June. Spring and Kaylon make for a good month

Thunderstoms. I am not sure if I have mentioned this before, but it needs to be said. The number one reason I love Colorado weather is the thunderstorms. Heavy. Loud. Hail. Rain. Lightning. Intense. Storms. I sit and look out my window reverently whenever we get one. It is heaven. :) Oh...and PS. Read May's post below too, I don't want it to feel neglected.

If you can't already guess from my post title this month, I've spent a lot of time with this dude. I have seen him every single day since we realized we were two peas in a pod. Let me tell you a little about what we have done this month. Yeah, we do the regular get togethers with friends for Erin cooked dinners, institute and other church activities, but we've done some pretty rad stuff this month too. As a side note, I am excited for my family to meet this stellar guy because I cannot put into accurate enough words how incredible he is. He is my Mr. Perfect (for me); a mans man who serves, treats his mom like gold, shows love and compassion, is kind, dedicated, honest, virtuous and of course melts my heart. Ew, gross, cheesy. Whatever. Get over it.

#1 bluegrass festival in Pueblo. Kaylon and I joined a group of friends for some awesome bluegrass, including Ryan Shupe and the Rubberband earlier this month. My friends and I probably had more teeth than most of the attendees put together, which was definitely interesting, but all in all it was an awesome day. Highlights? Being stalked by Natalie who tried to take cheesy pictures of Kaylon and me. (See below. :) ) Natalie hitting on the drummer for Ryan Shupe. THE MUSIC!!!!

#2 clay pigeon shooting. For some reason there isn't much more attractive to me than a man that can blast multiple things out of the sky all in a row. That's my Kaylon. Growing up a little bit country AND 5 years in the military will do that to you.

#3 family dinners? Yep. Kaylon's family is from Colorado and we get to join his folks and whatever siblings are around for food and entertainment. His family rocks.

#4 suit shopping. Ok, I am dead serious. Kaylon needed suits and we went shopping for a couple. It was quite honestly one of the most fun things I've done with Kaylon. I don't care how odd that is to anyone. We couldn't stop laughing. Our suit helpin' man loved us. :) Um, and hello...he cleans up good...

Ok ok ok. What ELSE has happened in June other than some dude right? Well, it has been a great skype month for Laura and me. We get to have our Colorado/Japan sister-mance almost twice a week, which has been awesome. I love my sister and am grateful for the friendship we continue to build, even on opposite sides of the world.

WAIT. One more thing. It's almost embarassing. Because I'm 30. And I look like I am 20. Well now I look like I'm 14. Why you ask? Because I went and got myself braces. Please don't go telling me that my teeth were perfect, blah blah blah. That just makes me want to snap my rubber band from my braces at you. I am a hygienist. I noticed teeth. Especially my own. And compare them to braces perfection that come in an hope in my chair. I get teeth envy. Also because I'm a hygienist, braces are free. FREE. 7000 treatment for free. Yeah. My upper teeth have a midline cant to the left and an occlusal cant leaning inward. It makes my bite off. Which gives me headaches. Oh. And besides. Kaylon said I'm beautiful no matter what. Enjoy this last one. ;)

Yea! I'm finally writing about MAY!!!!

Thank goodness most of my readers probably only check this once in a blue moon, because that seems to be about how often I write. :) I will be updating June as well, so read em both!!! Sadly I don't have TOO many pictures for the month of May. Most of my goings on were not photo necessary. Read on for the biggest things in my May.

ONE year on the 22nd. I can't believe I've been here a year. Can you? I am happy to say that in my entire year, there is not one thing I dislike about Colorado. I love it here and plan on being here indefinitely. I have loved the weather, the people, the culture, the incredible efforts at nature preservation...I am a happy girl. I am so glad that I was guided to move here, because it has really blessed my life, and even though there have been ups and downs, I wouldn't change the last year for anything.

Appetizer party: Of course, you know me, I had to throw yet another appetizer party. By popular demand, everyone brought awesome treats, desserts, and dishes to share and it was a hit. Friends were home from BYU-Idaho, BYU and other schools, so it was the perfect time for everyone to catch up. I just love entertaining, and I am so glad that my place is perfect for it!

