Live Like We're Dying (at least trying)

Finals are finished and summer has begun! So my roommates and I were not quite ready to leave each other so we planned our own little adventure to start the summer off! We planned to go and stay at Nalani's house in Reno for a week to celebrate her 21st birthday! We planned activities such as white water rafting, roller coasters, and sky diving. It was bound to be an awesome week! We started the week off with Easter! Aren't our eggs just gorgeous!?

Nalani's mom was real sweet and had Easter baskets hidden for all of us all around the house. I would like you all to know that I was the first to find my basket! I was real proud!

After finding the baskets we had Easter dinner together. After that we played this egg rolling game that Nalani's family plays every year. You roll the dyed eggs down a ramp and try to knock them into everyone else's eggs. If you hit someone's egg you get to take a penny away from them. (Everyone starts out with ten). Whoever has the most pennies at the end wins. Nalani won the game - only by beating me by one penny!

So Monday we started our adventure packed week with white water rafting! I know you think we look super fine in our wet suits! Our guide started off by telling us that we WOULD fall out of the boat and that it was normal to do so. I was determined not to fall out - that water was cold! However Nalani did fall out. We hit this rock and my sweet roommate Supermaned it right out of the raft. She didn't come up for a while either. It was reaffirmed to me at that moment how much I love her. Don't worry, she's fine. She finally resurfaced and we pulled her back in. And I'll have you know I didn't fall out of the boat except at the very end when I was trying to get out and tripped over the edge of the raft. My mom does often tell me she is so glad she didn't name me Grace!

The American River in California. Where we Put in!

So the next couple of days we made "chill" days. My roommates and I had been going a week and a half straight without a break. These days consisted of Disney Stories, a movie marathon (we planned to watch 15 movies, we got through 5 in 3 days), shopping, and sleeping!

Thursday was Nalani's birthday. Our plan was to go out to lunch and then go do this ride called the Ultimate Rush. They drop you from really high and then swing you around. A couple days before I convinced myself I could do this but then my roommates showed me the youtube video - go watch it. I started freaking out! My poor roommates, I don't think they had ever seen me freak out like this - they started freaking out. Because of this ride I had a real testimony building experience. So like I said I was real freaked out, so I prayed to the gods that tornado winds would come and the ride would be shut down. You wanna know what happened? We went to do this stupid ride and it was closed because the wind levels were to high. I was thrilled! So we went to the park and played instead!

Celebrating the fact I wasn't dropped to the ground and swung around!

Nalani's little brother showing us some of his cool tricks.

On Friday we planned to go to California and go sky diving. I was thrilled ( I know it doesn't make sense that I am okay sky diving but not doing the Ultimate Rush, I can't really explain).

So we hopped into duct taped Franklin. This car took us everywhere. I am really impressed but hey he is a Toyota! We drove three hours to California and went and talked to the crazy haired man in charge. I told him that "I would like to jump out of a plane". He told me he would too but that the winds were to high. Can you believe that!? They very thing that had blessed me so greatly the day before was now cursing me. I was crushed. Then the crazy haired man called my Tori fat. I think he was trying to be funny, but he didn't execute his joke very well. But anyways, I have to wait to jump out of a plane. But not to worry, I am determined to make it happen this summer!

The river we stopped at on the way back. We saw a real otter! (we at first thought it was a snake) It was adorable! Nalani said it was the best day of her life. We ended the trip at Tahoe. It is beautiful! I could have sat there all day. I had such a fun time, even though half of our grand ideas didn't pan out. It was a great beginning to this summer.

Last Night in Provo

So for some reason or another there is this giant statue of Christ just down the street from me. No one really knows why but it is in front of this house and last night it was lit up beautifully. So Mattison and I could not help but stop and jump out of the car and take pictures with it.

My dear friend Mattison almost cut his thumb off while battling a sunscreen bottle, so now he is crippled and has stitches all up in his hand. Here he is being healed. I'm so pleased I got this miraculous moment on fiim.

After this my friends and I went to Spark, a restaurant lounge place. We were there to celebrate the end of the semester and of course our friendship. Jake gave a lovely toast to each one of us...it was a close call however when he got to me. He ended it well though. While there we also got to witness a dance party complied of people ages 9 months to 80 years. It was interesting to say the least.
After Spark it was decided that we needed cinnamon rolls. Who knew these rolls would cause such great contention. So we go to Macey's where the parking lot is full of cops....we still don't know why and Jake was to scared to slow down and let us see what had happened. Anyways so we run into Macey's and Jake needs a specific type of cinnanmon rolls - Grands just won't cut it for him. So he finds his rolls and we head out to McDonalds because Mattison wants ice cream (and a toy). The cashier at the window looked at us like we were crazy when we said that the 22 year old in the back seat didn't want that toy, "he already had it".
So while all this is going on I look at the directions on the rolls and see "3 to 5 hour method". Are you kidding me? We wanted these rolls 20 minutes ago, we were not going to wait 3 to 5 hours! So we had to go get new rolls! Then for about an hour and a half we sit on the kitchen floor eating cinnamon rolls, watching Jake stand on point on his "buff toes" and just all participate in some fine ab - killing laughter.
At the end of each year I have this tradition where I lay out under the stars. So my friends were sweet enough to try to make this happen for me. So to end the night we all grabbed blankets and went and laid on picnic tables in 40 degree weather and tried to look at the stars - too bad you couldn't see a thing for the clouds. I don't have accurate words to describe this experience. It was hilarious, uncomfortable, and the best way my night probably could have ended.

Celebrate GoodTimes

So this Wednesday my friends and I all finished our finals! So to celebrate this grand occasion we went to Tucanos. It is a wonderful place with sizzling meat, brazilian lemonade and heavenly fried bananas!

Right after this Tornado shoved food down Jake's throat. They have what I call a real loving relationship.



Afterward we went this awesome Store, Blickenstaf's. It was a dream come true. Especially for all of us who are still quite young at heart. We spent probably an hour in there dressing up and playing with all the toys.

Peer Pressure

So my lovely roommate and sister have convinced me to join the blogging fad. I feel like it is an appropriate time to do so. My life is taking some exciting twists and turns that the whole world....or at least my world should know about! I am pretty much in love with my life! It is full of friends and family, good shoes, food,laughter, sparkle, and of course happiness! My life is simply beautiful!