Andrew & Taisa

Oh How Time Flies!

2012-01-17T15:21:00.000-08:00

There are days when I think to my self there is no way it has been a year since we got married and there are other times I think it has been way longer than that. Even still it is a new adventure everyday. For our anniversary we decided to take a little "staycation" if you will and partied it up in downtown SLC. We were down that way for the holidays and decided that it would be fun to rent a hotel and hang out for a few days with just the two of us. We rented a room at the Radisson in downtown SLC which was pretty nice despite the surprise renovations we were not informed of upon booking the room. Besides a little dust in the lobby and the pounding of workers that woke us up every morning it was a lot of fun. Andrew was extreamly excited that the hotel had an indoor pool so we made sure to pack our swimsuits. Much to his dismay I am sure, I would not step foot in the pool because it was far too cold for me, but rather spent my time in the nice warm hot tub. The day of our anniversary 12.28.11 we did a little shopping at the gateway went to dinner at the Macaroni Grill and walked around Temple Square. We also went on a carriage ride around the city which is something I have always wanted to do and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I was not bothered one bit by the cold until we got off the ride and had to walk back to our hotel then all the fun was gone and I was able to focus on the reality of how cold it was. Once back to the hotel we broke out the top layer of our cake that my mom had saved for us after our reception. She did an excellent job of wrapping it up and freezing it. Despite all the negative things I have heard about saving your cake top for the one year anniversary it actually tasted pretty good. I'm sure it would have been better had we eaten it right away but I am glad we saved it. Over all it was a great little get away and it was fun to spend time together before the semester started up again.

Us on our wedding day!

One Year Later...almost to the hour.

Walking around Temple Square to see the lights

The carriage ride

The cake- the black frosting bled a little and turned green but other then that I think it still looked and tasted pretty good.

Update Time...

2011-10-28T12:26:00.000-07:00

Well since our last post was about our fish Mango Fizz, I will begin my giving you an up date on the fish in our life. Mango Fizz died two weeks after we got him. We suspected he was sick because he stopped eating and swimming and would just float around. So we replaced him with two other guppy fish, General Finn and Pez. Come to find out our tank was too small for two guppies to be together so they battled and Pez died. So we replaced him with another little orange guppy named Cheez-it. Cheez-it and General Finn battled while we were at church and General Finn died. So we didn't replace General Finn and Cheez-it has survived for a month now and seems to be doing well. Hopefully we can keep him alive for a few more months. In other news... I finally found a job. A new portrait studio is opening up in Logan and I applied had a few interviews and thankfully got the job! I am way excited to start working there and doing what I love and getting Paid for it! Andrew has been busy with school, he has worked hard on projects and there have been many late nights doing homework but he is doing well in his classes. Not much else has happened with us, we're happy and healthy and looking forward to the holidays!

Keeping Busy

2011-09-08T21:49:00.000-07:00

Now that school has started up again our lives have become a little less hectic. It is nice to be able to stay in one place for more than three days at a time. It has been a little weird for me to not go back to school but I have been keeping my self busy. I have enjoyed reading books and I started sewing a quilt, and taking it easy. I am still looking for a job and hopefully one comes along soon. Andrew is enjoying his classes and he comes home with a pile of homework every night. I'm trying to find ways to keep my self entertained while he studies so I don't distract him. We recently added a new edition to our little family! We are not allowed to have big pets in our apartment, and as some of you know I have wanted a Kitten for a very long time. But since that is not allowed we decided to get a fish! We named him Mango Fizz, he is a tropical fish and seems to be very energetic, hopefully we can keep him alive for more than a few days.

Mango Fizz

One Busy Summer

2011-07-07T15:18:00.000-07:00

This summer has got to be the busiest summer I have ever encountered. We started it off by moving into a new apartment. I am so happy to be out of the flood ridden and bug infested basement apartment that we lived in before. We now live in a two bedroom apartment that is right next to campus! It is by far so much better then where we were living before. Besides moving, this summer has been full of driving and living out of suitcases. Andrew works in Kaysville, so he commutes to work about 2 or 3 days a week. The rest of the days we drive down to Kaysville and have been staying with Andrew's Mom. It has been a blessing for her to let us stay there so often, but I must say, there is no place like home. I love coming home to our apartment and being in our own place. It is hard sometimes to feel like a newly married couple when we have no time to our selves. It has also been a blessing for me to be working for the University of Utah, on a project that allows me to work from home most of the time. It has ensured that I can work wherever we are staying at the moment, and I don't have to commute to Salt Lake everyday. Besides driving back and forth from Logan to Kaysville we had the chance to go to Flaming Gorge with Andrew's family for a few days. It was nice to get away and be on the lake. My summers are never complete without a few boating trips and I am happy that we got one in. Hopefully there will be more to come in the next few months. Currently, I am on the search for a full time job in Logan. Having graduated this May, but still living in Logan for the next two years while Andrew finishes School, has not given me much hope for finding a Photography Job. So hopefully something will come along, and I will be able to do my own photography business on the side to make a little extra money. Anyways, We have a few more trips planned for the summer so when those come along I will try to update a little quicker. As for now, I hope you enjoy a few pictures of Flaming Gorge, and my Graduation!

Getting ready to go rafting down the green river! It was fun, and very very cold!

Red Canyon

Hip hip hooray! It's Graduation Day!

Almost done!

2011-04-12T09:43:00.001-07:00

Well it's been a while since I posted so I figured that I would just give a quick update. School has been very very busy and time consuming and while It has been fun, I am super excited to graduate. Which is only 3 weeks and 3 days away! I have so much to do before graduation it is crazy but some how I will get it all done. What I am really nervous for is finding a job that pays well when I actually graduate. It will be an interesting summer with Andrew working down in Kaysville while we still live in Logan but we will make it work. I've already completed one class this semester. So just four more to go and I will be free and off into the real world... I don't know if i am ready for this!

You Will Be Missed!

