Becky Sue

They Win...We Win...I Win!!!!!

2011-09-10T10:25:00.000-07:00

Okay I know it has taken me forever to post on here, but I was so happy that I finally found some things that I can blog about and figured this would be blog worry for sure and wouldn't take a long time to tell.

So yesterday I went to an all day conference with my brother Gary that was held at Chase field.

It was filled with seminars for Dell computers and was somewhat boring and I didn't take pictures at the conference because it was that boring. But the boringness paid off in the end. The day was also filled with free food and a D-backs game where we sat in the legends party suite...it was pretty awesome.

We got to watch batting practice

and then the throw back game

But the best part was the raffle drawing!!! Dell was giving out some great gifts in the raffle like autographed baseballs, bats, shirts, gift cards and some electronics, ect. So to make my chances higher of being picked I made sure that I bent the side of my raffle sheet...I heard that bending it helps from a couple people and I can say that it has worked for them many times. As each name was drawn I knew it wasn't mine, since I made mine so distinct but I was filled with anticipation as each name was called and the prizes were awarded to each person drawn but low and behold bending it paid off....I was the last name to be drawn and I won the grand prize :) and this is what I won...

A Dell Latitude Laptop E6320!
Yes I am still shocked because I never win anything like this, but I guess I can say that my luck has sure made its way and I will take it to my advantage. And yes this isn't the best picture of me since I took it this morning after I woke up, but I wanted to have a pic with me in it!!!
The end of the night was topped off by a win by the D-backs and fireworks...it was a grand Friday to say the least.

I Am No Longer a Temp

2011-05-19T19:11:00.001-07:00

I sure am going to miss my job at Devry University and it hasn't really sunk in yet, but come tomorrow when I have nothing to do it will kick in. At first I am going to love it, but when there isn't as much money in my bank account is when I will worry...but I am sure that it wont suffer that much, since I am dedicated to finding a new job that suits my needs and wants at this time!!!
What I am going to miss at Devry is a mix of a few things....
1 - Peeking over my tall desk everyday to see who walked in the door

2- Oddly enough my annoying lanyard...which became sort of a security blanket for me...there hasn't been a day that I haven't worn it, besides occassional Saturdays and every Sunday. It was attached to me, even when I went over to friends houses after work.

3 - The candy jar...always full of delicious candy that I couldn't keep my hands off...it is what made me gain an extra few pounds over the past few months hahahahaha just kidding, but oddly enough I had blast from the past moments everytime I ate nerds and bottle caps...oh the good'ol days when candy cost 3-5 cents for a pack of nerds or 15 cents for a jolly rancher stick...that could be an entirely different post on its own though lol

4 - Ocean Blue Frozen Yogurt...today was my last time going for a while...Pistacio and banana were my favortite flavors

5 - My desk...it was always well organized and I loved working with 2 monitors! I wont however miss the phone that is on the right...we would get random calls from people and every once in a while I would get someone that was mad at a co-worker of mine who just loved to take their frustrations out on me. Plus after a while they started taping our conversations on the phone, so I could no longer speak to friends on the phone...blah blah blah

6 - the fun fountains and relaxing areas at Westgate. I would go down to these fountains every chance that I could get when I needed a break...I happened to have my nieces one day after work and they had a blast in the fountains.

7 - My boss and all my co-workers...they were the best people to work with and on my last day they gave me a card and a beautiful plant....I will miss them all.

All in all, the job will be missed, but I am looking forward to what the future has to bring me!!!!

The END

Where is the L.O.V.E.

2011-05-13T15:38:00.000-07:00

So yesterday became a grand day after this arrived early in the afternoon :)

Well, I was having a blaw day and was kinda tired and bored, really not wanting to be at work because it was so nice outside and to be honest I just wanted to be anywhere else, but work!!! But that all changed when my special guests arrived at my work place. The company and gift they brought made me wake up, but more importantly I felt loved.

Thank you Allison, Selena, Sam and Mollie....you made my day for sure!!!!!!!

By the way, I ate a few cookies beforehand by the time I took this picture...you have to give me credit for waiting atleast 20 mins after you all left, but it didnt stay a full bucket for long. I was really rumbly in my tummy and so were a few of my co-workers hahahaha. There are only a few more cookies left.

For the rest of the day I had the cookies sitting on my desk and everyone kept asking me about it and a ton asked me why it was addressed to "Bicky." For those of you who may not know, which I am sure that all that read my blog know this fact...but sweet little Sam calls me Bicky instead of Becky and I think it is the cutest thing!!! He sometimes will say Becky, but Bicky is used a ton more :) but the bucket started a trend and now everyone at work calls me Bicky :) it is only going to be shortlived for another week with my co-workers, but the name will still live on with the Barry family and especially Sam. You can tell that I was very happy and a little protective of my cookies at work!!!

I love all of you for your thoughtfullness and kindness!!! (wow I sound so korny...but it is true and I meant every word) Only one more week and we can party it up. I can't wait!!!

I WAS ROBBED...

2011-03-28T15:16:00.000-07:00

So I decided to buy some gum at work today since I had none in my purse, which is so not me btw and I swear I was robbed at how much it cost...

it came out to be a whopping 75 cents!!!!

I could have gone to QT and purchased a bigger pack for the same price practically...

It serves me right for purchasing a 6 pack of gum from a vending machine...I have learned my lesson for sure.

It was more of an impulse buy I guess?!?! I just couldn't ask for a piece from one of my coworkers, which is stupid I know, but I couldn't wait. I needed that instant gratification from a delicious piece of cinnamon gum...plus, it was Big Red :) one of the best Wrigley flavors besides Juicy Fruit!!!

Anyways, other than the fact that I was robbed by a vending machine I have been busy and on to bigger and better things, well so I hoped! I recently found out that I didn't get the job that I applied and interviewed for at Devry University, but on a good note, I heard that the lady I took the position for will be extending her maternity leave, so I will have more temp time than what I was planing on to work. I am just praying that something will open up so that I can stay at this job, since I love it, but we will see...wait who am I kidding, I would love to just do nothing and be lazy and hangout with friends all day, but that is just not an option for me right now. I need money!!!!

