The devil did not give birth to a genre known as country.

Last week while getting ready I had this conversation with my mom:

MOM: You're listening to country music. 

ME: I am?! I had noooo idea. 

MOM: Why...? You hate the stuff.

ME: I thought I'd give it a try. Syd made me a CD so I could be weened onto it. 

***blah blah blah, irrelevant banter***

My entrance into the world of country had officially begun. 

For those of you who don't understand the gravity of this moment, just know that in the past the sound of a banjo or a sickly sweet drawl would make me want to rip my hair out. I couldn't stand the stuff.  

Last night I took another BIG step in my country gal transformation. 

Granted I was wearing a Pac Sun tank, flip flops and a sweater from Urban

buuuutttt.....

I WENT COUNTRY DANCING!

(Insert neon sign and flashing lights here)

Not only did I go country dancing, but I LOVED every minute of it. 

I went with Brent, and let me tell you, we were tearin it up on the dance floor.

...After we got over the awkwardness of not knowing what to do. 

Let's just say being described as a noob, novice, amateur, or rookie would make us look good.  

We recruited Brent's sister and brother in law to give us some instruction and it was free sailing from there! We may not have been the best dancers out there, but as usual we were the best looking ;)

After a lot of
 dancing
laughing
and sweating
 we hit up the drinking fountain and went outside for some fresh air.

funfact: there is a lot of stuff  (fake trees, chairs, lawn mowers, signs, creepy sheds, etc.) worth rummaging through behind Studio if you're ever in the area!

If someone would have told me that I could the Boot Scootin Boogie and enjoy myself at the same time, I would have laughed in their face. They only memories associated with that song are of Mr. Poff in Jr. High
GAG. ME. PLEASE.

Lesson learned?
Don't hate on something until you give it a whole hearted try!
I may not be wearing boots and a huge A belt buckle
but
I'd say it's only a matter of time before I'm in touch with my Georgian and Tennessee roots.

YeeeHawwww.

An ode to new friends and a beautiful baby sister.

Let me make something clear; I don't have a "baby" sister. Hannah will be 17 in October, but she will always be my baby! Even when she has kids of her own. She is my only sibling and even though we are very different, we have been partners in crime for as long as I can remember. When I was 2 years old I informed my mom she was pregnant. One night I was sitting in my highchair munching away on some dinner when I looked up at my mom and simply said, "Hannah's coming." I'm sure my parents were slightly confused seeing as I had never been one for imaginary friends and I didn't know any Hannahs, but it would take a few weeks until they figured out who "Hannah" really was. Soon after my mysterious declaration my mom found out she was pregnant, and when they found out it would be a baby girl they decided to name her Hannah. So...in essence, I named my sister when I could barely talk. Cool right? When Hannah was born I was very protective of her, and informed anyone that would listen that she was MY baby. Hannah and I have a mutual respect for each other despite our differing preferences for music, sports, food, movies, school, relationships, clothes...and just about everything imaginable. I just got back from school and one of the biggest shocks has been to realize that Hannah is not the baby I label her as any more. She probably hasn't been for the past 14 years, but that is beside the point! I love her SOOOO much and it is insane to think that my baby is growing up....eh. I'm going to brag about her for a minute :)

She is beautiful. She has amazing style-really, I don't know how she comes up with half the outfits she does, but she rocks them! Especially the colored tights. She is an amazing dancer-she hits up BSOB 6 times a week for ballet classes. She plays the viola AND mandolin. She just made the Utah Youth Symphony. Most of the musicians who audition wait and receive a letter telling them whether or not they made it. While Hannah was auditioning the lady stopped her in the middle of her second piece and told her she was in :) That's my girl! She has an INSANE school schedule and she is only a lil squashmore. Next year will be even crazier with all AP classes, early morning seminary, and on-line courses as well. I guess someone has to do it, and I'm glad it's her and not me! She has the voice of an angel. Sometimes she tries to hide it...good thing I have supersonic hearing and she belts in the shower. She is creative. She makes her own jewelry, paints, draws, sews stuff-like halloween costumes...if its artsy, she does it. She is sensitive! I'd much rather be related to someone that has a heart than an evil witch.