2011-02-22T10:12:00.000-08:00

It is amazing how things can go from being wonderful, to being the worst they could possibly be in so short amount of time. After a 14 Month battle with multiple myeloma Randy Noorlander left this earth to return to our Father in Heaven on February 14, 2011. Andrew, my self and his siblings found out about two and a half weeks ago that their Dad's cancer had returned with full force and was quickly taking over his body, there was nothing left to do but wait out our remaining time with him at home and pray that he wasn't in too much pain. So we decided to take the time off of school and be with the family. It was hard to watch Randy suffer as the cancer took over his body, it was hard to watch Lori and her kids in pain and in their own way suffer and try to deal with the fact that in a matter of days their beloved husband and father would no longer be with them. As we spent time with the family we had many opportunities to reflect on good memories, and things that they have been taught about their Dad. I took the chance to reflect on some things that Randy had taught me even though I had only known him for a little over a year. First and foremost he taught me about enduring what ever may be handed to you, he taught me patience, optimism, love, gratitude, and serving others. Randy always made me feel welcome when I came to the Noorlander home and I always felt included in their family activities. I always felt that he genuinely cared about how I was doing and what was going on in my life. He made me feel apart of their family before I actually even was one. I will greatly miss Randy, I will miss listening to his stories, tease his children, and miss his warm and giving heart. I am grateful for the short time in which i had to get to know him and even more grateful that he was able to attend our wedding, that is a blessing I will always treasure. I know he is already hard at work on the other side, and hopefully he is teaching my children how to behave. We will always love and miss you Dad. Thanks for everything you have taught us, done for us and the love you have given us.

Time Flies!

2011-01-26T13:57:00.000-08:00

One minute i'm sitting in an apartment full of girls talking about boys and playing games and the next I'm living in a little one bedroom apartment with Andrew, cooking chicken enchiladas while my washing machine floods the kitchen. Sounds crazy right... well that is exactly what these last few months have been... I finished up fall semester and did surprisingly well considering I was going to school full time, planning a wedding, and working. I was happy to see the semester finally be over and walking out of my last critique was a great feeling! It took a little of the stress off my shoulders and I had time to relax... for about a day. Then I moved home, well I shouldn't say moved because I didn't, I went home for christmas break and continued with the wedding plans and trying to move into our new place. After many many busy days with lots to do December 21st finally came. That is the day I recieved my endowment. I received it in the Draper temple and what a wonderful experience it was. Alyssa was my escort because Kathryn also took her endowments out the same day, same session! It was so cool to be there with my older sisters and my mom waiting in the brides room before we headed up to be with the rest of the family. I am so grateful to everyone who came and supported me. I have the best family ever and would be no where with out them. Next we move on to Christmas. Talk about a crazy day... back and forth from Kaysville, visiting this family and that family and trying to spend as much time with everyone as possible. It was a lot of driving but a ton of fun! Next comes the big day! December 28th was a wonderful day! Clear beautiful skies, chilly but over all I couldn't have asked for better weather in December. The sealing was incredible and I was so over whelmed to have all of my family and a few of my closest friends there with us. I couldn't look anywhere but straight at the sealer because every time I did I found someone who was crying which would make me start crying and I really didn't want to do that. The luncheon was wonderful and we had tons of fun and got some great advice from everyone we love. The reception was over before I knew it, although my feet certainly felt the 3 hours of standing there. Now We have been married for over a month and are loving our cute little apartment, despite the floods and the broken dishwasher. But hey life could be worse.

We found an apartment!

2010-11-23T17:11:00.000-08:00

Finally! We found an apartment! It is a cute little one bedroom towards the south end of logan. They are remodeling it so it has brand new kitchen cupboards, tile, and paint! It couldnt be more perfect for our budget and what we need. This is a major blessing! Andrew has also sold his contract which is a huge help, I am still working and praying that mine gets sold. Hopefully it will all work out. School is winding down and finals are getting closer. I can't belive how fast this semester has gone. It is crazy! As for the time being I am at work stuck in a blizzard with no customers what so ever. Why the store is sitll open no body knows but I guess if the boss wants to pay me to sit here that is his decision. Well That is about it I just thought I would share our good news! Pictures will come when we can actually move in, which should be in a few weeks! Yay!

Bridals and Groomal's

2010-10-25T12:52:00.000-07:00

A few engagements...

2010-10-25T12:43:00.001-07:00

Here they are!

For lack of something better to do...

2010-10-19T16:48:00.000-07:00

Techniqually I'm at work and shouldn't be on the computer but, when you are the only one scheduled, and you have only helped two cusotmers in the last two hours, and everything else is caught up it tends to get a little boring in the land of Cold Stone. Thus, I will update the blog. Where to begin... well school is coming along. It hasn't been to stressful and I've been keeping up on my homework leaving me most weekends to play and have fun. I'm really liking my photography classes. Despite the hours I put into my prints and other projects and the amount of complaints I express to various people (mostly Andrew) I am loving photography. While some days it makes me a little crazy and I wonder why in the world I chose to do this to my self, I am extreamly happy with my major and inteded career choice. My painting class on the otehr hand is something I would rather not discuss, so I'm not going to. That goes for my "food, technology, and health" class. Its just a silly depth credit that, to be honest I don't pay much attention in. As for the rest of life, things are going good. Work is work and school is school, enough said. So some positive things in life. The wedding (ps 70 more days)plans are coming along nicely and I'm getting down to the last final decisions and plans. Andrew and I still need to register and pick out a cake, among other things. But on a positive note in the last two weeks we had our engagements and our bridals/groomals taken.(pictures will be posted then I get them)It was interesting being on the other side of the camera for once and I acutally enjoyed it. We will see if that shows on my face in the acutal pictures. Other then going to school, working, planning a wedding and enjoying life there is not much else. I guess something to report is that my intramural volleyball team is playing in the semi-finals tonight and hopefully we make it to the finals tomorrow. Not exactly the most exciting thing but still its a good outlet to the stresses of life. Well I guess thats it for now. Hopefully pictures will be up soon!

Jon and Somelea

2010-09-18T14:18:00.000-07:00

Jon and Somelea recently moved out of state and asked me to take some photos of them at the great salt lake before they moved to have a little reminder of Utah. Well we got there right as the sun was setting and caught some beautiful colors!

