunately this little act of destruction happened a couple of hours before the party, so Amy had time to make another. :)

I'm glad Amy thought to grab the camera. I LOVE this picture!

Oh yeah...chocolate is his one true love. It really was a PARTY!

I Am America...

I really like Stephen Colbert and his wonderful (Emmy-nominated!) show, The Colbert Report. I don't have cable, but fortunately Mr. Colbert is watching out for me, 'cause I sometimes watch little snippets of it on his website. (yeehaw!)

Stephen is currently in Pennsylvania, covering the PA (Democratic) presidential primaries. To kick off his show this week, Stephen sang the National Anthem with John Legend. They sounded pretty good too, so you should check out the link! (Unfortunately, Stephen's wonderful website didn't allow me to embed this little gem on blogspot.)

They pretty much rock!

2 Steves and a Jackson...

If you don't already think I'm a wee bit immature, let me prove it to you. Watch this video and see if it makes you laugh like a child. Because I laugh like a child when I watch it. It's beyond giggling...an all-out guffaw.

Waiters who are nauseated by food -
I told you I thought it was funny. Don't you agree?

Oh how I love Stephen Colbert and Steve Carell...

And now...a shout-out to my nephew Jackson!
Can you guess how old he is today?

I LOVE YOU, Bug!

Just what the doctor ordered...

I really like the TV show House. I really like it. A lot. Sadly, we don't have cable any more, so I'm not really up-to-date on the latest installments. (Even without the writer's strike, I was out of the loop.)

However...I live in the 21st century, and we love our boxed sets of our favorite shows on DVD. I happily own the first 3 seasons of House, so we're golden.


Our bases are covered.

Yesterday was a bit of an "off" day for one of my good buddies. She was a bit annoyed with a situation or two, and I was sympathizing. We talked for a bit and then decided to watch an episode of House. (It had been too long since our last viewing of the show, honestly.)

Anyway...maybe this is bad, but the cynical dialogue and unethical antics of Dr. Gregory House (portrayed by one Hugh Laurie) hit the spot...me and my friend were giggling and the mood lightened. (PS We also enjoy the rebuking remarks of Dr. Wilson, played by the wonderful Robert Sean Leonard.) Together, this doctor-duo keeps us laughing and entertained for just shy of 60 minutes.


I've missed you, House...

Can I come, too?

So my roommate Brookey has purchased a townhouse. It's so new that it's still being built. Yay for Brookey! Hooray for Brookey! It just so happens that this living arrangement (with Lisa and Brooke) has been the best of my life outside of my folks' home. (I had such a happy childhood!) Anyway...Brooke likes us enough that she wants me and Lisa both to come live with her. (It doesn't hurt that we'll be helping to pay her mortgage, eh?)

So...she hasn't quite closed on it just yet, but it's about to happen. They're saying they should be done by May 15th...and they're making some progress, so I think I might believe them. We would be moving the very end of May. Out to Ammon. Which isn't far, really, but it's not in the branch boundaries at all. So that's the negative piece of information that comes with Brooke's property. Hopefully we'll have some excellent neighbors. And we'll just have to see about the new branch. From what I hear, it's small enough it's almost microscopic. And no branch is better than the one we're in. But...I feel like a change could be good. Plus, we're friends with everyone in the branch, so if we show up to some random activity, etc., we know we'll be welcome with open arms.

Does it sounds like I'm trying to talk myself into...something? I really am excited for Brooke and her new townhouse. Really! -I just LOVE my branch so much that leaving it will be difficult. The people in it have been my family away from home since the day after I moved to Idaho Falls...moving out seems like the end of an era or something.

Here's to the next adventure!

And here are some pictures of the new place. Crazy to think they'll be done in a month!

Brookey in her one car garage...


And here's the video I took of it last week...

For reals?

Does this seem wrong to anyone else?

They look like sad daffodils to me.
And why are they sad?

Okay...this is going to sound a bit whiny...like I'm making a mountain out of a molehill even...but it has to be said:

Why is it snowing? I ran out to my car at work and noticed little flakes coming down. (And when I say little, I mean to say teeny. Really. Itty bitty. And I'm in a good mood...so why does this bother me so much?)