QUILTING! I started on my quilt for real. Megan Morton is the BEST girl friend a girl could wish for. She helped me get started, teaching me the ins and outs of cutting and sewing. Who knew that quilting was so easy?? I chose to do a quilt with four different sized square/rectangles through, so piecing won't be easy, but I was up for the challenge. This is a little section of the quilt, just laid out and not sewn yet.

Mormon day at Ashby Dental. The 12th of this month was almost too bizarre to be real. Let me pull an excerpt from my journal to explain: "I deemed today Mormon day at Dr. Ashby’s office. It all started with Jessica Berg, Dr’s first patient. The name vaguely registered, but it wasn’t until Christy was saying to Jessica “you went to BYU? Dr Ashby and Erin went there” that I looked over at her. Yep. Knew her face. We realized that we were both in Mountainwood in 2004 and she married Rob Berg, Dan Vincent’s roommate. Wow. What a small world! J Next up we had our most recently baptized convert Eric Harrell come in for some tooth pain. I had a new patient at the same time, who was from SLC and in the CU Boulder ward. Then my final patient of the day was Roger Reynolds, a guy who moved here from Delta, UT a few years ago. His oldest son is at BYU. And he is in the same ward in Parker as the Langstons. Wow. Four patients, all LDS, no connection whatsoever, coming to an LDS dentist with an LDS hygienist. It was too funny. I told Christy that Mormons were taking over the world. ;0) That’s when she shocked me with a revelation that she had thought of looking into our church. Really? I may have to give her a pass along card or a Book of Mormon." Enough said. :)

The dreaded church talk. I don't understand why people LOVE public speaking, and why they volunteer to speak in church. I'd rather rappel off cliffs. And climb insanely high mountains. Obviously. :) I was the lucky girl asked to speak on Mother's Day, which would actually turn out to be somewhat significant. That's for later. My talk was on how we are ALL mothers, whether we have children or not. I will say this...that my ability to prepare and give a talk has improved exponentially since my last go around. A big difference? I was confident, spoke carefully and gave my talk without looking. I was told by multiple people that I was a natural public speaker. The RS Pres told me that she was envious that I was so at ease and confident at the pulpit. Who were they listening to? Haha.

Kaylon Ross. Yes. This is where the significance of Mother's day, the 8th, comes in. I met this guy on Mother's day. He introduced himself to me, and when I found out that he'd been pretty much MIA for a number of years I assumed he had no friends and decided to help him out. NO, I didn't have even the slightest inkling that I was doing anything more than friendshipping. By the next Sunday the 15th, we'd exchanged numbers, saw each other at institute and texted back and forth a few times. But by the NEXT Sunday, the 22nd, I'd had Kaylon over for games with friends, sat next to him at FHE and institute, had been asked out for the following week, hung out and chilled with Megan and I did quilt stuff, and carpooled to the YSA sports day. It was the 21st that I realized that I was completely head over heels for Kaylon. It was like a lightbulb. And that's all you get so far folks. Jk. Here is a picture of us at the Rockies game. :) Ok, now you have to read June for more. ;)

Lack of April showers won't bring May flowers

So I'm technically supposed to be writing a talk for Mother's day, but decided to take a little blog break. :) It's ironic how many breaks you "NEED" when you are doing something like talk preparation.

April was NOT filled with showers. I am 18 days away from my year mark here in Colorado. When I arrived here last year everything was green and lush and beautiful. We are still looking pretty weak in the rain category, and no I won't accept the few snow showers we got this month as doable precipitation. I'm picky. But I digress...this blog is about what happened in my life. Specifically in April. Here goes...

Netflix is my new BFF. That's pathetic. Not really, but i've become an old movie fanatic. Arsenic and Old Lace, An Affair to Remember, Send Me No Flowers, Gentleman Prefer Blondes, How to Marry a Millionaire, Funny Girl, Desk Set, Guess Who's Coming to Dinner, To Sir With Love, All About Eve, Charade, Dial M for Murder, and many more. If you have a favorite oldie, let me know. I'm hooked.

Quilt. Yes, I am going to start a quilt. A quilt for my place, just an extra large throw for movie nights and cuddling. :) The inspiration for the quilt come from a friend's blog. She is uber talented and made her own pattern from something she saw at a store. One of my besties out here, Megan, introduced me to a gal who estimated measurements and everything. I'm impressed with anyone that can put these things together. Here are some photos of the quilt; my colors will be much different.

