To update one and all, this blog entry is going to be of a different style… Rather than a chronological day to day update, I am going to highlight some of the fun times I had during the month of August and up to just this week when my butt buddy Vina left me.
Life long dream was checked off the list… Mrs Carter show (BEYONCE)!!!!!! Amanda, Shara, and I got our tickets day one of sales and rocked out all night long at the Verizon center in DC. She is amazing. I was so happy to be back with the girls "trifecta status" and to be able to rock out to my favorite girl :) So fantastic.
On our way to Verizon center
Us girls waiting for the concert to start... SSSOOO excited!
That beam of light is the best shot I could get of
her on the stage... I always knew she was too good
to be human, proof that she was beamed down from
outer space ;)
Rocking out and loving it!
Boston bound 2 days later gave me 4 awesome days to hang out with Jacob and enjoy Boston in the summer time. It is such a beautiful place and thankfully the time I was up there, it was not too hot to handle. First of all, Jacob built me a bike!
Bikes loaded up on the back of my car
to go on our first ride together :)
Riding along the esplanade by the Charles River
Jake and I taking a moment to document
Seriously from frame up, he bought some parts and used some of his own unused parts and built me a single speed "fixey" so we could do bike rides together and so I could have a bike :)
We went and watched the Patriots practice, saw the aquarium in Boston which was really really cool (and made me want to volunteer to scuba dive and feed the animals) ha
On Saturday we went hiking in New Hampshire at Mt. Monadnock and overall had an amazing time together!
Working our way up the mountain
Some great shots of Jacob... so focused here :)
and so happy here
Our tired out legs
All knowing smirk
Resting at the top, very windy but beautiful!
View from top of Mt. Monadnock
Kj trying to stay warm!
My job in DC gave me the chance to work for the month of August so I got the chance to hang out with Shara tons and catch up with lots of old friends, it was a great month of rejuvenation. Everyone may think taking a summer off from work would mean I should be well rested and no need time to rejuvenate, but PHEW!!! (I didn't even realize I needed it until I stood up in church and talked about it, what a blessing the month was ;))
On my way up to Palmyra we LITERALLY DROVE THROUGH THE END OF THE RAINBOW!!
I got the chance to go to upstate New York to where the restored church of Jesus Christ began (Palmyra, NY) where Joseph Smith was not settled in any of the churches so he prayed to God to ask which church to join but was told that none of them were the true church and he should not join any. From that moment, Joseph dedicated his life to translating the Book of Mormon and restoring Christ's church to the earth. Going up there is like a miniature spiritual journey for Mormons to help us to gain a firmer testimony of Joseph Smith and his mission here on earth.
Rachel and I outside of the old Smith family house
Barn on the Smith farm, they owned 180 acres for farming
Picture from inside the sacred grove...
Palmyra temple
Hill Cumorah
The coolest group!! Up on top of the hill, right above where
the pageant goes on every summer.
Our car ride was made a blast with E-Mac (Eric), Benton
Me and Liza
Our little munchkin
Printing shop where the Book of Mormon
Its insane the amount of time it took to make just one
page. They had originally printed 5,000 copies but its
believed that less than 500 copies are left today.
Here is a link I found regarding a BOM that was auctioned
for $105,000 a few years ago. Something that
Joseph Smith Jr. would have never imagined this.
There is nothing about the ministry of Joseph that was happenstance and I am so so happy I got to take a weekend to go up and remind myself of that! Also a bonus of going was to see Rachel (Dave's Rachel) and Benton.
Best ice cream place 'Chill and Grill'
This was a small (4 scoops)
Toes on the water
All the girls on the dock getting our tans on :)
Us girls got a lot of girl time which was so good and very needed!
**Taking a midnight skinny dip in the lake...**
Whoops!!
The models before church on sunday:
I went out for a dinner to Bilbo Baggins restaurant in Old
Town Alexandria with Josh and Shane
While in DC, a new but very good friend Joel moved into town
We had a few adventures with groups of people from DC area. There was a great one night campout we did in the Shenadoah Valley with new and old friends.
Many s'mores were eaten...
Tinfoil dinners devoured...
scary stories told...
and laughs had...
The following Saturday we did a hike up to buzzards outlook
**also East coast camping trip checked off my list**
My friend Kalisi came to town a few times to visit because his brother Tavita is playing with the Redskins (NFL team). He gave us tickets in the family and friend section…
This is Kalisi
Prettiest girls ever...