I want to stay in AZ, so I am looking for other jobs here and the thought of being a substitute teahcer keeps coming back, but we will see what happens. I am just at a crossroad in my life, so I need to figure out which path I need to take and follow it for a while. Also, I just broke up with a boy that I was kinda dating, which came and went faster than I thought it would, but I just wasn't feeling it...plus he was quite younger than me and not in the same place. Allison was the only one that really got the chance to meet him and reassured me that he was an attractive guy, but that was just not enough for me...I need the total package. If you want a piece of this, you got to work for it!

Oh and I keep having blast from the past moments from my childhood with all the candy that I've been eating at work...I had forgotten how much I loved bottle caps and nerds :)

Oh and I love Space Mountain at Disneyland :) I just went a little over a week ago with my sister Julie and her family. ( And I know I go way too often, but it is really the happiest place on earth) I love this picture of a picture that I took while there at DLand...my nephews Parker and Ashton dont show a hint of fear- believe it or not, this wasn't Parkers fav ride - it was Tower of Terror!!! He is the one in the front with his hands up in the air...ps don't pay too much attention to my crazy face expression...I do a different pose for the camera everytime I go on the ride.

One last thing...I had the strangest dream the other night!!! I was an undercover teenager at a High School - you know like Drew Barrymore in the movie Never Been Kissed, but it was slightly a different storyline...I wasn't Josey Grossy, neither did I get kissed in the end, but I was sent to Carl Hayden High School to be a student again and I had the strangest experience while I was there!!! This is how it went, from what I can remember-

...I somehow got in a fight with a girl while at the school assembly in the gym, all because she said that I was dressed liked a grandma and that I looked too fancy and dressed up to be going to a school like Carl Hayden...hahaha I was wearing a cardigan and jeans, but I had my Macbook with me-maybe that was the fancy part, but if I was dressed too fancy than I am in trouble, because I dress like that all the time now lol....lets just say that I ended up fighting with the girls, who might I add were from the movie Save the Last Dance....then after the fight I left and started looking for my classes upstairs, but I somehow got lost and found the old "haunted" area of the school that looked like a rundown english bar/pub, but was then told that I needed to leave this area and go down some questionable looking stairway, because there was some type of drill/fire alarm going off in the building...heck no was I going down the steep stairs...plus I knew if I went down those stairs I was going to be cut off halfway down by the girls boyfriends/gang and beat up some more because of the previous fight during the assembly...so I took the other route which ended up being a people mover escalator - a fairly old one might I add...it went like 1 mile per hour and I felt as if i were walking through the halls of the movie Lean on Me. (Oddly enough - all but one of these movies has the setting of a secondary school in it) I ended up speaking to a teacher on my way down who told me that this school was definitely not the one that I should be going to, so I took the teachers advice and I went to the admin office and withdrew myself from the school...I shortly then left the school but realized I was in downtown Phoenix in the middle of the afternoon all by myself, so I crossed the street and went into a law office and waited there until my dad could come pick me up so that I wouldn't get bugged by the homeless people that were camped down by the school. Anyways, that was all that I could remember of my dream, but it was so weird...I havent watched any of those movies recently so I don't know what spurred the dream, but it was quite comical now that I reflect on it!!! Let's just say it was a fun one to tell.

What to do???

2011-02-08T18:49:00.000-08:00

When you are at work and you find yourself with nothing to do, you get a little creative...

If you are anything like me, you can't find yourself sitting there with nothing to do, so while I was bored out of my mind at work I decided to:

Take pictures -

1-of me doing nothing, but thinking of what I can do that is fun!

2-of me being scary/weird

3-abstract angles of my keyboard

While browsing Facebook, cause we all know that is something you can do for hours :)

Then, browsing pictures that are on my phone, so that I can add them to this post, like

1-finding a picture of my nephew pulling my sisters hair while she fell asleep on our way back from Florence, AZ

2-a picture of me in a locker while attending BYU-Idaho...yes my friend didnt believe that I could fit in there and yes I proved her wrong!

3-me graduating from COLLEGE...sorry it is blurry, but is really only 1 of the ones I have

4-going to NYC baby!!!

5-Eating the best hot dog in NYC at Gray's Papaya

6- Going into work - happy as a clam...which happens most days!

7-taking my nieces and Brother to DISNEYLAND

8-taking a picture of my nephews being silly in the bathtub...aka being Santa Clause

9-Finding photos of friends that took photos of themselves on my camera :) love you Selena

10- visiting with friends in Utah

11- taking pics with the roommates with our Macs - which happened a ton, but I only have 1

12- dressing up like a Mexican for Halloween

13- Finding a snuggie for a dog while waiting to check out at Walmart :)

14- Hanging out in the Reid's pantry, since we all know they have the best drinks stored in their second fridge....yummy Dr. Pepper :) as you can see this picture is really old..check out how short my hair was!

15-On my way to go shopping, finding the blue mustache that I had stored in my purse, so I took a picture and sent it to a dear friend

16- finding the biggest bone I have ever seen at Albertson's

17- and last but not least - seeing a truck bed full of cows on the way back to Rexburg...only in Idaho!

THE END

The Best News of the Week!!!

2011-02-04T20:37:00.000-08:00

So I am not only happy that today is the beginning of the weekend, but....

Guess what made it's way in the mail today??????

Awww YEAH!!!! I have been waiting forever to receive this and I am thankful that I was able to accomplish this before I got too old.

I couldn't stop smiling as I read my letter from the President of BYU Idaho :)
Too bad no one was home with me to share in the joy

It is now official...I have been waiting for this to come for months. I am glad that is finally came :) Now when get and awesome job I can hang this in my future office, if I ever get an office.