When I moved to Idaho Falls, I knew that winter runs rampant up here; I had survived 2 of them in Rexburg while schooling at BYU-Idaho, so why am I so annoyed over a few sparse, microscopic flakes of snow? A few summers ago (okay, maybe more than a few...it's been at least 5, or maybe 6 summers ago), I looked out my apartment window in Rexburg and saw snow on the ground. Remember, I said it was summer. It was somewhere in mid-June, I do believe.

Anyway...I think it bothers me because I've washed my hands of winter. I've been done with winter in my mind for 2.5 months now. And we all know that once you've washed your hands of something, having to deal with it on a daily basis is kinda crummy. I can enjoy snow. It's white. It can be beautiful. If you 're not a wuss because you twisted your knee that one time, skiing can be a wonderful way to bide your time while the snow is abundant.

I also think that those "teaser days" when the weather warms up and you see blue skies with a few white, puffy clouds and you don't have to bundle up in several layers of clothing...those beautiful, hopeful days...they typically only last an afternoon (maybe 2 of the gods really wanna play with your head). And so the cold returns and Gina wants to cry.

Oh yeah...it also feels sad because I had an amazing trip down to AZ a couple of weeks ago where the weather was perfect.

Having said that...we're going to look for the silver lining in the overabundance of clouds in the south-east Idaho skies. *happy thoughts, happy thoughts, happy thoughts*

Okay, I'm ready. 1) Really, for the most part, the snow has melted! (At least it has in the valley where I live, and that's what counts.) And the roads are ice-free! Yay! 2) Umm...although it's gotten pretty cold, it hasn't returned to the bitter, biting cold of Jan/Feb. What else? 3) The Lord has shown me what Spring could be...I've enjoyed the heck out of those warm, frost-free days. 4) When it snows, it doesn't stick so much any more. (And yes, we've had actual snow...snow that you can see without squinting like I had to do on my sojourn to my car this afternoon). I believe that Spring wants to come. Hang on, I'm sure I can come up with another one...5) I can tell that winter is on its way out because my knuckles aren't so dry that they bleed any more...I'll take that with a smile! 6) Look at where I go in my dreams (since Idaho won't allow it in real life):

Dream a little dream...

Whine, whine, whine...

I think I feel better.

I am LOVED!

Tonight I drove down to Brigham City with my roommates to stay the night at my folks' place. Tomorrow we'll watch the morning session of General Conference (yipee!) and then head down to SLC to meet up with the branch for the remainder of the day.

More on that later.

About an hour ago, Lisa and Brooke sent me on a little "treasure hunt" around my parents' home...something to do with my upcoming birthday? I was a little confused and somewhat nervous. (Lisa's a little prankster, as you may recall from previous posts.) Anyway...this treasure hunt was AWESOME...Lisa had written up little rhymes, etc. And at the end of this little treasure hunt was a little itinerary for a trip to CHICAGO! Brooke, Lisa, Janell and I are headed to Chicago for a fun weekend mid-May! (Thanks to my folks and brotheres as well for helping out with the tickets, etc.) HOW AWESOME ARE MY FRIENDS?!? I was speechless for a moment and then freaked right out...I can't wait!

Here's some of what's on the itinerary:

WICKED! I finally get to see the play...I already love the music!

"OK Go" in concert!

I love to see the Temple...

Chicago PIZZA! The REAL stuff in the REAL city!

So...I realize that it's almost MIDNIGHT, but I'm still pretty dang excited at the thought! We'll be leaving May 15 and coming back May 18. I'm so excited I can hardly stand it! I'll be sure to take pictures and let ya know ALL about it!

YEEHAW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

100 Posts, 100 Things...

Yes, it really IS my 100th post. If you care to waste the time, you can go back and count...but if I were you, I'd just take my word for it.

