Here I am sanding a wall of the house that I helped to re-build after Katrina flooded it. Talk about a dusty job! 

All I want to say is Happy New Years! 2008 has been an interesting year for myself there have been some zealous and ever exciting moments.  One moment was June 15th, the day that I graduated from Oregon State. I always knew that I would graduate, just never imagined doing it in four years.  I still have trouble believing that I actually have a degree. 

Another radiant moment was having an old friend enter my life again.  Just being able to spend two months with him was absolutely perfect and wonderful. Sometimes we lose touch with people whom we really care about.  It is always nice to be able to have the opportunity for a second chance to see those whom either stole our hearts, made us laugh, cry or smile or those whom we always had a great time with.  Second chances are nice especially when a friend moved far away in the past and again in the present. Take advantage of every opportunity to spend time with people that you really care about. I did and so should you! 

What else, I ran my first half marathon in a pretty decent time. I held my goal pace for all thirteen miles! I went to Costa Rica with Kayleen, where we had a crazy, and very random time.  We met a crazy alcoholic ex-Vietnam Vet named Paul who hit on Kayleen.  We took the bus all over country and we took every kind of bus imaginable. I bought my first ever beautiful road bike at a great deal. I became an addicted cyclist with the help of a few of my friends. Moving to Utah killed my addiction because I went riding and I nearly got run off the side of the road by a Suburban. To this day, I still have scars from the fall. What else...Oh I completed my first triathlon in which I placed second in. 

I traveled to New Orleans where I helped to better the lives of one family that was impacted and affected by Hurricane Katrina. While in NOLA, I learned so many useful skills which I can take with me for life. I also traveled to San Francisco and Sacramento, two cities that I had never been to before prior to that trip. I reacquainted myself with an old friend again from my freshman year of college. 

The list could go on and on, but those memories will always stick. My trip to Costa Rica was absolutely crazy and it wouldn't have been crazy without KAYLEEN. How could I forget, I got my first real job ever and I moved to Salt Lake City Utah to live with my sister. Talk about crazy! It has been more fun than I thought it would be. I have taken up a liking to rock climbing and I have been snowboarding like a mad woman. 

All I want to say is Happy New Years. May 2009 be even brighter than 2008.  A cheerful message is on its way to you this year. Miss you all.  Love, peace and warmth. 

A volunteer wrap-up

An experience I won't forget

I was not sure what to expect heading into this trip.  All I knew about NOLA was that it is the headquarters of blues and jazz music, they love their sport teams, and they love to eat BBQ and shrimp. But after spending a week here volunteering, touring and experiencing the culture I see that there is so much more to NOLA than the three things I mentioned. 

Helping to reconstruct a home for a family has truly been unbelievable. The house that I worked on was in the Upper Ninth Ward of the city. The family lost their home from Katrina and haven't been able to live there since then. The house belongs to a woman named Elizabeth and her two teenage daughters. While this was one of the nicer neighbors in the area, it was still hard to see that. Destruction and poverty constantly reminded me of where I was.  While taking a break from working on the house, I watched this young girl, her son, an older woman (perhaps her mother) and her boyfriend I assumed all from afar. Here was a girl no older than 17 with a 3-year-old toddler running around and a her stomach fully expanded for another child on the way in a couple of months. They were all hanging out on a street corner in the middle of the day which probably meant that they were drop-outs because it wasn't later than 1 p.m. Seeing that family broke my heart. I began to feel so bad not only for the child but for the poor girl that is going to be a mother of two.  I just felt as if she'll be stuck in the same bad neighborhood for the rest of her life raising her two kids, and perhaps even more trying to make ends meat. I hope that I am completely wrong about her, but I just have an itch that I am not. 

From the teenage pregnancies to the new skills that I learned while rebuilding a house it all was so incredible. I learned everything from caucking a bathtub, to trim around the living room.  I also learned how to drill in studs to hang blinds. I bettered my touch-up painting skills and I learned how to stain wood floors. Lastly, I learned how to mud a house thats right I officially can dry-wall any house for the rest of my life. With the dry walling also comes the skill of sanding which I also mastered.  Texturing wasn't my strong suit, but I learned how to texture walls to make them smoother. 

With learning new skills came confidence for myself. Sometimes I feel like I am worthless when it came to fixing and learning new home improvement skills. But now, I feel like I could do so much. I liked how hands-on I was this week and I really took a moment to learn.  I sat back observed, took criticism, praise and advice. I didn't let my ego and pride overtake my education for the week. I truly feel as if I am growing as a human and as a woman. Sometimes I let me pride overtake an opportunity to learn new things. 

