Once again, Trent and I had a super full and fun month. With Trent studying hard in school and my party planning capabilities, we sure know how to play hard when it's time for us to play.

As I mentioned before, I put on a Mile and 5k Run for part of my Entrepreneur Skills class. The class makes a goal to make $1500 dollars by the semesters end and my group can happily say we surpassed it! It was a lot of hard work with advertising, registering, and communicating with city council, but it was well worth the effort. Some of us in the group hope to put the same event together next year! Here are some pictures of it.

In the early early morning

The legit racing bibs

Check in and Registration

Me and Bridgette. I was so happy she came!

My awesome band

Right before the race

Video of the start off. Note the ELEPHANT COSTUME. The video doesn’t even do it justice. It was the most amazing costume I think I have ever seen.

Bridgette and My Boys :)

My Entrepreneur Group. The guy right next to me is 1^st cut Running Back for the Football Team, JJ Di Luigi

Our Halloween festivities did not end here. Trent planned a fun couples Halloween Party at my parents house in Park City. We ate Bratwursts, played a rendition of Hid and Seek called Sardines and enjoyed each others company in the Hot tub and the movie room.

Trent and my costumes. I was a sphinx (head of a human, body of a lion, wings of an eagle…)

The whole group in character

The following week was a busy one but in the middle of the week I opened up for my friends’ band Les Sages. They are an all siblings band that write unbelievable music. I’ve always looked up to their musical talent. It was great to see them and to share the stage with them the first time.

Muse Music, a small venue full of character

Me and Kris

Les Sages on Stage

The whole gang together

Les Sage singing a Barber Shop tune. They sang this at my wedding.

That weekend one of my best friends Bridgette had her bridal shower! Here’s a picture with all her girlfriends.

Since the holiday season is approaching and it is Trent and my first time to share Christmas together as a married couple, I thought it was fitting to buy us a Christmas tree! The next time I post will probably be after finals and during Christmas so until then, Seasons Greetings!

The End of Houston, BYU (part 4), and the Biannual Conference Weekend

Alrighty then. Here is a fantastic picture of the kids at Grappa for dinner in Park City. Just thinking about the Osso Bucco makes me hungry (at 11:14pm)

The rascals I nannied for over the summer. This particular day we built homemade volcanoes (it was my science week)

Trent and my trip to Austin was fantastic. Let me just say that if I had to live in TX, Austin is the place for me. The city is filled with cheap eats, live music, ice cream festivals, and active people. Sounds like my kind of place. The picture above is from Kirby Lane, most known for their TexMex Breakfasts(Trent makes fun of me for taking pictures of food. I'll admit I am a little ridiculous).

After breakfast, Trent and I went to the Barton Springs Pool. The water was freezing even though it was 100 degrees outside. I was ecstatic! We swam, played and kayaked through the wetlands. We saw DOZENS of turtles and enjoyed paddling close to them to see if they were alive or not. They'd quickly dive under the water and swim underneath us. It was so neat!

The Logo says it all.

We stopped by an Ice Cream festival going on in the heart of the University District. We caught the eating contest. Last year's champion is in the white and we watched him eat a gallon and a half of icecream. Can you say brainfreeze?

I know I wrote about the Salt Lick in my previous post but it deserves two posts. Their wood fire grill was so impressive and delicious. I am not a huge BBQ girl but this place has me sold. If I lived in Austin, I would have to eat there at least once a month. SO JUICY!

again, I am hungry (why are all my posts about food?)

The last day we drove to Travis Lake. Even though it was only about 30min from downtown Austin, I felt like I had flown to the Greek Isles. From the piercing blue water to the white rock beaches, Travis Lake was Purely picturesque.

Well we made it through the final weeks of Houston. I feel I always places leave just as I am starting to make friends there. All in all, it was a great experience. It strengthen Trent and my relationship more than anything we've ever done together. We had some great adventures and the people were extremely friendly. I also am happy about the positive exposure it gave Trent in the workforce for Sales and Marketing at Dresser. We hope to continue this relationship with them in the next couple of years over the summer.

Trent drove us back to Utah (that's right, I drove maybe 2 hours tops) all through the night! Because of his awesome skills, we made it back to Park City before my sister Kristen drove back with her darling kids to Richland, WA.

School has started, I have reunited with my band, and Trent and I both started classes. Trent has begun his rigorous GMAT preparations which takes up the majority of his free time. I feel so proud watching him study hard. He has an amazing work ethic that inspires me. I also started a company called Provo Health and Athletics Team (PHAT) through a business class I'm talking. We are putting on a "Monster Mile and 5K" where adults, students and children from the Provo/Orem area can dress up in their Halloween best and run around Provo on October 30th (UTAH Halloween). We're anticipating 300 runners but are nervous none-the-less due to the excitement and hard work we have put into this. If you know of anyone who might be interested, give them this link:

http://provomonstermile.com/race/

On different note, I have decided to double major in Media Music with a Contemporary Vocal emphasis and made it into the program! I'm taking a voice class in the major and it is so awesome!

Sarah, Jordan, Trent and I went to the Mates of State, Fun and Ben Lee concert at University of Utah. It was great to hear the lead singer of the Formats voice again.

Trent decided one day to take a long drive through Squaw Peak Canyon and into Hobble Creak. I was so amazed at the beauty, despite my nausea from the bumpy road...

