Life Happens!

I used to think people that didn't update their blog had no life. They didn't update because they had nothing to update on! But now I'm becoming one of those people who doesn't update her blog, not because I don't have a life, but because my life has been so busy and happening so fast that I rarely find time to update!

This week was especially fun for me. I thought I would do a quick run down of my week and then if I want to add anything else to it I will!

Monday for FHE the stake paid for all of us to go see the Bees game. It was the first game I went to where the Bees actually won! It was so fun because it was a YSA activity, so everyone in our section was YSA. We would just talk to everyone around us and people were moving seats and I saw lots of friends. And we got a free hot dog. So you really can't go wrong there.

Tuesday I went to the temple!

Wednesday I went to a seminar thing for work about dealing with conflict in the workplace. It was a great seminar and I left feeling so empowered. I decided that day that I was going to take the GRE and figure out whats next in my life. So as for right now, whats next is the test. After I take it I can figure out what else I want to do!

Thursday I went to see Wicked. It was playing here in SLC, and it was just amazing! Everything about it was just wonderful, (They called me Wonderful, so I said wonderful, if you insist!)

Friday I went on a hike, it was beautiful and really nice out.

Saturday I got my hair done and then had a surprise visit from my best friend Bri. We explored downtown SLC, went to a museum and the library. It was so much fun to just be able to spend time with her again!

And then today I've been able to write letters and emails to people, talk on the phone to loved ones, go visiting teaching, and be home taught. It has just been glorious.

I really had no real purpose in writing this blog besides reminding myself that I do fun things! Like this week! And to let you all know that I haven't died, I just don't write all the time like I should. I have been thinking about a post I want to write for some time now, and I promise when I have time I will do it. It will be about my job and I know how all of you are just dying to know what  I do for a living! So I will try to keep you updated! Until then! LOVE YA

-T

#SLCBucketList

Memorial day weekend is over, which means that it is officially summer time!!! I am absolutely in love with the summer, and I have been looking forward to this for a long time! A summer where I can just play! Yes I still have to go to work and be an adult, but in the evenings and on the weekends, I plan on having the time of my life! And I have been telling myself I want to do all of these things, but haven't really been keeping track. So I'm going to make a Salt Lake City Bucket List and start checking things off! I did my first Bucket List item last week and I went to a Bees game! It was so much fun and I'm sure that that will not be the last game I go to!

Other ideas for what I want to do this summer:

• See Animals Inside Out (Its like Body World for animals!)
• Go to an outdoor movie in the park! 
• Go to the museum of natural curiosity in Thanksgiving Point
• See the Spiral Jetty
• Have a picnic in Liberty Park, and go for a ride in the paddle boats
• Go to Lagoon
• Go on a few hikes
• Go to a soccer game at Rio Tinto Stadium
• Sleep by the pool -a lot! 

I think with my already busy list of things to do this summer I will be pretty busy:

• 4th of July in Colorado
• Keri's Bridal Shower
• Elder's Quorum Appreciation Activity that I get to help plan!!!
• Keri's Wedding!!!!
• Church softball every Thursday
• The SLC Corporate Games! (Sutter Physician Services softball team!!!)
• FHE
• Institute

So here's to a busy and SUPER fun summer ahead of me! Lets just say... I CAN'T WAIT!!!

Five Years...

Five years ago today.... I did it! I graduated High School. 

I don't know if any of you ever feel "stuck" at an age... but for the longest time I felt stuck at the age 18. I graduated high school, had a fun summer, turned 18, and moved to college. Then for the next five years I have kinda continued to feel like an 18 year old. I know I'm supposed to be an adult and all but I still feel like I am that 18 year old kid who just moved out of her parents house. But then I guess when I look back on the last five years of my life I kinda have accomplished quite a bit.

I have lived in 4 states in the last 5 years. With a total of 14 apartments. (Thats a lot of moving around!)

I bought a car.

I went through the temple and made Sacred Covenants with Heavenly Father!

I graduated college.

I served a full time mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.

Got my call to Indy!

Mission picture!

Last day in the mission!

I landed a sweet career with Sutter Health.

And I have probably spent a few hundred dollars at Costa Vida along the process!

(These nachos are my favorite part of life!)

And I have probably changed my hair color more than anything else! Notice in the pictures, haha!
Well, here's to a great 5 years and even better ones ahead!!! Maybe I will start to feel older than 18 one of these days... but feeling this way is more fun than being a grown up anyway, so I'm okay with staying in this mindset! 

Brianna's birthday

Yellowstone with Gaby

Meeting my cute nieces (only one is pictured but I have a total of 6 wonderful girls!!!)

Going to Nauvoo!

Spontaneous road trip to Cali after graduation!

Vacation in Disneyland

Snowboarding with my bestie!!!

#ILoveMyLife

Wanted...