Not only was it my first NFL game ever, the seats were some that I likely never be able to enjoy again!! It was so awesome to be there, at the end we got to go down to 2nd row and could basically reach out and game slap the players :) :) :) I love football pants!
2nd row baby!!
Celebrating a touchdown
The whole month I did crossfit at Balance gym, right close to the house and early in the morning so my day started out right, I honestly love working out in the group setting, its so motivating and I also love the competitive drive I get when trying to beat some of the guys :P
Ladies night out with Angela and some of her dear friends
Amanda finally returned from Mexico to be with us girls, there were a few nights where things just felt right again.
As much as I want to be in DC, something keeps telling me the Boston is the right place for now. I often wish I could be there and have it all feel right, but I know my little bird heart needs to have adventure and there are way to many people to meet and interact with to stay in one place for too long!! I do love time with the girls though :)
Bike ride around the city of DC every Thursday night with anyone who wants to join!! Its called bicycle shares and is on 7th and L, meets at 8 I think and you follow a leader who has a cooler of popsicles and a huge boom box :)
Joel, me, Adam, Becca
Labor day weekend was great, I went on a day beach trip with people from my congregation to Cape May. Its one of the top 10 beaches to visit.
Group of awesome DC people on the Ferry over
So a 530 am meet up, 3 hr drive, 1 hr ferry
...and we were there in New Jersey.
Good people:
...Volleyball...
... sunshine...
… all around amazing experience!
Leaving from DC up to Boston was bitter sweet. I didn't want to leave the girls, but on the other side of the flight was a bedroom for me to unpack into and a best friend-butt buddy for life Vina!!! I literally had 24 hrs to settle in before picking up my girl from the airport, exhausting but totally worth it :)
Vina and I spent our days touring through old Boston area walking the freedom trail:
I would hate living in this house, even though I <3
the North End!
Paul Revere's house
Bunker hill monument
We ate ice cream most every night...
MMMMMMMM JP Licks is our favorite
Went out and looked at Boston skyline view at night
Went and watched BYU game and played at Laurens' house
Ate lots of food:
Lobster rolls... soooo good!
Mike's Pastry, yummy canolli's
and boston creme puffs :)
And lots of cocoa
We drove up to Maine and stopped at a few light houses
Portland Maine, the most photographed light house in Maine
The next day we drove down to Cape Cod and ended
up in Chatham, a town at the elbow of the cape.
One of our many couples pictures
Cheeeeeeeessseee
Caught stretching on the beach
driving up to Maine, down to Cape Cod, and virtually spending 24/7 with each other :) :) :) :) if my heart and soul needed any more happiness and rejuvenation in it, then Vina brought it with her and made my week back to Boston an amazing and very fulfilled one!!
View of Boston from Prudential bldg
It was strange taking Vina to the airport yesterday (9/11/13). The 12th anniversary of September 11th, a day where every person who is old enough will remember where they were and who they were with when they heard the tragic news. As a sophomore in high school I didn't know what the "twin towers" were, I knew the Pentagon was a military place but I didn't know where it was located, I was so disconnected from the world and didn't think I would need to know much about it because I lived in Utah and didn't know a single person directly connected to the attack on the United States that day. Let me just say, 12 years later I would love to go back to that 16 yr old KJ and smack her. LOL seriously though since then I have become much more aware and sensitive to what is going on in the world. Back on that morning I would have never ever thought that fast forward 12 years and I would be driving to Logan International (where the 2 planes that ran into the twin towers left from) and dropping my best friend off to fly home. It's amazing to me how much time can change a person. I know every time I think I have things figured out and know what I am doing, the rug is pulled out from under me and I land straight on my butt with a whole new view of the world. I am so happy to be where I am, 12 years is a long time to me. I think back to that crisp morning, out playing tennis for PE class and hearing people drive by yelling we had been bombed; the panic is still fresh in my mind, a day where we stayed in school but didn't learn anything from our books but just sat and watched a major event develop before our eyes that our children are going to learn from our own mouths and personal account.
I wish I had been more aware
I wish I didn't have to be aware
I wish it never happened
I wish hate didn't exist
I wish tragedy didn't keep happening
I wish for peace
I hope for love
I hope for brighter days
I hope to be a shaker and a mover
I hope to make a difference
I hope for hope
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