Friday involved seeing a house dedication which made it all worth while. We dedicated a house to Darlene Huber whom lives in St. Bernard another neighborhood community. This community was hit the hardest of any other one during Katrina. Houses were either completely submerged or 3-6 feet covered in water. Darlene's house was around six feet underwater prior to the rebuilt. Could you imagine your home being under six feet of water? I saw pictures of her home right after Katrina and it is shocking. We sang Amazing Grace, and said a few prayers. She received gifts from different churches and one just happened to be from Corvallis. Apparently a group from Corvallis and other parts of Oregon came a few weeks prior to myself. 

Coming down to NOLA to volunteer was an absolutely amazing experience. Today was such an emotional day.  I have truly seen how wonderfully gracious people can be despite how much money they have.  A family that received their home back last April came by the Project Homecoming Office to drop of a Christmas gift of $1,000 to helping another family have enough funds to finish their home. A $1,000 from a family which doesn't have too much extra money laying around. That is a lot of money for them to donate and they did it because they care and because they were so touched with how their home turned out. That is why volunteering is so important because you get to experience and see magic happen everyday. 

This week has been absolutely fabulous. I have learned so much about myself, about my future and about others. I have eaten some amazingly delicious food including boiled crawfish, rare at this time of the year, red beans and rice and of course some gumbo and BBQ! 

I will post some photos this week when I am back in Salt Lake. 

The house next to Elizabeth's has been vacant since September 13, 2006.  Mold was like an organism and rapidly expanding all over the house.  The house's exterior made of vinyl was completely falling off and being replaced with mold. All of the windows were broken and the door was boarded up.  While all the homes must of looked like this after Katrina it is still so sad to see how many houses still look this way. I asked Mark if he ever thought that New Orleans would be completely rebuilt and he said no. 

Sunday: Tamara and I walked all around New Orleans today, literally. We started our journey at that big street market downtown.  It reminded me of Pike Place Market in Seattle but with less food vendors and more art work available for sale. The market also featured live music which is a must in New Orleans. We walked around for a bit checking out different vendors.  

Next we ate Beignets which are famous down here. Beignets are like doughnuts expect even sweeter. Each Beignet has about a pound of powdered sugar on it and they are served with coffee and whole milk. I personally thought they were a bit too sweet and after eating just one it made my stomach hurt a bit. 

I saw some statues of the great Robert E. Lee and Jefferson Davis.  The south loves their Civil War heroes. 

Next we walked down St. Charles Ave in the French Quarters which features old, traditional and historical homes. Most of them have been around since before the Civil War and were southern plantations at one time or another. The designs of some of the homes were incredible. Designs from a corn-detailed fence to different shapes carved into the wood exterior of the home. Some homes had towering porches that would extend all around the home while others had 8 by 8 shutters around the windows. I saw Anne Rice's old home and Nicholas Cage's new home. 

We continued our journey to the art encouraged and unique Magazine Street. This street was all local.  Local stores, restaurants and bars all engrossed in one street. If you are an antique lover like myself than this street and town is for you. I saw some of the coolest antique whilst searching different stores. The street's nickname could have been "thrift store mania" because it all featured four or five different thrift clothing stores. I ended up buying this awesome street car t-shirt there. 

Lastly to wrap up our day Tamara and I stopped by a dive bar and had a drink while we sat outside to rest our tried feet and waited for Mark to pick us up. Sitting outside on December 13th is pretty amazing considering it was 20 degrees and snowing in Salt Lake. 

Tomorrow is my first day of volunteer work and I am so excited. I love construction work and I cannot wait to dive right into a project.

GOODNIGHT! 

My first full day in the City of Jazz!

New Orleans Day One:

  

This city is so magical and I simply cannot get enough of it. Today Tamara, Mark, Jordan Delaney and I all went to the Freret Street Market which goes on during the first Saturday of every month. Since it is the holiday season, the Market went on the first two Saturdays of December. I was fortunate to be here to see it. This is a real local market, it is not in any tourist books nor is it really targeted for tourists.  It is all about the locals when it comes to the Freret Market, the "Frestive Market" as it is called during the holiday season. This market features four lives bands because it goes from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.  Most of the bands have some Jazz or Blues influence to them with a bit of rock mixed in. 

