Back on track.

So since I've been home I have completely slacked at blogging and journaling of any sort.

But, I have been doing two things: reading and running.

The books I read & my ratings...

The Truth About Forever by Sarah Dessen                                                ***

This Lullaby by Sarah Dessen                                                                 ***

The Body Finder by Kimberly Derting                                                      *****

The Sunflower by Richard Paul Evans                                                      *****

Matched by Allie Condie                                                                        ****

Michael Vey: The Prisoner of Cell 25 by Richard Paul Evans                        ****

---I'm four weeks into my training for a half-marathon.  Any other runners out there?  Christmas threw me off a bit with a couple of missed runs and some crappy eating, but I'm back on [the] track! 

13.1 Miles on March 3rd: here I come! Then hopefully a full marathon later on in the year :] We'll see.

Which leads to my goals for 2012:

1. Run a half marathon. Possibly a full one as well.

2. Continue reading more often. I forgot how much I love, love, love reading.

3. Pay off the little loan on my car

4. Finish out my last year at ASU strong, hopefully maintaining my high GPA.

5. Travel to at least two different states that I have never been to before...  Shouldn't be challenging. I can count the number of states I've been to on one hand :) 

Keeping it simple this year. 

Sometimes simplicity seems like a more lofty goal in a way because then there is more pressure to ensure I really do follow through with the five goals I have set.  Let's do this: 2012 here we come!

So it's been a while...

Things have been super busy here in Gilbert, Arizona! But here are some pictures for now...  Took these yesterday of the cutest kids in the world that I babysit for quite often.  

Another post soon!

Beaver & the smolder

A quick one liner from the five-year-old i babysit when I picked him up from preschool the other day...

"Kylee, Justin Beaver is such a good singer."
I thought the beaver part was so funny and cute I may have had him repeat it a few times. :)

Source: shirtoid.tumblr.com via Kylee on Pinterest

The next day I was eating breakfast with him and he asked how old I was.  I told him I was twenty.

"Pretty old right?"


"Eh, not as old as my grammy! Or my uncle. He is 52."


---


Later he went to the bathroom, only to find his older brother was already occupying it.

"Don't make me hold my potty longer!"


Aren't kids just the cutest?



Bragging moment:
School is OUT. Took my last final today & aced it!
All in all I got two A+'s this semester and three A's.
Not bad. Not bad at all.


One year left ASU!

Source: google.com via Kylee on Pinterest

Eleven hours later...

[Provo - Las Vegas - Gilbert]

Starting out the drive! 

My first time in Vegas! We just drove through, so the pictures aren't exactly what I wanted, but i LOVE how some of them turned out. Now I want to go see what the strip looks like at night :]

I also got bored towards the end of the drive and messed around with the exposure time on my camera for these crazy pictures...

So grateful my Dad was with me on the drive! Feels good to be home :]

Can't forget about Utah...

Here are some pictures I took the other day. I drove around aimlessly until I found places I thought were just beautiful. Any other places I should go before I head back to the great desert of Arizona?

Arizona on my mind

I've been thinking about Arizona a lot lately. And since I leave in five days to go there, I want to post some beautiful pictures of the state I grew up in and things I miss about it.

Amazing sunsets:

Source: flickr.com via Kylee on Pinterest

Source: google.com via Kylee on Pinterest

Tempe Town Lake:

Source: google.com via Kylee on Pinterest

Source: google.com via Kylee on Pinterest

State Fair:

Source: flickr.com via Kylee on Pinterest

Mesa Temple:

Source: google.com via Joanne on Pinterest

Apparently I wasn't the only one...

Remember my little fainting spree?

Well apparently I was not the only one who passed out during the movie. Here is a clip from a local news story...

This girl's story about fainting sounds suuper similar to mine. At least I wasn't the only one!

[And a girl posted on FB that she fainted as well. ]

Well, enough about fainting I just love the part from the first one: "there have already been rumored reports of audience members fainting.." It's true!


Another GREAT pinterest find. First there is a layer of cookie dough. Then oreos (I used PB ones, but you can use the plain ones too). Lastly pour brownie batter over the top viola! More thorough directions here :]

You know those HUGE cupcakes they advertise on TV? Well, my roommate has one & it is SO fun to make different desserts out of it. We poked holes in the middle of the cake & poured carmel in. Soaked it up and tasted SO good! Also had Symphony bar pieces in the middle & on top, along with whipped cream and sprinkles. Tasted even better than it looks!

My go to meal: SO easy & SO cheap. Plus it's amazing when it's freezing cold outside. All that is in it is chicken broth, potatoes, carrots, celery, ground chicken, and random seasonings.  I use real chicken too, that is just all I had on hand at the moment. 

My cute roommate & her beautiful hair!

Probably not the best idea to jump on the tramp after a big Thanksgiving meal.. but we did anyways.

The thing I missed most about Thanksgiving being away from home...

Aren't they the cutest??