Saturday, August 20, 2011

The Cowboy State :)

It really is like no other place on earth.

My family and I moved to Wyoming in 2007 from Arizona. What I thought would be a state full of rednecks and illiterates turned out to be quite the charming little place. I'm now back in Utah to start my sophomore year at BYU, which has caused me to think a lot about the place I call home. So, here they are: the top 5 things I L♥VE about Wyoming.

Number 5:
Wyoming Pride!
Ok so, I know Wyomingites aren't anything like Texans or New Yorkers when it comes to boasting of our heritage, but can you blame us? There's barely half a million of us. There's just something awesome about seeing the all-too-familiar buckin' horse and cowboy symbol on bumper stickers, clothing, and signs all over town. :)
^^My own small way of reppin' the 307!

Number 4:
RODEOS!!
Here in Sheridan we throw quite the party every July when rodeo time rolls around. From the carnival to the parade downtown to the street dance, the cowboy comes out in everyone. Not only are the events surrounding the rodeo fun, but the actual rodeo is to die for. My personal favorite, along with pretty much everyone else, are the World Champion Indian Relay Races. I won't even begin to try and explain the event. You'll just have to come see it for yourself. ;)
^^Small preview :)

Number 3:
The Stars!!
The fact that I can sit in my backyard, in the Wal-Mart parking lot or parked on the side of some country road and see the exact same view of the stars in every place is pretty great in my book. My least favorite thing about going to school in Provo is that I can never see the stars.

Number 2:
FOOD!!
You know you live in an awesome place when a girl can order a big buffalo steak at a restaurant and not be looked at like she's crazy. (I highly recommend the buffalo sirloin at the Wyoming Rib & Chop House in downtown Sheridan, by the way. It's TO. DIE. FOR.) I've always loved steak, barbeque, and meat in general, and the dining in Wyoming definitely does not disappoint.

Number 1:
The Scenery!!
Anyone who thinks Wyoming is just a barren wasteland hasn't been to northern Wyoming. While I admit southern Wyoming isn't the most appealing place on earth (Laramie, Rock Springs, etc....), places like Sheridan and Jackson are friggin beautiful. And, of course, you can't forget Yellowstone. Come visit me anytime you want and I'd be happy to show you around a bit! :)

Tuesday, August 2, 2011

T-Minus 27 Days!

To anyone who reads this, I apologize for being so lousy at staying up on my posting. But big kudos to Emily Smith for reminding me that I really really need to start posting more.

I have about 2 WEEKS!!!! of summer left, so I thought it would be appropriate to update everyone of the goings-on in my life. (Don't worry, there haven't been many of them so this should be a short post.)

I began the summer by.........getting dumped. I'll spare you the details, but I figured the summer could only get better from there. After getting my wisdom teeth out in early May, I began my fourth summer working at Albertsons. I even got my three-year pin!

The Albertsons uniform is pretty darn bland, so I've taken up collecting really cute headbands to spice things up. If ever anyone wants to get rid of some headbands, I will gladly take them off your hands!!
Pretties :)

I flew to Arizona for a week in June to visit some old friends, and it was a BLAST!! I stayed with my long lost Mexican sister, Raimee Mawson, who was kind enough to put up with me for a week. We went night hiking and shopping and cruised to thug music in the Arizona desert, and even almost got eaten by a giraffe! I also got to spend some time with Robbie Berger, Sami Encizo, Courtney Canez, Cody Falquez, Dusty Angel, and Rebecca Lopez...All very, very good friends. I won't even begin to list the insane things we did.
Night hikin'!!
Tucson zoooooo!

Before I left for Arizona, I started dating Devin Escamilla. My first summer romance. We broke up about a week ago, but I have nothing but good feelings toward the kid. We went on long hikes together, and he took me shooting, and we sat and talked for hours upon hours. Summer romances ain't so bad after all, ya know. <3
He's pretty darn cute :)
Hiking!!!

In early July, my mom, younger sister, and I ventured to California, via Utah where I got to hang out with my dear friend, Dallas Olsen. Anyone who doesn't know him should get to know him. He's pretty much the coolest person ever.
Once in California, I tried to stay inside as much as possible because of the sweltering heat. People there told me it was actuall a pretty mild week, with temperatures "only" reaching about 105. But still, coming from Sheridan, it was a bit too much for me. But evenstill, I had a great time. (Aside from the LCD kit on my laptop going completely insane!)
I've since gotten it fixed, but it was quiiiiite the ordeal :(
Cameron and I went to the midnight showing of Harry Potter, which is one thing I will never do again. Let's just say standing in line next to a kid whose dreads smell like marijuana is not my cup of tea. We also went to the beach in San Diego, where I got a fierce sunburn because I forgot to put sunscreen on. We did a good amount of shopping in both El Centro and San Diego, and I'm now officially BROKE. Best part of the trip, though, was making a new friend. :) Shout out to Cody Johnson, if he ever reads this.
Cody and Sam stuffed themselves into a photobooth. It was quite adorable, really!

We returned home for a day, long enough to do some laundry, before we headed to my sister Adrienne's graduation from BYU-Idaho. I'm so so SOOO proud of her for having the drive to complete her education with the challenges of being poor, married, and a mother all at the same time. She's pretty great in my book. :)
Sisters <3

And now, I have nothing left to do but work and wait. School starts exactly 27 DAYS! from today. To be honest, I've never been so excited for summer to be over. I guess being away from a great town, a great university, and amazing friends will do that to you.