so...growing up?

We are grown-ups now??? :) I love you Jenna

hey there friends. :)

So I'm starting to get more and more apprehensive about this whole college thing that's coming up in a few months (I'm going down early on August 19 for an Early Summer Honors program...hopefully its fun experience! intellectually stimulating and all that jazz), and I feel absolutely nowhere near ready to become a full-blown adult! It's not possible that I'm actually 18 years old--I can vote, I no longer need parent signatures for anything, and I could join the army too, couldn't I? It's just strange.

I mean, I know I've grown up a lot over the course of high school and become more emotionally mature and such, but often times I feel the same as I did as a 14 or 15 year old. Except for that I can drive, and I would not want to revert back to not having a license! haha. But is that completely insane? I don't think so. When I go out to places like snow shacks and movie theaters and just out and about and see these groups of teenagers, it's weird for me to think that I am most likely older than all of them. But I still look at them and stay out of their way as if they were the older kids, the ones at the top of the stack.

I've thought about this quite a bit just since graduation and everything, but also, I went to LAGOON (an amusement park) yesterday, and then today I saw Toy Story 3 (which by the way is a definite must-see. my eyes definitely got misty. so go to the theater as soon as possible and see for yourself.).

Lagoon was an absolute blast. My 8 year old sister got so excited to go on so many of the rides, even though we freaked her out at the beginning by taking her on this Jetstar rollercoaster. I have so many memories of going to Lagoon every summer as a kid and always getting to bring a friend with me..going on the rollercoasters for the first time..getting ice cream..and all that fun stuff. This time, however, it was just me, my sister, and my mom, and it was one of the first times where I've felt like an adult. It was strange. As a kid at amusement parks, you get excited because you are excited. The parents are having fun too, but a lot of their fun I think comes from watching their kids have fun and get excited. I still had a really good time! There's no doubt about that; I just experienced in a more adult way for the first time. Hopefully you sort of understand what I'm trying to get at. For example, I went on this huge rollercoaster called the Colossus for my first time. I hadn't gone on it up to this point because it has these two gigantic loops, which just the sight of used to terrify me! But I went on it, wasn't really nervous at all, but I was trying to make myself feel more nervous, and then did it! It was that easy! I was not scared at all, and since you may not know, I'm absolutely NOT a rollercoaster person. It takes a lot of convincing. It just made me feel a little less like a kid, by feeling so calm about it.

One of the reasons I absolutely love places like Lagoon is because they are heaven for people watching! Despite what I said earlier, people of every age sort of become kids again at these places! Going on all the rides, eating cotton candy and ice cream and amusement park food, getting excited about the littlest things. I love it!!

Okay, now about Toy Story 3. I won't go on for too long about it :) It was so cute. Pixar has triumphed yet again! I am amazed by their creativity because I have loved every single movie they have made, plus the little shorts that come at the beginning of all of them. It hit pretty close to home, with Andy going off to college and all, and that's probably why I got hit with another wave of nostalgia and melancholy. These waves have come and gone since a couple of weeks before graduation. One day I can't wait to get out to be semi-on my own and living in a dorm and being with friends so often, the next I just want stay and hang around, watch movies, and go on walks and stuff with my sis and mom and dad.

All in all, I think I'll be okay. :) All I've got to do is take things one step at a time, and not stress too much about long term things. That's probably part of my problem of worrying too much.

AND, there are still many "firsts" which I have yet to check off of my list--despite having graduated from high school--so I think there's still some time left to finish my growing up. :)

I will do my best to not make all of my posts this long, so bear with me!

Until then...

smile

and

be happy

sweet summertime :)

Hey there friends!

So I thought I'd start my first official post with a little recap of what I've been up to lately! First things first, I GRADUATED from HIGH SCHOOL!!! How's that for exciting news! But really, the whole idea that high school is now a thing of the past has yet to hit me. I'm still hanging out with my school friends so it just feels like any other summer! I do, however, dearly miss the beautiful state of Georgia :( My friends and I did the most random things ever, but we always had fun!

If any of my N-A-T-U-R-E buddies read this, know that I think of our spazzy and crazy selves often. :)

As far as Summer 2010 goes, there is quite a bit in store:

1. My "summer job" involves me, my sister Olivia, and my best attempts to keep her entertained during these long summer days. It's actually quite nice since we are just looking for ways to have fun! So far, we have ventured to downtown Salt Lake's Liberty Park and had a picnic. While exploring the park we discovered a sketch little amusement park! If you've seen Something Wicked This Way Comes, where there's a creepy, haunted carnival, that's sort of what it felt like. BUT ALSO, if you've heard of or seen Charlie, the ferris wheel in the movie is from that very park!

We've got quite a bit of summer ahead of us still, which will hopefully involve many trips to the pool, snow shacks, playgrounds, hikes, and such.

2. I'm leaving for FRANCE a week from today!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I'm pretty darn excited, if you didn't already notice. :) I will be traveling abroad with my mom and sister, so I'm already sensing many entertaining stories of crazy European mishaps. They are certain to happen with the 3 of us together..haha. I cannot wait! My mom just confirmed where we will be staying in Paris, which is this little tiny apartment only 1 block away from the Champs-Elysees and l'Arc de Triomphe! We will be doing our best to blend in with the chic Parisian crowd and not stick out like sore American thumbs. Hopefully my French speaking will come back to me fairly quickly, so our American-ness could be kept on the DL...haha. The theme of our trip is SPONTANEITY, but our general itinerary includes a week in Paris, a couple days at Normandy, perhaps a jaunt over to La Baule--a beautiful beach in the Bretagne region, and then we'll make our way down to Southern France...coming to a grand total of 2 weeks! This will definitely be an adventure to remember :)

I didn't realize how long this post was getting, so I'll wrap it up fast!

Here are a few more things I'm looking forward to this summer:

3. DISNEYLAND--definitely one of the happiest places on earth!

4. Going to Red Mango ALOT, with one of my best friends Cami Phillips, and completing the amazing feat of eating an entire LARGE size. It actually won't be that difficult. We've trained ourselves well for when that moment comes.

5. Registering for my BYU class schedule!!!

6. You know, the usual--hanging out with friends and having random adventures!

7. Reading as many of Jane Austen's novels as my slow-reading will allow! I'm reading Pride & Prejudice right now, and I'm enjoying it very much, very much.

8. Playing on my new violin!!! I got a new violin as a graduation present, and I love it! It's beautiful and plays beautifully. I've waited for a new violin for so long, and couldn't be happier with this one!

Hopefully my first post was semi-successful and you didn't fall asleep reading it...

Be back soon! :)

hello there blogging world!

I have successfully created a blog. :) After attempting to make a blog last summer and failing because of my impatience and inability to figure it out, I attempted again, and SUCCEEDED! I'm not sure yet what my posts will consist of, but hopefully it will provide some mild entertainment out there for anyone who chooses to read it!

I'm looking forward to the many adventures out there that await you, me, and my blog!