So You Think You Can Dance Top 18

I feel like I have to post my favorites from So You Think You Can Dance this week because you may be disappointed if I didn't! haha. I love watching really good dancers. I enjoy watching this show with my Mom. I should just get back into dancing...


Kherington and Twitch--Waltz



This one was just beautiful...


Courtney and Gev--Contemporary



I love this one because Gev is so strong and he just throws Courtney around like it's easy. It enjoyed it.

Beautiful Boise

Today was a really great day. In the afternoon Mom and I went down to the Boise Co-Op, which is like our whole foods/organic grocery store here in Boise. I love going there because it's in the North end of downtown and it always attracts the very interesting people of Boise. Boise, although primarily Caucasian, actually does have a diverse culture. Not only with different ethnicities but also with the conservatives (majority) and the liberals (the North end), the hippies and the mormons, haha it keeps things interesting. Anyway, I also love going to the Co-Op because I actually really enjoy eating organic whole foods and they have really great stuff there. I don't always eat really healthy, I still love my nachos! But when I get in a good pattern I just feel so much better. It makes me feel more balanced like I'm really taking care of myself. Well, while we were there Mom and I got a sandwich from the deli along with a fruit and pasta salad. Then after we got a few other items. When we got in the car we decided to go have a little picnic!

Mom and I drove to Dad's office, which is right along the Green Belt. The Green Belt is a biking/walking path along the Boise River. It is so pretty. They have picnic tables along there so we called Dad and he came out and sat with us while we ate. It was such a nice day! It was really fun to watch people biking and floating the river. The weather was perfect, not too hot not too cold. The three of us sat and talked for about an hour. Dad has been really busy with work lately so we haven't gotten to really just relax and enjoy each other's company too often. It was a really nice break in the day. We talked about raising kids and parenting techniques. I admire my parents so much, I really appreciate the way that they raised me. I love to listen to the reason behind why they did certain things. My Dad said something really funny, "you just learn as you go but is seems that as soon as you've figured it out you're out of a job." It made me laugh that he thought he didn't figure out everything about parenting until now when he doesn't really have to parent full time anymore. I hope that I will be able to learn everything possible from them, so that I will be a better mother one day! It was such a treat to be able to go have a picnic by the river. I love summer!

I feel incredibly lucky to have this time at home in Boise with my Mom and Dad. I am starting to get use to it just being the three of us. But I can't wait for Stephen to come home from his mission! He just adds so much to our family. He has such a great sense of humor and really brings so much life to any party. I remember our last weekend in Boise together before he left on his mission. It was the weekend of his farewell, where he speaks in our church sacrament meeting and is given the opportunity to share his testimony of our church. That weekend some of his friends from college came to town. Stephen and I hung out all of the time while we were both at BYU, we're pretty much best friends. So I knew his group of friends really well. All of us went down to the Green Belt and rode bikes. Then we stopped at a place along the river and skipped rocks for about an hour. I cannot skip rocks very well (ask Kory, he tried to teach me once), but it was fun to watch the boys have so much fun with it. That was a beautiful day along the Boise River, just like today!

Trip To Utah

Mom and I spent last week in Utah. I had to go down for two wedding receptions and to take care of some other things. We had so much fun! I have been to four of my friends' weddings in the last month, haha. It's that time of year I guess. The first wedding reception was one of my really good family friend's, Natty. He and I met when we were 15, our families were on a tour group in Europe together. It was a total blast! Our families got along great and we became really good friends. I spent a lot of time at his house the summer between my sophomore and junior year of high school. I spent pretty much the whole summer in Utah doing summer camps at BYU. I became really good friends with all of Natty's friends also. The next year I played club volleyball and my team traveled to Utah every other weekend for tournaments. After the tournament was over I'd go hang out with all of them for the rest of the weekend. I have many, many great memories with that group of friends. It was really fun to see all of them again at the wedding reception! I wish I had more pictures, but believe it or not I totally forgot the memory card for my camera in Boise, ugh! So all of the pictures I have were taken with my phone. The reception was held at Natty's house, which brought back so many memories. They have the most beautiful home I have ever seen.


This is what the refreshments were sitting on. It was totally cute to have small portions in individual small dishes sitting on these tall decorative shelves near the pool. It looked really classy. They also had a crepe bar on the other side, yum!







n+t = Natty + Tacia. Natty is a graphic designer and that is their "logo," totally cute. I love the flower design on the cake too! He probably did that.

My hair was totally flat and not very cute by the end of the night. It had been a really long day out and about! I didn't get to touch-up before the reception. Oh well.



