Another year past, and another begun...

Wow, it's been sooooooo long...I am officially fired from blogging. I made it through the holidays and before I knew it the calendar said March! It has been a pretty good start to 2011. I decided to TA for an introductory biology class this semester and what I have realized is that I am getting old...it has been almost 8 years since I had my first college bio class, yikes! So this has proven to be a very good refresher course and I am getting some teaching experience at the same time. I am continuing to look for potential programs to go back to school for my masters of education. Maybe one day I can inspire some kids to become scientists! Until then, life has just been plugging along.

At the beginning of February the whole family took a trip south to Tucson for a visit to my brother-in-laws family and for me to visit the HUGE annual gem, mineral and bead show. Although the weather wasn't as warm as I was hoping and half the family got sick, it was still a great escape to the desert. And I came home with a couple hundred dollars in beads! :)








Damn, there are A LOT of cactus in the desert!





Teddy bear cactus...DO NOT HUG!









My favorite cactus pic of the trip
and believe me, I have lots of them.
Check out those nasty hooks...ouch!

Hummingbird

On a colder note, it has been a pretty epic winter here in Utah and we were on the ice early this year. Here are some great pics of my friends dog Daisy...her first time on the ice so she was a little nervous. And of course, a few pics from our annual fish lake trip.

Six weeks old...

Already!! Our little Aoife is growing so fast and I can't believe she is already over a month old. But even more so, I can't believe my little Gracie bean will be 3 in only a few months...yikes! Here are a few photos from the last weeks.

Christmas sisters!

I couldn't resist this outfit!! :)




Chillin' with aunt Lindsey... Love it.

What?


Gracie... so proud of her snowman!


Here's what my dad has spent much of his recent
retirement doing...as he promised.
The cats are REALLY enjoying this retirement thing!

No boys around here...

After much anticipation I have become an auntie once again to another beautiful baby girl!! Apparently we are just a girl makin' family. :) Both mama and baby are doing very well. I am such a happy auntie. And my Gracie Bean is taking it all in stride...a little out of sorts with the new addition but seems to be handling things okay for now. All along she told us that her new little sister would be coming on Halloween and she was right!

Aoife Ivy Williams
(pronounced Eefa, its Irish)
born Oct. 31, 2010
7 lbs. 3 oz.
20"

Some much needed girl time...

Once again, its been awhile since I have posted. Not a lot has happened since August but the best thing has been my trip to visit my girlfriends. First to Santa Barbara to visit Misty. As soon as I landed at the seven gate airport I could smell the salt in the air and feel the cool sea breeze on my face... ah, California! Misty certainly made sure I got a taste of SB right away by treating me to a reggae show that night...one of our favorite past times together. The rest of the trip went like this... church rummage sale, AMAZING farmers market, wine tasting, sushi, night out at the new cabaret bar and then the Irish pub, beach, bike ride to the pier, fresh lobster, shopping, chile and margarita dinner party, more beach time, and for my last night in town we made fresh clam sauce for our fresh farmers market pasta and tiramisu for dessert (a tribute from our trip to Rome where we eat the best dessert ever just outside the vatican). Despite the fact that SB had record high temperatures the entire time, I have discovered why it is that people choose to live there...beautiful. Thanks to my dear friend Misty for a wonderful trip full of laughs and memories both new and old. Love you!

Next up was Dallas, Texas to visit Mary. A long way from the cool sea breeze of SB, but surprisingly a bit of a relief from the heat wave they were having in Cali. Ever since they have moved to the Lonestar State, Mary and Heath have been raving to me about the food and margaritas they have been indulging in. I had to find out for myself, seeing as I am a bit of a lover of both those things (in case you didn't know that). They were right! The highlight of my trip to TX was our double concert night at the House of Blues. We figured it was fate that Michale Franti and Citizen Cope were both playing while I was going to be in town, but the truth is I planned my visit around the Cope show (no, i'm not obsessed) and Franti was an extra surprise that we couldn't pass up. A tribute to the trip the three of us took last summer to Aspen to see these two perform. Front row for both shows made me a happy camper! I love live music! We did a bit of exploring but mostly just hung out and caught up on some much needed time together. Thanks to my Texas friends for an awesome visit, I will definitely be back for some more margaritas and maybe a pair of cowboy boots this time. ;)

Time flies when your havin' fun...

OK, OK...it's been a month since I have posted. A lot has happened since then so here we go. One of my best friends moved away to Dallas but not before we had one last night on the town...SLC BarCrawl 2010. Despite the massive hangover for three days after, it was one of the funnest nights ever! Go Team Turkey!! (Ya had to be there) :) Miss you Heath and Mary!

Our new friends...Aaron, Adam and Adam

Then to kick off the summer concert season I went to see MoFro at Red Butte with my parents. What a beautiful place to spend a summer evening listening to great music!
The next week it was the much anticipated KOL concert with the girls. A tailgate party to start things off was an absolute must, and my cousin Jess shotgunned a beer for the first time since college (I hope). I saw lots of old friends and probably made some new ones. I have never been one to sit back and relax at a concert, I like to be right up front. And after a few drinks for some liquid courage I decided that I was not going to sit back on the lawn anymore. So, I grabbed a couple on their way out of the pit and, as nicely as I could, asked them for their wristbands. After pretty much tearing it off the woman's arm, I was the proud holder of a pit wristband and on my down to see the action up close and personal. Apparently my courage rubbed off on my cousin because within ten minutes she was right there with me, which was ultimately the best part considering she is their number one fan. The look on her face was priceless, although at times I thought I might have to hold her back from jumping on stage and making out with Caleb...hee hee. Love ya Jess!

The next was 311 and Pepper, two days after the KOL concert, what a week! Unfortunately I have no photos from this night because my carmera battery died. But it was a kick ass time and Clucker and I managed to get ripped off by her friend for some tickets into the pit. Well worth it though!
Finally, another epic show, Jimmy Cliff with Michael Franti and Spearhead at Deer Valley Resort. Saw this one with my mom, my ultimate concert partner. It was a beautiful evening until the end of the show when the nightly mountain rain shower started...but it only made it that much better...a little cold...but still epic! I know I say this A LOT...but this was definitely one of the best shows I have ever seen! Between the good vibes, the rain, Jimmy Cliff in his gold shoes not missing a single beat, and Michael never disappointing me this was a show to remember! And we were right up front, again, within an arms reach of some legendary musicians...perfect!

When I am not going to conerts or playing kickball or soccer, I am hanging out with my family or making earrings like a mad woman. I have officially planned a party to sell my stuff...details are on my other blog...
www.whiterockdesigns.blogspot.com