Steph's World

Washington

2011-09-05T19:54:00.000-06:00

A month ago I got to go home for a week to just relax and be home. It was wonderful. I just hung out around Longview/Kelso, went to the beach, went to Willow Grove, and was there to watch my brother open his mission call to Guatemala. I love being home. I love being with my family, being in the house where I grew up, eating all the tasty foods my Mom buys & makes for me, and of course being around all of the trees and water. I miss Washington but it was a great week and I can't wait to go home again for Thanksgiving. Here are some pictures from my trip:

Checking out Kyle's mission call before he opened it. Mostly keeping it away from him so he wouldn't open it before my Dad got home from work.

Kyle and I in Astoria, OR.

Enjoying the water at Willow Grove

Kyle & I at Willow Grove

Hanging out on the beach

Spanish Fork Peak

2011-08-10T22:55:00.000-06:00

So Ben & I love to hike but we never seem to hike just normal hikes. We always seem to want to hike mountains. In June Ben had the idea to hike to the top of Spanish Fork Peak which has an elevation of 10,192 feet. It is a 5 mile hike to the top making it 10 miles round trip. So we packed our hydration packs with lots of snacks and water and got ready for a day of hiking. Shortly after we started the hike we noticed that the stream that normally runs down the mountain turned out to be a river thanks to all of the rain and snow that melted so late this year. So we had to trudge through freezing cold water to stay on the trail. It was a difficult hike, no switch-backs, just straight up. By mile 2 my calves were burning. But we kept on going. By about mile 3 we noticed a lot of snow and eventually the trail ended up being covered in snow. Since we no longer could find the trail and we weren't exactly dressed for snow hiking we regrettably turned around and ended our hike. Ben keeps prodding me to go back up there since all the snow is now melted with it being August, but every time I remember how incredibly sore my legs were after this hike I turn him down and tell him we should do a fun, simple, scenic hike. So maybe one of these days, we will eventually make it to the summit.

Just hiking along.

Ben plowing through the river we had to cross to get to the other side of the trail.

Trying not to fall in the water.

I wasn't sure if Ben was gonna make it. The water was FREEZING and he seemed to be too frozen to move!

Us at the Trail Head.

Intramural Champions!

2011-06-21T13:20:00.001-06:00

After years and years of playing almost every intramural sport BYU has to offer from inner-tube water polo to kickball to co-ed basketball we finally won a championship and the most coveted shirt on campus!!! Believe it or not it came playing co-ed soccer! I didn't grow up playing soccer and have limited knowledge of the sport. I especially lack necessary skills to pass, dribble, and score. However, I am athletic and tough. In co-ed there isn't offsides so my knowledge of how to play defense in basketball paid off tremendously. Nevertheless our team pulled it together enough to win a championship!!! It's also really cool that Ben and I were able to do it together. He was fun to play soccer with. It was a great season!

The winning team!

Look at those shirts!

We do not look like soccer players...hello basketball shorts!

Camping!

2011-06-09T12:55:00.000-06:00

Over memorial day weekend we had the opportunity to go camping with Ben's brother Ryan & his wife Ashley. We went to Diamond Fork Campground up Spanish Fork Canyon. It felt just like camping in Washington. It was cold, wet, and very green. And although I froze to death I really enjoyed myself and ate my fair share of s'mores. The second day the weather cleared up a little and we decided to go hiking up Three Forks Loop where there was a waterfall and some hot pots. I actually really enjoyed this. It felt good to be active and also to see the beautiful scenery along this hike. It made me miss home really bad with all the water from the Cottonwood Creek and huge trees everywhere. But I love camping, even despite the uncooperative weather. I can't wait to go camping again this summer!

Putting up a tarp to shield us from the rain.

We made it to the waterfall up Three Forks Loop

Me and my s'mores. We have a special relationship.

Rugby

2011-05-31T21:34:00.000-06:00

As much as I love sports, I have to say I don't know much about rugby. They don't really have rugby in Washington and I think I've only seen rugby on TV once. So my knowledge strictly comes from the movie Invictus. However, some friends of ours invited us to go to the college rugby national championship that was set to take place in SLC. I've never been to a national championship game before, and probably won't ever make it to another one again, so I figured I'd go, even if it was a sport I didn't understand. We paid only $11 and had front row seats!!!! It was BYU vs. Cal Berkeley. It was a gorgeous day and after learning some of the rules of the game I actually found I really enjoyed myself. Unfortunately BYU lost and made some costly mistakes at the beginning that they couldn't quite make up for at the end. Here are a few pics from that evening:

The view from our seats.