Every six months the apostles and prophets of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints address its members via cable, satellite, internet, and radio. They speak on the subjects the leaders feel (and the spirit informs them) the listeners need to hear. I love this weekend for 2 reasons: Spiritually it is a feast. I thoroughly enjoy listening to and taking notes on the messengers of God on Earth and their very important messages they are prompted to share. They are extremely holy people and I respect and am directed to pay close attention to what they have to say in the present day.

On a lighter note, I love conference weekend because the teachers at BYU rarely give homework this weekend so neither student nor teacher will be distracted from their teachings. Because of this, Trent and I decided to go to Park City for the weekend and watch conference. Fortunately we were able to invite some of our friends too. We had a great time there.

playing charades.

And of course, I end the post with a food picture. This hear is an egg casserole from the family recipes. I've made it so many times now that I can do it by memory!

July and Early August: Music, Family, Music, Work, Music!

Well it certainly has been a while since I've updated the blog. The past few weeks have been the best part of the summer too!

The following weekend, after our six month anniversary, we went to Herman Outdoor Theatre in downtown Houston. They have 5 star performances free to the public. This particular performance was Little Shop of Horrors! I had such a great time reminiscing over my high school production my junior year.That night I got food poisoning. BLAH! I think I must be somewhat intolerate to greasy ground beef because I always get sick after it. Tacos, lasagna, Dick's Hamburgers, empinadas= no me gusta. But enough of gross talk.

That Sunday I flew on an airplane to Denver Colorado for the Rockygrass Academy. My BYU folk ensemble was funded by the school to go to it! Needless to say it was one of my favorite trips I've ever taken. I learned so much about songwriting, jamming and the bluegrass genre. I still cannot believe BYU paid for me to have that much fun! I did miss Trent a ton, but it was an experience I'll never forget. Here are some pictures of the trip.

The members of my band entered a "band scramble." It's essentially just how it sounds: the members of bands are put into scrambled up groups and perform in a competition. It was way way fun! My band performed Old Home Place and I'll Follow You Into the Dark. Alex, one of my band members, and his band got 2nd place in the competition! We were so proud.

All hands in from the songwriting class. Did I mention the camp was incredibly hippie influenced?

All the songs written by the song writing team.
The songwriting team.

Me with songwriting teacher Sarah Siskind. She's written songs for Alison Krauss!

Excited friends on our last day

The following weekend, Trent and I went to Park City to meet up with my immediate family, their adorable children, my cousin Amy, my Aunt Darcy, and Grandma. We did what my family does best: catch up, take pictures, and eat! Unfortunately I didn't bring my camera so I'll have to update with those pictures once I get them from my mom. One morning, Miranda led a Pilates class! It was so fun to have the whole family doing it (yes even Trent!). We ate out at Grappa's and Goldener Hirsch. DELICIOUS. I'm so excited to go back there in a couple weeks!!!
All the kids at Grappa
Just thought this was a funny picture that popped up when I Google searched Goldener Hirsch...

This past weekend, Trent and I went to Galveston one last time. You know how people say "oh the water is like bath water!" and you laughingly nod and secretly don't believe them? Well this water was. It was! And I wish there were a way to proud it to you. Trent and I were astounded! So I've finally learned there really is no place in the Houston area to cool off outside. I just thank God for air conditioning in my prayers every night.

This whole week I have not had work because my nanny family are on a vacation. Instead I have stayed at home working on new songs and recording them. For those of you who don't know, I made a goal to write 12 songs this summer and record them all. I've written 10 so far and have recorded 7. It sure has been a time consuming project. I've loved every moment of it and hope it will help in my audition to the Media Music program at BYU. I put the new songs on my OLD myspace that I have not updated but you can check the songs out here.

This weekend we're going to Austin, TX! We're planning to swim in Barton Springs (a 1,000 foot spring fed pool in downtown, Austin), seeing the musical Annie at their outdoor Theatre, eating at the Salt Lick (recommended by our friend Christian from school) and tasting ice cream at their Ice Cream festival on Saturday! Our move back to Provo (t-9 days!)

celebrating aniversaries of love and liberty

Beautiful aren't they? Trent bought them for me on July, 2nd: our six month anniversary! Can you believe it's been six months already? Trent and I are as happy as ever and so grateful and blessed to be on this fun adventure together in Texas. Since being married we have gotten through one of the toughest BYU semesters, cruised through the Caribbean, and temporarily moved to a new state. It certainly been the best time of our life and we're feel so lucky to have each other during these fun times.

In remembrance of that very special day, I made a cute collage of favorite pictures. If you click on it you can see a larger version.

Went out to dinner at a Tex- Italian restaurant called cavatore. It was so unique and tasty!

Mozzarella. I LOVE CHEESE!


Fourth of July at Eleanor Tinsley park was the best. They have live performances from very famous country bands. This year it was Cowboy Mouth, Little Big Town, and Pat Green. I thought this "lost kids" sign was pretty funny.

Remember that post of the festival of colors? Well a small group of Hindus came to the Fourth of July festival singing Hare Krishna. It was pretty neat to hear that same song in Texas!

My favorite of the bands, Little Big Town! They are absolutely amazing! My band, The Lucky Crickets, covers their big song, Boondocks. This concert was free with the donation of one canned good. I was ecstatic that we were able to see them!
This father was rocking his little boy during the concert. It was hilarious to me that the boy could actually sleep. The music was rockin loud!
Tinsley Park prides itself with the largest land-based fireworks display. Needless to say, it was AWESOME! Happy fourth everyone and God Bless America!