Since this post is a "special one" I thought I'd take an idea off of Marci's blog and tell y'all 100 things about myself. It took a while to come up with the list (even though I know myself very well)...anyway, here goes:

1. I love to hike. Love, LOVE, LOVE it!
2. I'm obsessed with my trip to Scotland.
3. I enjoy being teased. (My threshold is high, but lines HAVE been crossed before...)
4. I love to blog and I think everyone should make their contribution to the blogging world.
5. I'm a Speech-Language Pathologist and I love my job!
6. I'm growing my hair out just to see how long it will get before it drives me mad; I'm already tempted to cut it...
7. I LOVE to read. Any good recommendations, send 'em my way!
8. I like my life. A lot.
9. I've caught the travel bug. (It bit me HARD!)
10. "An apple a day keeps the doctor away." -Does this count if it's in my homemade apple pie?! (Please say yes!)
11. Jackson and Seth are my favorite people on earth. Just thinking of them makes me smile.
12. I love waterfalls.
13. I'm afraid of heights. More specifically, I'm afraid of falling from them...
14. Hate raisins. LOVE craisins...
15. Mexican food ROCKS MY WORLD!
16. I graduated from USU and I LOVE that school...but I cannot watch the Aggies play football.
17. I recently discovered the joys of Ovaltine. (Thanks to Amy...and Jackson and Seth.)
18. I miss President Hinckley. I LOVE the new First Presidency, but President Hinckley's absence has left a hole in my heart.
19. I really enjoy children's literature.
20. I want to know how to play the guitar, but I'm not sure if I want to learn to play it.
21. I really do enjoy books that make me cry a bit...
22. I don't hate pink like I once did. (I even have a pink cell phone!)
23. In a perfect world, it would always be autumn weather.
24. I like the color brown because I like my light brown eyes. (Does that sound smug or vain?)
25. I HATE shaving my legs, but I do it anyway because the alternative grosses me out.
26. I love music, but I do NOT love to dance.
27. I watched Van Helsing for Hugh Jackman, but can't bring myself to watch it again.
28. The idea of pranks and practical jokes has grown on me.
29. I want to learn to ride a horse, but I'm nervous at the idea...
30. I've waded into the North Sea and Loch Ness!
31. As much as an overabundance of estrogen annoys me, I LOVE Sense & Sensibility and Pride & Prejudice.
32. I could listen to Alan Rickman talk all day. (I LOVE that deep British voice he has going on!)
33. I have my own sense of style and don't particularly care what people think of it.
34. I'm a dreamer...
35. Despite the yucky teeth...I enjoy Val Kilmer's Mad Mardigan.
36. Give a short, furry man a genuine Scottish accent, and I'll find him attractive on some level...
37. Flight of the Conchords makes me giggle.
38. I don't hate birthdays. I rather enjoy the celebration, actually...
39. I really like coloring.
40. My favorite flower? The cala lily.
41. I LOVE a handful of fruits, and I really do NOT like the rest of them.
42. Rodents gross me out. Especially rats.
43. I cannot watch Fear Factor because watching 'em eat the nasty stuff makes me dry heave.
44. I've been called the "middle finger" of my family. (Two boys on either side...)
45. I'm pretty low-maintenance.
46. A favorite memory: Vance coming home his freshman year at Ricks when I was a senior in high school and going on late night walks with him.
47. I LOVE the outdoors!
48. I want a house with a decent backyard and a grill.
49. I want a husband to go with the aforementioned responsibility of a house and yard...
50. I make a mean cheesecake!
51. The smell of a banana elicits in me a very REAL dry heave.
52. I'm sometimes ashamed that I can't drive a standard transmission car.
53. I've only been to 11 states (all western states too), but one of them was Alaska. I lived there during the summer of '04.
54. Crockpots are wonderful and even MAGICAL appliances. 3 cheers for the slow cooker!
55. I love the Food Network.
56. 1% milk or bust! (2% is tolerable. Skim doesn't qualify as milk. And whole is just plain yucky.)
57. Nothing works up my appetite like swimming.
58. I really enjoy watching soccer but I don't like to play it because I HATE to run.
59. Puffs + Lotion really is the superior facial tissue.
60. I introduced my brother to his wife.
61. Best sandwich EVER: the philly cheese steak on a wheat bun from Bub's Subs in Denali. To complete the amazing dining experience, enjoy with a cold bottled Mug Rootbeer while sitting on a rock in downtown Denali.
62. Although I've had a couple of little issues with it, I really do love my car.
63. I learned 1sthand about boat sickness during a Kenai Fjord tour in Alaska.
64. I LOVE MY SINGLES BRANCH!
65. My bladder is the size of a walnut, and I'm terrified at what's going to happen to it when I'm pregnant one day!
66. OK Go is one of the greatest bands on Earth.
67. My parents KNEW I'd be a boy; when I came to the earth and the doctor said, "It's a girl," my parents were speechless.
68. I've been called a "picky eater" but the foods I enjoy, I love DEEPLY.
69. I am a PASSIONATE person.
70. My family is the BEST!
71. Ice cream hurts my tummy.
72. I love the smell of grapefruit. (This is also one of the few fruits I like to eat.)
73. Although "Dear Frankie" really is a GREAT flick, part of why I like it so much is because it takes place in Scotland. Oh yes, and because of Gerard Butler.
74. This has happened on a handful of occasions: I'm at a restaurant with friends, having an animated conversation, when some (unexpected) song will come on and I'll stop dead in the middle of sentence to listen to the song (and sometimes I get excited over the song). It's especially embarrassing when it happens on a date...
75. Raspberry sherbet + lemonade = a DELIGHTFUL summer treat!
76. I hate all eyes on me in large groups, but I sometimes get a kick out of it in small intimate groups with close friends/family.
77. I aspire to be a "soccer mom," minivan and all.
78. I enjoy cooking and wish I had time to do it more often.
79. I have a ceramic Loch Ness Monster "floating" on my computer desk...a souvenir for myself from Scotland.
80. I'm addicted to chapstick.
81. And lotion.
82. I think I want to meet John Lithgow.
83. I love Looney Tunes.
84. Jim Henson was AMAZING. (The Muppets, Fraggles, Labyrinth...INSPIRED!)
85. As much as I hate to admit this, Phantom of the Opera was better in Vegas than it was in London...
86. I sometimes like to people watch.
87. I love Slurpees and sometimes get sad that 7-11 doesn't exist in south-east Idaho.
88. It makes me uncomfortable when guys wear what looks like women's "skinny pants."
89. I love the mountains!
90. Favorite games to play: Hand & Foot, Loaded Question, and Oodles. Least favorite game of all time: Monopoly.
91. My second time skiing was at Vale.
92. I rather enjoy Celtic music.
93. I take good care of my feet; I refuse to have nasty, cracky, hard and crunchy heels! -Sometimes my feet get gross after a long and amazing hike...(blisters, etc.)
94. I ALWAYS pull for the phantom EVERY TIME I watch Phantom of the Opera. I know it's wrong, but he has my heart! (Especially Gerard Butler's phantom)
95. I sleep on Memory Foam. And I sleep beautifully.
96. "I'd rather be rich than stupid." (AMEN, Mr. Jack Handey!)
97. I hate sleeping on the ground, but I own 2 sleeping bags.
98. I love sweaters, hoodies and jackets.
99. Dr. Seuss was a GENIUS.
100. Men's cologne does something to my brain.