Am I really posting two days in a row!? Its like I'm in college again!!! How fun is this!

Okay, I am in need of something, anything, to keep me from being a boring person. I need a hobby. But heres the thing, it can't just be any hobby... I have a very particular list of what it must fulfill, or really its a list of what I don't want!

It can't cost a lot of money, because I have a bad "hobby" already of spending way to much!
It can't be so addicting that I don't do anything else. I love reading, but when I am in the middle of a book I become the most unsocial person ever. My roommates were so excited when I finished Divergent because they said, "Yay, we get to see Tara again!"
It can't be too time consuming, I just need something to do after I get home from work before I decide to go out to do something else.
It can't be running... because I hate running.
It can't be crafty, because I'm not a crafty person.
And it has to be fun! I don't want to start something just to be bored of it.

I haven't been on pinterest since I've been home from my mission. I'm too scared I will waste the rest of my life on that thing (like I did in college!) I also haven't started watching any of my old TV shows. Can you believe it.... Tara, not watching TV! Its like a whole new me! But seriously, I haven't picked up Grey's Anatomy or Glee, I haven't turned on American Idol, and I have no clue whats going on in Castle. I saw a few episodes when I first got home and they were engaged, and that was fun... but not enough for me to keep watching. I kinda lost interest in TV... maybe one day it will come back! That is so unlike Tara!

So because of my lack of TV watching, no homework, and me trying my hardest to not waste my life away on the internet... and tons of time after work... I need to do something. My life cannot be just work and blah. Its gotta be work and then FUN! Don't get me wrong, I have lots of fun, but like my last post said, its mostly on the weekend. What can I do during the week to keep me entertained! Any suggestions will be much appreciated!!!

Luckily I did just get a new calling. I'm going to be the Relief Society Activities Leader, so that will give me lots to do I'm sure! And on top of that church softball starts this week. I can't even express how excited I am about that!!! But that will only be once a week... so I need more! Ideas please???

T

I Live for the Weekends!!!

Don't get me wrong, I absolutely love my job... but I LOVE the weekends! In college I always looked forward to the weekends but I still had the daunting homework I had to face sometime and the fact that I had a test to study for, and tons of reading I could be doing... and I never felt like I just had time off until the end of the semester. But now every Friday at 5:00 I am literally FREE until Monday at 8:00, and lets just say I make good use of my time!!!

Last weekend I went to Rexburg, as you may have been able to tell if you follow me on Instagram at all. 

I told my friends how I was going to Insta the whole weekend! It was just such a blast. Friday night I caught up with some old FHE friends of mine that I haven't seen since I've been home. We used to get together and play Monopoly, and it kinda became our little tradition... so when I came to visit that is exactly what we did! It was so fun, except for the fact that I kept landing on what everyone else had just bought, and I only purchased two properties the entire game... so that wasn't so great! 

On Saturday I had a blast just seeing and chilling with everyone. I stayed at my BFF Amy's place, and we went to see our high school friends Alix and Jake... who now have a baby!!! I got to hold little Luke and it was so fun, but then he started to cry and I wasn't sure what to do so I let Jake take over! Then I went to lunch to meet the future in-law. This kid my sister is marrying turned out to be pretty cool. I really can't say anything bad about him at all! They seem so happy so I am really excited for them! Then Amy and I talked for ever that afternoon... sometimes the best things in life are just sitting on your best friends couch talking about life! And then the 2nd best thing is watching Mean Girls! We also went out and got shaved ice because, well... if you remember from my Rexburg days, I was obsessed with them! (See this blog post!)

That night I caught up with one of my favorite roommates, the infamous Brianna Malone. Her and I sure did some crazy fun things back in the day... like create Call Me Maybe music videos... So naturally we had to make another video! It was just like 2 years ago! I love that about best friends, you can go without seeing and talking for so long and pick up right where you left!

And then on Sunday I drove back to Salt Lake with Miss. Emily Palmberg! She was in Idaho and I brought her to Utah! Then Monday morning Noelle Pitcher picked her up, so there we were, Sister Cordner, Sister Pitcher, and Sister Palmberg all together again, for the first time in over a year! That was such a fun treat! We got together a few more times during the week... and then... it was the weekend again!

This weekend I spent Friday night with those two girls at Noelles house! Yay for fun sleepovers with mission companions. And then on Saturday we went to our mission presidents house with another friend from the mission! I could have sat at the Collins table all day and listened to them talk about the mission. That was so much fun!

After our fun reunion I went mini-golfing with my friend. Ever sense I started hanging out with this kid I have never been able to win at anything! He is just so good and always beats me. I thought maybe I would have a chance at mini-golfing since the last time I went was on a Preparation Day on the mission and I destroyed all the elders... I thought wrong! We tied! It was such a close game, we were 6 under par! I was so frustarted that I didn't win, but hey, at least I didn't lose... right?!