Enjoying the game.

Yellowstone/Jackson Hole, Wyoming

2011-05-09T19:56:00.005-06:00

A few weeks ago my family came down to Utah to pick my brother up after he had finished his freshman year at BYU. We then went up to Rexburg to be with my sister & her husband for Easter. As part of this family get-together we decided to go to Yellowstone since members of the Baker clan had never been before. Much of the park was closed because there was still 8-9 feet of snow everywhere but that kinda made it cool to see everything so white and it wasn't very crowded. Then after Easter Ben surprised me with my birthday present which was a trip to Jackson Hole, Wyoming for a few days. It was a cute little town & I definitely grew to like the lit-up antler arches at nighttime. Anyway, enough chit-chat. Here are some pics from that great week.

The famous Antler Arch

Yeah for Moose

The Moose kinda freaked me out so I'm barely touching it in this picture.

Old Faithful

We had many Buffalo walk right near our van which totally freaked my sister out.

Hockey!!!

2011-04-14T18:40:00.004-06:00

So as I sports fanatic I have to say that I have never been to a hockey game. I willingly watch SportsCenter but when hockey highlights come on I tend to change the channel. But my first hockey game was fun and a cultural experience. I felt like I was back home. When I think of SLC I tend to think of super trendy, highly fashionable, super skinny Mormon girls. At this hockey game I felt like I was right back at home with people dressed in hoodies, drinking, and yelling profanities. It ended up being really fun, and like baseball, watching hockey in real life is way better than watching it on TV. Here are a few pics taken on my iPod from the night:

World of Coca-Cola

2011-04-06T20:39:00.003-06:00

Almost two months ago now (man I am bad at keeping this up to date) I got to go to Atlanta, Georgia for a conference. It was about first-year programming and how to help incoming students adjust to the rigors and demands of college life and academics. I really enjoy going to these conferences because I get to see new places and stay in hotels I could never afford to stay in normally. This conference was busier than the one I went to in November so I didn't get as much free time to explore Atlanta as I would have liked. However, I did get to visit the World of Coca-Cola. Coke was invented in Atlanta and it's main headquarters (as well as those of CNN, Chick-fil-A, and Delta just to name a few) are located there. Being a Pepsi product fan I don't totally love Coke products but Coca-Cola is an American and pop-culture icon so I just had to go! It was so much fun and if you are ever in Atlanta I totally recommend going to the World of Coca-Cola and the Georgia Aquarium right across the lot. It was just one giant carbonated playground with a bottling plant, 4D movie, and a tasting center. Here are some pics from my adventure.

This is called Beverly. It is a Coke product offered in Europe that I got to taste in their Taste It! exhibit where you can taste Coke products from around the world. It was truly one of the worst things I've ever tasted.

Sitting on the Coke Couch from Season 3 of American Idol.

Found a postcard of a Coke plant from Washington

Running with the Olympic Torch from the 2000 Sydney, Australia Games

Hanging out by an old school Coke vending machine

Lament for Jimmer

2011-03-29T09:42:00.000-06:00

Fun Fact - Addictions

2011-02-22T09:51:00.004-07:00

So I have a few food addictions that I'm not too proud of, but we all have them and these are mine:

Mountain Dew
Vitamin Water
Chocolate
Chocolate/Peanut Butter Anything
Chips & Salsa

I can only go a few days without consuming any of these food items. They make me happy and I just plain love them!!!

Ben's Birthday

2011-02-16T19:14:00.003-07:00

So Ben turned 26 a few weeks ago (crazy, I know). However, his birthday was on a Thursday which turned out to be a crazy day. He had to take a test and finish a massive project. So he was gone all day and didn't get home until around 7:00, then once he did he had to return some birthday phone calls. So we didn't do much except we were able to go to Olive Garden for his birthday dinner and he indulged himself in his own cake (since I can't eat cake anymore) and ice cream. It was a good low-key birthday and he seemed very happy. I got him ESPN's 30 for 30 (a great gift idea for that sports fan of yours) and decorated the house for him. Both of which he loved. Below are pictures from that special day.

I wrote 26 things I love about Ben on 26 hearts and hung them all throughout our living room along with streamers.