The Great Salt Lake

2010-08-26T10:18:00.000-07:00

I'll let this one speak for itself....(its a panoramic and hard to see so click on the image to make it bigger.)

Seth

2010-08-16T13:28:00.000-07:00

My cute nephew Seth. Not his best smiley day but he is still a cutie!

Time for something new, something old, something borrowed, and something blue!

2010-08-04T08:21:00.000-07:00

Or to put it a little more plainly.... I'm engaged! Andrew is such an amazing and wonderful guy and I'm excited to spend the rest of my life and eternity with him. Last saturday, he invited me to go to Logan with him under the impression that we should go job hunting. School is starting soon and I'm going to need a job so I was totally fine with the idea, not to mention that I LOVE Logan and wouldn't mind spending a day there. So Andrew and I headed up to Logan and once we got there ran a few errands and then we wanted to go for a quick hike up Logan Canyon. The Wind Caves hike is where we went on our second date so Andrew thought it would be fun to go back and do it again. We got there and saw quite a few cars. It was after noon by this point and getting hot so Andrew decided that it would be better to go on a shorter hike since it was getting so hot. So we went to a different trail head, one that walks along the Logan river and talked and had a good time. We saw a bench that was shaded by trees and overlooked the river and the surrounding mountains. Andrew had packed some water, Nutty Bars and fruit snacks, which happen to be two of my favorite snacks, we sat on the bench for a while and talked and had a good time. Then Andrew asked if I wanted some fruit snacks (we had already eaten our nutty bars by this point) I said yes to the fruit snacks and so he reached in his bag and pulled out a pack of fruit snacks and handed them to me. Then he reached back in the backpack for what i assumed to be more fruit snacks and instead pulled out a ring box... I started to have a minor freak out and asked "Andrew, what are you doing!? What is in your hand!? He just laughed at me and looked me in the eyes and told me how much he loved me and that he wanted to spend eternity with me, then he got down on one knee opened the box and asked if I would marry him. I started crying and said yes, he sat there with the ring box open for a few seconds before I said "are you going to put it on or what?" So he put it on and I calmed my self down and we took a few pictures then we headed back down the trail to the car to go share the good news with everyone. The proposal came as a surprise because I did not know that he had talked to my mom, or that he had picked up the ring. My ring is gorgeous and I absolutely love it! I'm nervously excited to start the next phase of my life. But at least I wont be doing it alone!

The happy couple

My beautiful ring!

Sunset...

2010-08-03T10:00:00.000-07:00

Last night I was out at gardner village taking pictures of my adorable nephew Seth. (pics coming soon!) and on the way home the clouds looked amazing! I was happy because for once i had my camera with me so I pulled over and took a few pics of the amazing clouds. I love Utah sunsets when the clouds rest right over the mountains...such a pretty sight. Anyways, thats all for now!

Baby Hayden

2010-07-28T08:35:00.000-07:00

One of my best friends sisters had a cute little baby boy a few weeks ago and asked me to take pictures of him. He is the cutest thing ever, and was so good during the shoot. We made a make shift studio in the house and just kind of made up ideas as we went along. This shoot was my first ever newborn shoot, I was kind of nervous but got the hang of things as time went on. I have now decided that natural window light is the best light ever. But that wont stop me from owning a sweet set of strobe lights one day. Enjoy the pics!

Bridals and Groomals!

2010-07-02T11:56:00.001-07:00

Just a few of my favorite photos of Mike and Brenda... I'm looking forward to the wedding day... what a great couple!

Living Planet Aquarium

2010-06-22T09:12:00.000-07:00

At the beginning of this month I started an internship at The Living Planet Aquarium in Sandy. So far it has been pretty slow in regards to getting everything we need ordered in and set up so we can start the green screen photo booth, but in the mean time I have been in charge of taking pictures of all the Animals at the Aquarium which has been pretty fun. So far my favorite animals to take pics of are the Jelly fish and the Blue Poison dart frogs. I've also been behind the scenes watching them feed the Octopus,standing over the shark tank, and playing with the Sting Rays. Hopefully by the end of the month I will be able to go into the penguin tank! Its been fun so far and I'm learning a lot. The cockroaches, spiders, and snakes still creep me out a little bit but that didn't stop me from holding the Green Anaconda, Peaches, she is 10' 7" long and weighs over 57 pound of pure muscle. It was pretty gross I'm not going to lie but it was a neat experience. Honestly, who can say that they have held an Anaconda!

Me holding the anaconda! she is so long at least three people have to hold her at once.

One of the Gentoo Penguins, They are the fastest species of penguins, the third largest species, can hold their breath for 7 minutes, and dive up to 700 hundred feet!

The Jelly Fish! They are so Awesome! I could take pictures of them all day!

Mike and Brenda's Engagements!

2010-06-22T08:48:00.000-07:00

Mike and Brenda are are two of the greatest people I know! I am so lucky to have them as friends. They are the cutest couple in the world and in my opinion quite perfect for each other. I'm going to go a head and say "way to go Taisa and Deborah for setting these two amazing people up!" Enjoy the pics!

I love to see the Temple!!

2010-05-30T20:29:00.000-07:00

So this past month i've been super busy taking Bridals, wedding, and family photos for some friends (images to come) But this post is mainly about a great idea that Andrew and I had. We decided to go "Temple Hopping" if you will, and walk around the grounds and take pictures of the Temples. We have only hit three of the Utah Temples so far, but one day I would like to have a collection of as many Temples as possible. Below are some of my favorite images that I have taken. I think they turned out awesome!

This is obviously the Salt Lake Temple. I wanted to try antiquing it a bit so I messed around in photoshop and I think the end result turned out really cool!

This is the Draper Temple and I actually LOVE how this picture turned out. This is a straight photograph, and for those of you who may not know what that means, it means that this image came directly from my camera to my computer, no post-production or alterations were made. It turned out awesome! It was actually a funny sight to see me taking this picture because I neglected to take my tripod so I was balancing my camera on a light with Andrew's ipod, phone, a piece of paper, my point and shoot camera and my lens cap under the lens to stabilize it and to get it to the right height. But who needs a tripod when you can mcgyver something like that!

