Frijoles!

I had all kinds of fun pictures of my brother Mike first of all, Mike loves beans and that movie Nacho Libre or whatever it's called so on our trip I nicknamed him frijoles, I love beans too, actually every 6 months there is a bulk foods sale at Smiths and every 6 months I seem to buy more cases of beans they are stacked next to our refrigerator and are about as tall as me. My mom hates beans, my dad loves them, I think all of us kids love them but I remember when I was little my mom always told me I wouldn't like them and surprise I love them! Mike's birthday is in 15 days so we can call this his birthday post as well. When we were kids my mom would make a can of OJ on Sunday's at which time we were aloud one glass. No more just one, so the night before we left the house we had to clear out the OJ and I just might cry posting this picture bc I love that kitchen!!!!! Next up my mom had us clean out our school boxes, what is that? Remember when that was considered technology? Haha I threw away so much artwork, and even my timberwolf medals, my family was in shock but what was I supposed to do wear them around saying I was an honor student in middle school? When I told TJ he said I should have kept them to show our kids oh well children, yes your ma was an honor student who had medals with timberwolves on them on gray and blue ribbon, ya I should have kept them but I hate junk!!!!!!
Anyway back to Mike, so Mike is one of the most fun people I've ever known, it was always a party when Mike lived at home! He started the semi-watching on top of bridges and our Sunday drives to the Garden of the Gods, as well as playing on Gold Camp! He showed me many of my favorite things about Colorado Springs! Mike and I were always shopping buddies, we trust each others opinion for style! It was so fun that his flight got can canceled, TJ was sick so we went thrift store shopping and he ended up with a cool hoody and I found the perfect shirt for my wardrobe, just what I had been looking for, we stopped by Old Navy and talked each other out of $20 sandals, mine were too flashy and his were just too expensive for flip-flops. TJ hates shopping so it was a blast for me! The next day after I extracted chlorophyll from spinach in my organic chem class we headed to see Fictionist play in front of Gray Whale, the weather was perfect and TJ was feeling better. TJ's shirt was actually my grandpa's I'd say it was made for TJ! Anyway back to Mike again, Mike was in a punk band in college that actually opened for Plain White T's, funny thing bc I was an early fan of PWT's and didn't know my brother had such high connections;-)

Ahhhh life!!!!!

Phew what a wild month, of the 6 tests in my chemistry class 5 yes 5 were in this month and 2 of them are Monday, during this month I have been in CO for a week had interviews for new jobs, worked 40 hours a week, and had family to entertain + a sick husband, and I was selected as a bridesmaid for Lily, geez, pray for me. Saturday I thought of all my fun memories in SLC and decided that SLC can indeed be my home, maybe, whenever I think of that I think of Waldo Canyon where I believe is God's footstool, or the Garden of the Gods or one of my billions of favorite mountain spots that are all within a short drive. These aren't just wilderness areas these are places where I am able to go and completely escape civilization, maybe see a bear or some deer.
My favorite memories of Salt Lake include my house on 21st South where I started on a mattress on the top of the stairs with one box for about a month and then graduated into a room with 3 glorious windows 1 that faced the foothills and 2 that faced north and a tree where the birds always woke up before the first crack of dawn. We secretly (well till we were found out, we didn't know there was a limit) incubated 5 women in a 3 bedroom 1.5 bath apartment, most of us didn't shower well at least not all the way or every day and we had 2 hair styling stations in the hall where there were also 2 windows. I love windows! I have not moved to certain places because of lack of windows. How I ended up in a basement apartment, well . . . I met a cute boy . . .
I shared a room with Lily we laughed we cried, well mostly I cried and she wiped away my tears, we read in our beds all day and all night, we woke up early and stayed up late. We tried lots of good local food or at least tried to. We went through boyfriends and crushes, lots of jerks, and lots of women empowering music, like Regina Spektor and Ingrid Michelson, plus lots of classical. Lily taught me not to be so sentimental and I think maybe I taught her to be a little, one day we went to temple square where we served our missions she cried, I didn't it was usually the opposite, when it came to whether we should keep things or not I adopted her theme of throwing it out! I need to get back to my one box living I loved it!
Our singles ward moved to a beautiful church historical sight that looks like Cinderella's palace I prayed for all of us to get married and in a month from today we all will be. I forgot to mention the fun times we had with the roommates, Lily's cooking adventures and tim tam slams, Shandy's waxing everyone all the time, Vanessa's wedding plans, and Megan's parties and invented identities, so much fun and we all ranged over a 5 year age span too.
Some of my other favorite memories are when TJ and I started dating he would take me to lots of fun lots of fun little nooks and crannies, like the ampitheater at the library, or Donner park, watching airplanes, walking around downtown. The week we first started dating it rained almost everyday, there were lots of snails running around and TJ would pick them up to chuck and I would shudder and he would play it off and say haha just kidding. Ahh memories, as if you needed me to tell you who the sentimental one was.

Graduation!!!!

The day after I arrived home TJ called me at work and said "I'm graduating!" Congratulations honey!

Packing up!

This past week was one of those weeks that you can not believe really happened..... My siblings and I gathered to our childhood home of 26 years packed it up, locked the doors, and hopped the sensor for the garage door on the way out. I am still in denial. When I think of all my memories there. All my childhood hopes and dreams are in that home. Some of them I have realized, some of them I wonder what happened to and how I turned out to be who I am. I think the child Liz would be proud of who I am, maybe not the teenager version though. Whenever I leave Colorado I feel like I leave my identity there, no one knows me, I have only my future to show who I am. When I am in Colorado I feel invincible, still a child in a way. Everybody knows my name and I feel loved. Colorado Springs has on average 300 days of sunshine a year compared to 237 in Salt Lake City. When the sun is shining not much can go wrong in my book. The pace of life in the suburb I grew up in is relaxed the roads are wide and rarely busy. The mountains are always a pristine blue or green. The very top of Pikes Peak, is often dusted with snow. There are hidden in every crevice of the town memories full of joy and there is truly beauty all around!

Highlights of the trip included two trips to our favorite restaurant China Village, I didn't even like Chinese food before I visited this place for the first time. We did our "grand tour" of Colorado Springs which includes statues, semi-watching, lightning watching, Garden of the Gods of course, as well as many other favorite spots of ours. I was also able to see three of my best friends over the years, Janelle, Natalie, and Stephanie. Sigh this is like a break-up . . . . Colorado Springs, I love you!