The Birthday Cake

Just blew out the candles

What Makes Me Different from Everyone Else

2011-02-15T10:50:00.003-07:00

I saw this as a post on someone else's blog and liked it so I thought I would write about it too. I think the biggest thing that makes the different from other people, at least most girls, is that I'm a girly-girl but still a sports junkie. I love make-up and can hardly go out of the house without showering and getting ready. However, I know sports teams, players, and stats better than most boys. Many of Ben's friends make fun of me because I can carry on a sports conversation with the best of them. But then, within seconds I can dish out all the latest pop culture gossip. I like to think that this makes me very well-rounded. But it's fun to watch a sports game and talk the sports talk and then change the channel and find myself equally enthralled with an episode of Keeping Up with the Kardashians!

St. Louis

2011-01-02T17:02:00.005-07:00

So I've been meaning to post these pictures for a few months now but have been procrastinating, however on this lazy Sunday I can't procrastinate any longer!!! I got the opportunity to go to St. Louis, Missouri the first week of November for an annual New Student Orientation Conference where orientation directors from all across the country meet and talk about how to better orient students to college campuses and make the intense transition from high school to college better. However, I got to see the sights of Missouri and had a blast doing so. Some fun things I got to do: ride to the top of the famous Arch, visit Forest Park (Ulysses S. Grant's old stomping grounds), eat at Pappy's (featured on both Food Network & the Travel Channel), visit the Cardinals new stadium and the Rams stadium, walk along the Mississippi, walk around downtown St. Louis, visit St. Louis & Washington University, tour the historic Delmar Loop & shopping district, explore the rest of St. Louis by metro, and relax in a 5 star hotel. Thanks BYU for such a great experience :) Here are some pics from my trip:

About to board the tiny elevator to get to the top of the Arch with my boss, Heather

Standing underneath the historic St. Louis Arch

Just finished enjoying some world-class BBQ at Pappy's

Mr. St. Louis himself

Looking out the window of the very top of the Arch

My view of the St. Louis Rams (football) stadium from the top of the Arch

BYU Tours

2010-10-13T10:43:00.003-06:00

I love my new job. I get to do some pretty fun things. My boss is a professor for a University 101 - Traditions class. I scheduled tours all around campus that the students attend to learn about the various traditions surrounding different places on campus. So far the coolest tours have been of the Marriott Center and of LaVell Edwards Stadium. My favorite part was visiting the team rooms. So sweet to see where the teams meet before and after games, and during halftime. Made me wish I actually made it as college basketball player. Here are pics from our Marriott Center adventure:

The Women's Team Room

The Women's Team Room (If you Look Closely You Can See Maya Moore from UConn when they played each other a couple of years ago)

The Men's Team Room

On the Basketball Court

Home Court

Ben Lomand

2010-09-17T10:05:00.005-06:00

On Labor Day we took the challenge to hike up Ben Lomand Peak just north of Ogden, Utah. We went with Ben's Uncle's family, the Smiths. It was quite the hike. It was 8 miles up to an elevation of 9,712 feet and then 8 miles back. But it was definitely worth it and super fun. Here are pics from our adventure.

Yummy Hydration Pack. Definitely became a fan of this innovative backpack on this hike.

The Smith family minus Uncle Chrys...he was too tired to move.

The view from 9,712 feet in the air.

We made it to the Peak!!!!

Happy Trails :)

Camping

2010-07-27T11:59:00.004-06:00

So Ben and I have gone on two camping trips during the month of July. We both love camping and being outdoors. I grew up camping on the beach multiple times every summer and find that I just feel better nestled in a forest :) Camping in Utah also makes me feel like I'm at home since its the only place you can find trees.Also it doesn't hurt that camping food is super yummy and campfires and pretty much the best. So on the 4th of July we went up Manti Canyon where these pictures of our trip were taken. Enjoy :)

Happy 2 Year Anniversary!!!