Havasupai Falls!

So here are the pix from my beautiful trip to Havasu Falls...oh, and before I forget, I just want to thank my friends for sharing their pix...most of them aren't mine. (You can tell the ones I took because the date is in corner.)

The whole group at the the trail head...

Beauty along the way...

"Tough girl" and my new backpack...
This was its first trip, and Cameron
Christened my pack "Rufus."

I LOVE the red rock and the blue skies...

Havasupai Falls!

Mooney Falls...

Cool Slideshows

Day 2, we went for a hike and played around in the water...

Mooney Falls from a distance...

The group in front of Mooney Falls...
Jason, Tara, Brooke, Lisa H, Kattie, Cameron,
Gina, Lisa B, Janell

Those little specks in the water are
Jason, Lisa H, Tara, Cameron and me.
And just so you know, it was even COLDER than it looks!

Hiking out, some of us paid to have a mule
carry out our packs...but due to some unfortunate
circumstances, I had to carry someone's fat pack for a few miles,
so here we have Janell carrying my Camelbak while I carried the big pack...

More beauty on the trip out...

There are really a TON more pictures, but I didn't want to make this post any longer than it already is. It sure was a fun trip, and I really appreciated all the gorgeous nature around me! Makes me long for the days of summer...(sigh). And it must be said that coming back to FREEZING temperatures and snow the day after our return sure was a slap in the face!!!

Oh well...a good trip, and I'm SO glad I was well enough to go!