At the market, you can buy Aibeta the local beer brewed right in New Orleans for $2.00 a cup. Not only is the beer inexpensive but it is pretty tasty and you get to keep the decorative plastic cup. The Market also features local artists whom bring their art to sell. Local restaurants also come and bring vast amounts of different local food favorites to each Market. Today I ate bbq shrimp and grits mixed in this creole sauce. It was so delicious, I am drooling just thinking about it. 

 

People walk around the city with a cup of beer in one hand all day long. I find this lifestyle fascinating considering I live in a place in which I have to buy a membership to any place that serves alcohol. Drinking is just a way of life here.  

Tonight we went to The Gumbo Restaurant which is a Creole Restaurant. Creole came from the French, Native American and African Americans whom all came to New Orleans back in the day. It is a sauce that tends to be rich in flavor. It can be sweet, thick and spicy all at the same time. 

After the restaurant we went to Preservation Hall a Jazz Club for all ages that has been around since the early 1900s. The Hall has live music every night including its own "Preservation Jazz Band, whom we saw tonight. This band had so much sole and were so good it was hard to leave. 

Tamara, Mark and myself continued to walk down Bourdin Street where we saw a whole slew of Santas. Some were Pirate Santas, while others were Naughty Santa, and Big Foot Santa. It was quite entertaining to see about a hundred Santas all walking down the street together getting drunk. I also went to observe the different bar scenes which was cool to see. 

Lastly, I got my BEADS! I waved to a lot of people, flirted with the men and smiled to get some. I feel as if I truly experienced the bead side of New Orleans. Tomorrow is some more sight-seeing and new adventures then it is off to work! 

I am dead tired, good night world!

My flight adventures to New Orleans

Flying to New Orleans today proved to be a lot more fun then I thought. It actually was one of the best flights that I've ever had. After feeling a bit stressed about trying to find a person to take me to the airport, my friend Eddy came through.

On my first flight from Salt Lake to Vegas I sat by an older couple whom were full of energy and ready to party Vegas style on the plane. The husband had just flown in from Hungry and then was on another flight to Vegas with his wife for a weekend getaway. He was hunting Boar whilst in Hungry. They are Utahans like myself. Wow, I guess I can actually say that being that I have a Utah Driver's License. They live 15 minutes outside of Park City. Anyway...I closed my eyes at the start of the flight and woke up just in time for the flight attendant to ask me what I wanted to drink. I replied "orange juice please," the husband then opened his mouth saying "we are all having screw drivers, I am buying you want one too?" My inital reaction was it's 9:45 in the morning are you crazy? But then I thought "hey its 9:45 in the morning, why not have a screw driver?" So he ordered me a screw driver and we all sat drinking our vodka and orange juice talking about hunting boars in Hungry and Pearls. It was quite a party indeed. They went on to have two more screw drivers and I decided one was plently at that time of day.

My next flight from Vegas to New Orleans was also a pretty good time. One of the flight attendant's was re-writing Christmas Carols to the theme of Southwest Airlines. She must of sang six different songs with the theme of Christmas, Southwest, New Orleans and the passengers on the flight. At first it was a bit too much, but by the third song I was into it just like everyone else. The people a few rows down from me started a rhythm section and had the whole entire flight clapping their hands to the beat. It was a bit humerous to see. No screw drivers on this flight, strictly ginger ale.

After three hours and twenty minutes later we landed in New Orleans. I waited for Tamara Sell, my old high school teacher to pick me up. Tamara and Mark (her husband) moved down to New Orleans to help out after Katrina hit. Mark is the leader of Project Homecoming a volunteer organization that helps to re-build people's homes that were lost during Katrina. His staff has currently built 13 new homes. Tamara teaches at the school that both Delaney and Jordan, her two girls go to school at.

Tamara and Mark have an Ameri-core employee living with them in the basement. His name is Andy and he is from Philly. He has been living and working with Mark and the Project Homecoming for a year and a half now. Andy loves living and helping out down here. He is 23 like myself and a pretty fun guy. I am going to hit the town with him and his friends later tonight!

Well, that is all I have to say at this moment. I will update you all in the next few days as well as load some photos. I have to get to building a ginger bread house now with Delaney!

GOODNIGHT from New Orleans!

Five easy steps towards a healthier planet

I was given a great book called the 1,001 Ways to Save the Earth and it is absolutely an amazing book. 

So I am going to share five of the simplest things anyone could do everyday! 

