One’s mind,
once stretched
by a new idea,
never regains its
original dimensions.

It is good to have an end to journey towards,

but it is the journey that matters in the end.

Thousands of Candles
can be lighted from a single candle,
and the life of the candle
will not be shortened
Happiness
never decreases by being shared.

-Buddha

And what everyone has been waiting for:
My New Place!

My entrance! WELCOME!

The pictures on the wall right as you open the front door. Thanks again Stacey for the awesome addition to my apartment.

My living room. This is my new couch. Yay! I put that end table together all by myself. A friend of mine gave me the plant under the end table as a house warming gift!

This is another view point of the living room.

The table in the dinning room (area).

My kitchen. The washer and dryer are through the door at the end.

My room.

My new bedspread. Love the colors.

The bathroom.

Pretty shower curtain.

My fireplace with my plants and family picture.

Thanks again Mom for all of the help! I love you!!!

YAY for new apartments and change!

Temple Activity

So I am ALL moved in to my new place and Mom and I are trying to think of something great to do. We looked online and couldn't find much. So, we got into my car and just drove into Salt Lake. We parked at a secret place of mine and walked around for a while. There was an amazing house across the street from the conference center. I swear it was either haunted or someone was in there.

There was this doorbell that looked like a doorknob. I'd never seen anything like it. You twist it to make a bell inside (literally a bell) move up and down. It was cool, but creepy. (I swear I heard someone moving inside.)


I've been wanting to go to this art exhibit in "DOOR 15" of the Conference Center for a few months now. I was worried it wasn't there anymore, but it WAS! Here are some of the art pieces from the exhibit. (Not sure if this is illegal, but I wanted to share!)

I love how the lamb is looking at Christ and has no appearance of being afraid. I can see relief and trust.

Jonathan Linton, 1975, Utah
Oil on linen

This is a depiction of Lehi's dream. A mother helps her young child to hold to the rod of iron amidst the blinding mist. Soon the light from the tree of life will break through as they keep walking forward.

Duet--Mary and Martha
Annette Everett, 1950, Utah
Cast bronze

Quietly they stand back to back--Mary and Martha, two sisters. When Christ visited their home, Mary "sat at Jesus' feet, and heard his word," while Martha was "cumbered about much serving" (Luke 10:39-40). This sculpture is about the Mary and Martha that exist within each of us and the challenge of meeting both the physical demands and the spiritual pursuits of life. Her arms full of scriptures, Mary's gaze is directed upward, representing dedication to spiritual interests. She appears to be ascending. Barefooted, Martha looks downward, focused on the earth. Her arms bear the responsibility of caring for those around her. To be complete, to be whole, both qualities are essential, and both are noble. It is our responsibility to remember the great things of God and choose "that good part" (Luke 10:42).

I thought the women in my family would think that this quilt was pretty cool. Not only does it have amazing color, but I don't really know how they made it! Beautiful!

After the exhibit, we walked on temple square.


Mom got to see my school!


And we went to see the Oquirrh Mountain Utah Temple.



I did Mom's hair:


And last but not least, I was a total stalker following around this bride. I LOVED her dress. Yay for stalking people!!!! But seriously, look at the dress! (I wonder what she's thinking while I'm taking this picture)


All in all it was a totally AWESOME few days!!! WOO!

The TABLE

My mom and dad came to Utah last year to help me move into a new apartment. I would be living alone and I didn't have a lot of furniture to fill up my space.

They brought me a coffee table, end tables, lamps, bathroom rugs and much more. (Thanks to Grandma and Grandpa Borgen) But the thing that I loved the most that they brought was an antique table.

This table was my great grandmother's table. She raised birds and I believe at one point it sat below them. My mom remembers it in her Grandma's home.

The table was beautiful and would serve its purpose, but it definitely needed some work. After a year of hiding it under a blue table cloth, I decided that the time had come. I explained to my mom that I wanted to refinish the table. I had never done anything like that before, so I called my friend Karrie. She loaned us her sander and gave some very good advice. Combined with Kathy's advice, we were ready to start.

Here are the pictures of the progression of the beautification project:

Here are some shots of the original color and look of the table:

It seemed that someone had started work on the table years ago, but gave up, or got scared, mid way. (I was a little scared to be honest.)

Compare the sanded version to the old color.

Staining under the table.

We literally remembered at the last minute to show the contrast on the top before finishing it. I ran into the apartment to find my camera hoping the the stain wouldn't be uneven.

Now the finish. Looks glossy. Ooooo.

Here is the finished product:

Now I just need to save money and buy some matching chairs to go with it. ha ha. If anyone is interested, the color I used is called dark walnut. Isn't the wood gorgeous?! Yay to new furniture experiences. I'm SO glad it turned out! Thanks Mom for all of your help!!!

BEFORE

Is something really BIG missing from this general area? Anyone? Yeah, MY COUCH. Dad, it took them a grand total of 30 seconds to get it out. ha ha!

AFTER

Goodbye old friend!

Productivity!