Snow hiking! I have a new found love for hiking in the snow. What is more awesome than forging your own trail up a mountainside in early spring? My outdoor buddy Dave and I took a trip to Rocky Mountain National Park and did Mills Lake hike. It's already a pretty strenuous hike, but add shifty snow and slush and ice beneath your feet, coupled with the possibility of sinking up to your waist, and it was definitely challenging. When we got to the lake and ate lunch beneath Longs Peak it was icy cold despite the sunshine. Coming down was the most fun. Dave and I detoured on a random path, dodging trees and falling through the snow so many times we lost count. We were laughing SO hard. I liked it so much, I think I'll do it again sir.

Ever since I injured my knee years ago I've been pretty wary of running. IT band syndrome and runners knee, resulting in a total of 6 months of physical therapy is just not a happy thing to go through. However, I want SO badly to run. Or maybe it's just the awesome calves that runners have. ANYWAY, I have started a running regimen with my friend Kim that so far has proved to be awesome. It's 'Couch to 5K.' Now I've done 10K's, so it's not necessarily me trying to do a shorter run than I've completed in the past. But it is a very slow going, paced training that keeps you from injury. So far Kim and I have done 4 weeks and are still going strong. My knee hasn't bothered me ONCE, which is huge for me. I am hoping that the easy, steady increase will strengthen my knee ligaments and tendons, and that I can finally be a runner again!!! I'll keep you posted!

Sister Missionaries. Oh my goodness how I love our sisters in the Crowfoot ward. We only have sisters in our singles ward for obvious reasons, and I have come to love each of them. With my scattered and yet free schedule, I've been able to help them out a lot. I get to feed them and go with them on visits to teach less active members. It has been an incredible testimony strengthener in my life. I am so happy to be able to serve in this way!

Easter!! Of course the biggest event in April was Easter. I was able to go to Utah and see my family. It started off rough though. Hilary, Megan and I all have family in Utah and were stoked for a road trip out there. Hilary's car had other plans...to overheat in Longmont and get us stranded after 6pm, when every repair shop and rental place of course had closed. Well my awesome friend Brock saved the day, canceling his flight to Utah and picking us up, taking us all to Utah. Who ever said there aren't generous single men in the world are mistaken! My Easter trip was awesome and it was good to see my family. I am so lucky that my Grandparents, Aunt and Uncle and my parents all live in the same culdesac!

Last of all....my little sister is now officially living in Saesbo Japan with her Navy husband Joe. It only took a month and a half, but the military finally got her out there the day after Easter. :) I am so excited for her. I got to talk to her on skype through her iPhone since they don't have internet yet. (Isn't technology AWESOME!?!?!) Here are a few cute pictures she's sent so far. I love this girl.

All About March

March was a fun month. And yes, it is now MAY, so I'll be getting to that soon as well. But back to March for now. :) March was filled with one of the best five days and the worst five days I've had in a long time.

BEST: Grand Lake Cabin Trip! A few of my favorite guy friends whom I'd met in Utah came out to Colorado for a snowmobile trip. Weston, Geoff, Bryce, Matt and Rob. Being the only girl was tempting, but I figured I'd invite some of my favorite Colorado girls to join in on the fun; Megan, Hilary and Crystal. The trip was awesome. Cozy cabin in Grand Lake. Huge fireplace that was constantly going. More food than you can imagine, topped off with incredible dinners. Snowmobiling every day. Hilarious friends. Karaoke. Movies. Awesomeness. It was one of the funnest trips I've ever been on. I love my friends!

The girls preparing for dinner on our last night.

Proof that I became a snowmobile junkie. :)

WORST: Ridiculously awful throat infection! My entire last week in March was spent sick. Monday it started off with my throat feeling scratchy and I had to take a nap because I was so tired. By Tuesday afternoon I was feeling super uncomfortable and could only eat liquids. Tuesday night I tossed and turned the entire night, unable to sleep because I was in so much pain every time I had to swallow. You know it's bad when you wish your saliva glands would malfunction because you can't even swallow THAT. Agony all day Wednesday. Finally I took myself to the doctor Wednesday afternoon. NO, it wasn't strep, but she said it was a VERY bad bacterial throat infection. Ew. I praise Z-PAC. Best meds ever. I lost weight because all I ate for 5 days was either - nothing - or Gatorade. It's feeling this crappy that makes you happy for health.

