Breathe, Sing, & Leave Your Granny Panties At Home

You know you’ve had a kick-ass month when: You feel like you could possibly go into cardiac arrest halfway through your routine workout and your throat burns as if a doctor has been shoving a q-tip down your throat to test for strep for 20 minutes.

July was full of so many good things that I unintentionally neglected my blog… But I’m back! And I’m sure once I’m into my day to day schedule again I’ll make up for my lack of posts when one of my infamous late night writing sprees sneaks up on me. By the way, I apologize to my subscribers for those little treats. If my phone started blowing up in the wee hours of the morning because of notification emails from a blog I follow I’d probably post an anonymous comment saying, ‘Bitch, go to sleep.‘ I’m not encouraging any of you to do that to me… However, I am promising to work on it.

A few things happened…

1.

Talya Belle turned 5!

I’m not sure I will love any kids as much as I love Talya and Zeb until I have my very own. I feel so lucky to have been part of Talya Belles life since day one. Often people underestimate the power of children and the things they can teach you, but I learn from Talya every single day. She has taught me to be patient when life tests me, to accept all walks of life no matter how foreign they may seem, to try everything once even if you’re not sure if you’ll like it, and that Dr. Seuss truly never gets old. I love you sweetheart, you will always be my sunshine.

2.

I started my new job.

I have worked for the American Academy on and off since the company first started. Right now I’m recruiting students who have dropped out of high school. We work with different districts all over the country and help them get the students who have dropped out of school back on track to receive their diploma. Some districts are in areas where poverty is very high. It’s not rare for the kids to stop going to school in 8th grade, and support from family tends to be limited. I enrolled a boy yesterday who has been on his own since he was fourteen years old. When I asked for his parents contact information he got really quiet and said, “I’m not close with my parents.” That was all he needed to say, I could feel his pain over the phone. But despite his sudden drop in enthusiasm regarding his parents he spoke with courage and ambition as we continued to discuss the step he was about to take in order to graduate high school. After I hung up the phone I sat there and reflected on my discussion with him. The amount of respect for him & everyone else who is able to subdue any disbelief others have when it comes to their personal success is huge. There will always be someone who wants you to believe you can’t but in the end you make that decision. I hope that I am able to keep in touch with this student and watch him achieve his goals and prove it to not only others but himself that he is capable of anything he want’s to do. It is really rewarding when I am able to be a part of that. Waking up every morning with confidence that if I work hard enough I can make a difference in at least one persons life is a hard feeling to explain. A little bit of bliss from my new 9-5… I am so lucky.

Other news:

Dyan finished nursing school! I am so proud of her and admire her for deciding that being a nurse is what she wanted and then just doin’ the damn thing. Cheers aunt Dy!!

 Gregg & Leann finished a triathlon in Idaho last weekend. Gregg is always working (oh, & being a husband, dad, and kickass uncle) so I’m not quite sure how he trains for these things on top of it all. Either way, he does, and I think it’s awesome.  They both did a fabulous job.

Terrible decision # 1: I wore granny panties on a hike. Nope… Never again. It was so hot and I was just blatantly picking a wedgie the whole way up. I don’t even care. I’m not going to hike uncomfortably for the sake of some random hiker. Shit happens right? Needless to say, I would not recommend wearing granny panties on a hike to any of you.

Andy and I went camping with some friends at Joes Vally reservoir over the 24th. I had the time of my life and got to know some really amazing people. Our camping spot was right next to a gorgeous lake. Waking up and opening my tent to that took my breathe away. It was so nice getting out of the buzz in the city. It was a much needed get away.

My pixie hair cut grew into a mullet (that was neat) and then my mullet transformed into a nub. I’m not ashamed to admit that it was one of the most exciting moments in my life… Yup, that’s how bad I hated the life of having a she-mullet. I’m no longer a little boy and it feels soo good:)

I said 또봐요 (that’s what goodbye means in Korean) to one of my best friends Jon Moon. He left for the MTC to prepare for his mission in Seoul, Korea. I coudn’t be more proud of him (or more concerned about what life will be like without him for 2 years). But I know he will be a brilliant missionary, and I can hardly wait to write him. “Dear Jon….” I love you!!

Came to the conclusion that having a nice ass is better then being a size 0.

Bought Beyonces CD ‘4’ and haven’t taken it out since. I like to pretend I’m her when I’m in my car, very normal. If you’re judging then you ain’t living. Because in my opinion, singing your heart out and dancing in your car is a tiny part of truly living. Whenever I see someone doing that I just want to say, ‘Get it girl!’

I learned to golf in June and went to my first pga tournament in July. Andy and the boys had VIP passes so we all went. I wasn’t sure I was going to enjoy myself, and if I was going to, it was not going to be sober. But I had such a good time and met a lot of really interesting people. It was a whole new experience for me and I can’t wait to go back next year.

 I stopped making excuses and applied to USU. Logan bound… Nuff’ (said for now). Ciao SLC

Fell in love with fried pickles

My mum and Andy met. I love them both. That’s all:)

Anyway, I have truly been given a beautiful month and am eager to see what August has in store. Life is proving to me that if I stay positive instead of stressing out all the time things will work out on their own. Instead of saying ‘No’ I’ve decided to say, ‘Why not?’.  With that outlook new opportunities, experiences, and memories have been given to me & I couldn’t be happier. I hope all of you had an amazing month as well and that you’re pushing your own fears out the door and welcoming new things with confidence that everything will be perfect. Just breathe, sing, & leave your granny panties at home. XOXO

Ps. Happy Birthday Barack Obama!