1. Less speed, more food...driving 50 mph is 25% more fuel-efficient than driving at 70 mph. 

2. Donate your weekend shave...save on water, foam, by giving up your daily shaving ritual at the weekend. A little bit of facial hair is sexy on a man anyways.  

3. Baking soda is wonderful!  Forget about the fancy cleaning products: for one they are expensive and secondly they tend to kill some of the natural germs that are needed to help us keep up on our natural defenses.  Baking Soda is inexpensive and it makes a great all-purpose cleaner, scouring powder, polish and fungicide. Whatever is left you can do some baking with!

4. Extremely Cool: Keep a pitcher or bottle of tap water in the fridge. This will help to limit the amount of water wasted waiting for it to come out of the faucet. 

5. Be a smart cook...cooking meals from scratch is a healthier, and more energy-efficient option then buying processed foods, or takeouts.  You can save even more energy by not slaving to the cookbook. If you turn off the oven 10 minutes before the time stated in the recipe, the residual heat would continue to cook the meal. 

So there are five easy steps that we all can do to help reduce our CO2 composition and make our planet even healthier. It's easy steps like this that will really save our planet. Together we all can make a difference. 

ROCK CITY, IDAHO 

Lone Peaks 

This was my first big rock climbing trip! It was one great trip and the weather was crazy. One moment it was hailing the next it was sunny.  The wind was blowing so hard, I felt as if I was going to fly away. We hiked, camped, climbed and we had to change a flat tire all in one weekend. When it was hailing we could not climb so we all piled into my friend's van and watched The Bee Movie.  Overall, this trip rocked! Isn't this place magical? 

Yay for pictures!

I am finally exposing the good times that I have experienced in Utah through photos. This photo came from my 23rd costume birthday party. Talk about one crazy night which involved wrestling, naked exposures (not myself) from different people, bobbing for apples, a punch that had too much liquor in it, and of course a dance party! It was a blast and one of my favorite birthday parties that I've had in a long time. 

my absence is finished!

Hello all:

  Sorry about my long absence from updating you all on my journeys in Utah this year. I will get back on the horse and continue to ride and inform everyone of my travels. Things have been going wonderfully lately.

   The season has finally started to turn into winter and snow is transforming onto the mountains. Whilst it is hard to get used to such a difference in the weather, it is extremely nice to finally see the beginning of winter. I love to bundle up in different hats, gloves, scarfs and warm clothes. Nothing beats a hot cup of tea, some cookies and a warm fire in the later parts of the evening and early mornings.  I am going snowboarding for my first time this Saturday and I couldn't be more excited. It hit me a few days ago how much I missed snowboarding so it will be nice to get back on the mountain extending my jumps and rhythm. 

    During my stance of a troubled social life I joined different groups like the Wasatch Outdoor Group. We meet up once or twice a week and we go on different hiking, snow shoeing, rock climbing and other fun adventures. I have met a lot of awesome people through the group and I have quickly devoured friendships. Being in an outdoor group is lovely because not only are we doing outside activities, but we are also engaging in conversations and constantly meeting new people. 

   I also have been climbing at a local rock gym by my house.  I love going there for one the gym is huge and it has a vast range of different climbs, bouldering and crack climbing. The gym also features a coffee shop, an REI next door, yoga classes and an exercise facility area. The bonus on top of all that goodness, is the fact that the place is populated with attractive and adventurous guys whom are eye candy while you climb. Seriously...talk about a pool, (okay a gym) of attraction! It is just an extra bonus to go there and meet and look at all the attractive men and I feel so good after I climb. It not only helps my strength but it gives me so much confidence too. It gives me a sense of power and accomplishment every time I finish a hard climb. 

    Lastly, I am learning how to ski this year. I really wanted to learn how to ski this season because I think it would be neat to know how to ski and board. My friend Seth works at Alta, only one of the best all skiing resorts in the U.S. and maybe the world. He is giving some free ski lessons. I love that mountain because it is free ski time starting at 3 p.m. giving a person about an hour and a half of FREEdom! Haha, get it FREEdom! I crack myself up =)

   Well, that is my updated life thus far. I am excited for my vacation to New Orleans. I'll be writing from there starting next Friday.

   Miss and love everyone!

