Angel's Landing-I Found My Wings

The Monday after finals ended some friends and I headed down to Zion's National Park to hike Angel's Landing. Only two people in the group had done the hike before. I was super excited, but wasn't ready for how steep it was. My friends that went from left to right are Billy, Briana, me, Stefanie, and Jacqlyn. Look how beautiful the background is!
The first part was paved, but it was steeeeeep! My calves and shins were burning like fire. I could only imagine what it was going to do to our knees on the way down.
We found a holey rock mountain.

Me, Stef, Bri, Jac, and Billy
A much needed water break....
God loves us, look how beautiful.

This park of the hike was hard. It's called Walter's Wiggles and it's just really sharp turn backs so you don't have to go straight up, yeah, I'm not in shape, then again round is a shape. ;)

The last part of the hike was up a rocky mountain with cliffs on both sides, hence the chain.

Look at the itty bitty road....

We made it! 5,785 ft up in the air! It doesn't look that high, oh but it is.

Oh yeah, we're smart. I know let's race on top of the cliff!

What? I didn't see a sign that said don't feed the animals! (They sure did like our cheesey crackers though)

Our furry friends inspired Stef...

I think we all had a little too much energy on the way down.

That one hurt....

After we got back to the bottom we decided to play in the Virgin River. Turns out the water was freeeeeeezing, and we could only keep our feet in for like 3 seconds at a time, but it was pretty.

Oh Billy! You didn't.

On the shuttle ride down there was a family sitting in front of me and Stef and the mom was speaking French to her little boy. He was so cute and he even let me hold him. He wanted a drink, and every time the bus would move the water would slosh and go up his nose. It was funny, and a little sad. Stef said his mom looked like Celine Dion...we tried to get a picture without her noticing. haha I think it's safe to say that we all had a great time that day despite the major sunburns we all got. I was perfectly red, and still a week later I have a huge sock line that's white against red. I love it. :) I love summer because of all the great hiking that needs to be done!

Happy Birthday to Aunt LaVonna...and Me :)

May 8th is basically a really good day because I share my birthday with my great Aunt LaVonna! May 8th, 1990 at approximately 2:53 in the morning I was born. I'm not exactly sure what time I was born because my dad had a fight with the nurse about whether it was 2:52 or 2:53. Apparently the nurse had the final say because 2:53 is what ended up on my birth certificate. I was my parents first child, they loved me until they found out how strong headed I was....Lots of stories, but that will have to be for another day. Strangely enough they still love me...I think? I finally turned 19, even though it feels like I should be turning 20 (I know I know, these are the best years of my life, don't waste them, but still...) and LaVonna turned 78! Way to stick in there!
I'm not sure what she's laughing about, but she sure is cute. Aunt Lavonna that is.
I have to put this picture in because my grandma Jones was taking pictures and it's her worst pet peeve when I make faces, or grandchildren in general make faces at the camera that are anything but smiling. So of course I made some faces. :)

My mom said she was getting my ready for the real world because I made my own cake, and a lot of my dinner. She says that when I'm a mom no one will make my cake for me :( what's with that anyway?

Anyway, I made a funfetti cake (the best, just in case you didn't know) with strawberry frosting with REAL cream cheese beat into, topped with sprinkles and curvey swervy candles. I also made cupcakes for when my friends came over later that night. The batter was funfetti, but this time was frosted with rainbow chip frosting. (the 2nd best kind of frosting.) Nothing fancy, but it was a cake with candles. (Sorry LaVonna I couldn't fit 78 candles on it. ;) ) Make a wish!

For dinner we had BBQ pork with my aunt's homemade BBQ sauce (which is the only kind of BBQ sauce I like because it's incredible.) and mom's potato salad, grandma Finlayson's jell-o salad, chips, veggies, lemonade. yum. It felt like summer! Later that night I had a fire pit in my front yard, and a bunch of my friends came over and we did s'mores and roasted starbursts. (if you haven't tried this I highly recommend it.) We talked and laughed late into the night, and then I went for a quick little skeleton ride. haha Thanks to everyone who came!

All in all it was a great day! It was the first birthday I haven't cried on for like 3 years, it was beautiful outside, it was my birthday, I had no school, and nothing else to do, yup, good day. :)

This describes my life.