I had a very productive day today. I woke up at 6:30....hit snooze 3 times....and got up at 7:00. I put on some clothes and ran out the door. I drove for 30 minutes, got lost, and finally found my new teacher orientation. I know, I know....most of you are thinking...didn't you go to that last year? Yes, I did, but I am teaching a new grade this year, and technically I am a new teacher in Jordan School District because the district split. Anyway, I only go for the free stuff. ha ha.

The orientation was SO boring. I thought I was going to die. It was filled with clapping for random people who wanted to feel important, re-listening to things I had just learned in college and done the whole of last year, texting random people, and finally, tracing the school floor-plan through the back of the paper. I did get a cool book, but tomorrow is what I'm excited for. Tomorrow's meeting is about the good stuff: PE, music, art, literature, math....that's when I get the good free stuff. WOO!

So I got home and I was exhausted. I took a nap. When I woke up I was still tired, but I forced myself to get up. A guy friend of mine asked if he could help me move anything and said he would be there soon. Frantically, I got as much stuff together that I could for DI so I would be ready when he go there. After a while of waiting I decided he was going to end up not coming, so I just packed up my car with all of the goods. (4 bags of clothes, furniture, more furniture, random bags of crap that I have....) He finally texted me that he couldn't make it. So I took my car load of stuff to DI.

Well, I wasn't done yet. I started talking to Dad and I said, "I don't think I can fit my fish in my new place." And he gave me the idea to just ask kids walking around my house. (Weird...but it was a REALLY good idea.) I have seen that one of my neighbors have a whole bunch of kids. I walked over to their house and knocked on the door. The Dad answered and invited me in instantly....Mormons. ha ha. I explained that I was their neighbor and they were excited to meet me, but then I said I was moving and asked if they wanted my fish.


A woman in the room said, "I can't believe you just asked that!" I was worried, but soon found out that two of their little boys have been DYING for fish. They had recently purchased really cheap-o fish that died within a few days (goldfish).

ANYWAY, the parents were planning on getting something for them in a month for their birthdays. I asked if they wanted an early birthday gift.

The Dad brought a plastic wagon over to my house. I emptied out some of the water and packed up the fish and supplies and they were off. I walked it all over and explained everything I knew about the fish. (It turns out I know I lot about cichlids.) I left as he was filling the tank with water and the little boy was naming them.

I feel good about my decision to adopt my fish out. I kept them healthy and happy for over a year and I feel good about their new home.

When I got home I started texting friends to see if anyone had a truck I could use to take a couch and a few other peices of furniture to DI. I have that scheduled for tomorrow evening. All-in-all...I feel like I kicked this day in gear! WOO!

I feel SO productive!!!!

VEGAS BABY

It was my cousin's birthday on Sunday so we all went to Vegas for the weekend. We got to stay HERE! (Live long and prosper!)

And if you can't tell what that is it is......

I swear Caesar's Palace takes up like 3 blocks worth of land. It's amazing!

So, can I just say that I really enjoy dancing? We went dancing at three different clubs: Prive, Tryst, and Pure...which wasn't so pure. ha.

(Make sure you turn off the music at the bottom before you play)

There was a waterfall IN THE CLUB! (Tryst)

We got to see all of the sites!

We were able to go to a new dinner and show called Tina and Tony's Wedding. It was pretty corny and strange. We walked in and sat at our table. Suddenly a wedding starts taking place, then the reception. We had dinner at the reception and even got wedding cake. I tried to catch the bouquet! It was hilarious. There was a weird 'relative' who took pictures and looked like a total freak who sat at our table. I remember thinking, "Greg would have fun playing his part." ha ha. Here he is eating a mint that he bought at the dollar store. He asked us, "How much do you think it cost?" He went on to explain that he liked to suck on just one side to see how much smaller he could make it compared to the other side. (His camera is around his neck.)

It was a lot of fun to get a vacation. We laid out by the pool. I got a SWEET tan. I drank 'lava flows' and strawberry yumminess! It was so fun!

One thing is for SURE...it was HOT in vegas. I got a sizzling tan! Driving home this is what my dashboard said. Note the temperature reads 115?! It actually got up to 117, but I thought it was dangerous to take pictures while driving....85 miles an hour. ha ha.

Things I learned in Vegas (Not in any order)

1) Everyone is drunk all the time.

2) I do not enjoy having my butt grabbed.

3) I do not like driving in Vegas, but I am good at it.

4) Famous people are all around us.

5) The type of shoe you are wearing will make or break your night.

6) One weekend in Vegas will set you straight.

7) Contension is of the DEVIL.

8) If you want some water...you have to go to a resturant inside the hotel or the cabana people will make you pay $4 for a cup of water. (I refused to pay that. HA)

9) Vegas is dirty: People, Place, Mouths.

10) If you want to hear cussing....just go to Vegas.

11) If you want to have FUN in Vegas go to: Shows, magic, rides.

12) ALWAYS wear earpluggs if you are going clubbing.

13) Mandalay Bay has the coolest pool/beach EVER!

14) SLEEP AND WATER ARE ESSENTIAL

15) VIP is cooler than you think it is.

16) Dancing is fun/Drunk people are not

17) My kids will NOT go to Vegas.

18) If you have enough money, you can get away with/do anything you want.