   Hugs and kisses from me,

Jenna 

Hello friends,

How are my blog readers doing? Things are going well with me. My mom and dad are in town for the OSU vs. Utah game on Thursday night. I am bit nervous for the game because Utah has the 5th best run defense in the nation so it might be a bit tough to run. Thanks goodness for Jacquizz Rodgers. We are going and I am excited not only to see the parents which when they are in town do and make a lot for myself and my sister but also go to a college football game again and be in the football atmosphere. I helped my mom make home made meatballs and mushroom sauce. Both turned out fabulous because we are awesome cooks when we do it together.

So I started coaching swimming last week. I am the JV Coach for Skyline High School in Salt Lake City. Skyline not only has a swimming dynasty winning 5 of the last 7 state titles, but a dynasty in 5A football as well. Coaching is going great, I get to work with kids and continue being apart of the sport that gave me lots of joy in my life when I was younger. The JV squad consists of 26 kids, most of the 26 are ladies. I do however, have about 8 guys whom all want to swim in the same lane. I guess the guys do not like swimming with the girls. The team did their first test set yesterday and it went pretty well. I am impressed with the level that the kids are at.

Being around high school kids is a bit strange for myself. I feel a bit old whenever I am on the grounds of the school. I love people watching on a high school campus because each person is so unique and so mysterious. I often create different stories, and different scenarios about the people that I see. I am probably totally wrong about the individual but I love creating a person from scratch.

I am buying my mountain bike this week which is pretty exciting! I finally picked out the exact one and I cannot wait to tell you all about it. I will post pictures. When i get home today, I am going to post the Lone Peak/City of Rocks photos for you all I promise.

Miss you, and love you all!

False statements for a supposive candidate that wants put "the country first."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GEtZlR3zp4c

I love how John McCain says one thing and then we find out later that what he told us is completely false. This is just one of many videos that prove this notion. We need a president that is going to be honest to the American people. So when considering who to vote for, choose the candidate the will actually talk the talk and walk the walk for our country. You all know who to vote for come November 4th.

My first climbing trip!

So what do you do when work feels like it is suffocating all of your energy and all of you? Easy, you take a sick day and go on a rock climbing trip in Idaho. That is the perfect way to start breathing and get energy back. Well, that is excatly what I did. I went climbing at City of Rocks which is pretty much like an amusement park for rock climbers. It is like going to Disney land, there are so many rocks, so many routes and so many interesting people. I will post photos in the next couple of days. I am to lazy to go get my camera right now. This place is so gorgeous. Lots of great hiking and mountain biking as well as climbing. I feel like a "real" climber now because I got so much better and I did a lot more climbing. I completed my first ever crack climb this past weekend and I am learning how to lead climb. During our second day, it hailed while my sister's boyfriend was on route. The hail looked like golf balls. So half of our day was spent sitting in the van waiting for the weather to clear up. While we were waiting, we watched the Bee movie because we took a mini van that had a DVD player in it. I thought of you Sarah Lake while watching the movie because we went to see that movie together over Thanksgiving. Good times, I miss you! When the weather did clear it was about 4:30 so we didn't have a ton of time to climb, but we did get a few routes in. This trip was so refreshing for me. It helped to relieve all of my stresses and it made me just enjoy being outside in this magical place climbing 200 million year old rocks. It helped me to realize what being young and having fun is all about. I am so happy that I decided that I "sick" last Friday and go on this roller coaster ride. Okay, so it wasn't literally a roller coaster but I am trying to stay with the amusement park theme. I am also so happy that I found a store which sold ROGUE beer because I have missed it terribly. I have missed my Mocha Porters and that crisp taste that still makes my mouth water.

Well, I am super tired and am feeling my upper eyelids touch my lower ones, so that is my cue to say goodbye for today and goodnight.

Peace, love and pancakes:
Jenna

P.S. Don't forget to watch the Presidential Debates this Friday, if you are worried about our economy or your future career than you should watch them.

P.S.S. Start dreaming of excellent snow falling on mountains all over the West.

A bit of an update!

I went to the AST Dew Tour today which was awesome. I went to the Skate Vert Finals featuring Bucky Lasek; the overall Dew Tour Leader and one of skateboarding legends. He ended up falling on the final third run but all in all the day was pretty fun. I saw a skater almost land a 900 he had one landed foot on the board and the other foot could not hold on which was unfortunate because it would have been the first time that he landed it. I didn't realize how big skateboarding is in Brazil, four of the twelve competitors were from Brazil.

