Friday, October 03, 2008
Things I am grateful for...
1. My Mom - because when I call every five minutes she says, "Amy! It has been so long!" instead of "What is it now?" I love the way she makes time to talk to me, and the great advice she gives. She is the reason I am the person that I am today, and I could never thank her enough for it. I love you, Mom!
2. My Dad - because when my stories get a little wild he holds his arm up and says, "It is getting deep in here, and I want to save my watch!" and when I am having a pity party he rubs his fingers together and says "You see this? It is my little violin." I love that my dad can cheer me up no matter what. He encourages me to be all that I can. Most of all, he believes in me, and he helps me believe in myself. I love you, Dad!
3. My Siblings - because we know how to have fun! I remember family football games on thanksgiving, Dodger dogs at the game, roller blading, slurpees, Settlers of Catan, Balderdash, movies, and just plain hanging out. i know that my siblings will be there when I need them. They love me, and I love them! I feel blessed to have four amazing siblings that I get along with so well.
4. My Friends - lets face it, up at school these people have a HUGE impact on my life. Luckily, I have picked some real winners! I can't tell you how many amazing things I have learned from my friends, but lets start the list at service, love, spiritual maturity, and responsibility. My friends make me want to be a better person, and I am grateful for the times they share with me. I really believe that "Friends are the family you choose," and I wouldn't choose any differently. I love you guys!
5. My bike - Ok, it kinda surprises me that this one isn't higher on the list. ;) I really, truly, deeply love my bike. I know when life gets stressful and I need a moment to figure things out I can hop on for a ride and feel better in just minutes. Without my bike, I would be lost! I don't know what I am gonna do when it snows...
6. My body - yeah, it is true, I love my body! Kind of a weird thing to say, I know, but God gave me an amazing body that dances, runs, bikes, skates, swims, laughs, and plays whenever possible, and I am grateful for it! I love to use my body! It makes me feel so good to get out and move. Who cares about looking like a "model"?! Just have fun! Get outside and move, and you will never regret what you've got!
7. My major - sometimes I complain that the accounting program is taking over my life. While that is true, is it such a bad thing? I have friends who know exactly what I am going through and are there to support me. The accounting program pays for my social activities on the weekends, feeds me, gets me free backpacks and shirts, and basically takes care of my every need - not to mention it is ranked #2 in the United States! I am lucky to be part of such an amazing program, and I am trying hard not to forget that!
8. My job - I genuinely love my job, and am very, very sad that I have to quit! My job has been a major blessing in my life, financially and emotionally. There is a support system at work that I have never experienced anywhere else, I care about everybody, and they all care about me! From the supervisors to the new hires, thank you so much for being a part of my life. You all really mean a lot to me!
9. My ward - I don't know many people in my ward yet, but everyone I have met is so friendly and kind. I tis nice to know that I have a spiritual safety net in the members of my ward, especially with the relief society sisters and my FHE group. I feel uplifted when I am around them. It is strange, but even though I don't know everybody, I love them all.
10. Scriptures - I have learned more from the scriptures this semester than I have my entire life! It is truly amazing how God can speak to me so strongly through the scriptures. I discovered so many answers to my personal struggles. It comforts me to know that God is looking out for me and knows everything that I am going through.
11. Prayer - there is a plaque in the Law School Library that simply says, "Prayer changes things." It is true. Prayer does change things. I have seen prayer work miracles in people's lives, including my own. God listens to and answers prayers. He loves us and wants us to be happy. That doesn't mean her will take away our trials, but it does mean he won't leave us alone during them. I am grateful for the power of prayer in my life.
12. The priesthood - guess what? God's priesthood is on the earth, and men are working miracles in the Lord's name every day! I am blessed to have a father, brother, and two brother-in-laws who are worthy priesthood holders, and they are all great examples to me. I know that priesthood blessings come from God, and I am grateful for it. Priesthood blessings, from people I am close with or near strangers, have given me guidance in tough times, and I am grateful, once again, for God's knowledge of me individually. His love is more than I could ever ask for!
13. Prophets - this weekend is general conference, and I have never been more excited to hear the Prophets of God give me guidance on how I can make my life even better. I know they are inspired, and can touch us all if we will just listen. I will listen! I will listen!
Well, it is getting late, so I think I am gonna stop there. Like I said, this is the highly condensed list - you should see the one in my journal!
Monday, September 15, 2008
Waren and I are over
(for those of you who are not in the accounting program, the "Waren" case is the 60 hour project I have been working on over the past two weeks. sorry to disappoint, but he is a project, not a boy. I will be much more clear and detailed when I have one of those in my life!)
Saturday, September 06, 2008
The Accounting Program...
I had to change my permanent mailing address to 1820 Herald B Lee Library
I have been adopted into a new family called "5.2" and have thought about officially changing my name.
I am intimately involved with Waren. I spend every waking moment with him, and I spend my nights dreaming about him. I really think this relationship could go places...hopefully by next Monday
Well, I hope you all feel updated in my life, that is about all I have time to write about now, but stay tuned for an update about the new members of my family!
Sunday, August 24, 2008
Homeless
It is very sad/unnerving to not have a place to call home. Luckily, I have some awesome friends in Provo who have lent me their couches, and one amazing sister in Spanish Fork who even has a bed for me! I feel blessed to know so many generous people who let me stay with them.
I guess I just wanted to give a shout out to all those who have lent me a pillow to lay on:
THANKS!
Thursday, August 21, 2008
Things I Love About Summer in Provo

