Best. Day. Ever.

Oh hey guys!  Remember how I used to write on this blog occasionally?
Anyways, thought I'd randomly catch up with some goodies.  I really skipped some stuff, like when my family visited me in Maui, and how I moved back to Utah, and then how I got hired for a dental clinic in Taylorsville.

At the end of September I moved back to the Salt Lake valley into a cute little condo in West Jordan.  I started my new job in October, and I was immediately put to work "drilling and filling!"  That's right, being a dentist is pretty awesome.  Because it took a couple of months of interviewing to be offered a job, and then another month before I actually started a job, I went a little while without having an actual "job," and therefore an income.  My budget was pretty tight for that first month while I was earning it, but my first paycheck was totally awesome!  Never mind that a big portion of my checks now go to paying back my student loans, this was the biggest paycheck I had ever received.  Score for life after dental school!  Okay, okay, I was pretty responsible at first.  But then all of a sudden it was Black Friday time, and the new Xbox One was released, and then it was Christmas time!

Last year I missed out on Black Friday, partly because I had to work the next morning, but mostly because I was essentially on a student's salary on a very expensive island.  This year I was down in Cedar, and I had recruited my brothers - and partners in crime - to help me out at Walmart.  As per usual, it was a complete madhouse.  We seriously showed up by mid-evening (like 9-ish) on Thanksgiving day, and all of the Xbox Ones that Walmart had advertised were literally all gone.  Well, long story short, I kept checking with the guys, and at the end of the night two were left unclaimed, and they happily gave one to me!

TADA!
Happy 'you've got a new job' and 'early Christmas' to me.  I tried to explain to my mom just how lucky it was that I actually obtained one of these babies since they were just released like a week prior.  She didn't get it, and I won't attempt to elaborate here.  I let the picture explain just how excited I was!
Well, I got my new friend home, only to discover that it didn't work on my TV.  After reading through lots of FAQ pages on the Xbox site, and a very long, very tedious online chat with someone from Microsoft, I discovered that my TV, which was only four years old, didn't have enough pixels.  Seriously, they should put that on the box!

My reaction.  Also, unlike this scene, the fine print on the box was very misleading.

I was not amused.  Apparently it would work if I could change something in the settings, but it literally wouldn't even turn on (all I got was a black screen).  All of a sudden I had a perfect excuse to buy a new TV.

Do you guys remember that random Church movie that came out in like 2004 called Single's Ward?  My absolute favorite scene is when the main character randomly drives his buddy to RC Willy to get a camera, and instead leaves with a big-screen TV.  He's got this totally goofy sales guy listing off all the features to these TVs, and he keeps just saying "got anything bigger?"

That was me.

Ever since seeing this movie, I couldn't get it out of my head how cool it would be to be able to casually decide one day to buy a big screen TV for your apartment.  Complete fantasy realization.  I just sauntered into Best Buy and started checking out the biggest TVs I could find.  I figured that I would either go big or… go bigger!  I won't tell you how I wedged that giant flat-screen in the back of my friend's trunk, and drove it home in a blizzard because delivery would have taken too long.  I will tell you that dropping a large sum of money on something I really wanted felt fantastic after being a poor student for so long!  Sweet sister Lizzy sing me a sweet song of joy!!  (I really was going to post a Single's Ward clip, but I couldn't find one.  It's too obscure for YouTube.)
Oh yes, and my Xbox worked like a dream.  That was why I bought the TV, right?  Right?

The grass is always greener

With graduation and starting my first real job, I've upgraded to my own little condo.  I must say, I enjoy my own happy little routine, and for the most part I really enjoy being a single lady.  What's not to like?  I can binge watch an entire season of House of Cards over President's Day weekend without anyone mocking me, or begging "please Netflix, don't start the next episode!"  Not to mention that on occasion my living room turns into a giant bedroom with my overabundance of blankets, pillows, and cozy seating arrangements.  (No really, I think I spent more time sleeping in my love sac than my actual bed last weekend.)  There's the whole flexible schedule thing, meaning I can stay out as late as I want, and sleep in till ridiculous hours on weekends without someone (dog/human/baby?) feeling neglected.  (I have a lot of friends with children who don't get to sleep in anymore.  Suckers!)  If I don't feel like cooking, who cares, order up some takeout, or enjoy some tasty cereal!  Not to mention, no one gets offended if I just happen to leave my laundry in the dryer all week...  

However, there are some things that just plain stink about being single in a career primarily dominated by married people with families.  So here's my little list of hopefully amusing things about why being in a co-dependent relationship just might be better than my awesome singlehood!