I bought my season ski pass last Thursday and I cannot wait for snowboard season here! I will be a kid in a candy shop once the snow starts falling and the powder is flowing down the mountains. I also just transferred money to buy my mountain bike so come next week I will have my very first, and very own mountain bike in which I can start riding. Once I get my bike, I am going to post some pictures of it on facebook and here. I have found some friends to start riding with so thats good considering I have never really mountain biked before.

What else is new, I am going to be an assistant swim coach for a high school in SLC. I miss working with kids so that shall be fun and earning a few extra dollars will also be nice. That starts up in November and I am looking forward to it. Work is going really well. It is a great learning environment and I am taking on a lot of different responsibilities.

I am still meeting new people and having fun! The weather here is still sunny and beautiful.

Till next time peace
Jenna

Embraces new life journeys....

My sister started her first few days of her "new life." Okay so maybe it is not her new life, but she is starting the path to become a doctor at The University of Utah. I am excited for her to embrace new challenges, knowledges and a new field that is her calling in life. I went to a BBQ with her for all Utah Medical Students and it made me realize how amazing the journey is towards her new life. She is like a baby taking its first steps, she is taking her first steps towards her ultimate career aspiration. Friday is her white coat ceremony in which the Medical School physically welcomes the first years into the start of their new journeys. I personally am excited to watch and embrace her new journey.
I guess I am on a new journey as well ever since I moved here. My journey took a slightly different direction with myself deciding to take a few more classes at the community college. Classes that would not only help to further my education, but also classes that would help me with my future career. While I am still deciding if working in the Sports Industry is my life calling I am taking classes that would be beneficial in all careers. I am taking a web site design class, Principles of Interviewing, and CPR and First Aid. After being at Oregon State the past four years and then transitioning to a community college has been an interesting switch of pace. I am really enjoying the small class sizes at the community college level. Being a student at this level you really get to engage not only with your professor, but with other classmates on a more intimate level. There are more opportunities for extra help outside of the classroom and the professors are more willing to sit down and talk your future plans. I have come to like the way most of my professors handle class. Most of them don't believe in midterms or finals and they like you to get more of a hands on learning style than a lecture style of learning. It is so nice to take classes that I want to take versus classes that I need to take.
I am working on embracing my new life journey. I am working on bettering myself and learning to be happy on a consistent base. I am challenging myself mentally, physically and emotionally. My two areas in which I am working to improve upon are being more patient with everything that I do and I am trying to give straight, to the point answers.


Till next time...Smile, be safe and have fun everyday!

A month in....

It is August 4, 2008 and I am about to finish my first month living and working in Utah. My job has really taken off and I am starting to feel important, needed and appreciated more and more everyday. I am doing a lot of marketing, promotions and writing. I am now the Promotions and Marketing Intern for Pepsi and this internship is allowing me to see what corporate America is all about. I must say that we as a nation rely on corporations so much and I never realized how much until getting involved in this internship. Pepsi helps to control some of the things we as an athletic department get to do and do not get to do. If they don't give us money, we are not doing it.
My personal life is starting to take off as well. I am meeting lots of people through my ultimate frisbee group. From this group, I have people to rock climb every Wednesday night with to go along with my ultimate frisbee.
Last weekend, we went to a cabin in Ogden Utah, and I had such a blast. This cabin was on five acerages of land, and it has a spring fed pool that has a temperature of 60 degrees all year round. I love non-chlorinated pools. Right near the cabin, is this huge resovir that you can go cliff jumping off of or just swim around in. The resovir was so clean and clear, it was like looking through a clean glass cup. I also experienced my first Salt Lake Saturday market which borught in all the local and organic food from all over Utah. It was a bit pricy however, very delicious.
What else, Oh I met this awesome guy who is probably one of the sexist men that I have ever met. He is nice and really into being outside just like myself. He is half Colombian and half Austrian and a tad bit younger than me. We have been hanging out a bit and hopefully that will contiinue!

Have fun, be safe and smile!

I finally got out a bit this weekend which was fabulous! My sister, her boyfriend and I took the dogs and our gear and went rock climbing in the Unita Mountains. The scenery was absolutely gorgeous and it gave me a great sense of true natural beauty. Rock climbing was a bit harder than I thought. It wasn't my first time, but it was my first time in a year. I learned how to belay a lead climber and I learned all the climbing lingo. I also took the dogs for a hike around the beautiful mountains which still had snow on them. I slid down the snow because I kept falling trying to walk in it. The dogs went swimming in Ruth Lake and I threw them a stick many times.