This is the Jordan River Temple. Again, another straight photograph, only this time I was smart enough to bring my tripod. I also loved how this one turned out! Not to shabby in my opinion. I would love to be able to just travel the world taking photographs of all the Temples! Maybe one day when I become a rich and famous photographer I will be able to, but for now the Utah temples will have to suffice.

Andrea and Russell Engagements

2010-03-31T10:33:00.001-07:00

A few of the engagements that I took for my friends Andrea and Russell! Some of them turned out pretty good. Again, a few of my favorites.

Fall 2009 Photo Final

2010-03-31T10:25:00.000-07:00

It has taken me forever to get these pictures up here but here is a few of my favorites from my photo final.

A Look Back Through 2009

2010-01-04T10:33:00.000-08:00

So lately I've been pretty bad at blogging. My life really isn't that interesting, but I make the most of it. 2009 was a great year, It flew by. I blinked and it was over. I'm grateful for the new friends that I made, Friends that I grew closer to, lessons I was able to learn and experiences that taught me so much. 2009 was one crazy year!Here are a few pictures to highlight 2009.

First time snowboarding!

My 21st Birthday!!

I finished up another two semesters at Utah State... only 3 more to go!

I went to Scotland for Study Abroad!

Was asked to serve in the USU 5th Stake, 47th Ward, 1st Relief Society Presidency! I love these girls!

Realized that best friends are the greatest things on EARTH!

Went to my first haunted corn maze! So much fun!

Went the The Secondhand Serenade Concert!

Went to dinner to celebrate birthdays!

Built Gingerbread houses!

New baby nephew, Ezek Richard Thompson... aka Baby Zeek

I also had one of the best Christmas's and New Years of all time, but have failed to put the pictures on my computer yet. Thanks to everyone who made it a great year! I love you all! Lets hope 2010 will be just as great!

Stress Week!!!

2009-11-10T11:46:00.000-08:00

I decided that they need to change the name of finals week to stress week... although for me it is more like stress month! Somedays I hate being an art major... you start working on your final project the beginning of November and that month flies by and before you know it finals week is here and you have to turn it in! I still have 4 other classes! AH! Ok rant over... other then that things are going good. I have been having a great time with my friends going to corn mazes, costume bowling and making homemade carmel apples! I love the creative things we come up with! Next on the list... Brenda's 21st birthday! Its going to be a blast! We are going to the Secondhand Serenade concert and I am so excited! I am looking forward to Christmas break.. it will be nice to kick back and relax for a few weeks before school starts up again...

Nothin Better!

2009-10-05T14:11:00.000-07:00

On most days I find my self running around like a chicken with its head cut off. School is keeping me immensely busy and I struggle to find the time in balancing my school, work, and social life. But then again, what college student doesn't. In addition to work, and school I was also called to be the Relief Society secretary for the University 47th Ward. At first I was worried, not knowing what to expect or what to do, feeling like I was completely inadequate and in no way worthy enough to serve in the presidency. For the first week after I got my call I stressed, worried and about every other emotion that can happen. I was worried that I would not be able to handle the school and work load that I already had in addition to a such a wonderful calling. Now I find my self looking back on this past month and realize that I would be completely lost with out this calling. I am working with the most wonderful presidency in the entire world. I find my self amazed at the opportunity I have to work so closely with such an amazing group of girls, I have learned so much from them and feel truly blessed to have gained such amazing friends and sisters. God really does know us and knows what we need in life to survive. As each day passes more homework piles up and other obligations come up but I find my self completely content with where my life is. Despite all the struggles of everyday life and the worries of a college student I am happy, and there is nothin better than that.

Scotland Exhibit

2009-09-05T17:10:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I was able to be featured in an Art Exhibit put on by Utah State University. As you know I was able to go to Scotland during the summer as a participant in the Scotland Photography Study Abroad Program. Upon returning we were informed that we were going to be one of the Exhibits in the Tippetts Gallery. So I had eight of my Photographs in the exhibit titled "From the Lowlands to the Highlands, Views of Scotland" It was a pretty neat thing to see my prints up on the walls of a Gallery. One of my prints was also featured in the newspaper along with a quote and a blurb about me. It was pretty cool. I had family support as well as friends join me at the show. A shout out to Mom, Lys, Katie, Raegan, Jordan, Dad and Judy for driving up to Logan to see the show! I really appreciate you guys being there! It made my day! Also a special thanks to Deborah and Jordan for being the best friends and roommates ever and also supporting me in the show! it is pretty neat to say that I have been featured in an exhibit. I look forward to hopefully being in a few more before my graduation from USU!

Scotland!

2009-07-10T12:39:00.000-07:00

Well seeing how I have been in Scotland for two weeks I suppose I should up date this here blog! So far I have had an amazing time! We jam pack so much into one day that it sort of feels like I have been here forever but in a good way. I am glad that I have been able to see as much of Scotland as I have! It has been an excellent and I still have two more weeks to go! So far I have tried a ton of Scottish candy and it is super good, but I must say that I miss my peanut M&M's! We have gone on a few hike up to random Loch's and river's and gone to some pretty cool Cathedrals and churches. It has been a cultural experience as well as a huge history lesson. There is so much to learn here! There is also so much to eat! Our Chef here at the castle that I get to live in while I am here is simply amazing! The food has been delicious and dessert is to die for every night! I have even tried Haggas which is the Scottish novelty I guess you could call it... Well I don't really know what else to say there is just to much to sum up to fit on this page! Enjoy the very few pictures I have posted, I have to shoot my pics in RAW format which makes them very very big so here are a few JPGS that should fit!

I don't want to think of a title...