2010-06-29T08:36:00.004-06:00

So a month ago was our 2 year anniversary. Yep, Ben has spent a whole mission being married to me. Although he said it went by faster than his actual mission did :) So the weekend before our anniversary Ben surprised me with a trip to Park City for a night. I love Park City. I'm a fan of cute tourist towns. It doesn't hurt that they have the best outlet shopping mall I've ever seen. We went up Saturday morning and walked through main street, checked into our condo, hit the outlet mall for a little bit, and then grabbed some Chinese food. We then we went swimming in our make-shift swim outfits courtesy of wal-mart since we forgot ours and watched a movie. Ben then made me breakfast in the morning and we left to go to church. It was fun to get away even if was only for a little while. My favorite part of the experience was our condo. First of all we couldn't check in because the people at the desk decided to take the day off so we had to call the maintenance people to give us our key. Then our key didn't work and we had to call the maintenance people again. So total it took about an hour to get into our room. Then once we got in there it was supposed to be this huge condo with a kitchen and a jacuzzi bathtub. However, it looked like it was decorated in the 70's with avocado green everywhere, the kitchen was more like a sink and two burners, and the jacuzzi tub was a normal sized bathtub with jets that didn't even work. Although the room wasn't quite what the pictures on the internet made it out to be it was still tons of fun and I'm so glad we got to get away and celebrate :)

Graduation!!!!

2010-05-27T15:17:00.006-06:00

So I am finally a college graduate :) Probably one of the best feelings in the world! My family came up and we went to both commencement and my college convocation. It feels so good to graduate as one of the top in my class from a great university. I'm glad my family came up from Washington to share this moment with me. I couldn't have done it without them. I'm also so grateful for Ben and his support and enouragement. Now I just have the world ahead of me. Scary... Anyway, here are some pics from that day :)

My brother Kyle & Me

My Mom & Me

Me & Ben

24th Birthday

2010-05-20T12:55:00.004-06:00

So over a month ago was my 24th birthday. This post has been a little late because we've been on vacation and I've been using all my free time to search for a job. Anyway, my birthday was fun. It was right in the middle of finals which for the first time in 5 years I didn't have to take a final on my birthday, but Ben did. Ben brought me both Kneaders french toast, an einstein bagel with their delicious vanilla almond cream cheese, and fresh strawberries in bed. That was super nice. Then I just hung out for a few hours until he got done taking a final. Then we went to California Pizza Kitchen for dinner and to Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory for some dessert :) The next day my family flew in town for graduation. While they were in town we went up to Park City to the outlets there where I was able to spend some of my birthday money to get some new clothes. It was a really good few days and I was glad to be able to spend it with both Ben and with my family.

Baby Clothes

2010-04-11T21:07:00.003-06:00

This is a really random post for me. But I went to a baby shower yesterday. We are good friends of this couple and they are very sporty. He is from Eugene, Oregon where the headquarters of Nike are and he is a huge Nike fan. So in honor of that I bought them Nike onesies. A few months ago a really good friend of mine had a baby girl and we got her Jordan booties. When I go baby clothes shopping I see a trend in what I'm drawn too. I love all the sporty baby clothes. All the Nike, Puma, and Jordan baby clothes are so awesome. Someday when I have a baby I want tons of sporty clothes to dress them in :) Plus, I always find them at Ross or TJ Maxx so there really is no excuse since they are so cheap.

2010-03-26T09:12:00.002-06:00

In honor of March Maddness and the dominance of my Connecticut Huskies I decided to post pictures of when we went to see UConn play BYU about a year and a half ago. Definently one of the highlights of my life. I know, I'm pathetic but I could like worse things. I got to the stadium about 3 hours early. I snuck in after a janitor went in and caught the door before it closed. I was the first spectator there. I got seats in the very first row but then found out they were for ticketed customers and then promptly moved up to the third row behind the UConn bench. I could hear everything that went on and was being said. Geno is a very intense man. It was a blast to see my Huskies in person after having watched them for 13 years on TV. This is half of the reason why I had to get into a major university so I could have the opportunity for this to happen. Anyway, here are some pictures from that night.

Me right in front of Renee Montgomery who is giving a post-game interview

Time Out

Huddle

Christmas Day!

2010-03-06T13:37:00.003-07:00

Yep, finally blogging about Christmas Day :) Well, we had Christmas in our little box in Provo. It wasn't as bad as you would think. Ideally we would have went home to Washington for Christmas but we went home for my sister's wedding at Thanksgiving and couldn't afford to go home for Christmas. So we had our own Christmas. We opened the few presents we had and made a HUGE Christmas breakfast. The night before we went to see a movie, made Moose Munch and my famous fudge and watched the Christmas devotional on TV. I blared Christmas music while enjoying our sweet treats. It was a good Christmas and it was fun for Ben & I to start our own traditions.

