Thursday, December 26, 2013

My Year in Review with Pictures, Part 2

It seems like this year went by so fast. Good thing I had my camera to take a few snapshots here and there. :)

2013 HIGHLIGHTS, CONTINUED

JUNE was the Taylor Swift concert. Oh, Taylor Swift. Her music has helped me move past a few relationships.

Taylor Swift had so many wardrobe changes. This is toward the middle of the concert, I think.

The lighting for this concert was amazing.
I went to the Strawberry Days rodeo with my friend Cara. I do love a good rodeo.

Bucking Broncos is my second favorite event

I love how straight the horse's front legs are.

This horse looks determined.

Hold on, cowboy!

JULY brought a trip to Bear Lake with my parents and other family members.

Who knew Bear Lake had this kind of grass?

Emily and I playing in the water.

Emily and Elora exploring. 

It also meant that I ran a half-marathon. That's 13.1 miles . . . all at once. I will admit that the last two miles were difficult. I wanted to quit at several points. But I knew my parents would be there at the finish line, so I kept going. It felt amazing to cross it and be done.



In SEPTEMBER I went to the SLC Comic Con! It was for work, but I got to dress up as Star Fleet officer and got my first Doctor Who T-shirts. It was geeky and nerdy and absolutely fantastic.

I'm a happy Vulcan. So maybe that makes me a Romulan?

OCTOBER was the Lake Tahoe trip with David to visit Ethan in Carson City, Nevada. The drive was long but, oh, so worth it! I had a blast with the boys and loved taking pictures. Here are some of my favorites.

So much water under a bright sky

The water is so blue

The water changes color from dark blue to emerald green in Emerald Bay

So much water . . .

The island in Emerald Bay
The island in Emerald Bay. It has a building on top that was used for tea parties.

There's probably too much light going on in this picture, but I like how the beams scatter.

The wind blew the entire time we were there, which made the lake choppy. I love the texture of the rocks in this photo.

Another sun photo... this time on the lake.

I love this rocky shoreline.

We went to Virginia City to go on a ghost tour. It's fun little town with a lot of old-timey shops. And plenty of photo opportunities.

Dave and I visited the Catholic church. Its stained-glass windows are beautiful.

The pews had doors to get in and out. Some were left open from a previous church service.

Virginia City looks like a dusty cowboy town.

The V on the mountainside reminded me of the Y in Provo.

Dave and I visited a cemetery before going on the ghost tour. It was pretty run down but had a lot of interesting headstones.

Dead twisted tree in cemetery

Cemetery in the shadows

Dirt and sagebrush and graves

This picture of the Catholic church was taken during the ghost tour

A staircase that's supposedly haunted



In NOVEMBER, my family went up to Rexburg for a funeral. I took a few pictures of the Rexburg temple at dusk.

So pretty at night

I really like the clouds in this one. 


That's it for 2013 highlights!

My Year in Review with Pictures, Part 1

Blogging this year has been dismal. Beyond dismal, really.
It's been nonexistent. Sigh.

So  to make up for my lack of entries, here are some photos! I took most of these pics with my little Sony Cybershot, which has been a such handy little camera, and I've been impressed by what it can do. One day I'll get a fancy camera, but for now, this will do.

 2013 HIGHLIGHTS, PART 1 
A picture is worth a thousand words, right? 

JANUARY was a cold month. With freezing temperatures and snowy, slushy weather, ice formed everywhere and anywhere. These photos was taken at Deerhaven in front of a friend's house. 

Poor frozen bush. 
It was so icy at the beginning of the year.



FEBRUARY was my birthday!! Liz and Stephanie gave me the best birthday present ever by hosting the most epic party that included books, friends, and food. So much fun.

Liz and Stephanie were the best visiting teachers and friends.
MARCH meant the Caldwell family annual Easter get-together. There was an Easter egg hunt, sunshine, and kite-flying. 

My niece Elora

Aleah running with the kite

Mom and Dad with all the grandkids

The Gary Caldwell family

Aleah with the kite

APRIL meant the Earth Day 10K. It was small, about 40 to 50 people, which meant that I was practically the last one to make it to the finish line. But I finished! Woo!

The Blister Sisters

And I made it to the finish line!

In MAY my mom, sister, and I traveled to St. George for my mom's work conference. On Saturday when my sister and I were left to our own devices, we went to a museum filled with stuffed animals. It was actually quite interesting and a lot of fun to spend time with my sister. 
  
Hello there, bear. We couldn't touch a lot of the animals, but this bear was an exception. 

I love this photo and all the texture. 

The butterfly collection was amazing. 

The museum was basically one giant-sized room. 








































































David and I said good-bye to our friend Ethan. VBFFs!

David, me, and Ethan



And then there was that time some ward friends, David, and I hiked to Calf Creek Falls.

It's so pretty in that part of Utah. 


We made it to the falls!

Black and white pic

Probably my favorite picture I took

David in front of the falls







































And then there was a trip to Rocky Mountain Raceway.

So excited for the races.

Dark sky, bright lights
End of Part 1.