2009-05-29T09:10:00.000-07:00

So it has been a while since I have updated my blog, not much has happened but an update is still good. I finished my third year of college, this past semester went by so fast it felt like all I had to do was blink and it was over. I did really well in all my classes, and even survived my photo II class, I know, photo II, doesn't sound like it would be a hard class but from what other photo majors have told me that are farther along than me, it is the hardest photo class in the program, I learned so much, spent hours upon hours upon hours in the black room developing film and hours and hours in the dark room printing all my prints. It was the best feeling walking out of that final critique! I also finished up my drawing classes, I am not a big drawer but I actually liked drawing II, we mostly concentrated on drawing portraits and it was a good experience to broaden my art horizon. Sing Language proved to be the easy "A" that I expected from it, I thought I knew sign language pretty well but taking it again proved that I still had a ton to learn. 2D design was probably my least favorite class of the semester but I made some good friends from that class, we had a blast working on our projects together and turning what would probably be the most boring 3 hour class into a barrel of laughs every day! During this past semester I was officially accepted into the BFA Photography program, they only accept about 10 students a year and over 35 applied, I was way stoked to get in, it is such a relief! I should only have about one and a half to two years left of school depending on how things go. Moving out of the apt. was an experience in it self. I don't understand how your stuff can multiply so much in just a few months! It was sad leaving my roommates but we are all living together again next year so it wasn't as sad as I thought it would be. My Summer is turning out to be pretty much like last summer, working 56 hours a week at 2 different jobs and stuffing in as much play time as I can in between. One major thing that I am doing this summer is quite different than last summer, I am going to be spending a month of my summer in Scotland! I am going over for a Study Abroad Program through Utah State and I am super excited to go! It will be such an amazing experience! I will be updating my blog a lot more while I am over there to keep in touch with everyone and mainly to let my family know that I am alive so there is something to look forward to. Well that is pretty much my life in a nut shell at the moment. But in 27 days it will be much more exciting.

My 21st Birthday!

2009-03-23T14:32:00.000-07:00

Well the time has finally come! That time being that I am finally a legal adult... as Alli so lovingly told me on my Birthday, " hey Taisa you are 21 now, you can go to a federal prison!" :) The day started out by me pretending to be asleep while I listened to Deb run around frantically trying to decorate the Apt. Every time she or Jordan would walk by my bedroom door I would close my eyes and pretend to be dead asleep. I have proven to be a pretty good actress because neither of them had any idea that I was awake! Eventually I made it known that I was awake and Jordan wished me Happy Birthday on her way out the door to class. Deb also went to class while I stayed in bed and played on Debs laptop. To my surprise Deb came home early from class and made me breakfast! It was so delicious! After breakfast I started to get ready and Alli surprised me by showing up to spend the day with me! I have amazing friends! Once I was ready Deb and I took Alli around Campus and went to the store. After that we came home and had lunch and played an exciting game of clue! Alli become the master detective and won the game! While we waited for everyone else to get out of class so Deborah could put her secret birthday party bash into action we watched a movie. Once everyone showed up they took me to dinner at Firehouse Pizza, A local place here in Logan. It was delicious and we had a ton of fun! It was so fun to have everyone there! Kim even came back up for the night to join in the festivities. After dinner they took me bowling! If you know me at all I LOVE bowling and we had a terrific time! Alli had what was probably the best game of her life and beat Me, Deb, Jordan, Kim and Brenda! After bowling we went back to the apt. and had cake and dipped strawberries, kiwi, banana's, and marshmallows in chocolate! It was so good! Deb also made virgin Pina Colada's! They were also way good! After that I opened my presents! I got a ipod speaker system from Deb, along with the 1st season box set of Gilmore Girls! I got an Aggie T-shirt and a two pairs of long socks from Jordan, from Alli I got P.S I love you, a target gift card, some scrapbook stickers, and a card that plays "girls just wanna have fun!" After that we just hung out and talked! It was a fantastic 21st Birthday and I can't Imagine it being any better! Thanks guys for everything you did for me! You are AMAZING!!

Ouch, Ouch, Ouch!!!!!

2009-01-12T18:57:00.000-08:00

On Saturday our student ward went on a grand adventure to Beaver Mountain! The bishopric had reserved the entire mountain just for our ward to go night boarding/skiing, I have only been Skiing once in my life and did not enjoy it very much so, I decided to give snowboarding a try. I figured, it has to be like wakeboarding right? I can wakeboard so I should be pretty decent on a snowboard! WRONG!! My butt saw more of the snow than my board did. At least the first few times down the mountain. One if the girls in my ward was teaching my roommate Jordan and I and at first we were doing pretty bad. But after a while we got the hang of it.We both finally made it down the mountain without falling and I have to say I was pretty proud of my self. After a while the hardest part for me was getting off the lift. I would get off and be standing and the next thing I knew I was on my butt trying to get out of the way so that the chair wouldn't smack me in the head. I don't know why but for some reason I couldn't stay standing once I got off the lift. As the night progressed I was doing better and better,and Jordan was doing pretty well herself. My last two runs down the mountain proved to be the most difficult in the fact that my legs and arms were so tired from trying to push my self up that when and if I fell I had to wait a few minutes and let my body have a break before I could progress down the mountain. It was then that I decided that I liked wakeboarding better, the boat does all the hard work in pulling you up, all you have to do is make sure you stay upright, it also doesn't hurt as bad when you biff. I would much rather fall in the lake and suffer the occasional wedgie then fall down a mountain of hard snow. Deb proved to be a pretty good skier and I was impressed with her skills, she had only been once before about two years ago but she still seemed to handle it pretty well. Except for when she was standing on flat ground... or when she suddenly started going backwards down what was probably the smallest hill on the entire mountain. So despite the fact that I woke up the next morning with a very sore butt, shoulders, arms, back, and legs the adventure was worth it and I would gladly go again!

Christmas Break Anyone!?

2008-12-10T17:27:00.000-08:00

Wow! Could this semester have gone by any quicker? It seems like just yesterday that classes were just barley starting and I was worried about finding the right buildings on campus. Now that that I have one final test to go, one final walk up the hill, and have mastered my way around campus I can say that I am officially excited for Christmas break! It has been a hard week of studying and tomorrow by 1pm I will be a free bird! Christmas Break here I come!