I was so happy that I took like 15 pictures of my diploma!!!!

Now I have to find a frame for this bad boy.

New Job

2010-11-06T00:58:00.000-07:00

Okay so I started my new job for Triad Management on Tuesday this week and I love it...yeah the hours are weird, from 3PM - 11PM 5 days a week between Mon and Sat with one day off each week besides Sunday, but it is all good. My social life gets a little hindered too, but I haven't seen that bad of affects yet. I am getting a hang of everything, but am still a little slow on some things. I pretty much input information and photos in the computer explaining in detail about bids on foreclosures and ladahdahdah, stuff that can be boring to some that don't like this stuff. I like it though and that is all that matters, right?
So since I wasn't working for a little while prior to this job I have become super lazy and it affects me at work. I think of the 5 hour energy commercial that says "do you feel tired at 2 o'clock and then 3 o'clock and then later at 4 o'clock and need that extra energy to get through your work day? Well we have the solution for you...." Yeah I totally feel that way, but am never going to drink energy drinks, I think they are disgusting, so none for me. Anyway I've developed a bad habit of drinking Dr Pepper to give me that needed energy during my work day. I have come to the point where I need to drink a Dr Pepper each day to have some energy, but I need to stop this soon, because I will start to gain unwanted weight. It is okay to drink it every once in a while in moderation, but maybe I should switch to water, because one it is way healthier for me and 2 it will give me reasons to get up and gain some energy aka go to the bathroom! So that is my plan, but it will be tough for me, since I don't drink water that much, so wish me luck!
Well, this is all I got, since it is late and I need to go to bed, even though I just got home a little over an hour ago, but I work tomorrow and need to do some things in the morning before I go back into work.

Apple in Hot Seat Re Post

2010-07-21T22:42:00.000-07:00

Apple has been known to be an amazing company in the computer world as well as in the new advanced technology world. Apple offers products such as the iPhone, iPod, iTunes and iPad, etc. Through their iTunes stores, applications can be purchased or downloaded to help the customer or user of its products to better stay connected with the world and its resources and to be happy.

Every year in the month of June Steve Jobs has his annual conference where he typically announces new upcoming products that Apple will offer later that year. In June 201o, Jobs announced that there would be a new generation iPhone that will be way more advanced and better looking with its design. Its new name would be the iPhone 4G, meaning it is the fourth generation of the phone itself. The phone was later put out into the market in July and has been flying off the shelves like crazy.

Since the phone has been released it has been in the news recently with the idea of it having faulty equipment installed into its programming. I have added a few widgets and gadgets on my blog to help you search the iPhone through Google search, as well I added one that shows Apples recent headlines, so that you can see what Apple is doing in regards to making their company better. Last, but not least I added a poll for my blog viewers. You can take the opportunity to vote on it and I would highly recommend it, so that Apple can know what viewers like you think about Apple and the story about the iPhone 4.

I decided to re post my last video on the iPhone 4 and Apple. It was my best story idea and I think that it is a great story in regards to what is happening to Apple this week. Apple has been in the news for the past week, because the new phone has been having issues with its signal strength. Steve Jobs, the CEO of Apple has promised everyone that owns a phone right now will receive a free case to correct the problem. My question is will that really help it? I guess we will just have to wait and find out. Even though I am not an iPhone user, I have a Mac and I love it...Steve needs to step up his game to keep his customers happy.

Apple in Hot Seat

2010-07-21T03:51:00.000-07:00

This week I decided to do my last video on the iPhone 4 and Apple. Apple has been in the news for the past week, because the new phone has been having issues with its signal strength. Steve Jobs, the CEO of Apple has promised everyone that owns a phone right now will receive a free case to correct the problem. My question is will that really help it? I guess we will just have to wait and find out. I interviewed a couple iPhone users and one Apple technician to get their imput on what they believe needs to be done. I think that Steve Jobs has his work cut out for him. Even though I am not an iPhone user, I have a Mac and I love it...Steve needs to step up his game to keep his customers happy.

Student Ambassadors

2010-07-06T22:42:00.000-07:00

I used to be a Student Ambassador when I was first going to school here at BYU Idaho. I had a roommate who introduced me to the program and I have had many great experiences and memories that I will remember forever from my time as a volunteer. I had the opportunity to meet with the new directors and the administrative leader this week and I will say the program still sounds the same, but yet different. The program has new innovative ideas that will make the program that much better. I was able to interview Carl, who is one of the directors and he told me a bit about the program now. He was a ball of fire and I enjoyed talking with him. Too bad I couldn't interview Sister Morley, but she seems like a great asset to the program. Enjoy learning about the Student Ambassadors.

Cheap and Fun Dating

2010-06-21T01:35:00.000-07:00

I have been doing a series of podcast's on dating tips and I thought that this would be appropriate for a story idea here at BYU Idaho. Since there is a lot of dating up here, I thought that I would interview people and see what their thoughts on cheap dating were. I think that I was able to receive some great feedback and see what the students really think about cheap and fun dates. I am a big supporter of cheap dates...especially ones that involve the park.

Amazing Cupcakes

2010-06-07T04:01:00.000-07:00

I have always wondered how and why the Cocoa Bean in Rexburg Idaho became so popular? I have had a cupcake here and there from the cupcake cafe and was not that impressed, but was later informed by other students their reasonings on why they like the Cocoa Bean so much. I realized that everyone is different in their reasonings and I am glad that none were super biased. For the majority each student I interviewed really loved the Cocoa Bean, so in fact this is the place to go get your sugar high when you need a pick me up.

Interview

2010-05-06T22:38:00.000-07:00

I had the privilege to interview Duncan and he told me some things about him and why he chose to come to BYU-Idaho. He was kind enough to let me interview him and find out some things about him and ultimately helped me with Final Cut Express. I asked him questions like, where he is from and why he chose to come to BYU Idaho and what his major is and what his plans were for when he graduates. He was a great sport and I had fun interviewing him for Comm 360.