Laura, my sister, and I talked about some of the things we remembered as kids when we were sick. Our parents would put their little TV in our room so we could watch. Dad gave us this black and silver horn so we could honk when we needed something. :) And maybe I'm way off, but I feel like Laura and I were sick often at the same time, so at least I had a fun sick buddy.

Other things that made my March awesome:

*My new adventure friend. $100 dinner to Fruition. Impromptu day visit to the Zoo followed by D-bar Desserts. Offer to fly the both of us to Utah for Conference weekend. Filet Mignon cooked for me and a couple friends by him. Yes. I have an adventure friend that likes me as his sidekick. He is a very cool guy, and would never think of letting me help him pick up the bill. We had a blast in March and in April. We sit and have scintillating conversation, and he is probably the only person I can have a debate with and not want to strangle because he listens to the other side. So glad I have a new friend in him.

*My bestie Kim Johnson became Kim Baer on the 5th. And amazingly enough, I now see her almost the same amount as before she was engaged. I love how marriage brings your good friends back to you. ;) It's just all that wedding planning that makes you wonder where your friend went.

*Movie nights with Brian. My friend gets as many free movies as he wants due to his job. We have become pretty cool friends and confidants and so now we have a standing dinner and a movie appointment almost every Monday night. It is SO nice to work at Theroux from 1030am until 7pm, knowing that I have a salad at Panera and a movie awaiting me afterwards. :)

*My friend Eric Harrell was baptized!!! Eric is a roommate of my friend Kris and was introduced to the church that way. Eric is an incredible guy and is so excited about his membership in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. So awesome.

*Outdoor adventure Dave. So I have ANOTHER new friend that likes to hike, bike, rock climb, camp...and so we have been able to get out a bit. We rock climbed near Golden, CO and it was amazing. I hope to continue to get back into the outdoors with Dave. Despite what I previously thought when I moved to Colorado, not everyone climbs, so I'm glad I found one LDS dude that does!

Busy busy busy and loving it!

This month was jam packed. Thank goodness we had social events and fun things galore to get us through the chilliness. While we didn't get much snow, we got quite a few days of Rexburg style temperatures. I'll recap my favorite things. :)

If I knew how to post a sound clip on here from my phone I totally would. One of the coolest things I heard this month was on a Monday that I had off work. It was about 1 degree outside and there was light snow falling. I kept hearing this noise over my central heat and my television. When I turned the TV off, I realized that there was a chatter coming from outside. I walked onto my porch, and right next to my window there were about 40 tiny birds, singing so loud it was almost deafening. I thought it was so neat that despite the frigid weather, these little birds were just going about their business as if welcoming springtime. It's nerdy to admit, but I actually spent an hour that night on this bird call website trying to figure out what they were! I dare anyone to spend less time than me...it's amazing how every bird call is unique. The Lord is so creative. :)

Breckenridge!!! Every year there is an international snow sculpture competition in the cute town of Breckenridge. I went up with friends and we spent the day up there, tasting some of the treats...frosting filled cookie sandwiches...yikes, Bubba Gump Shrimp Co for lunch, and then wandering amongst the sculptures. Artists come from all over the world to participate in the event. It's pretty incredible to see how a block of packed ice can be turned into something that can take your breath away!

BYU Basketball - Barbie, Brenna, Kris, Zach and I were able to witness Jimmer Fredette's incredible skill at the BYU vs Air Force game this month. It was an awesome game to go to. Air Force was VERY physical with Fredette, but he still got his shots off. I almost felt bad for Air Force because I am pretty sure there were more BYU fans in attendance than their own. What an awesome night!!

Maybe it's because February hosts Valentine's Day, or maybe it was just something in the water, but I was lucky enough to be courted a TON this month. I felt like I never got to see my friends. I won't complain though. I am lucky that there are so many great guys out here in Colorado. One of them made me dinner and had these beauties on the table for me.

Aw... Despite a couple dates a week, I apologize mom and dad; I'm still single!