Ben with his new cooking stove he got. Now we can go camping :)

Ben's new DC hat I got him. I felt like it was about time he got a new hat.
Me surrounded by presents and wrapping paper

Our Christmas tree on Christmas morning.

My job ever since I was little was to water the tree. Here is me keeping up my lifelong duty

Festival of Trees

2010-02-12T08:55:00.003-07:00

Yep, another extremely late posting. Oh well. Ben & I went to this event in Sandy called the Festival of Trees back in December. We both love Christmas trees and felt like this would be the perfect activity for us to celebrate the season in a warehouse full of beautiful Christmas trees. It was also nice that I got discounted tickets from my work. So here is a picture of us and some of our favorite Christmas trees and gingerbread houses that we saw.

An NFL tree....Ben's ideal tree
A campfire themed tree...my personal favorite.

A gingerbread house modeled after the house in the movie UP! Ben LOVED this one

The house from Home Alone in gingerbread form. I loved this one :)

O Christmas Tree

2010-01-25T14:21:00.004-07:00

So Ben and I are obsessed with Christmas trees. As soon as December 1 hitI begged him every day if we could please get a Christmas tree. Finally after we got paid Ben agreed and we went and picked out a Christmas tree. I love real trees, it makes the house smell so good. Growing up in Washington it's just not acceptable to have a fake tree. So one Sunday afternoon we took a break from studying for finals and decorated our tree. Here are some pictures from that happy time :)

Shannon's Wedding

2010-01-19T09:06:00.003-07:00

Two days after Thanksgiving my sister got married. It was a perfect day with no rain (which is a miracle in Oregon that time of the year). She was absolutely beautiful and her and Will seemed so happy. We were able to go home for the wedding which was so much fun to be part of the festivities and see our families. Here are some pics from that day at the Portland, Oregon temple:

Turkey Trot & Tri

2010-01-05T20:54:00.004-07:00

So at the beginning of November, I participated in what is called the Turkey Trot and Tri, better known as a sprint triathlon. I didn't do this by choice as I am not an avid runner and my knee does not allow me to be. However for my Practicum it was required because we did it with our alternative high school students we were teaching. Luckily my teacher let us do the triathlon as a relay. I did the bike leg of the relay. It was a 10 mile bike ride and I completed it in good time, about 35 minutes. Which considering I didn't do an ounce of training makes me feel pretty good about that time. I would like you to notice my attire. I'm participating in a triahlon wearing my basketball shorts and high school basketball sweatshirt, while riding a mountain bike with road tires, and wearing Ben's longboarding helmet. So random...

I finished!!!
Me approaching the finish line :)

Yep, with my shiny silver helmet you could see me coming from a mile away

Getting reaady to race.

Halloween!!!

2009-12-30T10:34:00.006-07:00

So, what's a better way to celebrate the new year than by posting pictures from Halloween? I felt like that's a great idea. So here are pictures from the Halloween parties Ben and I attended during the week of Halloween. We decided to be The Incredibles. I guess while Ben was on his mission in Argentina all the Argentines told him he looked like Mr. Incredible and called him Elder Incredible so it was only fitting that we made that a reality. Oh, on a side note, I tried to dye my hair red like Mrs. Incredible but the pkg said that it may permanently make blond hair red...and I just wasn't ready for that kind of change so I was a blond Mrs. Incredible. Enjoy :)

There was a donut eating contest and no girls participated so I felt like I had to represent. I lost horribly...
Ben was a close 2nd in the donut eating contest. He had frosting all over his face by the time it was done.

Horseback Riding

2009-12-10T21:40:00.002-07:00

So just to set the record straight. I hate animals. I hate how they smell, how they shed, and how they drool. It doesn't help that I'm allergic to them. Yet Ben is always trying to get me to do new and exciting things. Our bishop lives on a ranch and is your stereotypical cowboy. He owns about 10 horses and constinently encourages us to get up to his house in Elk Ridge and ride them. So Ben decided to take the bishop up on his offer and schedule a time to go for a horse ride. I was not excited for this at all. We get there and I'm terrified of the horses and terrified I'm gonna end up being kicked up or that the horse if gonna run off somewhere. I struggle getting on the horse and feel really uncomfortable on it. We get situated and start trotting. I have a hard time trying to figure out how to steer my horse and it keeps wandering off to eat hay. After a few lessons from the bishops wife I finally take charge of my horse and we start trotting up a mountain. After we got going and started to see the amazing views on top of the mountain I started to enjoy myself a little. It ended up being a fun trip and I actually got on top of a horse. Not something I ever thought I would do.