My Website is DONE

2009-12-15T01:47:00.000-08:00

Okay I know I haven't been keeping up with this lately, but I wanted to post that I have finished my website finally and if you would like to view it, go to www.thinkbeckster.com

I would like some feedback, but I understand that many of you don't have much time and I don't have many people that view my blog. Anyways...I need to go to bed, cause it is like 3 in the morning and I have class tomorrow.

Klippel Boys

2009-10-16T17:23:00.000-07:00

Here are some pics of my handsome nephews!!!!
While I was at home over the summer I took some shots of them to get some practice. Sorry I am just now getting them edited and posted, but I have been super busy this month. All I can remember is that we had fun and that they were super hard to photograph, but I think that they all turned out really well. My little nephew Caden moved a lot and was not in a lot of the pics, but these are the ones that I got.

This first one is my favorite because it shows all of the boys personalities...you can tell that Parker is the only photogenic one due to the smile on his face hahaha.

Spencer...he is the oldest!

Parker, oh he is so cute!!!

Caden, I love his fun personality....I wish he wouldn't cry when I held him.

Ashton, the not so photogenic one...he actually did alright this time around.

Cute Klippel boys!

My second favorite one...Ashton actually smiled for real...thanks to his Dad Brandon!

Last one...Spencer laughed when he saw this one because he wasn't smiling...he said he didn't want to take pictures that day and that's why he wasn't smiling, what a terd hahaha....He got better and actually smiled, this was one of the first shots taken that evening.

I had fun taking pictures, but there is tons of room for improvement. My sister loved them and so do I! I am thankful to have such an awesome family. I love and miss my family so much.

Elder and Sister Maldonado

2009-09-25T17:21:00.000-07:00

My parents just got their mission call yesterday and are going to Washington DC!!! I love them so much. They are such a great example to me. I love you MOM and DAD :)

What We Do WIth Our Spare Time!

2009-09-18T22:39:00.000-07:00

Amanda and I made this tonight for our roomate Tiffany...we are a little silly! WE edited it in like 10 minutes because neither of us used iMovie before. It was an experience and I had fun.

First Week of School

2009-09-18T12:31:00.000-07:00

So I just started another semester at BYU Idaho and I have already been having a great time. I am ready for what the semester has to bring me and am waiting for the challenges that I know I will face this semester. I have already been super busy with homework and friends and it has only been a week, but at least I love what I am doing in school :) Here are some of the things that I have been up to...Yes I love to take pics!
Here is a pic that I had to take for an assignment, I thought it was cute so I posted it...also, I bought a manual camera 2 weeks ago while I was visiting with Selena. So I had to show all of you what it looks like. I still haven't developed the film in it yet Selena! I will soon when I am not as busy.

Attack of "the Mexican and Spanish Hat!!!" Okay so this week we have been having fun with my sombreros, pretty much wearing them around the apartment and goofing around. Well, I caught Amanda in the act...yes she is on what we call the "rape sac" eating pizza, on a break from trying on some clothes that I gave her. Funny thing is my friend Zack walked in a little after this pic was taken and lets just say he calls Amanda "Spanish Hat" now and I am sure he will continue to call her that forever. For those who don't know, Selena used to call me "the Mexican" in high school. I just felt it was appropriate to add that for this occasion. HAHAHAHA We are too much fun!

Okay now this pic was taken as we were decorating our apartment...My roomies Amanda and Lara were goofing off and decided to get into Lara's pajama pants...who would have thought that they both could fit in them?! Needless to say, I would have jumped in too, but no one was there to document it and plus I walked out of my room to find them like this, I ran back into my room and grabbed my camera. It was too funny to pass up without a pic.

So my other roomie Tiffany and I decided to mess with Amanda's hair one evening and this is what happened. Amanda turned into "evil raptor" Amanda. HAHAHA Let's just say we used a ton of hairspray to get her hair to stick up like that. I was laughing so hard while teasing her hair and taking pics.

For Monday night "FHE" we as a ward went to a place called the Rex here in town and bowled, ate pizza and had a ton of fun. We bowled with the funnest guys in our ward, Apt 603! I think that Daniel really liked all of us girls all over him...it looks like I am gropping his chest...I will let you all think that I am really doing it, but in reality I wansn't!

Daniel and Amanda...oh soooooo Cute!

Tiffany and Erick

I Heart Boobies...yes these bracelets are a hit up here at BYUI...everyone asks where we got them...for any of you that want one go to Zumies :) all the proceeds go to Breast Cancer research. Daniel really hearts boobies HAHAHA

We are so cute, look at all the different shades, you can tell who is out in the sun the most...Tiffany!

Bonfire!!! Okay so this night was kinda crazy...first of all we had to go search for wood and a spot to go have a bonfire, because our friend Kelsey supposidly had the whole night planed, but backed out when she had no wood, or place to go. Needless to say, we were all frustrated, but found some wood, had a great group to go out with, a place in mind (the bowl) and time to kill. I had a good time...Yeah Kelsey bailed and went to Craigo's Pizza and didnt't get to enjoy our company that night...she missed out on a ton of fun.

oh yeah I just remembered that we played this fun game that night where you all stand in a circle with one person in the middle spining with their eyes closed...who stops and tells who ever they are pointing at to make an animal noise...this was so much fun as long as we weren't asked to make a noise of a tarantula-Lara!!! I didn't get a pic of that, but it was super fun.

Other things that went on this past week include a scavenger hunt, which sadly I didn't take pics of...it was a ton of fun...all I have to say is Lara and I are both super creative. We had our group go find ingredients for an amazing ice cream sundae. My favorite clues and spots were..."this is where you go to study how to help all the Nutty people" yes it was the Phsycology department on campus and we had a jar of nuts waiting there, and "this is where you go to get fit and do cherry pickers" yeah you guessed it...the gym on campus and we had a jar of cherries waiting there. The hunt didn't last that long, but it was super fun and we ended the night playing ninja warrior at the parks jungle gym...I still have bruises from that night. I am glad that I never was it! I probably would have been even more injured then I am now.