Summer is full of free time that I can use how I want to...I use it making music videos! My roommates and I made a video to "See You Again" by Miley Cyrus.
FHE

Okay, this is at FHE. We are playing a game that I mastered as a freshman oh so long ago...just imagine, nylons filled with flour. Yeah, it is just that good.
Mountain Biking

Summer is a time of KILLER BIKE EXPOS! I rode mountain bikes ranging in value from $4 - $8 thousand dollars all summer long. Life was definitely good.
Pretty Little Girls in Pretty Little Dresses

I love spending time with Addison! This summer I have played with her every week, and sometimes more often than that. She is the greatest niece I have ever had! ;)
Le Tour de France

I know that this is technically in France, but I got to watch the race every day I was here because my boss was nice enough to change my schedule so I could watch! Talk about flexible. The best summer ever!
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
Mama Mia! What a show!

Wow! I went and saw this movie last week and I LOVED it! With songs like "Dancing Queen," "Super Trooper," and "Take a Chance on Me," who could ask for anything more?
The only mild disappointment is that Peirce Brosnan looks weird when he sings. This was definitely not his best screen moment. I like him better as Bond!

I like to think that when I have my midlife crisis, I will spend it jumping on beds, singing, dreaming of attractive men, and sleeping around on hidden islands just like Mama Mia!
Wednesday, August 06, 2008
Still Dreaming
Friday, August 01, 2008
My Best Friend's Wedding