Logan Canyon

2008-11-07T16:51:00.000-08:00

A few weeks ago Deb, Jordan, and I took a trip up Logan Canyon so I could take some Photograph's. Its been a while since my last photo adventure, it was super chilly but way fun. Here are a few pic's from the adventure.

Vixen!

2008-11-07T11:42:00.000-08:00

Halloween was a blast! The roommates and I had a blast carving pumpkins and getting ready for Halloween night. We decided to be Vixen for Halloween. They are an all girls 80's rock band and since there are four of them and there are four of us. Not to mention that our favorite thing to do all together is play rock band it just seemed to fit. Kim had a blast doing our hair and ratting and hair spraying is so it would stay. If I do say so my self my hair looked amazing! I loved it! But man did it feel high! We got all ready and played a few rock band songs to get us in character and then we headed to the Howl. It was not a fun as I thought it would be, we danced a little but there were so many people and it was just way to crowded so we left. We went back to our apartment played around and watched The Ghost and Mr. Chicken. Over all it was a pretty fun night. I think our look would give the real band Vixen a run for their money! Its probably a good thing that we don't have much musical talent in our apartment.

Go Aggies!!

2008-09-19T15:25:00.000-07:00

Well the first four weeks of school have come and gone. In the mean time my new roommates and I have had a blast! I was nervous about living with people I didn't know but my new roomies, Jordan and Kim are simply awesome! We hit it off from the beginning and have become really good friends. We all love to laugh so there is always laughter coming from our apartment. Jordan loves to try her hardest to get me out of the habit of going to bed early (and by early I mean 10:30) and I must say it is working. It is just a good thing that I don't have class early in the morning so that I can still sleep in once in a while. Last weekend Deb,Jordan, and I went to the first home football game of the season. Utah State vs. Utah. Yes we lost, horribly but it was still fun to go and watch Deb freak out every time the Aggies fumbled the ball. We left a little before the fourth quarter started because I had to get to work. Which was fine, not really a sacrifice at all. So even though the Aggies lost it was still fun to put on our game day shirts and join the crowd. Even if your team sucks you can never have too much team spirit! We took a few pictures of us at the game. Kim didn't come cause she decided to go on a date that night so she missed out on the Kodak moments.... But I am sure there will be plenty more to come.

Its been a while...

2008-08-20T08:02:00.000-07:00

Well Since it has been almost a month since I last updated I will try my best to catch up. At the beginning of the month my family went to lake Powell for a week. Which was a total blast! There is nothing in the world like lake Powell! Not much happened after that up until yesterday! I moved up to my apartment in Logan! Not knowing what to expect when I walked into apartment number 61 was half the fun. Our apartment is not very big and I am sharing it with 3 other girls. Two of which I don't know yet. Hopefully they will be fun roommates and we will all get along. I can take about seven steps from our front door to my bedroom which is at the back of the apartment just to give you an idea of how small it is. Granted I have long legs so my steps are pretty big. Our Kitchen is bigger then I thought it would be and it is pretty nice. It came equipped with everything but a microwave. So I guess I need to hunt one of those down. We only have one bathroom to share between 4 girls Luckily there is two sinks and the shower and toilet are separate from the sinks and the mirror or it would be difficult to get ready everyday. Our living room is really quite small. There wont be much room for company. But all in all I am excited to start school... kind of.... :D It will be an adventure that is for certain.

Family Fun!!

2008-07-25T07:44:00.000-07:00

There is nothing like a family BBQ to celebrate a holiday. The family got together at my brothers house and the kids and I had a blast playing with Lys's bunny Oreo and swimming in the watering trough. We ate lots of food and I had fun goofing off with my nieces and nephews. The kids loved the fireworks and running around the yard with the sparklers, and apparently so did me and my sisters... It as good to get a break from work and have a chance to goof off and be a kid again.

Donut Falls

2008-07-15T08:55:00.001-07:00

The Adventures of Donut Falls

2008-07-15T08:17:00.000-07:00

This past weekend, Alli, Deborah and I hiked up to Donut Falls in Big Cottonwood Canyon. I went crazy with my new camera and took tons of pictures but I only selected my favorites to put in the slide show. The trail to Donut falls is quite an easy hike but once you get to the falls you can choose to hike in the water, scaling rocks as you go to get to the very top of the Falls. I chose to not do this but rather to set up my camera and tri-pod and take pictures, Deb however jumped into adventure mode and was climbing up the side of the mountain and saw a girl slip and fall that was climbing up the Falls.(for full account of the story check out Deborah's blog.) Lost in my camera I did not see this happen but once I was made aware of what was going on we tried to think of ways to help her. so Deb hiked to where the girl was and was signing to me what needed to be done. I am grateful that the American Sign Language skills that Deb and I have actually came into use. Since the water was very loud we were able to communicate with out much problem, other then it was hard for me to see Deb but once I put my zoom lens on my camera It was just like signing to her from across the room. Luckily we had Alli with us who is a CNA and an RN showed up as well and we were able to get a hold of the paramedics and get the girl some help. We didn't stay to see if they got her down cause it was getting pretty cold and once they did get her down we would only be in the way. We don't know how things turned out but I am positive it ended as happily as that situation could have.

Happy Birthday Grandpa!!

2008-07-11T07:19:00.000-07:00

As you may know, my Grandpa passed away two months ago. Well today is his 84Th birthday and even though he is not here to share it with the ones he loves I bet it is one of the best birthdays he has ever had. Thanks grandpa for all you taught me, all the support you have given me and for the countless peanut M&M's you have shared. I will always love and miss you. HAPPY BIRTHDAY GRANDPA!!

Parades, Rodeo's, Fireworks and More!

