4th of July Holiday Weekend

I think it is safe to say that this year was the best 4th of July I have ever had. Firstly, it was fabulous that the 4th was on a Friday so that I was able to have a 3-day weekend.

Our festivities began Thursday night where my roommate shared the tradition of making 'Freedom Shirts'. We had some friends over and decorated our shirts.

#SPARTAN

I recently agreed to run the Spartan Sprint in February with my team from work, so in an effort to stay excited and declare my independence and move forward in my life and goals, I painted a Spartan helmet :)

Friday morning I got up and went to float the Salt River with some friends. It was AWESOME! Tubing, little rapids, perfect weather. What could be better? There was a little haboob Thursday night which swept through the valley and brought a little rain, which resulted in a cooler 4th. (we didn't even reach 100F)

Afterwards we grabbed a quick lunch and then caught the end of a pool party. That was fun, but unfortunately the sun was too much and I burned! I met up later with my friend J, we lounged about and watched Penelope, then went and saw a small firework show. We were able to sit super close!

We called it a night fairly early because Saturday morning we had plans to hike Pinnacle Peak at 5:30 am. It came early, but the weather was once again perfect - it was cloudy and had a nice breeze.

 

Great hike! I will definitely do that one again!

Afterwards J. and I went on a scavenger hunt to find all the ingredients to make cheese. It led us to Gilbert so we made the sacrifice and got cinnamon french toast at Kneaders. (YUM!) Then checked out the farmers market and circled back to Scottsdale to drop by the library. Then a much needed nap was taken and a couple hours later we were back in the car on the way to Heber - AZ for a fireworks show. We drove through some heavy rain to get there, but once there it was great., Although it was mid 60s, so thankfully I had brought a blanket!  

Today was great :) Church was very uplifting. Afterwards I met up with J. and H. again and we made cheese. (Well attempted to.) It wasn't as straight forward as the recipe stated, so we will have to try again - but it was a great end to a fantastic weekend! We also made breakfast for dinner and watched Fantastic Mr. Fox, so all in all a very good night!

It has been a whirlwind of a month. New area, new apt., new job, new friends - a lot of it has been a pleasant blur.  I look forward to many more adventures in the near future!

-T

   

Dua puluh tujuh

Birthday week was a success! Yes, it was great to celebrate my birthday, but I think the best part was taking time every day for me. Honestly, I was way overdue.

I started my Birthday Week with a Cinnabon Cinnamon Roll for breakfast. Other things I did for me that day were: going on an hour and a half bike ride and taking time for a detox bath. I felt incredible after the ride! As mentioned in a previous post, I was inspired by my friend training for a bike race. So it felt really good. I need to make a training plan. During my bath I finished reading The Alchemist. It was great to read it again! Different parts resonated with me this time. That's why I love reading books I like over again. 

That night I didn't have to work at the restaurant so I went to our FHE and played chair soccer - which was hilarious. Then went to Denny's with friends to say goodbye to a sweet friend of mine who was heading home to Brasil the next day.

Tuesday was a good day. I started it off with a working interview at a small Architectural firm, I'm helping on a Frozen Yogurt place in the East Valley. Pretty much the best project ever. I LOVE Frozen Yogurt, and this is a fun little project. I caught lunch with my StepMom at Sala Thai, then spent the next few hours brainstorming and working on a concept for the FroYo place. I ended the night with Institute up at GCC. It was a great class! We discussed 4th Nephi and Mormon. I really enjoyed it. I am working my way through Mormon again, to really get study the battles and the lessons to be learned.

Wednesday I worked more on my three concepts for my meeting on Friday, then carpooled over to Tempe for the 23+ Institute class. We discussed the story of the Samaritan Woman at the Well. It was another great discussion. I feel like I have gotten more out of the last couple of classes. Last week we talked about the man with palsy that Jesus forgives his sins then heals his body. We also talked about the difference between mistakes and sins. Very interesting, left me with lots to think about. I really do enjoy that class! Afterwards I went home and worked a little more. Then I stayed up to midnight. The first thing I did on my Birthday was start reading The Book Thief. I never did see the movie. I wanted to read the book first. So far, so good. It has come highly recommended, so I am excited!

Thursday: MY BIRTHDAY! I spent most of the morning on the phone! It was so great! My Dad, Mom, and Grandparents called me one right after the other. Haha it was perfect timing! Then I went over to our family home. I worked on the boards a little and hung out with my brother. I had dinner over at Sala Thai, then went to our Presidency meeting. A. made me some darling cupcakes - homemade yellow cake and nutella frosting. Yum! Then I stayed up late working on the boards.

Friday my alarm didn't go off (or I turned it off in my sleep!) So that was frustrating and set me a little behind, but I was able to finish off the boards, go and print and then made it to the meeting early. I got to see the space, and the meeting went really well. Then I went to the Gilbert Temple. It blows me away every time. It is a gorgeous place inside and out. Almost as soon as I got out of my car, I could smell the flowers - everything from snapdragons to pansies. Spring in Arizona is fantastic! Afterwards I went home and we had dinner all together. A. cooked a nice meal and made me a cute watermelon "cake". Then I rushed back to my house to get ready for my party! It was such a great night! Great friends, awesome treats, games and a fire pit in our backyard. I made crepes, and between us we had some yummy toppings. E. made me a darling (and Delicious!) birthday cake. We played a new game, started the fire up and then Rock Band! It was such a great end to the week :)

Saturday we got up an watched General Conference. It was nice to be able to watch it on our TV at home! I especially enjoyed hearing about the Gilbert Temple Dedication - they had a special on it during the World Report in between sessions. Many of the talks mentioned the temple dedication, but lots were also on the Savior, missionary work, and defending your beliefs with love. If you missed it, go back and read, listen or watch Conference! I am excited to read the talks again. :)

After the Saturday sessions of Conference were over we went to go see Captain America: The Winter Soldier. I had seen the trailer but really had no idea what it was going to be like. I've also been keeping up on Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D so I was wondering how it was all going to work. I absolutely loved it! Makes me watch to watch the first one and then go and see it again. 

Today we stayed home and watch Conference. Two more great sessions with lots of great talks. Such a great end to my Birthday Week! After Conference I finally broke out my art stuff. I have been trying to get around to it for months now, and finally it was time. I took hundreds of pictures of roses last year at the rose garden in Litchfield Park, which incidentally, the roses are in full bloom again right now. I may go take more pictures! I decided to start off with one of the yellow roses. I have a piece of watercolor all taped up and ready to go, but I figured I should start in my sketchbook first:

Gorgeous Yellow Rose!

I absolutely love creating art!

So here we are. Step one towards painting again. I also bought some small canvases and acrylic paint last year, so once I get on a roll, that will also be on the agenda. But first, a couple more sketches and then on to the watercolors! E. got me a watercolor book for Christmas and a watercolor pad for my birthday so I'm off to a good start!

Now I just have to remember to do more things for me. I have started my 30 before 30 list, so I am excited for that. Now off to use the LUSH bath bomb I got for Christmas and read more of the Book Thief.

What a great day: Conference, Art and Reading - the finer things in life!

Thanks for all your well wishes and love for my birthday! I have incredible family and friends! xoxo -T