Then because I was in Orem already I went over to see my lovely grandparents and to wish my grandma a Happy Mothers Day! It was so much fun to spend time with them!!!

Well there you have it, two of the greatest weekends tied up in one blog post! With pictures and all! Hopefully this wasn't too much for you to read. I figure if you are still reading this its probably because we are either really good friends, or you are just a full on blog stalker... either way I'm cool! Until next time I do something fun that is worth blogging about...

T

Life Lately...

I realized the other day that I'm really not blogging any more. Maybe part of it has to do with the fact that I got in the habit of writing in my journal, so I do that a lot more lately. Maybe part of it has to do with the fact that on the mission I learned how to not tell the entire internet every single detail of my life... Maybe its just that I've been busy lately... I'm not really sure the reason, but it needs to change! I need to be better because I have all those loyal readers (mom and Amy) who are dying to know what I have been doing with my Salt Lake life! So I thought I would use this chance tonight to update all 2 of you who read this!

Well the biggest thing that I've been doing in Salt Lake is working! Thats kinda the reason I moved here, right?! My job is so sweet! I seriously love it. I literally wake up excited to go to work because the people I work with and the job I do. This week we have been creating a game for the staff to play. Its Drivers Ed and everyone gets points for doing the correct action, they have all chosen different cars (from Lightning McQueen to the Batmobile to the Mutt Cutts van from Dumb and Dumber). And throughout the month I get to move them along the course and see who wins! I'm super excited to be apart of this game!

Last week my director had blocked out four hours for us on Thursday afternoon for a "team building activity". She took us all to the aquarium. Thats the kinda job I have. I make up games and play with powerpoints and spend time on IMDB, and I go to the aquarium. Obviously I do other things too... but I only have so much room on my blog to talk about work!

My best friend from Indiana came to visit me for a week earlier last month. She came for conference but while she was here thought she would put her resume out there just to see if there are any takers. Well that girl had two job interviews and got both of them, so after she went back to Indiana she just packed her bags and came straight back here! Its been so fun having her live here in Salt Lake. I wish I could see her more, her job has been keeping her very busy, but its still fun to see her when I can!

In other news... I read Divergent last week, and I'm currently reading the 2nd book. I'm kinda in love with Tobias right now, so thats been a fun little crush I've had lately.

I joined a gym with my friend and now I'm sore... like all the time. Stupid sore muscles. I still don't understand why people like this feeling.

Keri spent the night with me a couple weekends ago. She was on her way to AZ and stayed with me for the day. We went to Provo and saw a Vocal Point concert. I fell in love with one of the singers... but then found out that he just got engaged. So there goes that dream...

Last post I talked about my desk, I often find myself studying there, and it brings me back to the mission and all the great knowledge I got from the scriptures when I actually spent time studying them and asking Heavenly Father for knowledge. That whole "ask and ye shall receive" thing is true doctrine!!!

I went to my mom's bridal shower. (My mission mom that is!) She is getting married the same day as my little sister, so sadly I will be missing Keri's wedding... haha, jk, I will miss Jamisyn's, but it was so good to see her last Saturday and to meet her fiance again.

I love the fact that I live so close to so many different temples. I've had a lot of trips to the SLC temple, but the last couple weeks I have gone to the Jordan River temple. It's a smaller one than Salt Lake for sure, but its easier to get to and the feeling inside is the same! One of these days I will make my way over to Draper and also Oquirh Mountain!

I've seen some friends from the mission. A few sisters and one elder. I love spending time with people I grew to love in Indiana. They make me feel at home!

I have the sweetest roommates in the world. For me randomly finding this apartment to live in, it sure has worked out really nicely.

I sent a package and some letters to Indiana last week. One of my dear friends has a birthday coming up so I thought I would surprise him by sending him a little birthday present. But when we were emailing on his Preparation Day, he told me the Assistant called him and told him my present was there. So much for that surprise.

David Archuleta is home now and he has an instagram as of today, so thats a good thing!

And I'm going to Rexburg tomorrow to see some college friends, Amy and Sean, and to see Keri and meet this future new brother in law of mine. From what I can tell this Justin kid seems pretty cool, but soon I will have actually met him in real life instead of face time life and I can decide then if I'm going to be a fan of his or not! lol... I'm sure I will love him!

Well there you have it. Tara has been home from her mission for almost three months... living in Salt Lake for almost two months... and just updated you with the last month of her life! Hopefully I will be better at blogging again. Now for some pictures...

Naradah and I at General Conference

Tamazine and I at the aquarium

Keri and I at my favorite place... COSTA VIDA!!!

Tamazine, Heather and I about to watch a 4D movie on the Great White Sharks.

Naradah and I on Easter doing a cupcake shot. (When you take the entire mini cupcake and shove it in your mouth, its grosser than it looks! lol)