That's it for now. My sister's a pretty neat gal...what a shame she's related to me and not you!
Pause the player, we're switching tracks! The topic is: "Cool new friends"

Aight, so last night was an "Untalent Show" for my singles ward. I decided to bring 2nd in command, Sydney Rose Robinson. (Her middle name isn't Rose, and she's really not 2nd in command. We're on an equal playing field but saying 2nd in command just sounded more eloquent.) ANYWAY, I brought Syd along. The talent show was great, there was a lot of untalents, a lot of popcorn, and a lot of people to socialize with. At one point I was feeling a little parched so naturally I went to find a drinking fountain. I came across one and on the way I happened to come across Connor and Jeff; the coolest nose flutists I have ever had the privilege of meeting. We chatted in the hall for a while and then decided to relocate ourselves to North Canyon Park for a game of Ultimate. While at the park I had 2 significant lightbulb moments. 1) I don't miss high school and 2) Ultimate frisbee really is not my forte. The frisbee we used lit up and resembled a UFO. I'm going to scratch the bottom of the barrel here and say that all the color changing and blinking was the source of my frisbee retardation. I could catch it on occasion, but could not throw it to save my life. In order to be a functional member of society, I feel that having the knowledge necessary to throw a circular disk is mandatory. If you consider yourself a pro, hit me up. I'm growing desperate!

Even though the world didn't end today, our frisbee game had too hahah that was a Rapture joke for all you who are slower than most. Things led to other things and we found ourselves sitting on the ***cold***steps discussing the complexities of life. Meh...maybe that's an exaggeration. I was mostly talking with Connor and we were just discussing things. No complexities. I don't think Squidward and Jeff were either. This is what I heard of their conversation "aaglhdglhaga dgdafhdfghfj bh adfhdfn khopihf gBiggest Loser! aghadkgj fkajob bnjkvhafpioghg dhgiihie38r3y3yr 83ytyigalkh Patches! (Here Connor interjects with a witty rebutle in his cat's defense) agkh ggoah John Mayer. Pilot. 9th grade officer. ahgalgh adgh adghfih j" And that about sums it up from what I can tell. We covered quite a few topics but finally I had to say it, I was ***freezing***Connor may have mentioned it earlier, but there is a good chance I said something about him being a wuss and the confiscation of his man card. Once again we relocated, but this time it was to the boonies. RB's hot chocolate maker was broken, so we hit up some obscure 7-11 for a midnight hot chocolate run. More talking, more laughing, more incoherent jokes...I vaguely remember mocking Jeff's laugh and then cracking up over it. When it's late I tend to think I'm a lot funnier than I am....I like my friends, I'm glad I made new ones, I'm glad they forced the Grinch run out of me! Here's to a tightly knit bond because of it; and here's to things I like about them. It's a progressive list obviously. Just a little tidbit for starters.

Connor

Great style-bike chain bracelet included.

He has gorgeous eyes.

We crack the same kind of jokes! Nice to know someone shares my sense of humor.

Jeff

Dimples!!! I am a SUCKER for dimples.

He's a "cautious" driver :P

Funny. Funny, funny, funny. You can get some quality jokes out of this one!

Davis Blvd.

I just got back from a run in the rain. This whole day I have been complaining to my mom about how it is almost summer, and it is NOT supposed be raining like this. What is the point of being out of school if I can't lay out all day and get a step above the high schoolers on my tan?! Anyways, I decided to try something. Instead of complaining about the rain, why not enjoy it? Last spring me and my good friend Kyle took advantage of the rain. We would dance in it, go on scooter rides in it, and even made a "worm farm" to save all the worms that were trying to escape flooding. Hahaha we made a sign for their mason jar, named them, looked up what worms ate on the internet, everything! Hm...:) Good times. Anyway, I decided to take a page out of my own book and decided to go on a run. I ran up 1800 South, turned right onto Davis Blvd, ran all the way to North Canyon Road, then circled back to 400 East and down to my house. I LOVED every minute of it. As the rain started drenching my hair and running into my eyes, I was beginning to regret my decision but the wetter I got, the more I enjoyed myself! After I while I started seeing how wet I could really get. That is why now, as I right this, water is dripping off my forehead, down my nose, and onto my hands. I ran through puddles, let the tree branches swipe my head and arms leaving water droplets behind and just absorbed every freakin raindrop that fell from the sky. It was relaxing to see the clouds so low they were beginning to engulf houses, and to watch the raindrops hit the asphalt and break up into a million littler drops. All in all I'd say it was a good way to spend 30 minutes of my afternoon. I feel refreshed and rejuvenated, now it's off to body combat. Sydney, when you read this you'll know why I'm late :P haha I followed my crazy impulse.

Today I'm grateful for...

The men in my life. 

1. My Heavenly Father

Without Him, I could do nothing. This year more than ever I have learned to be more patient and humble. In order to get the answers we are in need of, we must do our part first. Only then will He reciprocate His end of the deal and pour out blessings on us. Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ love us unconditionally and want more than anything for us to return to live with them. I know that it is the gospel in my life that brings me so much happiness, and I wouldn't have it any other way. 

