Happy New Year!

So wow! The year that I may graduate is finally here (though.... don't get your hopes up, it'll probably be 2010). I'm exciting for what this year will hold, and I'm still trying to decide on my resolutions.

Last Year
So... I couldn't help but think about what it was that I was doing last year. 2008 was a pretty good year too. Last year for New Years I was hosting the Provo City First Night with the mayor. Let me say, it was a pretty embarrassing night, mainly because I misunderstood a question that the mayor asked me about my resolutions. But, the pictures are still cool.
I suppose the rest of January was pretty uneventful, though I did go to some sort of a charity dinner at Thanksgiving Point. The cool thing about that was that it was one of the first times that I got to meet some of the other Miss Utah girls. (And of course like Utah girls do, one of them ended up getting married, so I never saw her again).

Valentines
For valentines day last year, Branden and I went to The Pie in Salt Lake City. It's just a little college restaurant where they sell gigantic pizzas. I think we were originally going to go see a ballet, which is why I was wearing a dress, but we changed our minds. We also found a sign to pose by....

SPRING

I will say, Branden is a bonfire king! It looks like he and his roommates put one together early last spring. We had them all throughout the summer, and even went camping once.




I also had my big Miss Utah workshop in March, where I needed to turn in my photos, all of my paperwork, pay money for my hotel, draw my contestant number and meet the other girls. That also meant that I only saved myself about a week to get my photos. At the workshop I ended up drawing number 45. It was Jill Stevens Miss Utah's number the year before. It meant that at Miss Utah I would do swimsuit before any of my family got in town! Yay! It also meant that Arial Larsen, Miss Sandy would be my roommate. The main reason that was cool was because I had watched my roommate Megan crown her as Miss Sandy.






JUNE
In June I gave away my Miss Provo Title. It was a fun pageant, though I didn't get a final walk due to miscommunication. I had also found the dress that I wore a day before the pageant, so in these photos, it was actually taped to me because it was about 2 sizes too big!

The Last weekend in June, Branden and I went out to California to compete in Long Beach Race Week. We were on a J35. It was pretty dang fun! I've always wanted to race sailboats, and I was finally doing it (along with the dinghy series that we started in the BYU Sailing Club). Out in Cali, my dad got me my first pair of performance sailing shoes (and I'm sure that they have literally saved my life).

Being part of a team that was just thrown together was a little rough. We were racing against pros (and we even were racing around Dr. Laura). By the end we started getting our act together, and we were actually leading into the mark, but as we were getting the Spi up, Branden slipped and fell, and in order to save himself, he ended up grabbing for the release cord, and we lost the spinnaker. Though... we still have a really cool pic of us in that race before the oops. (Though, you can't see me and Branden in the photo. We were on the starboard side of the boat).


JULY - Miss Utah

Miss Utah was just so incredibly fun! And, believe it or not the girls are so nice! That week we were on the news, on Good things Utah (a morning show here), we competed every night (swimwear, evening gown, and talent) and we got to preform an opening dance number. It was like being in show biz and getting to preform every night! Here are a few photos!

My spot in the dressing room.

Me with a couple of the friends I made before Miss Utah.

Where I signed the wall at the Capitol Theatre.
One of the few pics of me and my fam.Almost everyone who came to support me.

He came every night. Can you believe it? I don't think I could have even done that.

The lovely ladies who came with me to the Miss Utah Brunch! Can you tell we're related?

Me with my group. These girls were my immediate competitors. And they were awesome!

The capitol building in Salt Lake. (not to be confused with the theatre)

My Little Miss who walked me out on stage in my evening gown

Me with Jill Stevens. She's an awesome woman. Miss Utah really was an unforgettable experience, and I'd try to do it again if it weren't for the money that it costs to compete in pageants. Although they're free, we have to raise money for charities, pay for photographers, and pay for our clothing. All for a scholarship. Though, if you make it all the way to Miss America, it's absolutely worth it.

AUGUST

I went home to get my wisdom teeth taken out. It was relatively painless, but the pain medication made me sick and my mouth actually got partially sewn together, so I lost a ton of weight. The good news though is that Amy and I went to the Kenny Chesney concert. It was great! I was so glad that we were able to go. (Kenny Chesney is my favorite). My family also flew Branden to NC to spend time with me and my grandparents at the coast. It was really a great vacation. (even with stitches in my mouth)

Since Then...
I competed in one other pageant, and then decided that I didn't have the time or the money to give. It was fun while it lasted, and I still get a few nights where I want to do it again, but I also know that now I'm moving forward with my life. I'm a Senior at BYU, with a major in Spanish, a minor in Business, (possibly honors), and a Global Management Certificate. I also just finished up the best semester of school that I've had in the past two years. Branden and I had a fun Thanksgiving in New York with his family, and a great Christmas with mine in Utah (you can read about those in my blog if you like).

I hope everyone has a wonderful wonderful year this year.