Taxes.  Who knew that the government likes money?  Well, I guess that's a given, but apparently without any dependents, I am required to pay more.  Huh.  I will say that apparently children are expensive, so in the long run I'm probably coming out ahead.  Not to mention, I have complete autonomy with my spending!

Packages.  My apartment complex recently informed me through a very unhelpful flyer that they will no longer be accepting packages in our behalf any more.  They kindly suggested we plan to have someone else at home to accept our packages.  Well gee.  Wouldn't it be nice to have a live-in package receiver for those of us who work ten hours a day?  (No, I'm not complaining that my apartment office people have discovered yet another way to not be useful.)

Travel.  Specifically difficulties associated with travel.  I like to consider myself a pretty self-sufficient person.  Generally I can fix a wide variety of household items, and I have some know-how about vehicular maintenance.  Vehicular repair, on the other hand, is completely out of my depth.  Basically, if my car breaks down, I'm screwed.  No ride to work, or I'm limping by till the weekend when I can get my car fixed.  It would be nice to have someone else to give me a ride, or take the car in during regular business hours, or even fix said problem.  Maybe I can fix this problem by just having a backup car.  Or give up and just call in sick!  Ha ha.

Okay seriously, the grass is always greener on the other side.  But if I had to be honest, I love my lifestyle.  Just please don't let me become the crazy cat lady!

My 2013

Happy New Year!!

Seriously, this year seemed to just fly by.  It's fun for me to look back on what I accomplished in the last year, so please forgive the cliche list.

List of Firsts for the year

• Got up close and personal with an active volcano.  Last April I returned to the Big Island to see lava pouring into the ocean.  Amazing!!
• Zip lining over upcountry, Maui
• Stand-up paddle boarding
• In July I drove a new convertible Mustang for the weekend while out on an interview (for free!)
• Went flying with my dad in his fancy plane
• Started paying off my student loans (less than exciting, but still an accomplishment)
• Went to Witch's Night Out at Gardener Villiage

Other large accomplishments

• Finished my residency program in Maui, Hawai'i.
• Sold my trusty Honda sidekick "Gold Rush" which followed me across the ocean, but didn't return with me.
• Went scuba diving out at the Molokini crater, La Perouse Bay, and Ma'alaea harbor.  All these lovely dive sites that I'd only scratched the surface of whilst snorkeling.
• Said goodbye to Maui and moved back to the Mainland.
• Beefed up my resume and drove/flew to more interviews than I care to remember.
• Found and purchased "The Caddie," my slick new ride that I love, but I have to admit, probably dislikes winter just as much as I do.
• Discovered the timesuck that is Pinterest, and started creating all kinds of delicious desserts, and fancy home decor.
• Got to spend several months hanging out with my family, which I haven't been able to do since I graduated High School.
• Sent off Elder Mitchell Brown to Johannesburg, South Africa.
• Was hired as a Dentist for a job in Taylorsville, Utah.
• Moved into a lovely new condo, and made myself at home in West Jordan.
• Finally made it to Thanksgiving dinner with my family in probably 3 years

Seriously, I know there was so much more.  Just thinking over the past year, I am amazed at how blessed I've been, and at how many fun things I've been able to experience.  Maui was such a huge blessing and adventure, and I really hope I don't reminisce about it too much.  However, I never thought I'd be able to move back to Utah and get such an amazing job.  It feels so similar to 2004 when I moved to Salt Lake for college, and here I am nine years later back in the valley.  If you had asked me then where I thought I'd be in nine years, I never would have predicted this, but I couldn't be happier with where I am.  Here's hoping the next year just gets better!

Last June

June 2013 was a bit of a crazy month for me.  It was a time I had both dreaded, as well as looked forward to in some ways.  On one hand I was excited to finish up my residency, and although I loved my job, there were a few things that if I were permanent, would need to be changed.  Not to mention the idea of moving to that next stage of life beyond school.  However, how could one not be sad to leave Hawaii?  Therefore I attempted to finish up any last minute bucket list items before saying aloha oe at the beginning of July.

We had some kind of Hawaiian holiday in which I, and two of my good friends had the day off.  Somehow the idea came together that we needed to make the drive around to Hana on our lovely day off!  June 11 the three of us loaded up in my friend Sheila's jeep and just started driving.  This was probably one of the most relaxing, fun days, and I was so glad Sheila and Jami planned this activity!  Also, because all three of us were Mainland transplants to the islands, we made several touristy stops that our local friends probably wouldn't have suggested.  We visited the Garden of Eden and walked all around the gardens, and the trees, and the lovely waterfalls.  We also attempted to make friends with a couple of peacocks…

This guy was attempting to hold us hostage...