2. My Daddy

He is the funniest man I know. Also the sweetest. When I get married, I want my husband to be just like him! Immoveable in his testimony, selfless in his service to his family, and genuinely fun to be around. Whether it is doing yard work on Saturday morning, cheering on the Cougars, or traveling the world on business, I know my dad will drop whatever he is doing if I need him. He has made his love apparent for the past 19 years, 5 months, and 3 days straight...It's not going to stop any time soon!

3. My Incredible Home Teachers

Past or present, they are the best! Sometimes it's a well prepared lesson, sometimes it's nothing but two boys in sweats making a last minute appearance. Whatever it is, I love it. I am so glad to have them in my life while I am away from home! I've turned to them for stimulating conversation, a tour of campus hot spots, and even a blessing. Seeing how they are now, I can only begin to imagine what incredible missionaries they will make!

4. Jacob Pinegar Gubler...And assorted others.

I don't even know where to begin with this one. Thanks? Guy friends are mandatory in any girls life. Too bad for you, I happen to have the best one out there. Whether it's spraying off the deck at the pool, putting pine trees on the roof of BHS, or simply sitting in my room and talking, I know we'll have a good time. Short, sweet and to the point. Don't let it go to your head Javcod.

5. Jake Maxfield & Ryan Skousen

Jake: "I hate mornings. I don't talk to anyone."

Rylie: "You talk to me!"

Jake: "You do all the talking, I just sit there and listen."

Even though they critique my food choice at times, I have so much fun eating breakfast with those two. I don't think I do all the talking, but either way they are great listeners. Haha I'd say cracking jokes in response to incoherent mumbling is an ideal start to anyones day!

6. Deric-The Headphone Guy From the Testing Center

Deric saved my life and inspired this blog post. I was at the testing center stressing over my Music 101 test when lo and behold, I discovered I was headphoneless. Being a music test, headphones are about the only thing required to take it. Gah. Desperate as I was, I walked up to someone who I thought was likely to have headphones and explained my situation. Being the gentleman he was, he agreed to my proposition and proceeded to pull them out. Holy. Cow. Those things were SO nice. ($60+ Bucks! I looked them up.) We exchanged numbers so we could get ahold of each other, and went our separate ways. Unfortunately I am an honest and ethical human being, so I returned them a few hours later along with some cookies. My hat goes off to you Deric; Hero of the day. 

Runner Assault

Summer is on it's way ya'll.

Halle freaking lujah. 

When it starts getting warm I prefer to run on the streets instead of a treadmill. Makes sense; you can hear birds chirping, get an early start on your tan, and get a breath of fresh air. The only downside: the obnoxious guy who holds on his horn as he passes you. We've all experienced it. You hear the honk, and the next thing you know you're sprawled out on the ground. When someone honks, you naturally turn to look. The sweat dripping down your face latches onto any and all pieces of stray hair as they swing around, causing a frantic scramble to clear it from your eyes. If not done in time, you proceed to miss the curb, stub your toe, flail your arms, and attempt to shoot a crusty in the drivers general direction all at the same time. Say you manage to make eye contact, if he's a smokin hot hunk of man, you will want to hurt yourself even more than you already have because you made yourself look like a fool. A feeble attempt to remedy this will be made as you wave and shamefully look straight ahead as you continue to run. If he falls in the category of "Sweet Spirit," you will want to hurt him. Yelling, swearing, or letting the bird fly are all common reactions here-pick your poison. 

If you want to talk to me while I'm running, try pulling over. If you're still interested after seeing a red face, crazy hair, and an outfit that may or may not match, props! You can now call yourself my friend. A) Because I will be thoroughly impressed at how ballsy you are, and B) You will offer me a ride home which I will gladly accept. Although our legs might be lookin good, only 0.5% of the female population actually looks hot while they run. For the other 99.5 % of us, please, let us be. I promise we look better while running that splattered on the pavement. 

Glittery?

Here it is, my very own blog. I guess only time will tell if blogging is all it's cracked up to be! So far, this technology thing is kicking my butt. Sure I want my blog to look cute, but seriously?! There are about a zillion options to choose from. I thought I just pick a template and then I'm good to go. But no, no, no. I have to choose fonts, colors, and positions for EVERYTHING. Me and the concepts of design and decoration have a love hate relationship. Heaven help the man who will one day share a home with me...

I love the idea of love, just sayin. If you are looking for advice on how to wrangle some guy (or girl...?) into your grasps, this probably isn't the blog for you! As much as I would like to think I know what I'm doing when it comes to boys, I really don't! They still have cooties in my book of life. 


If I were to guess the top 5 things I'll post about, they would be:
1. College Adventures
2. My Family
3. College Boys
4. Boys In General
5. Life in General


The more I write, the more excited I get to blog. Who would've thought.