The second wedding reception that I got to go to was for my old Kauai roommate and Del Sol girl, Sarah. It was so fun to get to go to her wedding! It was great having all 4 of us Kauai girls reunited again. Hailey has been living in Maui this whole year managing one of the Del Sol stores there. Katie and I see each other every now and then. For a while we were going to the Temple together once a week so we were keeping in touch pretty well. It was really great having all of us there together and get the chance to catch up. I don't have the pictures of all of us together, but I have some. Sarah's reception was absolutely beautiful. I was in a greenhouse with gorgeous flowers and plants throughout the whole room. There were fountains, stone paths, and gazebos. It was very romantic. When it came time for the bouquet toss all of us single ladies gathered together. Sarah tossed it up in the air and it came right to me, haha. So I caught the bouquet! I have no idea what that means ;) haha. It was a lot of fun though. There is a pic of that also.










The Del Sol Kauai girls! ...minus Sarah.


Sarah looking at the decorated car with a look of disgust, haha.


Sarah and Sam went to Park City on their honeymoon. We were joking about how I might run into them at the outlet mall that weekend. On Saturday I got my hair done in Salt Lake and my friend Casey (the girl who Stephen dated before his mission) came and picked me up from the salon. We went to Park City to go shopping at the outlet mall. Sure enough, I'm looking at dresses and all of the sudden I see Sarah walking towards me. We both started laughing and gave each other a hug. It was really funny that I saw them while they were on their honeymoon. I didn't talk to her very long and soon made my way to the other side of the store so they could continue enjoying each other. I felt bad like I was totally interrupting. But seriously, what are the odds we would be in the same store at the same time!? Note to self, go further away than Park City for my honeymoon, hehe.

After shopping Mom met up with Casey and I. Went went to a pizza place off of Main St. downtown in Park City. Park City is so fun! I love it. It just has a fun atmosphere and it always feels like you are on vacation when you go there. It's great! I wish I had more pics from the weekend. It really was a bummer that I left my memory card in my computer at home! Oh well, at least I have some pictures.

We saw a lot of Cheneys (my cousins) this weekend. Kerry and Leon were in town because they chaperoned a church youth activity. They went to the Manti pageant and to Salt Lake Temple Square to see on of the church movies. I think they had a really good time. Katie was at EFY all week, then they picked her up and all of them went to Jon and Gina's house. Mom and I went over to Jon and Gina's and got to see all five of their cute little blonde girls plus Kerry, Leon, and Katie. It was so much fun to catch up with all of them! We have had family reunions every year pretty much my whole life so I am really close with my cousins. I always enjoy it when I can go to West Jordan to see them because it really isn't too far from Provo.

These pictures are dedicated to my cousin Sadie who living with her husband across the country in Jersey for a few years. Here are pictures of my Uncle Klyn (Sadie's dad) and the farm! Gooding, ID has such a beautiful landscape view from my cousin's house. It is fun to visit and enjoy the peace and quiet. On the drive to and from Utah we stopped and said hi to Aunt Kay Lynn and Uncle Klyn. It was really great to get to visit with them.



Klyn's really cool little truck. Its stearing wheel is on the wrong side and its a stick shift. He told me that I could try to drive it if I wanted, but I was tired from traveling all day. Now that I am thinking about it I wish I would have tried it. It would be so crazy to shift with your left hand!

So You Think You Can Dance--Last Week's Favorites

Ok, I know I am really lame writing all of my blogs about "So You Think You Can Dance" but I love that show! Does anyone else watch it? It's so great. I just love dancing. I watch them and wish I was as talented as they are. It's great. Here are my two favorites from last week's episode:

#1 Top Pick Katee and Joshua, Hip Hop

I absolutely loved this one because it really tells a story. I think dance has the ability to contain so much emotion and really connect with an audience. This piece really did it for me. I could feel the emotion from the very beginning. It was about more than just the really cool technical work, it was also about acting. The story is about a military couple, and the husband has just learned he's going to war.



#2 Top Pick Chelsea H. and Mark, Contemporary

I loved this one because it also tells a story. It is a little bit quirky though, which made it fun. Mia Michaels is a fabulous contemporary choreographer. Her story line in this piece was "Tim Burton's Wedding, when two different people find love" haha, it's different and cute.

Enough Said. . .

Last night I was watching So You Think You Can Dance, which is my favorite TV show in the summer. I'm sure you can tell because I have already made a previous post talking about it, haha. Last night the episode showed us the 200 and some odd individuals who made the first cut of auditions and had the opportunity to participate in an intense week of auditioning in Las Vegas for one of the Top 20 spots. The judges weren't messing around, they immediately began cutting tons of people left and right. They were on a mission, they were looking for the 10 best male and the 10 best female dancers. They knew exactly what they were looking for: performance, talent, technique, poise, personality, and especially coach-ability. The dancers were put under tremendous amounts of pressure. Not only were they being physically exhausted, but mentally too. As the group was narrowed down to fewer and fewer dancers, it was amazing how individuals true character and ability to be coachable really shined when they became tired and stressed out. There was one girl in particular that I am thinking of who made it through the entire week without being cut. When it came to auditioning the last piece of choreography she actually did well. The judges complimented her to reassure her and then told her that they noticed her getting overwhelmed while learning the routine. Rather than saying, "thank you, yes I was overwhelmed for a minute but I learned a great lesson," she began to rattle off a whole long story full of excuses. The judges were completely turned off and actually cut her because they didn't like her attitude not because of her dancing abilities. If she hadn't said too much, she would have had the opportunity to do her solo and be considered for one of the Top 20 spots. At the very end of the episode there was another situation where a girl said too much. She was asked if she didn't make the Top 20 if she would come back and try again next year. She said no and explained that the rejection was too hard on her emotionally. The judges, again, were turned off by the attitude of this girl. They didn't like that she would be willing to give up at age 19 when she has so much talent. After her comments the judges decided to recast the vote to see if she should make the Top 20. Despite her negative comments, she still made the Top 20. But she almost missed out on the opportunity of a lifetime because she said too much. I felt really bad for both of these girls who gave really bad impressions of themselves because they said too much. It made me think of how many times we say too much, and later find ourselves regretting it because of the consequences. Sometimes less is more, enough said. . .