Yeah, probably a once in a lifetime picture right here.

Our horses kept eating...they are very determined animals when they eat and hard to control

Stewart Falls Round Two

2009-11-04T20:58:00.002-07:00

So when I was going through my pictures on my computer the other day I stumbled upon these. These were taken in July, about a week before I got my wisdom teeth out to be exact. Ben planned an elder's quarum activity to hike up to Stewart Falls one Saturday afternoon. Here are some pictures from that day.

Here Ben is underneath the actual waterfall itself. He ended up getting soaked!

Stewart Falls

At the base of the waterfall

Our close up :)

Me leading the pack.

Baker Beach Day

2009-10-01T22:20:00.004-06:00

A little over a month ago Ben & I had the chance to go back to Washington to visit our families for the first time in about 8 months. It felt so good to be back home and be around friends and family. I love Washington and miss it so much when I'm not there. I love the low-key lifestyle there and all the trees, lakes, and rivers everywhere. It was so good to be with our families too. Ben's brother Ryan came home from his mission to Jamaica so it was really good to see him after two years. My sister got engaged while I was away so I got to spend time with her and her fiance Will.

One of the funnest things we did was go to Seaside, Oregon. It is my favorite place in the whole world. When I was younger my family would go camping there on the beach multiple times every summer. I feel like I almost grew up there we were there so much so I absolutely love going back. My Mom had her birthday while we were home and she wanted to go on a family day trip to the beach. Here are some pictures:

So I absolutely love the Tilt-A-Whirl. Everytime I get on it I laugh non-stop and I can't help it. Here is me, Ben, and Kyle (my brother) in motion. I really am laughing but it's kinda hard to tell.

My brother had always wanted to go boogy boarding but never had so Ben taught him. He is now addicted and has already been a couple more times since we were home.

Kyle decided to dig a giant hole. It was like 3 feet deep. So my Mom and I jumped in for a picture.

Family Picture!!! Except for my Dad because he was taking the picture. From left to right: Will, me, Ben, Mom, Shannon, and Kyle is buried. He didn't like being buried so much and it took awhile to get him out of there.

Ok, this is one of my all time favorite pictures. This is taken at my favorite spot in the entire world. It's the South Jetty in Astoria, Oregon but I call it the rocks. These are massive boulders that jut out into the ocean to change the water current and tide so ships can sail closer to land. It was used in WWII. I like to sit on the rocks and stare out in the ocean. Here there is nothing but the ocean and you and it's the most peaceful feeling and beautiful sight I've ever seen. So this is Ben & I sitting on The Rocks at sunset.

Smith Family Reunion

2009-08-26T20:21:00.006-06:00

Well, this post is about 2 months late, but better late than never I guess. Over the 4th of July week and weekend, Ben's extended family, his Mom's side, had their annual family reunion. This year it was at the KOA at Bear Lake in northern Utah. It was a lot of fun. We made family reunion t-shirts, rode wave-runners, played all kinds of games, went swimming, and ate lots and lots and lots of food.

My favorite part though was one afternoon we drove to southern Idaho and visited the Minnetonka Cave. It was a guided tour through a sweet cave about two miles into the side of a mountain. It was crazy to think how much rock we were under. I've never been inside a deep cave before and I love anything geologic so I had a blast. Also, another highlight happened the very last night of the reunion when I wanted smores. You can't go camping without some smores. But a massive thunder & lightening storm came with hail. It was a pretty intense storm. After it passed over, Ben wanted to make me a fire so I could have my smores. I told him he didn't have to but he wanted to anyway. Everything was completely soaked so he spent two hours buidling a fire so I could have my smores. It was the nicest & cutest thing ever. It really made me happy :) Anyway, the reunion was tons of fun. I LOVE camping and grew up spending my summers camping at KOA so I loved being there. Also Ben's family is super nice and very welcoming of me. Here are some pics from the trip:

Cindy & Aubrey's KOA Kamping Kabin

Ben & me at the end of the Minnetonka Cave....this is my favorite picture.