2009-08-30T21:20:00.000-07:00

I made this for Selena over a year and a half ago when she moved to Utah to be with Russ...Lets just say that I am bringing it out so all of you can see it. I had fun making it and it still to this day makes me laugh at how lame I was. Here is the link to the video:

http://www.onetruemedia.com/shared?p=97260be2d048f0b5059f89&skin_id=601&utm_source=otm&utm_medium=text_url

This goes to the direct link to the video, so no worries about putting in a username or password...I fixed it where you don't need to insert that info. Have fun watching it!

Photo Time

2009-08-18T18:14:00.001-07:00

Ok so we took a few days out of our busy schedule while in Tahoe (jk, it wasn't busy at all) to go take some photographs of one another. I had fun taking pictures in some random areas there and I think that they all turned out great. Amanda even did okay when she took my pictures. You will have to tell me what you think. This first one is my all time favorite...I love graffiti for some reason!

Oh yeah!!! Amanda was such a great sport...she had water go down her paints in this picture...thanks for being patiant with me.

A Week in Lake Tahoe

2009-08-18T17:26:00.000-07:00

Here is the beautiful place that I was staying at with the Hallenbeck Family. They have had this cabin in their family for quite some time. Amanda's great grandpa built it back in the day...I can't remember really when, but it was when the area wasn't as touristy. It was fun sitting back and listening to all the family stories and to hear about the memories that they shared in the cabin over the years. I had a blast while I was there. I was able to do a lot, but at the same time relax a ton. We went swimming a few of the days, went touring some of the other on a kayak, went water skiing and then went to go shopping. All in all, it was a great week!

Here we are ready to get on the boat that we rented for the day...I had a ton of fun even though I still couldn't get up. All I have to say is that I suck at wakeboarding! I got close to staying up though. Amanda did very well on the skiis though. I have a funny video of her biffing it on her skiis, but I will spare the embarrasment by not posting that for her. Justin did very well on the wakeboard and so did this other random dude that was passing us by on another boat. We went with some of Amanda's cousins...Ashley, Austin, Cara with her friend Sophie and Audrey. Her brother Jake was there and Katie with Justin and lets not forget the driver...Mark Hallenbeck!

We went shopping in Nevada on the border and they had some fun shops...I bought a real cute bag from Quicksilver and I am just in love with it! Thankfully I didn't go into too many stores or I would be broke by now. Anyways, here we are with Amanda's sister Katie and her hubbie Justin. We rode over with them in their Mustang, yes it was a little cramned in the back but we looked super cute.

here we are posing with some of the random statues in town...

Oh and lets not forget the landmark spot for picture taking in Tahoe...it will become a new tradition to take a pic here every year, well atleast I hope so.

Us goofing off in our room after we finally got a room to sleep in...I loved our room...it got so dark, we wouldn't wake up until 1 some days cause it was so dark. Here we are playing around with our flash drives. We are a little silly somtimes.

I got rebuked by Grandma for painting my nails on her tables. I guess I was warned by Amanda though...I should've listened. Grandma gave me the evil eye the rest of the afternoon. I shouldn't look too happy, but I was cause I needed a pedicure real bad.

On our way to church, we are so hot!

Burger Lounge...I will have to say it was very good...the biggest burger I have ever eaten and one of the best shakes I have ever had too. Here we are at the Kid table, jk! We ate with Amanda's cousin Cara and her friend Sophie. We were lucky to have the umbrellas cause it started to rain while we were eating.

Mark- Amanda's Dad really likes to snorkel and scuba dive...I caught him in action. This is right outside the cabin...yes the water is that clear and beautiful.

Ali- Amanda's Mom...she really likes to kayak and I got her in the act too.

Last but not least the game of Scrabble...We played it a ton while we were here...we didn't know how well we could spell until we played like 10 rounds of this game. I don't think that I can ever get Amanda to play with me again though. If you look closely you can see some words we spelt...yes they are very weird, but fun! Yes you can see ZIT spelled twice on the board...31 points baby!

Seattle and Then Some

2009-08-18T15:18:00.001-07:00

We went to Seattle for the day and I had a ton of fun!!!
We went to Pike's Place first to see the fish be thrown...Amanda I hoped you liked it. Last time I went to Seattle was a year ago and the guys played a prank and threw a fake fish at my head while I was filming...I was a little scared and I screamed, but that was a year ago. This year they didn't do that thankfully, but it was fun to watch them throw the "real fish" again. There were millions of people that were from all over and I don't think I have ever been pushed around as much as I had in this area in my life :) luckily we were able to get through without losing one another. After that we went to the gum wall, which was really cool, but so unsanitary. I was actually shocked to see Amanda go anywhere near this spot. I for sure left my gum on the wall, I had a hard time finding a spot to put it, since so many people put theres on the wall too...I love the pic of Amanda...she got real into it! Then we went to the waterfront and took some pics with Christopher Columbus, which is tradition for me...you always need a landmark to take a picture at when you go visit a fun place. Well this one is mine in Seattle! After that we headed over to the Freemont Troll which is in the movie 10 Things I Hate About You and took some fun pics there. I don't know how I did it, but I somehow I managed to remember how to get everywhere in Seattle without a map. I guess I will just say that I am good when it comes to directions and remembering how to get places after seeing them once before. I think that Amanda may have been a little amazed and confused at the same time...how I did it will still remain a mystery I guess. Oh last but not least we took some pics with this pig...they are all over Seattle and I am not sure why they are everywhere, but I sure had fun taking pics with them. Oh yeah, I don't want to forget about the fun purchase of our bracelets...we purchased them at Zumies, they are Breast Cancer bracelets...I figured since I have had some family members that are Breast Cancer Survivors it was fit to buy them...If you can't read them it says "I heart BOOBIES" and on the other side it says "Keep a Breast" they are pretty funny.