When I was in 9th grade (junior high) I was in an audition choir. At the end of the year I, along with many other girls, performed a solo for our high school choir teacher, Mr. Tortorica. We were given scores on our solos and they also counted as our audition for varsity choir our sophomore year. Very few were given an 'A' rating on their solos, and even less made it into the varsity choir as a sophomore. I was nervous to perform in front of Mr. Tortorica. After my performance when I went to receive my critique from him he told me that I did very very well. I said, "thank you! I was really nervous because I've had a cold so I was worried I wouldn't be able to sing." He set me straight so fast! He told me that all I needed to say was "thank you" and that no one likes working with anyone that makes excuses. I apologized. A few days later I found out that I did receive and 'A' rating on my solo, but I did NOT make the varsity choir. I had said too much. It was one of my many lessons learned on saying too much. I actually spoke to Mr. Tortorica about it and because I did he allowed me to be in the A Capella varsity choir (the only sophomore in the choir) which I was extremely grateful for, but I would still have to wait until the next year to re-audition for our women's varsity choir. I said too much, and there were consequences! Has something like this happened to you before?

It is not just in auditions that we miss out on opportunities if we accidentally say too much. I think this happens to us a lot, especially in arguments. Why is is that people always want to be the one that gets the last word? Only to find that their last word caused some serious heart ache. How often when we are tired and under serious stress do we say something that we didn't really mean in the first place? Think about how frustrated it makes you when you let someone else tell their side of the story without interruption and then the second you start telling yours they interrupt you! They said too much! Or how about when someone gives you a compliment and instead of simply saying, "thank you," you disregard the compliment? I think everyone makes these mistakes. I think it is one of those life lessons that you you learn over and over again.

However, even though everyone makes these mistakes you still feel bad for them when they do. I am going to try to be more aware of when I am saying too much. I recommend everyone else do the same. Sometimes it is best just to say "ok" or "thank you" . . . enough said.

A Day Downtown With Mom

Today was a great day. Mom and I went out! We dropped by Dad's office to say hello and invite him to lunch, but he wasn't able to make it out with us. Mom and I went to PF Changs for lunch. It was fabulous as always, especially the lunch menu prices! We got the chicken lettuce wraps (if you have not ever had them, then you need to!). We also got the almond and cashew chicken dish which is my favorite. It was nice to go out together and enjoy the relaxing atmosphere and good conversation. After lunch we walked across the street to Magie Moo's Ice Cream Shop. Mom got chocolate ice cream with chocolate, of course. I am a vanilla girl myself. But I held back on the ice cream. Don't worry I made up for it later with a Cap'n Crunch milkshake from Carls Jr. haha. After dessert Mom and I got back in the car. We were downtown--I love downtown Boise by the way--so we were close to South Jr. High. That was my Junior High. They are building a new one right next to the old one right now and then they are going to tear down the old one. Mom and I critiqued the new building and had no problem finding all of the things that we DON'T like about it, of course haha. I am going to miss my old building. I have a lot of good memories there. Anyone that knows my mom will not be surprised when I tell you that after we drove past that school we had to drive past all of the other new ones being built on our way home. I love my Mom. I'm glad I get to be home to drive around and check out the Boise scene with her. Today was a great day.

A New Find in Indie Music, Check It Out

So I subscribed to a new podcast on iTunes called "IndieFeed" and it has a new full song everyday by an indie artist. I use to be really into music and always learning about the new up and coming artists, but I have not taken the time to do that in years. This podcast, however, has allowed me to hear about artists that I have never heard of before and it is so fun for me. My favorite one so far is Kaki King from New York. I am as excited about discovering her as I was when I first heard Imogen Heap. She is amazing on the guitar and the music is relaxing. Yet some of it has a good enough beat I could work out to it. I checked out her myspace page and found that she has a ton of full songs on there. Check them out and tell me what you think! Or if you already know her, tell me about it! I am so behind on the music scene, especially the indie scene.

**Disclaimer: I like the song, I have mixed feelings about the music video.