SUMMER (in a nutshell)

Hello blog readers! My summer went WAY too fast, and I spent a lot of time with people I love. Therefore, I didn't get a whole lot of blogging done. Here's my summer in a nutshell.

I worked four jobs: Twin Lakes Grocery and Grill, Lynch's Bar and Grill, Rockwell City Pool, and I was a co-coach for the Rockwell City Area Swim Team. Let me tell you, it was a busy summer. I worked so hard because I'm saving money to go to France with my best friend Mollie next summer.

Although I worked four jobs, I still found a little time to have fun. I spent a lot of time with this boy:

I also spent as much time as I could with my family, including the two cutest boys in the world! 

I worked at TLGG with some awesome girls like this: 

At a place like this: 

I coached a team full of energetic, crazy swim team kids like this: 

  

  

With two of my best friends: 

I worked at the pool with a bunch of goons like this: 

     

Doing weird stuff like this: 

I went to a few family weddings. One was my cousin Brad and his new wife Megan's. I went to that one by myself, but I saw lots of family there that I haven't seen for a while. 

My great Aunt Zeta

My cousin Danielle

The second family wedding was my cousin Joe's (my Aunt Sharon's son) and his new wife Steph. It was such a fun wedding! My whole fam (sisters, etc.) were home for the wedding. A few photos: 

Connor and I at the wedding. Nice photobomb, Shelby. 

My sis and me :) 

 

Aunt Sharon :) 

My sisters and me with Aunt Sharon. 

That boy of mine :) 

Although it was a busy one, it was also a great one. Hopefully next summer I can cut down to 3 jobs ;)

                                   

May 20

Congrats to everyone who graduated today! That's what my day consisted of..oh and slamming my head into a cabinet door. Yep, you read that right. I left a lower cupboard door open, bent down to get something off the floor, and that was the end of it. Cracked my head(really hard) on the corner of the cupboard door. Unfortunately, it got me a lot of attention when I went to graduation commencement... 

Beautiful, right?

Well here's my baby girl, all graduated and everything :) 

After grad parties were said and done, Zac, Josiah, Taylor and I went out for a round of golf! So much fun :) 

Beautiful band aid, right? :) 

May 15

Shucks. Forgot to grab a picture today :(

I worked, hung out with Zac, had supper with my parents, and then went for a bike ride with Scott and Brandon around the lake (which equals 7 miles, by the way). Hooray for a good day!

Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day to all the mothers out there. Even the ugly ones. (Shoutout to Father K.) Mother's Day is hard for my mama-my grandma has been gone for almost 4 years now. I miss her everyday, and I know my mom does too. We all went to church (including Zac), and then came home for breakfast. I made pancakes and we ate out on the patio table. What a beautiful day! Unfortunately I had to work 2-9 so I couldn't really enjoy the day outside. Especially since it was 94 DEGREES IN THE BUILDING. Linda hadn't turned the air on yet, and all the machines put out heat which makes it miserable in there. Not to mention the fact that I was working with a bunch of new people who had no idea what they were doing. Frustrating. Zac made it better by waiting for me to get off work and then taking me on a motorcycle ride around the lake. :)

Check out the special pancake I made for my ma :)

May 12

Zac and I went to breakfast, and then I came back and (sorta) cleaned my room. Mollie and I took a trip to Dodge to get some supplies to create Marissa's grad present. It's gonna be AWESOME. Later I drove Zac, Josiah, and Lance to Fort Dodge for Amanda Moeller's birthday party. It was fun! and then I drove them all home too.....I think drunk is an understatement. It was pretty entertaining though :) Look who I found at the party!

Katlyn! Haven't seen her in a loooooong time. 

May 11

The funeral was today. I only met his grandpa once, but I'm the type of girl who cries when I see others cry. We headed back to RC after all was said and done. I twisted Zac's arm and convinced him to golf Friday night couples with me. It was 3 couple best ball, so we golfed with my parents and Haub's. We golfed, well, shitty. But we had an AWESOME time :)

And here's some proof that they did dishes :) 

May 10

Unfortunately, Zac's grandpa (his dad's dad) had a heart attack on Monday and passed away. We went to Jefferson/Grand Junction for the visitation tonight. Here's a photo of us afterwards: (and yes, I got my hair cut)

May 6

All we had to do for lifeguarding today was take our tests-written and physical. I was done by 10:30. I grabbed a Panera bagel, packed up my stuff, and headed HOME. When I got home I went straight to swim team registration. It's looking promising for this summer! I CAN'T WAIT. After that, Zac and I joined my parents and Haub's for a few holes of golf. We ran out to Tori's grad party and then went back to town to have supper at Haub's. These two can get wild....