So as most of you know I've been in orchestra for practically my whole life, ok only 8 years, but for 5 of those 8 I've had the infamous Sam Tsgawa as my conductor. I was looking at his Facebook page and he posted the following question to students. I just have to share the comments because it is soooooo funny. Maybe it's because I'm nerd, but serisouly all of them are true. Most of them are inside jokes, but I'm sure some of them are universal nerdy things. Enjoy.


SAM: To students, former students, and friends. Please complete the following statement:"You know you have been in orchestra too long when..." Be nice. This is a public forum.


Youu have nightmares about your violin smashing into a million pieces. It's horrific.

A leatherman isn't just a handy tool... It's a form of torture!

the all black dress you bought specifically for orchestra concerts starts to show signs of serious wear and tear


you start saying "Music is fun!" after countless hours of the school musical rehearsals

You're able to tolerate those weirdo band kids.

you've called Sam "Dad." You find this unsurprising as you spend more time with him than you do with your family.

you wake up with the viola part to "Simple Symphony" or "Fiddles on Fire" stuck in your head.

You have dreams about sam. a lot. and nightmares about missing early morning every night during sprink break.

Your favorite tune is now Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairies instead of something more popular like Viva La Vida o Big Country.

Roger says that you know you've been in orchestra too long when you are laughing at Sam's jokes!


You start pounding out random rhythms on your body during math class!


You successfully convince Sam that your boyfriend should come along on the Chamber Orchestra tour as the "Orchestra Aide" ;DSecretly Sam, I would love nothing more than to still be in one of your orchestras today. I could NEVER get enough! ♥

I thought of another...when you spend your whole first paycheck on Snapple so you can pay somebody off...more than once.

you can throw "Sam Quotes" into everyday conversations without batting an eye. Oh, and when you try to convince everyone around you that the shortest pencil is better than the longest memory.


You can still play the chair part to Lord of the Dance.



These are soooo true! I thought of a few more:*you wake up early on weekends to get ready and then realize THERE ARE NO EARLY MORNING REHEARSALS ON SATURDAYS OR SUNDAYS!!!*you realize that all of your friends are either band or orchestra members and that everyone else is just weird or "doesn't get it"*you get callouses on your fingertips or a violin/viola hickey under your chin and you WANT to show it off*you start to think that wearing all-black is normal and not at all goth... Read More*all of your worst fears are orchestra/music/performance or conductor-related*your highest goal in life is to go Pro or to conduct an orchestra*you feel like "blood or vomit" are the only acceptable excuses for getting out of or missing anything important*You get bursitis in your shoulders as a teenager*all of your money goes to tour*all of your time goes to orchestra*you sell your soul to the conductor in your delirium of sleep-deprivation

Kjersti Jones: You have no finger or toenails left, and the answer to every possible question is "watch the conductor". By the way these are the funniest answers ever, and I'm still laughing at every comment.>

You're Never Lost When You Can See The Temple

The Draper Temple

I am been grateful for the experiences I've recently had with the temple. Ever since I was little my parents have tried to take me and my siblings to temple open houses that were near. I have been to the Bountiful, Vernal, Mt Timpanogas, Nauvoo, and now the Draper Temple open houses. Now I know my family isn't perfect, but I am grateful for the promises that are made through the temple. Satan works so hard on the family to tear it apart. I know that that is true. On the way to the Draper Temple open house it serisouly was like Satan was in the car. Everyone was yelling at something or another, but after we came out of the temple those feelings were not there anymore. Families are Forever. My family is forever. As I look at these pictures of my family I couldn't imagine being withouth them ever. One of my favorite part of general conference are the specials they show inbetween sessions. They did a whole hour on the Draper Temple. I loved it. Every temple is a miracle, and I love how it really is God's house on earth. My family is crazy, but they're my family. I loved conference this last week because they stressed the importance of all temple work. I loved the story of the little boy who told his grandpa that you can never be lost when you can see the temple. It's God's house and he's the only one that knows the path in which my life should go.

I love to see the temple I'm going there somday...

A cut cut here and a cut cut there, here a cut, there a cut everywhere a cut cut.

I finally stopped saying I was going to do it, and I just did it! I cut off 9 inches of my hair! AHHHHH! I thought I was going to cry, but it actually turned out fine. There were no tears. Actually there almost was when I went to wash it for the first time and there was no hair to wash. My shampoo and conditioner are going to last MUCH longer. I even cut bangs straight across...but I'm still working on how to make them look semi decent so they are pulled back. It's short, but I think I'll get used to it, and it'll be great for summer.