Ruth Decker became Ruth Plater on Friday, July 18, 2008.
Ruth and Jordan's reception was very bitter-sweet for me. Sweet because my best friend is starting the happiest, most fulfilling part of her life! Bitter because I am not moving along in the same stage of life with her.
I know I will miss the times we shared, and the silly things we used to do, but life is about changes. Marriage is truly one of the most joyful changes in life. I have always suppressed any desire I had move into this stage . . . I don't wanna grow up! But seeing my best friend make that commitment - to truly grow up and start living life how it should be lived - has really inspired me.
Don't get the wrong idea! I am not marriage crazy, but I think I am more open for change now. I am open to the idea that life could take me down a path I don't expect.
For now, I am doing my best. Where that will take me, I have no idea. Marriage, a career, a mission . . . I guess we will just have to wait and see. The suspense kind of keeps life interesting though, don't you think?
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
Riding Sundance
Tuesday, July 08, 2008
Top 10 Reasons I love the Tour de France
2. Being shocked when a complete underdog zooms out of nowhere and beats them all!
3. Bikers rounding a corner at 50 mph on a rainy day slip on the road paint, resulting in a pileup of nearly 150 men and bicycles.
4. Watching every rider in the pileup get up and finish the day's stage, only to wake up tomorrow and do the same thing - but this time with 50 stitches in their arms and legs.
5. The ridiculous spectators, wearing nothing but their underwear and waving the French Flag, trying to push their favorite cyclist up a 30 mile, category 1 climb, then getting shooed away by the French police.
6. Calves and thighs of steel.
7. Unpronouncable foreign names - Feillu, Gerolsteiner, Totschnig, Luxembourger, Voigt, to name a few.
8. The countryside is beautiful
9. The cities are beautiful
10. The men are beautiful.
Thursday, July 03, 2008
"Amy looks like" fun!
Compliments
(Why so few???)
Amy looks like...fun! - that is good to hear!
Amy looks like...a sweet, grand lady! - maybe I would appreciate this more if I was 50.
Amy looks like...she is going to be a wonderful addition to your team! - I like to think so!
Amy looks like...an angel flying through the sky/All the birds and planes pass her by. - okay, angel is nice, but birds are passing me? I must be the slowest angel in heaven...
Famous People
(always an exciting comparison)
Amy looks like...the real Marilyn, and acts like her as well. - ok, the looks were fine, but act? really?
Amy looks like...a peanuts character - You know, I think that is pretty accurate!
Amy looks like...Harry Potter from that angle - ouch.
Amy looks like...a deformed Nicole Kidman - double ouch.
Amy looks like...Janice from "Friends" - triple swirling tornado ouch!
Amy looks like...a really tall Cabbage Patch Kid who holds a little dog - I am trying to picture what this would even look like.
Amy looks like...the witch from The Wizard of Oz - hmmm...the smashed one or the green one?
ANIMALS
(who doesn't love furry little creatures?)
Amy looks like...she has lived nine lives - obviously referencing a cat. very flattering. I think. Maybe not.
Amy looks like...a hairy, dirty ape. - only sometimes.
Amy looks like...Jay Leno’s sister….or a horse! - I don't really know how I should take this, but it makes me feel a little sorry for poor Jay...
Amy looks like...re-inflated roadkill - wow. I thought about adding a picture, but...well...yeah, this one speaks for itself.
Amy looks like...a manbeast - I want to dedicate this one to my roomie, Ashley. At least the Spawn of Satan only called you a "boy."
PERSONAL ATTACKS
(why so harsh?)
Amy looks like...a blow up doll. I always thought Amy was weird. - this is a little reminiscent of "Lars and the Real Girl." I don't like the thought of that.
Amy looks like...an old hag with blond hair. - suddenly "sweet, grand lady" is very appealing.
Amy looks like...a drag queen. - ok, this is crossing the line!
Amy looks like...some Victorian Spacewoman from the Future. - I secretly wish this were true.
Amy looks like...a Catholic Republican Army Wife into Politics and Religion and Iraq. - this is quite specific, and almost entirely wrong. I like to think of myself as a Mormon Moderate Single Student into Accounting and Biking and Africa.
Amy looks like...a Tesco checkout girl with a drinking problem. - hey, I am working on it! And I work at Maverick, not Tesco! (j/k)
ACTIONS
(these are the funniest)
Amy looks like...she needs to use soap. -
Amy looks like...she's been eating gravel by the roadside. -
Amy looks like...she has lost weight. Amy's fat.
Amy looks like...she is supposed to be fighting a stale crumpet. - I will admit it - before this post I did not even know for sure what a crumpet is. For future reference, it is an English Muffin, and I have no desire to fight a stale one of those suckers.
Amy looks like...she's about to sneeze. -
Amy looks like...she's trying too hard, like always. -
Amy looks like...still looks like a good girl while striking the rude girl pose. -
Amy looks like...she has a bruise, but I suppose a skin disease is better than having been, perhaps, punched in the face. -
Amy looks like...she had the dress made to match her wallpaper. - this makes me hum songs from "The Sound of Music," but I guess Maria used drapes, not wallpaper, right?
Amy looks like...she’s in mid-eyeroll . . . and when Amy rolls her eyes at you for being grating, then you got problems. -
Amy looks like...she's a hair away from some really terrifying pictures as she engages in battle with her shoe.
Amy looks like...she's about two rhinestones away from a wardrobe malfunction. -
Amy looks like...Ruth looks like Amy looks just like Ruth… - Wow! How cool is that! I think we probably do look alike...
And the ultimate...Amy would be an embarrassment to the Bond series
PS - it is not true. I would be the best Bond girl there ever was...
Wednesday, July 02, 2008
Tour de France, 2008
marks the 95th annual
Tour de France!
But first, lets talk a little bit about Team Discovery Channel.

