Highlights of Seattle

The drive to Seattle ended up being REALLY long. Next time I take a bike trip in another state - I am going to look into how much it costs to ship the bike while I fly.

I guess that the bonus of driving instead of flying is much like the benefit of biking state to state - you get to see a lot of really neat things that you would have otherwise missed.

Traveling from Utah to Washington I got to see Mt. Rainer and Mt. Adams, two volcanoes. We did get closer than this to them but these were my favorite pics:


I saw a lone of red cars as we got closer I noticed that they were all red Corvette's - all except two; one was blue and the lead car was yellow. It was fun seeing them all right in a row. They must have been part of some Corvette club because they were apparently traveling together and all took the same exit.

After we checked into the University Inn, our hotel, I took a walk around Seattle. This was a view of the city from close to where we were staying.

I went to 'The Cheesecake Factory' for dinner with Mike and his parents who were in Washington visiting his grandparents and with my mission roommate Carly Anderson and her husband Scott Taylor. It was really fun seeing everyone and getting some amazing pasta for dinner - next time I will totally try the ever popular Seattle fish & chips.


The night before the big race - heading back to the hotel.

I really loved Seattle and wish I had been there longer or that I had been able to do more things. I will definitely be going back to visit.

Sky Dive Zion

I decided I needed an adrenaline rush.

That's how most things begin.

I got Sky Diving in my head and it wouldn't leave.

I set a date, got some friends and hit the road.

We had SO MUCH FUN!!!!











We watched them fold our parachutes right before we jumped. Growing up we had all heard stories about how one wrong fold can cause the chute to not work right. We put a lot of trust in this guy and thank goodness he didn't let us down!
(Amanda and I laying out by the pool after the big jumps!)

I went back to St. George for a visit (still had the condo until the end of April). My friends Amanda and Tracy decided that they would go sky diving with me and hopped in. We went down Friday night and woke up early Saturday morning to drive to the Hurricane airport.
I was SO EXCITED, Tracy was ready to go and Amanda… well Amanda was scared to death! She was SO FUNNY! We had to pay in advance to reserve our spots and Amanda was SO SCARED that even pulling into the small airport she was convinced that she was willing to lose her money just so she didn't risk losing her life. She thought she was going to die. When we had to sign waivers she skipped all the spaces claiming that she knew people die sky diving. But by the end, she did jump!
Jumping was absolutely incredible! We all went up in the plane one by one and flew to 11,000 feet. It was BEAUTIFUL overlooking Zion; spectacular views. I was more excited than nervous until we reached 10,000 feet and I looked out of the plane and saw the little 2 foot square I had to stand on until we jumped. That only lasted a moment and I reminded myself this was safe and I would be fine. I relaxed and looked forward to the jump.
Once we reached 11,000 feet we opened the door and I stood on the little square waiting for Rick to make sure everything was ready. Once we were good, I jumped. I did two front flips off the plane, which was fun, I can’t describe the rush that I felt but it was an adrenaline rush for sure. We free-fell 6,000 feet in about 45 seconds then I pulled the rip cord and floated with the chute for the last 5,000 feet. I definitely liked the free-fall more than the floating just because we fell faster but both were very unique and needed to be experienced.
The thing that surprised me most about sky diving is how in control the jumper is. It was amazing how we could control how fast or slow we fell, the turns we made and the exact point we dropped to. The instructor said that one of the most dangerous things about sky diving is people don’t realize how in control they are and I can really see how that would make a difference.
Sky Dive Zion was an awesome place to jump and Rick was so great to work with. Everything was very hands-on and he made it an amazing experience for all of us. I definitely recommend Sky Diving to anyone and everyone. I know that I will do it again – and it really isn’t as scary as one would think. So to whoever is reading this post – GO SKY DIVING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Credit Repair Services

http://credit-repair-services-review.toptenreviews.com/

Above is a link to one of the sites that I created for work on Credit Repair Services. I research all credit repair services, narrow it down to the top choices and then compoare services and write reviews on each.

I really enjoyed reseraching credit repair services and thought that it was very interesting to check out the businesses and although they have a bad rep to weed out the good from the bad. I hope someone somewhere finds this useful.

Thank You

I have lived through many marriages by many friends. Some I never see again, some I can only hang out with when they aren’t with their husbands but then there is one…

I have this amazing friend who doubles as my twin. We met 7 years ago at the College of Eastern Utah and became instantaneous friends. (You know when two people are both so funny and popular they usually wind up being best friends – typical story ;)

Anyways, Becky waited for me to come home from my mission before she married Caleb Rigby. (Awe. Sweet huh?) Even before Becky and Caleb were married in March of 2007 we started hanging out and double dating. I feel so blessed that Caleb & I are friends because so many friends get married and you never see them again – this will never be the case with Becky & I.

When I moved to St. George and started work at the treatment facility that ended up being a not so good situation Becky would put my name in the temple weekly and pray for me to get a job in Ogden so that I could live by her. Her & Caleb both left messages on my phone (which I saved because they were so sweet) telling me to just quit my job, move in with them and find a new job in their area. Well they are so good they really need to watch what they pray for – because I got a job in Ogden and since I had to start a week later and didn’t have time to find a place to move… I moved in with them.

I am so thankful that they put up with me and that they still tell me they like me after that. I feel like everything happens for a reason – and nothing is really ever by chance. That’s how it feels in my life at least. I am always somewhere for a reason. Becky & Caleb have helped me in so many ways and have been a real strength in my life.

I am fortunate to not only have one amazing best friend but to have two all because of their marriage.

Thanks for letting me stay with you guys, you really are the best, and even though I am only moving one mile away – I am going to miss you!