Colorful plants, and glorious ocean overlook.  Definitely how I picture the Garden of Eden!

Sheila and I.

Our trip included a stop to indulge in delicious, fresh-from the oven banana bread, a hike and swim to Venus pools, and a couple of other side tracks admiring the view from Hana Highway.

By a waterfall that was literally next to the road.  And this is typical!

Venus pool

The view from the back side of the island.  Still gorgeous, but dry and barren compared to other parts of the island!

We wrapped up the day with dinner at Da Kitchen, and this tasty dessert!

A very good holiday in paradise!

June 15th was our residency's graduation dinner ceremony thing in Honolulu.  My clinic offered to fly me over to O'ahu, and put me up in a hotel for the night so I could attend.  It was a bit of an adventure since Honolulu is actually a pretty big city (especially by island standards), and I didn't rent a car.  Instead my director Dr. Pijpaert arranged for a shuttle to take us from the airport to our hotel which actually turned out to be very nice!  I got my own room for the night, and the hotel was attached to a huge mall that I spent a couple of hours at.  I'm afraid I went on a bit of a shopping spree since Maui's shopping is… limited, and there were all kinds of fun stores that I hadn't seen in a very long time!  The dinner was inherently dull, but was actually very nice to get together and thank some of the people that had been helping us out all year.

View of Maui from the airplane window.

Dr. Pijpaert, me, Sandy, Heather, and Sophia.  The other lady was the director from the other Maui clinic.

The four Maui residents!

I had a fun night relaxing in my hotel that night, then it was back to Maui the next morning!

Wintry Christmas fun

I'm still working to post stuff from last June, but I feel the urge to blog about stuff right now before I forget all of it!  Don't mind if things are completely out of order!

This past week has been rough for me.  Almost immediately after returning to West Jordan on Monday from a lovely long Thanksgiving weekend it started snowing.  "Snow" in my vocabulary is equated to "nasty white crap," but it was a bit exciting because it actually started feeling like Christmas for me!  Well anyway, snow + rear wheel drive + Salt Lake traffic + apartment complex not plowing parking lot = not fun.

Oh yes, and I haven't driven in snow for nearly two years.  Yes yes, I'm a poor girl who got to live in Hawai'i for a year, but seriously, I forgot how to do it!  Today I drove to church and totally spun out and ran into the curb with some guy from the ward behind me watching the whole time.  I actually thought that bit was hilarious, and was totally chuckling to myself the whole time walking up to the church building (amidst my mutterings of "winter sucks," and "I hate winter").  I've decided the whole root of my not liking snow is because of how it affects my driving, and all of the butterfly effects of that.  Here is a flow chart for you!

Snow --> worse traffic --> drive slower --> need to leave earlier for work --> less sleep --> earlier bedtime

Ugh, you get the picture.  Other than that, I don't really care that much.  I mean, I can deal with the occasional wet foot, or shoveling the sidewalk.  Besides, I forgot how much I enjoy kicking off the collection of road debris and icicles that collect under your car when the road is slushy!  (I'm being totally serious.  Is that weird?)  So I'm ashamed, because I actually had my Christmas tree up before Thanksgiving this year!  I can only justify this because I was down in Cedar City for five days, and also I was bored the Sunday before Thanksgiving.

My mom got me started on the Utah Utes theme by sending me all kinds of fun ornaments when I was out in Omaha, and I've continued the tradition with some additional fun items.  I have to admit, it's been really nice to experience the change in season and the colder weather.  I feel like if Hawai'i was a permanent thing for me, I would get very confused, and the seasons would just completely blend together.  Not to mention I have rekindled my love for hot chocolate and sleeping under a pile of blankets!  Besides, what better excuse is there to spend your weekend staying at home, in your pajamas, curled up watching movies or reading a book in front of a heat dish?

To the Lake!

Much like my mother, I had to make the most of my vacation time.  My family had planned for a multi-day trip to the lake to camp out on our houseboat May 29 through June 1.  We loaded up our boat, and headed off on the near 2 1/2 hour drive to Lake Powell.  Turns out that my dad and two of the brothers had to stay for work, so our boating party initially consisted of me, my mom, and three brothers Mitchell, Calvin, and Carson.