Me with Ben's cousins, Maddy & Jessica, waiting to go into the Minnetonka Cave

Family Portrait...my shirt is way too big on me :(

Ben's family going into the Minnetonka Cave...I'm at the end there

Manti Temple & Pageant

2009-07-13T10:30:00.003-06:00

So our ward did a temple trip at the Manti temple. I thought doing a live session would be really weird but it wasn't. I loved moving from room to room. It made everything so much more meaningful and easier to understand. Also the temple was super old since it was built & furnished over 100 years ago. It made for a really neat experience. I was also taking a Utah State History class at the time so I kept thinking about the pioneer people & Brigham Young the whole time we were there. We then went & watched the Manti pageant which I thought would be this dinky small town production but it wasn't. It was massive with tons of costumes, cool sets, and lots of fire. It was freezing because a storm had just passed before the pageant and everything was wet & damp but it was still really awesome to see. Here are some pictures from our activity:

Where the pageant took place just below the temple

Waiting for the Pageant to begin

Our bishop took this picture. On a grass field with the temple in the background

In front of the Manti Temple

Hiking in Stewart Falls

2009-06-18T21:51:00.006-06:00

So this last Saturday Ben & I decided to go hiking. We both love being outside & being active so it sounded like a great activity. The weather said it was supposed to rain that day so we brought umbrellas & jackets and went on our way. The hike is just under 4 miles round trip. Well, about half a mile into the hike it started raining, then pouring, then hailing, then thunder & lightening. We found a grove of trees and put our jackets on and got our umbrellas out however we both managed to get soaked!! We waited for about 25 minutes hoping the storm would pass and when it didn't we decided to head back. We then ate the picnic we had packed for when we got to the waterfalls in the truck and then drove around the national park for a little while. It then started to clear up and we embarked on the hike again. It was a fun hike and so nice to be outside especially after the rain. The waterfalls were really pretty too. Utah is not normally this green this time of the year so I really reminded me of home which I loved. Here are some pictures after we got soaked and made it to the falls.

Stewart Falls

Sitting on a giant rock enjoying the scenery.

Us at the base of the waterfall.

Us as we begin our 2nd attempt of the hike.

This is Ben staring out into the forest, I think he's trying to look explorerish.

Ben & Stephanie

2009-06-09T21:59:00.004-06:00

So my computer crashed a few months ago, so tonight I had some spare time and I was uploading pictures from my camera back onto my computer. I found these random pictures of Ben & I.

We are at the TCU/Utah game. I was completely frozen by this point.

Us at the Jazz Game

Us on the Trax on our way to a Jazz game.

Here we are at Halloween last year. Our pumpkin is in the shape of a football.

Memorial Day Weekend - Tour of Idaho

2009-05-29T15:24:00.003-06:00

For memorial day weekend we had a packed 3 days. We went to Ogden & watched Terminator with Ben's uncle, cousin, and grandpa. Yep..I was the only girl. On Saturday we headed to Rexburg to go to Sam's sealing. I've never been to Rexburg. I almost went to BYU-I so it was interesting to see the campus. That school is practically the whole town. I'm glad I eneded up at BYU. Ben took me on a tour of the town which took a whole 8 minutes :) The sealing was great. I'm glad we got to be there. Audi looked beautiful and Sam couldn't stop smiling the entire day. We then went to Idaho Falls where Ben suprised me with a hotel reservation for that night for our 1 yr. anniversary! So we went and walked around all the parks around the snake river and saw the Idaho Falls. Amazingly pretty parks there. We went to the mall, got coldstone, and sat in the hot tub at the hotel with a large man who was putting away the beer. We then spent the rest of the weekend in Ogden with Ben's extended family. It was so much fun to just get away and go on a mini road trip. Here are some pictures of us in front of the Idaho Falls.

A Black Tie Affair

2009-05-18T15:49:00.002-06:00

So at the beginning of May Heidi and Janelle hosted a dinner party called A Black Tie Affiar. We were supposed to dress in nice clothes and enjoy an Italian dinner with a group of our friends. We had appetizers and a nice Lasanga dinner with homemade breadsticks. Ben and I hosted the dessert in which we had a cream pie with blueberries and strawberries on top. We then played pictionary and Catch Phrase (my favorite game). It was fun. Here are some pics from the night. I love how Ben rebelled and wore a red tie. It's a black tie party and he wears a red tie. Kinda funny.