Salt Lake Century

The Salt Lake Century started at the Salt Lake Fairgrounds and went to Antelope Island. It was fairly flat and should have been a really nice ride but I definitely wasn't conditioned for it. It was a beautiful ride.

Ogden, UT

The Lord works in mysterious ways. I do believe that we all have opportunities and God helps guide us to where we are supposed to be at the time we are supposed to be there. We still make our own choices, but prayers are heard.

One particularly bad day at work, one of my girls was trying to stab another one with a pen; after three failed attempts due to me standing in the middle and blocking her from the other, I called “security” to come get her and she left screaming, “I am going to kill you Jennifer! I am going to kill you and then I am going to kill her!” Whatever small amount of good feelings resided in those rooms was gone. It was a dark feeling of emptiness and a somewhat evil feeling. I thought, “When does my health become more important than an income?” I was seriously worried about going to work the next day because stabbings were a somewhat common occurrence and pens can go deeper than I would have imagined before starting this job.

I went home and applied for a job on Craigslist. Although my intentions were to apply for several I just get tired of applying for jobs and I only applied for one. The next day, Tuesday, the company contacted me and asked for a writing sample. Thursday they contacted me about it and I sent it off on my way to the airport, explaining to them that I would be out of the country until Tuesday evening. Tuesday I landed on American soil and I had a voicemail. The company was calling to set up an interview for Wednesday. I asked them if I could come in on Thursday and they said, “great.” After the interview I asked them when they were going to make the decision and they said they were already at the point of hiring when HR told them, “Wait! Don’t make your decision until you’ve met Jennifer.” (I love HR for that.)

Before I knew it, I was accepting a job offer to move back North, closer to home, and to work for TechMediaNetwork on their website TopTenREVIEWS.

I am so excited to be working in my actual field – Professional & Technical Writing – and thankful I have such wonderful friends Becky & Caleb who are generously letting my stay with them during my “homeless” stage. Hopefully I’ll find a place soon – I am excited to make this area my new home.

Hoover Dam

For an English major I am either stupid or naïve. I kept trying to get the GPS to tell me where Hoover Damn was and it just kept saying there were no matches to that request. I texted Mike and asked him to google the address to Hoover Damn for me. He wrote back laughing, “lol, well for one thing you are searching for the wrong type of dam.”

I recently purchased a book – “100 Wonders of the World.” I have decided to make that list my life goal – I want to see all 100. Luckily I have already seen a fair amount so I feel like I am starting with an advantage. My family came down to see me in St. George for their spring break and “Hoover Dam” was in the book as one of the places I wanted (needed) to visit. They wanted to go to Vegas anyway, so why not visit Hoover Dam?

To tell you the truth I can’t say I was “excited” about Hoover Dam, I didn’t really know much about it. But after seeing it and learning about it – WOW!!!! I can see why it is proclaimed to be a wonder of the world.

Teotihuacan Pyramids

On Monday we went to visit the pyramids of Teotihuacan. It was amazing. There were SO MANY!!!! It was fascinating to think of the people building these pyramids so long ago and the work that must have gone into them. Not only was there a countless number but the two larger pyramids, the pyramid of the sun and the pyramid of the moon were huge!!! What a feat for those people to have built them. I am very interested in learning more about the pyramids and what they each signify and the people that used to inhabit the area.

We got there very early. Only one other group of guests had arrived so it was pretty neat. Beathtaking to watch the sun rise higher and higher over the pyramid. I think we could have stayed there all day and hiked and looked. It go warm which made it all the more fun.

When we were on the pyramid of the moon I wanted to get my picture taken by the edge with my mom with the Pyramid of the sun in the background. She was scared to death. She did not want to do it but i kinda handed my camera off to another tourist and din't give her a choice. Haha. Thank goodness for that because i love the pictures and the memories of this amazing place!













A history if you are interested (from Destination 360):

Teotihuacán is the largest known pre-Columbian city in the Americas, as well as the name of the civilization that ruled the city and the surrounding area. Teotihuacán is located about twenty-five miles northeast of Mexico City, and the modern day city of San Juan Teotihuacán has a population of about 45,000 people. Hotels and transportation are available from San Juan and other near by cities.

Teotihuacán history is an enthralling web of mystery. Although it once counted more inhabitants then contemporary Rome, its citizens disappeared without a trace in 700 A.D. The name itself means "place where gods were born" , echoing back the belief that the gods of the world created the universe here. The first known settlements in Teotihuacán Mexico were around 500 B.C. and the construction of the famous Teotihuacán Pyramid of the Sun began in about 100 B.C. The Teotihuacán Pyramid is the second largest in the New World (after the Great Pyramid of Cholula) and offers impressive views of the valley and ceremonial, "Avenue of the Dead" that open out below.

Located across from the Teotihuacán Pyramid of the Sun is the Teotihuacán Pyramid of the Moon. Climbing to the apex of this giant will also offer sweeping views of the surroundings, as well as an excellent look at the Avenue of the Dead. Near the Teotihuacán Pyramid of the Moon is the Palace of Quetzalpapalotl, another of the more famous structures that celebrates Quetzal-Mariposa, a mythical bird-like butterfly.

A host of other temples and sacred pyramids dot the Teotihuacán landscape and yet despite the incredible size of this ancient city, solid evidence as to why it ended and what happened to its inhabitants is still to be found. Most experts who study Teotihuacán history subscribe to one of two ideas; either that the elite sections of the city were burned to the ground by the poorer and more disgruntled inhabitants or that a neighboring group such as the Toltecs sacked and burned the city. Whichever version of Teotihuacán history sounds most likely to you, it is believed that the city was burned and was eventually inhabited and preserved first by the Toltecs, then later by the Aztecs.