Our adventure definitely got off to an interesting start when we got a flat tire on our boat trailer about a half-hour away from the dock.  Luckily we had a great pit crew, and we managed to get the flat replaced with the spare.  Unfortunately we got into the dock a little later than planned, and it was nearing dark by the time we finally launched.  Our houseboat is moored off the shore on a buoy, and we managed to get docked with it without incident, and didn't think much of our late start (more on that later).

The next couple of days were spent out in our boat making frequent stops for tubing, water skiing, wake boarding, cliff jumping, climbing, and swimming.

Tubing is one of our favorite pastimes.  Unfortunately, so is crashing!  Hope this video clip works, it's pretty entertaining!

The water was unpleasantly cold that time of year.  It was bearable, but for a poor, sad, Maui girl it was a bit too nippy for me to spend too much time floating around (yes, I got mocked).  We also made frequent stops at the marina for Rockstars and ice-cream.

See.  I wasn't the only one who thought it was cold!

By Friday we were joined by my dad and my brother Blake.  Our boat is comparable to a floating RV, so our sleeping arrangements were a bit comical with the added people.  Especially when it started raining fairly hard in the middle of the night, and three of us attempted to sleep in an area really only meant for two.  I imagine my dad found that amusing when he found us still sleeping in the living room the next morning!

We left sometime Saturday afternoon.  Things were going well until we attempted to load our boat on the trailer and encountered a slight hiccup.

Yep.  Just, yeah.
We got the attention of a nearby ranger, and he called up the guys responsible for the boot.  After sitting in the hot Arizona parking lot for nearly thirty minutes, the brothers contemplated pulling the tire, putting on the spare, and driving off, not to mention doing some other unsavory things to the boot which the officer would have to handle in order to remove.  Haha.  Boys.  Well, turns out when our flat tire slowed us down four days prior, we were able to get into the park, but we were too late to get our boat inspected for mussels.  I'm all for preventing spread of the nasty buggers, but our boat had been inspected the last time we used it, and it hadn't been in any water since.  Things eventually got sorted out - which actually took several weeks, and multiple emails - but we finally got our vehicle liberated.

Mitchell had put in his mission papers a couple of weeks prior, and he was expecting to get his call sometime during the week.  The parents had even gone so far as to plan a call opening party that night which we were trying to drive home for.  We made it home on time, and Elder Brown's thick envelope was waiting unopened for him!

We had quite the crowd gathered to hear Mitch read his call to the Johannesburg, South Africa mission leaving September 19.  Sooo proud of him!!

No party is complete without a cake!

Southern Utah Tour

To make my Mainland trip worthwhile, I stayed in Cedar for almost 10 days, and used up all my left over vacation time.  I also got two very fun visitors while in Cedar.

Two of my good Omaha buddies drove down from Salt Lake while they were both off from school/residency.  Dave was using up vacation time at the end of his dental residency, and Stephen was in Provo with his family enjoying a brief break before moving to Wisconsin for his medical residency.  They stayed at my parent's house, and I gave them a brief tour of Southern Utah.

My family has quite a bit of mountain property that used to belong to my grandfather.  Hence we have a nice collection of ATV equipment, including a ranger.  I strapped these guys into the Ranger, and we took off up the mountain!

Dave strapped into the Ranger driving through Cedar.

Calvin after arriving at the top.  He was driving a 4-wheeler up the very dusty trail.

Dave after tearing around behind one of the brothers.

Steve was very concerned about me wreaking.  Hence the helmet.

We enjoyed the ride, had a little weenie and mallow roast, drove around the property, then headed back down the mountain.  It was very dry and dusty, but I think the guys had a good time!  We finished off the night by playing some card games.  The next morning we were up moderately early to drive down to Kolob and Red Cliffs.

After getting only slightly lost, we made it into Red Cliffs.  Not bad considering I literally hadn't been there since High School nine years ago.  Red Cliffs is a series of slot canyons extending through the red rocks of Southern Utah, and it felt good to get back to my hometown backyard.  The guys seemed to really enjoy the beautiful red rock formations, and we had a good time posing for pictures!

Taking pictures on this log with a timer.

Dave climbing a tree.

A yucca plant.  The state plant of New Mexico!

Climbing along some footholds around a large "puddle" or whatever.  Those girls were swimming, but we'd neglected to bring our suits!

Dave.  Being Dave.

We though this old rotting stump looked a lot like an elephant.  Here we are demonstrating our trunks.

After the drive we ate some delicious Jimmy John sandwiches, then we wandered around the SUU campus and caught some rehearsals for the Shakespearean Festival.  All in all a great day!  So glad these guys came to visit, and even more glad to have had such great friends out in Omaha!

In the Adams Theater - modeled after Shakespeare's Globe theater.