Heidi's Birthday

2009-05-18T15:35:00.002-06:00

This is a really late post, but I finally got to updating my blog and need to go back and post some pictures that are a little late. For Heidi's 22nd birthday party we went with our group of friends to a resturant in the Riverwoods called Happy Sumo. Really good and fun enviornment, never been there before. It was a really fun night. I hope she had a happy birthday!

Protien

2009-04-08T11:34:00.002-06:00

Do we get the necessary amount of protein we need each day? According to the National Health and Nutrtion Examination Survey about 7% of teenage girls and 8% of adult women do not get the necessary amount of protein they need. Protein is important to many physiological functions, from building muscle and bone to keeping cells in good working order. Recent studies suggest that protein makes a meal more satiating, which in turn could help people maintain a healthy weight. Meat is known to be a great source of protein. But is this really the healthiest source of protein? When choosing meat as a main source of protein aim for lean meats like chicken, pork, and fish. Eggs, beans, and nuts are also excellent sources of protein also filled with Omega-3 fatty acids that help with heart health as well.

High Blood Pressure Levels

2009-04-07T14:14:00.003-06:00

Blood Pressure is critically important in maintaining a healthy heart but also maintaining healthy blood vessels. If we do not keep our blood pressure down under healthy levels than significant damage can happen to the blood vessels due to such high pressure which leads to wear and tear on the vessels. If the vessels get worn down they lose their elasticity and become hard. Blood clots may also form on the interior of the vessels leading to ateriosclorisis. These blood clots may than halt blood flow which with stop the flow of oxygen and other nutrients to the heart or brain which can cause a heart attack or stroke. Here are the healthy and unhealthy levels so we can better understand what those numbers mean when we go to the doctor's office.

Below 120 & Below 80

Normal - Maintain a Healthy Lifestyle

120-139 & 80-89

PreHypertention - Adopt a healthier lifestyle

140-159 & 90-99

Stage 1 Hypertention - Adope a healthier lifestyle, possibly need to take medications to help

lower blood pressure

160 or more & 100 or more

Stage 2 Hypertension - Adopt a healthier lifestyle, definently need to take medications to

lower blood pressure. May need to take multiple medications. Risk is high for heart attack,

heart disease, or stroke if not already sufferning from those diseases.

Farrah Fawcett's Cancer Battle

2009-04-07T12:29:00.003-06:00

Farrah Fawcett was recently hospitalized for complications associated with her battle with anal cancer. She received some unconvential cancer treatments in Germany which caused a large blood clot in her leg. The cancer is quickly metasticizing and has spread to her liver. However, the survival rate is 71% for this type of cancer in women so hopefully this is something she can beat.

Sports Drink Can Cause Damage to Teeth

2009-04-06T14:31:00.002-06:00

Often when we are active we may turn to sports drinks to quench our thirst. However, they may cause serious damage to the enamel on our teeth. In a news release by New York Univeristy it have been assserted that sports drinks may not be good for our teeth at all. They contain high levels of citric acid that cause tooth erosion. Sports drinks may also possibly trigger conditions leading to severe tooth damage and loss. These findings are being presented at the International Association for Dental Research in Miami. People who use sports energy drinks for energy should not brush their teeth immediately after drinking the beverages. Softened enamel is highly susceptible to the abrasive properties of toothpaste. Due to this recent development we do not have to stop consuming sports drinks at all, but do so in moderation.

How Fast Should I Run?

2009-04-03T16:04:00.000-06:00

Often when we go to the gym, we are unsure of how fast we are supposed to run in order to get the most out of workout. However, a recent journal article by Karen Streudel-Numbers posted in the Journal of Human Evolution suggests that we all have individual optimal paces that are best for us to exercise at. At this particular pace we can cover the greatest amount of distance with the least amount of energy. For the study, nine participants ran on a treadmill at six different speeds. Researchers measured each participant's metabolic rate at every speed, using a device that provided a breath-by-breath analysis of oxygen consumed and carbon dioxide produced. The optimal speed for most women is 6.5 miles per hour or a 9 minute mile, while for men it was 8.3 miles per hour or a 7 minute mile. Any speed lower than 4.5 miles per hour is not metabollically efficient because either walking fast or running slow can be physically awkward. This study concludes that men are more efficient runners than women because they tend to be longer limbed which is better suited for running. However, keep in mind that we should not all jump out and start running at high speeds. Work up to the exercise, or else this could lead to injury and incredible muscle fatigue.