Painting:
So I got the bright idea that we needed to paint Amanda's room while I was visiting. Her parentals never let her do it before, but since I am a nice person and they love me they let Amanda and I paint her room...for some reason they think I am responsible hahaha. Anyways, I think that it turned out nice and I know it makes Amanda feel a little more at home in her new room. She chose to paint her room with Disney colors...she now has Tinker Bell and Atta Boy Blue on her walls. I love it!!!
Before Pics of the purple room!

Some After Pics of the room...sorry I didn't get a full on after shot.

Don't ever leave us alone together with paint :) It can get a little messy.

Randomness:
We finally went and saw Harry Potter! I really liked it, but it was for sure different then the others in my opinion.

So Katie turned 21 while I was visiting and this is a family shot at her work. Amanda brought her a b-day cake and balloons. The cake turned all of our mouths blue, luckily I didn't get a pic of that!

I don't know how, but I managed to fit into this at the park by Clark College...needless to say I still have the heart of a child in me. Thanks Amanda...She taught me well.

If you are wondering, yes I ate this cookie! It only took me 5 bites...I don't think Amanda believed me when I said I had a huge mouth. I took a video of the consumption of the cookie, but we will just keep that stashed away so I don't get too embarrassed.

We went to a creek by Amanda's and I really enjoyed it. I wished I could've stayed longer in Washington...this was an hour before I went home :(

So I just want to say that I had an amazing time with you Amanda on my 3 week long vacation. I was so sad to have to leave and come home. I can't wait until I can return to Washington again. I want to thank the Hallenbeck's for being so great to me and for putting up with me the whole time I was with them. I will forever remember this vacation.

Photojournalism Presentation

2009-07-14T19:33:00.000-07:00

We as a group for Photojournalism class, chose these photos to be taken and presented for our final project! We spent time together on 7-10-09 and these are what we came up with...we hope you enjoy them!!!!! The first group of pictures (depth of field) were taken on campus in the BYU-Idaho Gardens and then the group shots and portraits were taken in the field across from the Rexburg Temple. The grass was just so green and the sky was a little overcast. We think that the pictures turned out great! Oh all pics were taken with a DSLR Canon Rebel T1i with a standard lens.

Depth of Field:

f/ 5.6 1/400 ISO 100

f/ 9.0 1/125 ISO 100

f/ 5.6 1/60 ISO 200

Photoshop Edit:

This picture had a few actions done on it...first some contrast was brought out through curves and then it was warmed up through the levels. There was a burned vignette added to the edges as well. You can see that some of the sunlight shows through the edits as compared to the original photo. The colors stand out more and are a little warmer as well.

The original was taken at Yellowstone in June in the afternoon
f/ 11.0 1/100 ISO 100

Portraits:

f/ 3.5 1/250 ISO 100

f/ 16.0 1/200 ISO 400

Group Shots:

f/ 3.5 1/640 ISO 80

f/ 22.0 1/200 ISO 400

4th of July Fun in Washington!!!!!!!

2009-07-09T20:51:00.000-07:00

YAY!!!!! I just finished blogging for my class this week and I decided that it is time that I do regular posts now on my amazing blog. I was using it to show off my new developing talent with photography...you can view past stuff if you desire to see what I have been up to this semester, or not! I hope that I can keep this up and show you what I am up to on a regular basis.
Well, this past week I had the opportunity to go to Washington for the 4th of July and I had a blast. These are some of the pics from the trip, thanks to Jake!!!!! I loved my time there for sure. I really didn't want to leave at all. The time went by so fast and I dreaded driving the 11 hour trip there and the trip back, which took only 9 hours thankfully....shhhhhh I can't tell you how we got back so fast...I will just say that there were no cops in sight. My trip consisted of hanging out with Amanda's family....Jake, Josh, Katie and parents Mark and Ali.
Day 1-Katie was nice enough to give me a free hair cut when I arrived for my first day in Vancouver. It turned out great...and I love it!!!! Amanda got hers cut too and I love her with short hair :) After that I went shopping with Amanda and Jake, where Amanda took forever in Build a Bear, her home away from home...It is okay, I'm sure you were in heaven Amanda!!!!! In the meantime, Jake and I went shopping and I ended up buying too much stuff,,, oh well!!!! Great looking pants and a new pair of flip flops for me!!!!!

Day 2- Was spent in Portland with Jake, Josh and Amanda and we toured the city and did some more shopping. Yes I purchsed more and found a cute jacket and a pair of board shorts. We also went to a huge bookstore, the Waterfront where we saw a nasty green river and a nice view of the City, which then proceeded with a splash in the fountains (Josh and Amanda) and then we walked to Voodoo Doughnut and had some yummy yet explicit doughnuts....cock and balls anyone????? lol!!!! Then we went back to the car and saw a brawl go down on the street where a man tried to run over another man with his car....and a woman who kept saying the f bomb like every other sentence because some santa claus looking man drank out of her drinking fountain...oh what a fun time we had in Portland. We later went for dinner and walked on 23rd Street...fun times.

Day 3- We went to the Beach and I had a fun time with Jake, Amanda, Katie and Josh. We went to a beach that is by Tillamook Oregon and it was a little overcast, but was still fun. I will have to say that I haven't seen that many dogs at a beach before and I have never seen a dog pooh and pee so much as I did with Budah!!!!!! I hope no one stepped in the little present he left behind us!!!!!! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA It was a good thing that we decided to go earlier in the morning because holy crazy traffic going into Tillamook when we left...it was probably 2 hours worth!!!!!! Next we went to the Tillamook Cheese Factory and I tested some amazing cheese, and purchased some amazing ice cream. Too bad I didn't really get to try squeeky cheese...next time for sure. Jake will have to bring some to Tahoe!!!!!!! After that, we decided to get some real food, since we hadn't eaten anything but doughnuts from the day before.... and as we did that Budah decided to eat Katie's carmel popcorn that she just purchased...oh sad day for her....Budah seems like such a curious dog, you gotta love his personality and ability to find the hidden popcorn. Later that night we just relaxed and watched a movie as we all lotioned our sunburns that we acquired earlier that day.