April 30

Monday of finals week. What did I do?  Pretty much nothing academic-related. Zac drove up this morning for a visit. We went to lunch with my French class at MyVerona. Yum! And also, adorable. Flavia is so cute. We also went to Scratch with some Relay people (Emily D, Emily L, Lindsey, and Paige). We had supper with Jen and Lindsey and Katlyne. Then we went to the church because the Praise band had a lil' concert! It was awesome. I set up my computer and skyped with Mrs. T so she could hear us. It was awesome! So much fun. Here's me and Flav :)

April 20

Busy day. I was kinda all over the place! I didn't have class at 11, so I spent the whole morning packing some stuff up to head home. I went to lunch with Jen and Tiffany, went to class, and then was on the road again. (sung in an Eddie Murphy voice). I had a small heart attack when I had to fill my car up with gas. I had to stop in Fort Dodge to get something at Walmart (I seriously hate that place so much...), so naturally I had to make a stop at Tropical Smoothie Cafe. :) I made a pit stop out at the little store to play a game of cribbage with Berton and Linda and to talk to Linda about work this summer! I came back to town and spent some time in Trash to Treasures with Aunt Sharon and Diane. and THEN I sat up at Lynch's with my daddy for a while. I also stopped at the Pedersen household, although I only got to see 2 of the 4 members of the family. I finally made it to my house and unloaded alllll the crap from my car. I went back up to Lynch's with my parents to have supper, and then to Fort Dodge with Zac, Lance, and Haley to see American Reunion. (It was good. I probably would've found it funnier had I seen any of the American Pie movies....) Overall it was a successful day! I took my picture of the day up on the square of RC. They're tearing down an old building and it's kind of a sad sight. I can't share it though because my computer is being silly.....

April 15

I was still recovering from Relay by the time Sunday rolled around. I went to church and then had brunch with Cristy and Katlyne. I then got some things accomplished (but not much). I was supposed to work, but I didn't. I called in and said I had a church conflict(which I really did!) Praise and Worship band had a little concert at the church around 6:30. After our performance, Rob bought me Panchero's. (It was my first time there.) What a nice guy! Then Zac came to visit! My photo is of the band :)

March 31

Best. Day. Ever.

I spent the whole day with Aunt Sharon. We had no time constraint..we did what we wanted to. & we had a BLAST. We headed to Dodge about 11am and went to lunch at Mineral City. Then we spent the rest of the afternoon shopping. And before we headed home (around 5:45), we got TROPICAL SMOOTHIES. Yum. :) She wouldn't let me take a picture of her again though :(

When we got back to town we unloaded Grandma's groceries that we got for her and I then she headed home. I sat outside with my parents and Jack Block because the weather was beautiful. Jim and Janet Haub joined us later. We grilled steak and I convinced my mama to make me cheesy potatoes(she makes the BEST). It was a very relaxing evening. Zac came over after work and we all hung out in the living room. I went to bed early(ish) because I didn't get a whole lot of sleep Friday night.....

March 18

Saturday night was looooooong. I got up and went to church with mom & dad. Lindsay and the boys left before we went to church because they had to get back to make soup for their Fire Dept. soup supper. After church, mom made breakfast. We all kinda hung out. I read-a lot. and then took a long (much-needed) nap. I was supposed to go to work buuuuuut I forgot to call and check my schedule so I didn't know I was supposed to work. Oops. Around 6 I left with Lance and Zac to go out to their friend's house by the lake. We sat around and talked and then later went to Woody's for supper. When we got back to town I had to see the new pets that Lance bought... Oh these boys......

They're holding chickens. And the chickens are currently living in the basement of the Sedlacek/Higgins/Passow residence. 

Dinner Dance

Saturday, March 17 was the Rockwell City Rotary Club's annual Dinner Dance. My mom is the president of the club, so she planned pretty much the whole thing. We spent Saturday morning and afternoon baking desserts and setting up tables for the event. Both of my sisters came home for the night and the whole family (minus Kaden and Connor) attended the event. We ALWAYS have a great time. We kept that tradition up! Some photos from the day:

Setting up: Kaden was a big help in moving the walls! 

We had some down time, so Kaden and JD hung out in the chair. :) 

Love them. 

My sisters made me put on this hat. They thought it would be a perfect fit because I have a tiny head...

There are MANY more photos from the night that I will soon be posting to Facebook. :) 

Spring Break!