February was definitely the month for get togethers. My buddy Kevin and I hosted a fun fondue night at his place. I can't ever get enough cheese and bread. :) I hosted two big things by myself. The first even was at the beginning of Feb; a game night, with about 20 or so people. It was a blast and I was given the best compliment. I was told that anytime we do something at my place, it always turns out awesome. :) I love hosting, and I am happy that my place has become a place to gather. Later in the month, with the help of one of my besties Danielle, I hosted an appetizer night. Everyone brought an appetizer - including buffalo wing dip, bruschetta, bacon wrapped water chestnuts, ham puffs, jalepeno poppers...all home made. It was a success, with approximately 30 friends there. This is how awesome my friends are: four guys were the last ones there and they helped clean up everything before heading out. Aw...Marcus, Ty, Kevin and Chris...you guys rock.

BEST PART OF FEBRUARY NO CONTEST...Danielle came to visit me for a week! Danielle has been one of my closest friends since we met in a Yellowstone research class back in 2004. She lives in DC and we see each other about 1x a year. The appetizer party was partially so she could meet all my great Colorado friends. Danielle and I had the best week relaxing, shopping, working out, eating frozen yogurt and girl scout cookies and bonding. It was fun to just hang out with Danielle. It gave her a much needed break from her busy job in DC too! I love her SO much and I am so happy she was able to make it out to stay with me. Who's coming out next?? ;)

In dental hygiene news, I would like to announce that I am now permanently practicing Monday and Wednesday at a new office! Her name is Christine Theroux and she is a very prominent dentist in Colorado. She's been awarded and featured numerous times in 5280 Magazine. I needed more hygiene hours and this office was the ONE ad I applied to. They called the next day. They'd been looking for someone for months, and I was perfect. This job fell into my lap and I feel very blessed. I am working with wonderful women at Dr. Theroux's! (And FYI - I am still working with Dr. Ashby and Dr. LaCouture. I love each of my offices.)

The last few months in photos and in way too many words!

What did you expect from a busy girl? Okay, so I am very aware that it is February. And that my last post was in October. To be honest, I don't even know if anyone looks at my blog. However, I figured if even just my mom and dad were checking my updates, it was worth it to do a LENGTHY recap. Nobody has ever accused me of never having much to say. Each month will be a separate post...Here goes:

Just January

The month of January played host to a lot of different activities. I have no pictures to prove that it was any fun...sorry...but you better believe it was an awesome month.

I know this is only fun for me, but I got to clean four of my friends' teeth at Ashby Dental. There is just a different dynamic when it comes to seeing your friends where you work. And the fact that I could barely stop laughing when Barbie came in. Oh the simple joys of being a hygienist.

One of my friends is having surgery in February so she decieded that we had to have fun almost every night for like three weeks straight. I saw absolutely no problem with that. Some of the best activities we did were:

• Trivia at the DTC Tavern. Not only was the food incredible and the ambiance amazing, but where else can you go to eat and play trivia and feel like a complete idiot even though you thought you had brains? Seriously...the trivia here was no joke. We already have plans to come back armed with only genius friends. :)
• Dueling piano bar. This of course is a place where everyone drinks so much that they don't care what songs the piano duo play. The Mormons cared! We, the only non-drinkers in the audience, downed pitchers of diet Coke and ate pizzas that were way too expensive for the size. Ironically, by the end of the night, two in our group won the group party with free alcohol. Awesome. We sure will put good use to that.
• Our awesome friend Jon Prawitt left Colorado for more mountainous pastures...Utah. We had a going away party for John at an all your can eat Italian place. Can you say yum? Pizza. Pasta. Gelato. Fried zucchinis. Cannoli. Rolaids. Awesome.
• Lacrosse! I got to attend my first ever lacrosse game. Contrary to popular belief - or just my own, lacrosse isn't only played on the East Coast by Ivy Leaguers and prep schools! I just grew up in a pretty ghetto high school that where sports like this were just way too uppity. Watching lacrosse was pretty cool...although it sure takes focus to watch where that tiny ball is going. :)
• COLD. Then WARM. This month was just freaking cold. Then the next day it was 65 degrees. What I will say is that this is the sunniest place I have ever lived, and those rays of golden sun are exactly what I was missing in Utah. Colorado rocks. The end.