list-en up.

After another long stint of abandonment, look who's back! I've been back in the country for more than three weeks, and it's been spent catching up on family and friends and life in general. But I think the time has come once again to do what I do on the blog. Whatever that is. 

It appears that another ten years have come and gone. It blows my mind people! A half-life ago I was scrawny and quiet and loud and high-ponytailed and drawing koala bears for fun...so I was just about as weird as I am now. I think I had a Wet n' Wild birthday party. What I would give to have been able to do that this year. 115° just didn't feel quite so hot when we had a real live water park to escape to.

I recently turned 20 on the 20th, meaning it was my GOLDEN birthday. I'm not quite sure what that's supposed to entail, but I like the sound of it so I'm going with it.

I think the best part about a birthday is thinking about all the people who helped you get there. I'd like to take a moment out of my comeback tour to thank all those who are golden in my life. Parents, grandparents, brothers, aunts, uncles, cousins, school friends, church friends, life friends, even mere acquaintances; you're all undoubtedly the best I could ask for. As an inspiring young greaser on his deathbed once said, "stay golden."

If left to my own devices, this could get wordy (shocker), so instead I'm coming at ya with a few lists inspired by my newly attained wise old age. The theme shall be: TWENTY.

First, 20 THINGS THAT SHOCKED ME WHEN I FIRST GOT HOME FROM UGANDA:

1. ice

2. carpet

3. clean clothes

4. having a clean body

5. public toilets that were not actually just holes in the ground

6. how loud Americans talk

7. hot showers

8. the lack of goats, pigs, chickens, and cows in peoples' front yards

9. air conditioning

10. alone time

11. seat-belts

12. how everyone here drives their own cars instead of taking motorcycle taxis or walking

13. not being a novelty because I'm white

14. not needing an armed guard at our house

15. not having small children hold my hand and ask for sweets

16. paved roads

17. the lack of green

18. how entirely unsocial we are in comparison to Ugandans

19. how much I miss the people I met and the things I did

20. how hard it is to get rid of a Teva sandal tan line

secondly, 20 WORTHWHILE THINGS I ENJOYED DOING DURING JULY 2010:

1. went to In-N-Out minutes after landing in America

2. Lake Powell to finally reunite with my family and do lake things with Los Marquez

3. celebrated the Fourth of July sick in bed. not from Malaria, don't worry

4. Austin, Texas to watch my bro's club volleyball team play in the National Volleyball Championships

5. did some sight seeing and shopping with my mom in between games to escape the sweaty teenage boy scene

6. went to a few movies. Despicable Me, Inception, and Toy Story 3 in particular. Five stars all around!

7. started working 6-7 hours a day 5 days a week (not really that enjoyable but I need it)

8. snuggled with a little brother until he fell asleep one night

9. started working out again to make up for what two months of weird eating habits can do to a person

10. watched hours worth of Boy Meets World re-runs & ordered tons of new reading material

11. finally got through on Skype and got to talk to my friends in Uganda who I am missing a whole lot

12. went to a few wonderful missionary homecomings and farewells

13. got a 5-week pass at the hot yoga place. because it isn't already hot enough here...?

14. celebrated my birthday with best friends and family. woke up early, made a smoothie, went back to bed, looked at cars, ate a lovely lunch at DW Bistro (highly recommended), saw the incredibly age appropriate Toy Story 3 and maybe cried, ate heavenly cake from Red Velvet Cafe (also always recommended), opened a few gifts (including Depends & other old person necessities from Kori), yummy salmon for dinner, a classic night drive, and in bed with a book by 10:00. Very much close to my perfect day.

15. played pool games with my littlest brothers

16. cleaned my room. somehow let it get messy again the next day

17. finally found a CAR!! which is thrilling because I love to drive and it's been weird being immobile for the past year. 

18. had a second b-day celebration once my dad got back in town. went to Thai Spice and the Beatles LOVE show with my family and Leah, who often fills in for Price whenever he's too cool for the family or at some volleyball event. Delicious yellow curry chicken and the Beatles in acrobatic splendor. Doesn't get much better than that.

19. acquired very uncharacteristic new sleeping habits that knock me out by 11 and wake me up at 7 or 8

20. loved every single minute of my very favorite month

Now a very small smattering of photographs to illustrate a few of the above points:

beautiful day on the front of the boat. classic family bonding time.

this in no way captures the madness of our tube war time, but it will have to do.

oh the absurdities!

forgot to mention it, but couldn't resist the chance to display this evidence of me and Leah's visit to see J-Lev, our #1 Niketown employee.

the key to a successful birthday most certainly is stuffing your face with these two.

that cake didn't last us long. but boy was it worth it.

after much deliberation and stumbling upon a brilliant sale, I went with the gorgeous black Jeep Commander, and I'm loving it entirely! the other option was an upgrade Volvo, which would have been equally thrilling, but rumors are that Volvo's doing Twilight endorsements now, and quite honestly that makes my level of respect drop dramatically.

classic awkward photo with the awkward head. Thai decor is top notch.

Riley was convinced he'd hate the show, hence the pouting. he came out obsessed with it, just as we predicted. at this point Cooper's probably still talking in an Asian accent.

love it! sorry to steal her thunder but the most recent good news is that lovely Lays is going to school in Utah in the fall so I can see her any time I like! so excited!!

so anyway, that's that. 

and lastly, I have a list that I composed in church last week so I'd have something to hold myself to in the upcoming year. I call it... 20 THINGS TO WORK ON WHILE I'M TWENTY:

1. write more things down - thoughts, inspiration, feelings, mundane events

2. say hi to people first & stop avoiding people because I don't know what to say

3. learn to thrive on less

4. write more letters

5. take better care of my body - eat for a purpose & exercise often

6. talk to boys more

7. pray always - don't make big decisions without prayer

8. find motivation to learn to cook

9. take more pictures of people and things I love

10. learn to save money 

11. always be in the middle of a good book

12. be the friend I'd like to have - shower the people I love with love

13. stop criticizing myself and others

14. go to the temple often

15. spend more time in nature

16. take every opportunity to serve - make the world around me better

17. make scripture reading an indispensable part of every day

18. never withhold a kind word

19. travel often and learn as much as I can about the world

20. work hard, but slow down enough to appreciate what's around me

It's nice to be back friends. Truth be told, I missed you.