2009

i have made many new year's resolutions.
some of them I have kept, others I have not done so well at.

this year (2009), i decided to make one, and stick to it
. no matter what.

so, i did (for the most part).
every month i wanted to travel somewhere, anywhere,
or do something equally exciting
(even though i was in school full-time and worked part-time).
Some places i had been before, others I just wanted to visit again.
Sometimes i traveled far away, others i explored my own backyard, or so to speak.
who knew utah could be as fascinating as amsterdam?!
and, i must say, i was far more impressed with mesa verde (& cliff palace)
than i was with the eiffel tower (even though that was pretty amazing as well).


this is where i went and what i did this past year:
warning: picture overload & possible/probable repeats from other posts.

january:
nyc/washington, d.c. for president obama's presidential inauguration


walking on the freeway

washington monument

february:
hawaii (shrimp truck, lava flows, turtle bay, and falling asleep to the ocean....looooove)

really gross after the plane, but in hawaii!

at turtle bay's beach!


also, i jumped off the front porch, landed on a flower pot, and broke my right foot.
my mom volunteered as my chauffeur for 6 weeks, helped me navigate crutches, and got me to classes on time. i couldn't skip anymore. fun times.

this is the actual act of the breakage,
solomon documented the jump.


draper temple open house.
i got preferential treatment.

march:
spring break in europe. loverly.
amsterdam, netherlands; brussels, belgium; paris, france (and all the places in between)

in brussels, at some palace, i think

at the eiffel tower!

a canal in amsterdam

april:
april was pretty busy, and i was gone nearly every weekend.

las vegas, nevada

fremont street. we saw the chip n dales booth.
i think leann rimes and kelly pickler performed.
it was exciting, can you tell?


i gambled for the first and last time!
i lost a dollar. boo.

nyc-easter/girls' weekend
we enjoyed brunch at sarabeth's, and saw guys and dolls (with lauren graham!).
it was positively lovely.



i met the easter bunny. this one was kinda creepy.


momma, karen and i at rockefeller center.

phoenix, arizona
great aunt fay passed away, and we flew to phoenix for the funeral.
can i just say that family rocks? seriously, they are all lovely. and slightly crazy,

i made friends with a bear. we're tight.


i hugged a cactus.
one word: ouch.

may:
nyc-las vegas
lori and i went on an adventure.


we ate at the famous shake shack.
not so sure what all the hype is about.
kirts is much better.


rock of ages was awesome.
the perfect one to see with lori.

june:
lasik eye surgery
me and valium are not friends.
i bawled for four straight hours afterwards.
nonstop.
just ask mom how fun it was. i dare you.

wicked cool eye goggles

blood shot eyes (had them for a month!)

july:
ireland for leeza & brett's wedding
i didn't get any pictures. so i stole one from facebook.

the happy newlyweds in their fancy wedding car

august:
uintah's for the first annual nielson family reunion extravaganza!


one morning we had a race.
sarah was my partner.
1 mile is a lot for a two-year-old. but she managed it.
you go girl!
yes, she nearly fell asleep on my head.
no, it wasn't comfortable.


cute kids on the porch.

girl party (candyland theme)
my camera died, and this is the only decent surviving picture.
but it gives you a small idea of how wonderful and amazing it was.

the walkway into the house.

and the girls' handmade lollipops.
just say it with me. awwwwwww.

four corners (utah, arizona, new mexico, & colorado)
mesa verde (cliff palace!) arches national parks (and a few others...)

i kinda like the desert.

i am in four states, at the same time. yep, soooo cool!


me at cliff palace. seriously,
one of the most incredible places
i have ever been.

this is me and my man at the monticello temple.
can you see him?

i thought it was funny.
dad didn't.
but mom still took the picture :)

september:
preston, idaho (napoleon dynamite)

no pictures.
well, none that i want to show you
let's just say it was a bad hair day.
and i spend the entire drive over avon with my eyes covered.
there might have been a little screaming.
have you ever been on that road?
in a ginormous truck
and meet other trucks, cars, atv's, etc... on the road.
but when my eyes were open, the leaves were loverly to look at.

october:
forks/la push/seattle, washington; portland/sandy, oregon
(business trip) okay, a little business, and a lot of fun.


world's largest spruce tree (you can't see it)
we are a special brand of people. can you tell?



we posed by the spartan. at forks high.
during the football game.


bonfire & smores at first beach.

just say it: nerds.
but you know that you are secretly jealous.
even just a little bit.

november:
i thought i broke my toe, but i didn't. however, it did look pretty nasty and i still can't bend it right. good thing i didn't. two broken feet-ish in one year. nope, not happening.


i threw a little (or not so little) event for new moon, and dressed up like victoria. it was awesome.


after the event, at like 2 o'clock in the morning.

delta, utah (topaz internment camp)
and the next day i took my first solo trip and drove to delta, utah
to interview a lady about my senior thesis.

scary black birds surrounding me & the car


what is left of Topaz: desert.

december:
i didn't go anywhere because there was a lot going on all month
finals.
christmas.
family. friends.
you know, the usual holiday madness.
but it was still awesome,
and i think the rest of the year's overload balanced it out.


2009 has been awesome. it has definitely had its ups and downs, but overall: awesome.
i worked hard and played even harder.

i wrote my thesis (and got an A, thank you very much)
--want a copy? just ask. it is actually interesting.

and, i have already made some big plans for next year.
i can't wait.

but now, i need to find/make an equally challenging and fun new year's resolution for 2010.
ideas?


and this picture is just cute.
wouldn't you agree?