Father's Day

This past Sunday was Father's Day. I was lucky to spend the day with my dad and the rest of my family. We had lunch at my house with my dad's side of the family.  My grandparents, my uncle and aunt, and my cousins came over for lasagna and dessert. It was really yummy and fun to spend the day with them. 

I love my dad for a lot of reasons. He has always worked hard and supported my family. I admire his work ethic and the great love he has for what he does.  My dad is a great leader and boss.  He is the perfect mixture of mean and nice when it comes to being in charge and getting things done.  One thing I love about him is the respect and love he shows to my mother. He would do anything for her and for his children. Although we must drive him crazy, he always keeps level-headed and doesn't lose his calm, easy-going personality. 

I have always been close to my father, but during the past few years, our relationship has grown. He is my favorite TV watching partner, my go to frozen yogurt date, and the one who I go to when I have problems. He is always there to listen and give his advice. My siblings and I laugh that now that we are older, we need our dad to help us even more than we did when we were younger. We are constantly calling him when we have questions and problems, and he is always there for us, happy to help. 

I am so happy to call this man my father. Not a day goes by that I don't think about him and appreciate all that he does for me. Thanks dad, for giving me the world. I love you. 

Newport Beach

This past weekend I was able to go on a vacation to Newport Beach.  My cousins were there for the week and they invited me to join them.  Newport Beach is by far one of my favorite places in the world. My cousins rented a beach house, so we were within walking distance to the beach. We went to the beach everyday and played in the ocean. 

We also rode bikes on the board walk to get to dinner and get some exercise.  It was perfect weather, not too hot but not cold. On Friday night, we went to Angel's Stadium to watch an Angels vs. Yankees baseball game. We were cheering for the Yankees, and unfortunately they lost, but it was still really fun.

The weekend was a perfect get away from school, work, and everything else that is going on. I am lucky that my cousins invited me to go on this vacation with them.  We had a great time and a lot of fun spending time with each other.

 

Chicago

My Brother, Garrett, received his mission call about two months ago.  He is the youngest in my family, and the only boy.  My older sister and I didn't go on missions, so this whole experience has been really fun and new for my entire family.  Garrett was called to serve in the Illinois Chicago mission, Spanish speaking. He was excited, but even more excited after he started learning more about Chicago.

No one in my immediate family has been to Chicago, so we have had to get our information about the city from other people, books, and from photos. Chicago looks like an amazing city, with a lot of history and many sites to see. We have also heard that the city is about 25% Spanish people, so we are looking forward to Garrett being able to use his Spanish that he will learn in the Missionary Training Center.  Garrett leaves the sixth of August.  I am really happy for him and proud of him.

Below is a picture and a link to a cute family's blog.  This blog (lovetaza.com) has been one of my favorites to read for a while now, and they recently took a family vacation to Chicago last month.  The pictures were really fun to look at, and it gave me a good feel for how the city is.

(link to blog)

Boxster

Meet Boxster, my family's dog.  He has been apart of my family for 11 years now.  We got him the Summer before I entered sixth grade.  I honestly cannot remember what life was like before we had a dog. We named him after the Porsche Boxster, and we have continued with the theme of naming dogs after cars since.  When we saw Boxster at the pet store 11 years ago, we instantly fell in love. He was so cute and we could tell he had a sweet personality.

Throughout his life, he has had many health issues. When we bought him, he was already sick with "kennel cough". Since then, he has always had problems including: kidney stones, kidney surgery, a hip replacement, problems with his skin, and he always has infections in his ears.  I know that all of those symptoms are not very pleasant to read, but I am writing them to make a point.  Throughout all of Boxster's hard days, he has never complained or lost his sweet personality. He is the kindest dog and has never been rude to anyone.  Recently, he has been slowing down.  His health has been even worse, and my family can tell that his days are coming to an end.  The other day we cried when thinking about saying goodbye to him.  He has been one of my best friends for so long and I am so happy he will be with my family for eternity. By having Boxster in my family, I have been able to learn to be responsible and to gain love and compassion for those around me.  I love you, Boxster.

Queen Elizabeth

Two years ago I went on a study abroad to London, England.  I lived there for four months, and little did I know at the time, that this experience would change my life forever.  The friends I met while in London are still my best friends today.  I also gained so much love and appreciation for the city of London. I became obsessed with the history of England, and mainly, the royal family.  I researched a lot about the royal family, watched movies, and collected a lot of souvenirs.

Since being back home in Salt Lake City, my love for the royal family has only grown. I still enjoy hearing about the family, and about all things happening in London. This week is the Queen's 60 year anniversary celebrating her coronation. I have loved watching the news, seeing all of the commotion happening in London as everyone is celebrating. Congratulations to Queen Elizabeth!

(source)

Mandarin

Last night my family went out to dinner at Mandarin.  It is a Chinese restaurant in Bountiful that is really yummy.  I hadn't been up there for probably eight years, so I was really excited when my sister mentioned that we should head up there for dinner. Good food and great people to spend my night with.

I went with my parents, my sister, and my brother-in-law.  We were able to talk during the drive up to Bountiful and throughout dinner. All of our lives are really busy right now, filled with work and school, so when we get together it is always fun to catch up.  We were able to talk about how each of us are doing and talk about our summer plans.  I will be completely done with school on June 20, and my brother-in-law is taking the MCAT on June 20, so after then we want to take a trip to celebrate.  We are also going to Newport Beach the middle of August, which we are all really excited for.  It is one of our favorite places.  I can't wait for all the fun vacations we have coming up.

Social Media

Throughout the past few weeks, I feel like I have been wasting so much time on my computer and on social media.  I can go hours on my laptop without even noticing.  It wastes a lot of my time, and it makes me less productive.

I really do believe that the internet can be a negative influence in many lives.  Not only does it waste time, but it also can make people feel bad about themselves.  For example, when I'm browsing the internet, you see a lot about celebrities. Sometimes reading about their lives can be fun, but in reality, it can make us get unrealistic ideas about what our lives should be, how our bodies should look, or what clothes we should buy.  When I look on Facebook, I notice myself becoming jealous of others.  I see what they're wearing, who they're hanging out with, and what cool extravagant trips they are going on. In all honesty, it makes me feel bad about myself.

That's why I am choosing to limit my internet and social media use.  I don't want to waste any more of my time when I should be out living my life.  I think that I will be much happier by cutting this out of my life.  With this being said, I created a survey.  I have already had friends and family take this survey, and I want to open it up to anyone who reads this blog.  There are a few questions asking about your computer and social media use.  It's interesting to put it into perspective.

Computer & Social Media Survey