1. Who was your FIRST prom date? Tyler Wood

2. FIRST date? John Allen, Homecoming Dance

3. Do you still talk to your FIRST love? Yes, but he doesn’t know that he was my first "so called love".

4. What was your FIRST job? Well besides babysitting and teaching violin lessons I worked at a Photocolor Lab and I delivered to photographers all over Utah and Salt Lake Valley. I loved it because I got to drive and listen to the radio!

5. What was your FIRST car? I just barely got my OWN first car a month ago from some family friends for free! It’s a 1996 silver Mercury Villager minivan! It’s called the silver bullet! It runs and that’s all that matters. It’s probably my favorite thing.

6. Who was the FIRST person to text you today? Stef, to go play softball.

7. Who is the FIRST person you thought of this morning? Stef and Bri because I woke up with them sleeping next to me. I love ‘em!

8. Who was your FIRST grade teacher? Ms Sutton. I love her and still talk to her.

9. Who was your FIRST Kiss? My best friends brother…the end.

10. Where did you go on your FIRST ride on an airplane? To Chicago for my 12th birthday to visit my best friend!

11. Who was your FIRST best friend & do you still talk? Probably Jane Smith, Christine Vaughan, and Elizabeth Hollingshaus. We were terrors. ;)

12. Where was your FIRST sleepover? I think Elizabeth’s birthday party one year. I don’t remember, or possibly Christine’s house.

14. What was the FIRST thing you did this morning? Left Stef’s house to go home and get ready to go to the St George Temple.

15. What was the FIRST concert you ever went to? Hilary Duff at the Delta Center. It was my first day of 9th grade and my friend got tickets for her birthday so we got to go. Haha it was us and a bunch of mom’s with their 10 year old daughters. What a night. Haha

16. FIRST piercing? My bellybutton….haha no just kidding but I went through a phase where I really wanted to do it. I almost did. I got my ears pierced when I was 14.

17. FIRST foreign country you've been to? Um, nowhere.

18. FIRST movie you remember seeing? I have no idea. Actually it could have been Princess Diaries.

19. When was your FIRST detention? Last couple of weeks of 9th grade only it was called “morning enrichment” It was BS. But I did have detention in high school. Stupid room.

20. What was the FIRST state you lived in? Utah, oh and Utah…Utah. My life is too exciting.

21. Who was your FIRST roommate? Well my sister Cammy growing up, but in Cedar it’s Bri, Kelsey, Lyndie and Challis

22. What happened the FIRST time you were pulled over driving? Did you get a ticket? Never been pulled over. Hope to keep it that way. I must be bad luck to my friends though…I always seem to be with them when they get pulled over or in accidents. Haha

Consider yourself tagged. Can't wait to see your firsts.

My brother is pretty cool

I love my brother Nathan. He's 12 and he rocks at singing. For a 12 year old boy he has an incredible voice, and he makes up crazy awesome harmonies. He's soooo funny. He'll sit at the computer playing his stupid computer games, but in the process he'll just be singing away. He sings hymns, broadway, country, instrumental, anything. It's hilarious. He'll sing the song through the first time just the melody and then he'll sing it again, but this time just making up harmony that would sound so good with the melody. Oh, man I just wish I had a recording of it. The other day my mom texted me and said he was in the bathroom singing scales to the following: I'm on druuuuuu....g's. haha He better not be, but it's still makes me laugh. He's famous for making up new lyrics to songs. For example: Josh Groban's You Raise Me Up is now You Push Me Down, so I can fall down mountains, etc. My personal favorite is John Denver's Sunshine On My Shoulders:

Sunshine on my shoulders makes me sunburn, sunshine in my eyes can make me blind. Sunshine on the water fries the fishys, sunshine without ozone makes me die.

Who comes up with stuff like that anyway? One day I was sitting at my piano playing the Sunshine on My Shoulders song and I saw those words written in, and I started literally laughing out loud to myself, and our home teachers showed up and saw me through the window. They said I looked retarded, and it was embrassing, but I told them why I was laughing. They didn't think it was that funny, but whatever. (sorry that was kind of a lame story)

Anyway, he's just a little example. It's not much, but we try. Oh, and by the way, the only way I could get him to record this was if I made my mom tell him he couldn't have cake for dessert until he sang with me.