Team Discovery Channel is famous, of course, for Lance Armstrong and his spectacular seven tour wins! Lance has since retired, and so has the sponsor; but our favorite team rides on, now as Team Astana.

Unfortunately, in light of all the blood doping issues with last year's tour, the Amaury Sport Organization (ASO) has banned Team Astana from riding! This turn of events is completely outrageous, but with only three days left to the start of the race, the decision is very, very final.
So, before the 2008 tour, I would like to honor my two favorite riders (and, I might add, the favorites to win the tour that they have been unjustly banned from).
LEVI LEIPHEIMER

The Man of all Men
Levi Leipheimer dragged both Lance Armstrong and Alberto Contador up mountains and across plains, in pouring rain and blistering heat. Both Armstrong and Contador owe a portion of their victories to Levi. It is greatly due to his effort and skill that Team USPS/Discovery Channel/Astana has come so far in the cycling world.
Oh yeah, he also kicked trash in the final '07 time trial, beating out everyone by more than 2 minutes! (Most time trial leaders are within seconds of eachother)
Levi stood in third place on the podium in '07.
If he had the chance to race this year, I believe he would take the yellow jersey.
ALBERTO CONTADOR

The Rookie of the Year
This Spainiard took the cycling world by storm last year. With Team Discovery Channel, Contador beat out many of the world's top riders in the '07 Tour de France, winning both the white and the yellow jersey.
And he is only getting stronger.
Boys, you deserve to ride.
Knock their balls of in '09.

Now, on to the 2008 tour...
Running from Saturday July 5 to Sunday July 27, the 95th Tour de France will be made up of 21 stages and will cover a total distance of 3,500 kilometers.
(Click on the map for more detailed info on each individaul stage)

Two words: Saddle Sore.
With Leipheimer, Contador, and all of Team Astana out of the picture, I have been forced to look into other potential winners.
My top choice:
Cadel Evans with Team Silence-Lotto

Team Silence-Lotto is based in Belgium. They have been riding the Tour ever since I have been following it, and they have always had a very strong team. The red and black spandex is pretty intimidating, I think. Not to mention the hats.
CADEL EVANS

Evans is a powerhouse of cycling energy. He is a mountain trails man, a city streets man, and an everything-in-between man. Last year he managed to beat out Levi Leipheimer, taking second place on the podium. Several credible sources have picked Evans as the favorite for the '08 tour. Still, Evans is gonna have a time trying to smash the other superstars, like Alejandro Valverde, Carlos Sastre and Denis Menchov.
(Click on the link to "other superstars" for more info on the other contendors)
I guess, in closing, I would just like to say good luck to all the riders.

May the best man win!
Sunday, June 29, 2008
Dedicated to a Friend
My Freshman year in college I moved all the way from California to live with six girls I knew nothing about! I never expected my life to change the way it did.
I moved in with Ruth, and the first thing we discovered was our deep love of singing Moulin Rouge with curling irons on top of tables. I knew we would be friends.






Ruth, thanks for being my friend.
Friday, June 27, 2008
PROM NIGHT - DON'T SEE THIS MOVIE!!!!!
I would never, EVER suggest this movie to anybody. It is rated "PG-13," but I definitely feel like it should have been rated "R" because of violence.