2008-07-07T07:22:00.000-07:00

I love the Fourth of July! Better yet I love not having to work on the fourth of July, despite the fact that it was a holiday I woke up early and with the lack of anything better to do I watched a movie until it was time to go to the Parade. It wasn't too hot, thanks to the cloud cover and the slight breeze that made the parade bearable. After the Parade mom and I went shopping. Later that night I went to the West Jordan Memorial Park where a "celebration" as they call it was going on. I was disappointed in the number of activities that the park had provided and the number of booths that had shown up to the fair. Later Deb, Alli and I went to the Rodeo, which has been a tradition of ours for a few years now. It was so much fun, even though it was hot, and there was no leg room to speak of for someone of my height it was still lots of fun. After the rodeo we watched the firework show that the park puts on ever year. Thanks to all the Military men and women past, present, and future, who enable us to enjoy the freedoms that we do and to celebrate such a wonderful holiday!

Arches!

2008-07-02T08:39:00.001-07:00

Arches National Park!

2008-06-26T08:20:00.000-07:00

Last week Deborah and I decided to take some days off work and head to the Red Rock of Utah. We left very early Thursday morning, stopped in Price, the town of my birth and childhood and then continued on our way. We got there at about 11:00am and set up camp and then took off for the first hike of the day. We hiked first to Landscape Arch, It wasn't a bad hike a little steep in places but for the most part it was pretty easy, despite the desert and never ending red rock you would be amazed to see how green it still was there. I was grateful for the the shade that we found along the trail under the random trees that decided to split the rock and grow. The hike was really pretty. That day we also hiked to Navajo Arch which was really cool. and the shade we found under that Arch gave us some reprieve from the heat as well. My best advice to anyone who goes to Arches especially in the summer is, take lots of water. We had plenty of water but it still never felt like enough. After Navajo Arch we had some Lunch and then headed into Moab to do a little souvenir shopping and buy another ice block for the cooler, and some coals to cook our dinner that night. To our demise we bought the wrong kind of coals. We wanted the kind that just light when you put the match on them but we we got normal coals instead. We did not realize this until we were back at camp and trying to start them to cook our tin foil dinners. Luckily we had some wood from the previous campers so we took the hammer (because of coarse we did not have a hatchet) and started splintering the wood for kindling with the back side of the hammer. Deb worked on this for a bit while I got some news paper stuck in between the coals and then I took over with the hammer. After a few pieces of wood had come off I slammed the hammer into the wood and then dropped the wood so the hammer would wedge down in it and then break off. well the wood broke off easier then I thought and as a result the hammer rammed right into my knee and gave me a pretty deep cut, not to mention some pain because it hit square on top of my knee cap. Soon the blood started trickling and Deb took the hammer from me and got the first aid kit and I cleaned it out and bandaged up the wound. Needless to say despite the injury we eventually got enough wood chips and pieces to get the coals going and our tin foil dinners turned out wonderful. who cares if we at at 9:30 at night it was still good. :D After dinner clean up I got out my camera and tri-pod and started taking some pics of the stars. Some of them turned out really good and I had fun experimenting with my shutter speed and aperture. The next morning we woke up early and went to hike the famous Delicate Arch (the one on the license plate) It was a nice cool morning and it didn't get too hot on the way up. we reached the Arch at about 8:30 and stayed up there for roughly a half hour, taking pictures and resting from the hike which was a mile and a half up hill. The hike down was much easier and quicker then the hike up and good thing too cause it was starting to get warm. On the way to to the car I saw some tadpoles swimming in some stagnant water and then Deb spotted two frogs. So I whipped out my camera and took a few pictures. We saw on of them swim away and it was so funny to see his legs stretch out behind him. Who knew such a small a frog could have such long legs! After Delicate Arch we headed up to the Window Arches and Double Arch. The heat was starting to set in and there was no shade to be found except for under Double Arch, so we packed our lunch in our backpacks and hiked up to double arch, which really is like a ten minute walk. So we sat under the arch and ate lunch and I took more pictures and then we went back to the car. By now the heat had really settled in and it was HOT!! Deb and I were too tired and too hot to want to hike anymore so we went back to camp and sat in what little shade we had there trying to ignore it by reading our books and attempting to play cards. Finally we had had enough so we drove back into town and went to City Market, I don't think I have ever been so grateful for AC in my life! We walked around the store for a bit and had a cookie sample and then decided that we should get back to camp so we could start dinner. So we bought yet another ice block for the cooler and headed back to camp. We roasted hot dogs and had baked beans, macaroni salad and potato salad. Thanks to our neighbors who had left early that morning and left a pile of wood behind which we "borrowed" we were able to get a fire going pretty quickly and there was still plenty of day light to eat by. :) After dinner we went down to the Delicate Arch view point so I could get some sunset pictures, to my disappointment the sunset was not very pretty and so I didn't get many pictures that I really liked. Once we got back to camp we started another fire and roasted marshmallows and made s'mores. I attempted to take more night time pics but they didn't turn out as good as the first night. The next morning we woke up early and did a sunrise hike to Skyline Arch, it was very very pretty and very peaceful seeing how we were the only ones on the trail that early in the morning. After that hike which wasn't long at all we decided to go back to camp and go back to bed. so after another two hours of sleep we got up ate breakfast and packed up camp. On our way out of the park we did the very last hike before you exit the park which is called Park Avenue. It was pretty cool cause you hiked down into a little valley and you had rock walls on both sides of you that looked like buildings. I took tons more pictures and had a great time, we planned on staying for most of the day on Saturday but the heat was so intense that we decided to go home early. So we went to the visitors center, washed off our feet in the water spigots and headed out. We stopped in price to get some gas and ate lunch on a bridge that spans the canal that I grew up by. It was a fantastic trip and quite the adventure. I think the over 500 pictures that were taken are proof enough. :D

Just Call Me Four Eyes!

2008-06-23T13:35:00.000-07:00

So for the past 7-8 months I have been having chronic headaches, which obviously isn't a good thing. So I finally went to the eye doctor and was told that I am farsighted and need glasses to read and work on the computer, or basically anything close up. I just got my glasses today and I feel like a total nerd. I am not used to them and they are driving me a little bit insane but i suppose if they help with the headaches then they will be useful. Everything looks so weird through them. Kind of like every thing around me has grown a few inches. its is quite random and when i look through them at things far away everything is blurry, because they aren't meant for things that are far away. So in order to look at things far away with out getting sick to my stomach i have to take them off or slide them down my nose like an old lady. I am not going to say that i like them cause at the moment i don't. I guess they will just take some getting used too.