When I got back last night after the hour and a half drive; Rudi, Harte (two of my best friends from high school) and Pete (from Holland) all were on there way to my house because they are staying with me for three nights! I was so happy to see people that I not only knew but were friends with. Mom comes tonight with my car and to help me move into the basement. It will be one big party for the next few nights.

While Harte, Rudi and Pete are here I hope to participate in some activities with them. I want us to go to a Bee's game which is a minor league baseball team for the Angels as well as go to Park City. I also wouldn't mind if we all went hiking but who knows if we will have time. I have yet to experience the bar scene of Salt Lake so perhaps we can experience that as well together. To get into bars in SLC you need to have a membership which I decided is basically like a one time cover charge. When I do experience the bar scene I will keep you posted.

I keep on meeting the most interesting people here. I liked that aspect because you never know what you are going to get with people from Utah.

I better actually start doing real work now versus writing my blog.
Till next time,
Jenna

A half week in...

I am finally starting to feel like this is my home and starting to enjoy things more. At first I was a little worried moving here and afraid of being in a new place but I have started to relax a bit more. I went to this awesome Yoga studio for a yoga class on Tuesday. I had never been to a yoga studio so already I did one new thing while here.

I need to explore downtown more but what I have seen I have liked so far. I have three friends going to be in Salt Lake and staying with me so therefore I might explore more of downtown with them.

My job is finally getting on its way. I am the Sports Information Director at Salt Lake Community College. Isn't that a fancy title? It is weird being 22 with a fancy job title like that. Volleyball season starts at the end of August and when that starts I will be a lot busier with working games. Last year Salt Lake Bruin Volleyball was ranked number 1 in the nation. They ended up placing 3rd overall but it was the best season in school history. Everyone that I work with is really nice and helpful. I get more of the family feeling working in a small athletic department than working at a place like Oregon State. I just wrote my first big article on volleyball today and I am looking to touch it up with perfection.

I played poker last night and had such a great time. I did not think that I would, but I realized how risky I am as a player. It is way more fun to be a risky player than one that sits back. I figured since it was only $5.00 why not play on the edge. It ended up almost paying off, but I broke even which is better than losing money.

Tomorrow I am going to see The Roots play a free concert in downtown Salt Lake. It should be a great show and extremely fun.

Tat-Tat for now,
Jenna

The beginning to a Utah journey, and a new chapter

Greetings everyone from Sandy Utah. This is my new home for at least the next year and I am still unsure about this move. I am still trying to grasp the fact that I am no longer in college and now having to start in the "real world." Sandy is about 25 minutes from Salt Lake and 45 minutes from Park City. I am right in the view of the Wasatch Mountains, which circulates Sandy and other suburb cities. Yes, I am living in the suburbs. While there are the typical suburban essences like neighborhoods and chain stones infesting the cities there is still so much beauty that surrounds Sandy. The mountains obviously add a whole new form of beauty to the suburbs as well as the endless trails for walking, hiking and running. There are less cookie cutter homes here but rather neighborhoods filled with unique style and individuality. Either suburb life has changed, or the Utah suburbs are unique creatures all in themselves.
I cannot wait to experience the outdoor life in this outdoor lovers paradise. With my graduation money, I am going to buy a mountain bike. I am pretty excited to buy my bike. My sister and I are going to go on a hike later this week, so that will be my first encounter with outdoor paradise besides the snowboarding.
Last night was my first night here living with my sister. So far we are getting along, and hopefully it can stay that way. I am keeping my fingers crossed for a peaceful unity between the both of us. I met my sister's boyfriend last night, Mark. He is an attractive rock climber and has actively engaged my sister into climbing a lot. He is younger than Chris (her ex-boyfriend) thank God. He seems nice, but my final grade of him is still being determined. Last night was fun because my sister had a BBQ in which she invited a few friends over. Like myself, she has mostly guy friends. I guess we are more alike then I thought. We ate, drank and chatted. Because the beer sucks here do to less alcohol content (unless you buy it from a liquor store, which is ridiculously expensive) I will have to drink harder alcohol. Maybe the fact that beer sucks here is a good thing for when I start my training for another marathon.
Tomorrow is my first meeting with my boss, Norma for my first REAL job out of college. Norma is the athletic director at Salt Lake Community College where I am a Sports Information Assistant. I will let you know how that goes in the next few days. I am getting pretty tired as it is 10:30, I know its so late!

Till Next Time,
Jenna