Day 4- Was the 4th of July!!!!! It began with Ridgefields fun parade, which I was able to be a part of...I had fun waving to all the townsmen and I felt really special as we drove and I waved to the kids...who knew that I could feel like royalty....well not really, but close. This was the day we really hung out with Amanda's parents Mark and Ali. Mark did a great job on restoring the old military jeep, which he displays in the town parade every year. We rode in that with them and it was a ton of fun...Jake had a fun time squirting all the people, especially the kids with the water guns...I'm sure they loved it because it was so freaking hot outside that day...I got a little more burnt and Jake and Amanda, the albinos, for sure were lobsters afterwards....Amanda even had a fun burn circle on her back, which is now peeling, eeeeeewwwwwww! We then just walked around the town and partook of the festivities that were going down, which wasn't much, but it was still fun. We met up with Katie and her husband Justin later and we went and got lunch and just chilled for a bit. Later that night was when we had a bbq with the Hallenbeck family and we watched Harry Potter, but only part of it, since the men decided to change the oil in my truck, which was in dyre need of. As the men were being men the neighborhood residents set off fireworks which lasted for a while...they probably spent thousands of dollars on this display...it wasn't huge, but it was super fun. My favorite part was just relaxing and talking out front as we watched the fireworks and ate rootbeer floats which were so yummy!!!!!

Day 5- Amanda and I drove home and it was tons of fun, but we didn't want to head back to Rexburg...it wasn't until we were half way back that I noticed an amazing smell and realized that I smelt Jake on me...it was a good smell of course!!!!! It just made me miss him already. BTW I still haven't washed it!!!!!!! I love Armani Mania :) Amanda made fun of me for taking random wiffs of it the remainder of the trip. All in all I had fun....Thanks for the fun time Hallenbeck's!!!!!!!!!

Week 10

2009-07-07T20:26:00.001-07:00

Holiday Edits:
This week was a fun weekend for the 4th of July. I went and I took some photographs of my roomate in the gardens and I think that she looked great. I also took some pictures of the temple this past week, because the skies were amazing. Last but not least, I made it out to Washington for the rest of the weekend and I had a fun time there...I didn't get any good shots of fireworks, but I had fun at a parade that the local town had. I actually got to ride in on of the military vehicles in the parade and I had fun waving to all the kids and others that attended the event. All in all, this weekend was amazing.
1. This was taken in the gardens on BYU-I's campus and I did some edits with contrast and some fun new actions that I recently recieved from a friend. This was taken on 6- 28-09 with my Canon Rebel T1i f/ 4.5 1/60

2. This is the shot that I got of the Temple on 6-27-09 I took it with my Canon Rebel T1i f/ 5.6 1/30

Week 9

2009-06-25T11:17:00.001-07:00

Poster Ideas:
I am not sure if I want to do both of these or not, but I do love them both...What do you think?

Water Shots:
These were the shots that I took this week. I love how they turned out. I actually just purchased a new Canon Rebel T1i and I had fun taking shots with it. 2 of the shots were taken at the BYU-I gardens and the other 2 at Yellowstone National Park. I think that I captured the water quite nicely in all pictures. Water is a really pretty object to photograph.
1- BYU-I Gardens 6-11-09 Canon Rebel T1i f/ 5.6 1/60
2- BYU-I Gardens 6-21-09 Canon Rebel T1i f/ 5.6 1/60
3- Yellowstone 6-18-09 Canon Rebel T1i f/ 7.1 1/00
4- Yellowstone 6-18-09 Canon Rebel T1i f/ 5.6 1/6

Week 8

2009-06-18T10:48:00.000-07:00

Panoramics
These are very fun shots to take, but I find them very hard to do. I hope that mine turned out okay. I think that I can do better next time. First time isn't too bad though. Here is a beautiful shot of Lake Yellowstone. I tried my best to blend the shots the best I could. I will go later and correct some of the flaws later, but for now I am a beginner.

Here are my individual shots taken 6-18-09 in the morning at Yellowstone.

Week 7

2009-06-11T11:13:00.000-07:00

Template:

Daily Pictures:
Here are some of my pictures that I have taken over the week. I had fun choosing which pictures to use and I hope that they are what describe me and what I have done over the week. They are all taken with my Canon Point and Shoot! I love to take random pictures as you can tell. I had fun with the macro shots, manual shots and the weather. As you can see a ton of the pics were taken in doors due to the crazy rain everyday this week. There were a few times I got out to take outdoor shots and I think they turned out well.

Thursday f/2.8 1/13 6-4-09
Flowers
Friday f/4.9 1/15 6-5-09
Bonfire

Saturday f/2.8 1/40 6-6-09
Luncheon
Sunday f/8.0 1/100 6-7-09
Playground fun!

Monday f/2.8 1.0 6-8-09
Glow Sticks!
Tuesday f/14.0 1/400 6-9-09
Sunset

Wednesday f/2.8 1/60 6-10-09
Whitening Teeth!

Week 6

2009-06-04T11:00:00.001-07:00

Edit:
This picture was taken around March of this year and I wanted to show the size of the dog compared to me...he is quite large as you can see. I thought this picture was funny and I wanted to edit it a little. What I did was saturated the picture, brought myself back in color and then I also took some of the blemishes off my face. I also put a bit of a inner shadow on the pic too.
f/2.8 1/60 taken with a Canon Point and Shoot

Portraits:
1. Was taken at the SLC temple, my friend Amanda had never been and I wanted to take a portrait of her with the temple so she can remember her time there. I did minor edits with the saturation's and bringing the color of the sky and her shirt out and then of course I put a blue border around it to bring the pic out a little more.
f/ 8.0 1/125 taken with my Canon Point and Shoot 5/30/09
2. This was taken at Christmas time this past year and I love it, because it was my cute nieces all dressed up in their PJ's ready for Santa to arrive. I didn't edit too much with this picture, it just has a vinyette on the photo.
f/ 2.8 1/60 taken with my Canon Point and Shoot 5-24-08

Week 5

2009-05-28T07:59:00.000-07:00

Edge Shot
This was taken when we were at Bannack and I really liked it, I actually did an HDR edit on it and then refined it with a burned edge...I really like to put a black edged effect on shots, it makes them more fun.