Concerts, Concerts, Concerts

2008-06-18T07:20:00.000-07:00

Last Wednesday I attended my very first concert. I went to Secondhand Serenade, which is one of my favorite alternative rock bands. It was so much fun. It was an out door concert so my friends and I sat on the grass while the other two opening artists played, then once Secondhand Serenade came out we stood up because everyone else stood up and we could no longer see. It was a little cold, that night even though it was June but as we all know the weather this summer hasn't really been summer worthy. Later in the week on Saturday I attended my second concert. This was a local guy that is becoming more well known,he goes by the name of Allred. He is really good and has some really great songs, He was also one of the opening artists at the Secondhand Serenade Concert. The Allred concert was also outside at a place called W-Talent up in sandy, and even though it was warm during the day on Saturday once night fell and the sun had been down for about an hour I started to get cold and by the end of the concert which was about 11:30 I was frozen. So even though I froze at both concerts I still had tons of fun. Now I can no longer say that I haven't been to a concert, and people can stop acting like it is a total atrocity.

Weekend Events

2008-06-09T07:28:00.000-07:00

As usual when you are looking forward to a Friday night, Friday day seems to go by a lot slower then any other day. But once the Friday work day was over and I got home, Deborah and I did a little yoga, got dresses up and headed out on the town with Alli. We went to dinner at the Olive Garden, which was extremely good! It may be an expensive place to eat, but it sure was good. After dinner we were planning on going bowling, but we were so full that the thought of exerting any amount of energy was making us sick. So instead of bowling we went shopping. While shopping does take some energy it is a lot more low key then throwing an 11lb ball down a lane. After we got done shopping we headed back to my house and watched The Princess Bride, I haven't seen that movie in a long time and I have forgotten how funny it is. Saturday I went to work bright and early, made a bunch of cakes then headed up to Kaysville with my sister to go spend some time with our other sister and our step mom. We went shopping yet again and I got a pair of 2 dollar sunglasses! It was way sweet! Friday night I tended my niece and nephew for a little bit and later that night a big group of people went to the drive in movies. It was a blast, we saw Kung Fu Panda and Prince Caspian. It wasn't the most warmest of nights but it was still a blast. Sunday again was pretty normal except that I took my mom to the airport for a business trip she is going on. So after a relaxing and some what exciting weekend, I am back at work and wishing it was Friday already!

Nothing Much

2008-06-02T07:22:00.000-07:00

Well since my weekend was not so unusual I will just give some highlights. Friday night I went to a wedding reception and did a little shopping. Saturday I rode my bike to and from work which round trip is about 10 miles. I have decided to do this on Saturdays because of gas prices and my lack of exercise in the past few weeks. I also went to Chronicles of Narnia - Prince Caspian, which by the way is a really good movie! Sunday was pretty normal I went to church, came home popped in a movie and started scrapbooking. Which I did for the rest of the day besides the two hours that I took a break to eat dinner and play with my niece and nephews who came over to visit. Then I picked up my room and went to bed early. So all in all not a very exciting weekend but much much better then being stuck at work.

Memorial Day

2008-05-27T14:37:00.000-07:00

I was looking forward to my day off of work and getting geared up to sleep in and lay around my house doing nothing all day... But as it happens plans changed and for some reason I decided to get up at 7:00am, which is early for a day off and go horse back riding through Dimple Dale Canyon in the rain, yes in the rain, with my sister her husband and my best friend. Despite the rain and the fact that my hands were so frozen by the time we got back to the house and off the horses that i couldn't even bend my fingers let alone feel them, I had a fantastic time. I haven't been riding in a very long time due to school, work, volleyball, and the demands of everyday life. Riding again reminded me of all the many times my dad took me riding during the summer when I was much younger. I took my camera with me and snapped a few random shots. After horse back riding, thawing out my fingers and warming up again I helped my mom with the party preparation for my sisters and nephews birthday party. So later that day my family gathered and as usual with all my niece's and nephew's running around and my brothers debating on who is going to build the best cardboard boat and who will win the race that they are planning later this summer the house got quite loud and rambunctious. after the party and clean up was done I settled in front of my scrapbook stuff turned on a movie and spent the next two hours scrapbooking and watching Spanglish. I went to bed early and fell asleep right away. so all in all I had a great day off, and of coarse dreaded going to work at both my jobs the next day.

Ballooning!

2008-05-23T11:21:00.001-07:00

Last Saturday, Deborah, Alli and I woke up early and took a trip up to park city to see some hot air balloons. It was so much fun! A little chilly but I had fun snapping random pictures. :)

The Bountiful Temple

2008-05-23T10:03:00.000-07:00

On Tuesday, I had the privilege of taking pictures of the Bountiful Temple for Deborah so she could make a picture collage for her sister who is getting her endowments out on Saturday! (YEAH!!!) I LOVE taking pictures of temples so I thought I would share some...

Summer Events

2008-05-22T08:43:00.000-07:00

Already this summer many things have happend. I graduated from Salt Lake Community College with an associates in General Studies. I have spent the last two years playing volleyball for the SLCC Womens Volleyball team where we were ranked #1 in the Nation and went to the National Tournament, We came home ranked #3 in the nation which was a dissapointment to all of us but quite an achievement for the SLCC team. I started working a full time job and a part time job to pay for tution and housing up at Utah State. I work roughly 55 hours a week which has been tough but it will be worth it in the end. On May 10, 2008 my Grandpa Peterson passed away unexpectedly, it has been a hard last couple of weeks and many tears have been shed by my self and many of my family members. My Grandpa was a great man and taught me much about life. I am grateful that I was able to know him and learn many many things from him. I will forever miss him. Besides working I am planning a few trips over the summer. One to Arches with my two best friends where I plan to take more pictures then ever before, and the other to Lake Powell with my family including cousins, aunts, uncles and hopefully my grandma. I am looking forward to warmer weather and can't wait to take a vacation!