The scariest thing about this movie is that the people in the theater that were laughing at the stabbings! That is totally sick, twisted, and completely inappropriate, even if it is "just a movie." I almost threw up after the first 10 minutes.
So, I guess I just wanted to tell all of my friends and family that they should NOT go see this movie. It is disgusting and disturbing. I think I will just stick to the psychological thrillers from now on.
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
I Have a A New Bike!
So I have been doing a lot, Lot, LOT of research lately about bikes. I miss my Raleigh every day, and I decided it is time to admit that it is gone for good. I have been debating with myself for weeks whether getting a new bike is a good idea, and I finally decided it is! This is the bike I have chosen! It is the 2008 Myka Sport by Specialized.
Just a little after thought, the great bike debate has been weighing so much on my mind lately that I had a dream about it the other day. I dreamed that I before I bought it went back to the bike shop and that they had already sold every single bike that I was interested in. It was devastating. Good thing it was just a dream...
Thursday, June 19, 2008
Intramural Champion!
Monday, June 16, 2008
The Best Dad in the World
My dad is the buisest man in the world, but he always has time for me. I love him more than I can say, and I thank God to have a great man like him in my life. He is a great example, and I couldn't ask for a better father.
Sunday, June 08, 2008
The top 20 things I learned in my first 20 years of earthly existance
1. Blonds really do have more fun!
And brunettes really are jealous.

2. Laughter - it's the Best Medicine.
or so Reader's Digest tells me.
So here is a good one for you:
Why do witches ride on brooms?

Because Vacuum cleaners are too heavy!
(this one gets me every time! one of those original Popsicle-stick jokes)

3. In-n-Out Burger has the best burgers in the world - hands down.
But only Californians understand

4. You get what you pay for.
So if you care about it, spend money on it!
Especially when it comes to bike locks. >:(
5. Fruit is an irreplaceable daily necessity.

6. Responsibility, what's that?
Super important, that's what! Being reliable is a "grown-up" thing, but I guess I am a grown-up now, so lets shun MxPx and get to work!
7. The Bee's are the BEST advice!
With the passing of President Gordon B. Hinckley, I have realized how valuable his life and lessons truly are. I am re-committing to take good advice to heart, especially the "Bees!"

8. Is it in you?
Yes! It is in me! In fact, it's in everyone!
Find a sport you are passionate for. It makes staying fit easier, and life more enjoyable!
Me? I love mountain biking!
9. Believe in yourself!
You can do so much if you just believe!
10. Don't Believe in yourself too much...
You are not invincible, so don't do dumb things.
(Alright, I stole those last two from a book, but both really are important life lessons, and I did learn them!)
11. Some knots are impossible to untie.

It is easier to avoid tangling your life altogether than to try and get yourself out of an unnecessary mess!
Make the right decision in the first place - CTR!
12. You can direct your own life, so don't leave it up to chance!

Anyone can get behind a wheel and hit the gas, but only those with a plan get where they want to go. Don't let life run you into a ditch! Set goals and be an active navigator!
13. There is always someone better than you.
But who cares?
14. True friends never go out of style.




I thank God every day for my friends. They have blessed my life in more ways than I can possibly describe.
15. Quality time is worth more than money
The more I live life, the more I realize that money doesn't buy you friends or happiness. Time buys you friends, love buys you happiness. Spend time with those around you. As you come to know and love them, your life will be blessed. Money may be able to buy you a new Audi, but the Audi will never love you like a real person can!
16. Anything you do with sisters is cool.

and matching pink Pj's are the ULTIMATE COOL!
17. Two is better than one
especially when you are a twin.

This year has been very, very hard because Eric is on his mission. I am so proud to have him as a brother, but dang I miss that boy!
18. Parents in general are DA BOMB!
but mine are #1

I can honestly say that I could not have picked better parents. You know how people talk about the day they learned their parents were "just human, like the rest of us?" That day hasn't come for me, and I doubt it ever will.
19. The Gospel of Jesus Christ is Restored!

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has the true and restored gospel of Christ. Joseph Smith saw God the Father and Jesus Christ, and they directed him to build this church. The book of Mormon contains the fullness of the gospel, and the Bible is the word of God. President Monson is God's prophet on the earth today. Christ died for me, and he is waiting to hold me in his arms again. Most of all, I know that God loves me.
20. Trust in the Lord
with all thine heart
and lean not unto thine own understanding
In all thy ways, acknowledge Him
and he shall direct thy paths.
(Proverbs 3:5-6)