Night Shots
This week was really fun. I had the opportunity to go to Utah this weekend and shoot with my friends Selena and Russ. I got to use Selena's Canon EOS 5D, which was really fun. What we did in these shots was set up the camera on a tripod and had the camera set on the bulb setting, with the aperature set on 9...we had a shutter trigger and took maybe 10 to 15 seconds to pull it for every shot. Most shots we used a flash or flash light with colored filters to produce fun colors and get more contrasts into the shot. We also used the flashlight to flash me every few seconds so that I can have the ghost effect with the truck shot. If you look closely you can see that the tree in the background is red, thanks to my friend Russ for shinning his flashlight with a red filter...it gave it a cool effect. My friends live down in Orem and knew where this cool old Sinclair gas station was, I was thankful because we took some fun pictures there. I think that they turned out quite nicely.

1. The Ghost Shot f/ 9.0 62.0 5-26-09 in American Fork, Utah
2. Lonesome Truck f/ 9.0 90.0 5-26-09 in American Fork, Utah
3. Old Gas Station f/ 9.0 47.0 5-26-09 in American Fork, Utah
4. Light Painting f/9.0 60.0 5-26-09 in American Fork, Utah

Bannack

2009-05-21T08:27:00.000-07:00

Here is my post of all the Bannack shots. I had fun taking pictures up here, there are tons of different things to photograph. I loved using macro, angles and I had fun with the shutter speeds. I think that most of my pictures turned out good. I used a few different textures on a few of the pictures, the ones with the text and for sure and the ghost photo. I did use a lot of inner shadows for the pictures and most had burned adjustment layers. Here are all my descriptions for each picture...they are counted from left to right and from top to bottom. I did add a ton more extra pictures because I couldn't just pick 6 and I wanted to show you some of my best shots and edits. Most shots are taken with my Canon Powershot, but one...the Ghost shot.
1. Bannack Door: f/ 2.8 1/320 5-15-09
2. Red House: f/ 8.0 1/100 5-15-09
3. Hotel Windows: f/ 2.8 1/80 5-15-09
4. Stove: f/ 2.8 1/50 5-15-09
5. Old Wooden Door f/ 2.8 1/125 5-15-09
6. Spoons: f/ 2.8 1/60 5-15-09
7. School House: f/ 4.5 1/320 5-15-09
8. Red Door: f/ 2.8 1/80 5-15-09
9. Pants: f/2.8 1/60 5-15-09
10.Grunge House: f/ 2.8 1/15 5-15-09
11. Green Wall: f/ 2.8 1/60 5-15-09
12. Ghost Picture: f/ 8.0 10.0 Shutter Canon EOS 50D 5-15-09
13. Door to school house: f/ 2.8 1/125 5-15-09
14. Door off hinge: f/ 2.8 1/60 5-15-09
15. Boca tools: f/2.8 1/40 5-15-09
16. Boca holes: f/ 2.8 1/640 5-15-09
17. Boca Bowl: f/ 2.8 1/15 5-15-09

Week 3 Flora and Fauna

2009-05-14T10:55:00.000-07:00

Here are my pictures for week 3:
I had a ton of fun working on the assignment for this week. I have taken pictures in the past with the help of my friend, who happens to be a photographer. She showed me some awesome ways of shooting. But I love the outcomes of all pictures.
I will say that I had the hardest time with the Adjustment Layers this week, but I ended up putting a filter on the picture, which was a watercolor filter, then I brought the saturation up with the adjustment layer. I think that it turned out pretty ok.
1. Adjustment Layers: This was taken in Flagstaff, AZ with my Canon Powershot f/ 4.5 1/60 5.9.09
2. Sunflower: This was taken in Salamanca, Spain in a field of Sunflowers with a Canon EOS 5D f/11.0 1/800 7.27.07
3. Ocean: This was taken in Kauai, HI near Wamaiea Canyon with my Canon Powershot f/8.0 1/100 7.29.08
4. Black Cat: This was taken in Barcelona, Spain in a park with a Canon EOS 5D f/4.0 1/80 7.25.07

Other HDR Edits

2009-05-05T15:02:00.000-07:00

I just wanted to add these ones too!!!!
I had fun playing with the program :)

Project #2 Auto Bracketing Exposure

2009-05-05T13:09:00.000-07:00

Taken by Railroad Tracks in Rexburg, ID 5-4-09
1. Under Exposure f/ 9.0 1/400 EV: -2
2. Regular Exposure f/ 3.2 1/640 EV: 0
3. Over Exposure f/ 3.2 1/100 EV: +2

HDR Edit:

PROJECT #1

2009-04-29T22:04:00.000-07:00

Cut Out:
I used photoshop to cut out the picture...I used the selection tool then I copied and pasted with a white background...I then feathered the image so that it would be a little more sharp on the edges.

Big Red Theme:
I decided to take 4 pictures and I think they turned out ok! I did use Photoshop to brighten and edit some of the imperfections in the photos.

1. Kite Flying: Was taken with my point and shoot Canon on a church lawn in Rexburg, ID: 4-26-09
2. Motor Bike: Was taken with my point and shoot Canon at a random location in Rexburg, ID: 4-28-09

3. Playing on the Playground: Was taken with my point and shoot Canon at an elementary school playground in Rexburg, ID: 4-28-09
4. The Lone Kite: Was taken with my point and shoot Canon at a church in Rexburg, ID: 4-26-09