I'm mashing this all into one post-I won't go into much detail. On the Sunday we flew out, we drove to Omaha and had lunch with Shelby & JD. Shelby so generously lent me the last 2 Hunger Games books. YES. I think you can figure out what I did all week... :) We had a peaceful direct flight to Phoenix and the lovely Josiah was there to greet us when we arrived. We grabbed some grub and headed to his place. Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday were filled with shopping (yay), eating, reading, and sitting by the pool in the sun. It was, well, AWESOME. It was so relaxing and fun. Such a great week with Zac. Friday we got up and climbed North Mountain. Yep, you read that right. I climbed a mountain. It gave me a splendid insight on how out of shape I am. Yikes. We headed to the airport. The journey home was not as short. We had about an hour layover in Denver and flew back in to Omaha around 12:30am. We(Zac) drove all the way back home. Here's some pics from the week. Zac HATES getting his picture taken...

These were taken on Tuesday night when we went
to Rock Bottom for supper. YUM!

This was at Mellow Mushroom on Wednesday night. John (left) is who Josiah lives with in Phoenix.

Thursday night we went downtown Phoenix. We ate some delicious pizza and fantastic crêpes.

 The view from the top of North Mountain. So beautiful! (even though I'm not usually a fan of nature)

And at the top we saw chipmunks. They were not afraid of us. They were so cute!! 

And that was my Spring Break in Phoenix. :)

Bon voyage!

Tomorrow is the day!! We leave for Phoenix. our flight leaves around 5:30...I think. I'll be sure to check on that. :) I am not taking my computer because I want to relax. So, I bid you all adieu-until next week! Happy Spring Break 2012!!!! :)

March 10

First, Happy Birthday to my bestie, Abby.

Second, longest day of my life. I woke up at 3:45 and was out the door by 4:35. I stopped to top my car off with gas and grab a cappuccino. Long drive to Sibley-before the sun was up. I arrived around 7 and my day started.I judged prose all morning and storytelling all afternoon. It was actually a lot of fun. After our center was done, I hopped in and watched David Robideau and Brett Nicholson perform. Austin and Brett rode home with me so I could stay awake. We had a ton of fun just chatting away. We stopped at Zac's house to pick up his boots, took Austin to Lake City, took the boots to Lytton, took Brett home, and then I FINALLY made it home around 8:30. I got a big hug from KAden, had a delicious piece of homemade pizza, and then Kaden helped me pack....sorta. I'm finally ready for bed. I have a cuddle buddy tonight. :)

"Make silly faces!" 

Seriously, I don't think he could be any cuter. 

March 9

FRIDAY. Yes. I woke up at 6-not by choice (obviously). I couldn't fall back asleep so I decided to be productive. I got up, showered, and packed. I ate breakfast with Katlyne around 8:15 and then left to get my pedicure around 9. It was very relaxing. After my pedi I went to HyVee to turn in my pop cans. I'm donating my pop can money to Relay. It was only 50 cents but hey, it's a start! I then went to Scratch to get cupcakes to take home to the fam. No coconut love, though :( I came back to campus and had lunch with Jen, Katlyne, and Danielle. I went to my 12:00 class and then was OFF. On my way home. Finally. My low fuel light came on but I was brave enough to try and make it to the Grundy County gas station. I made it, and then used my whole paycheck to put gas in my car.How depressing. I grabbed a Dr. Pepper and some almonds and was on my way. It was boring-like usual. I got home around 2:45, unloaded my stuff from my car, and was on the road again-to Lytton. But first I stopped at Pedersen's to deliver their cupcakes. I stopped in Lytton to deliver a cupcake to Zac. and then I went to see Aunt Sharon. :)  We talked for a while and then I headed back home. And there they were, waiting for me. My boys (well, Lindsay's actually). Kaden gave me seriously the BEST hug in the entire world. He said: "Whitmee! Guess what I brought with me!" I said, "what?!" and he promptly replied, "CONNOR!" Hahaha. We played some Wii games and Tate came over to visit. Grandma came back from the store and we made some mac n' cheese for supper. Then I headed, with both boys, to Lake City to the SCC Dance show. It was not bad. They boys were VERY good throughout the whole thing. Kaden even helped the janitor clean up the programs afterwards while I talked to some friends. Scott was a big help with entertaining Kaden. I got to chat with some friends because Tori stole Connor for about 20 minutes(at least). She loves him (I think it's because he's so squishy.) We headed home, with Scott (because Michelle had to work). We got back in the house, ate some pudding, and headed to bed...but it was not soon enough...

Connor was very content just hanging out on the floor during the show. 

March 6

Happy birthday to my best friend, Mollie :)
I am so behind.
Ok so it was a busy day...ish. Luckily Zac texted me at 7:30 or I would not have been awake in time for my class. Apparently my body did not want to wake up to my alarm. Anyway, I had lunch with Morgan, Danielle, Katlyne, and Jen. In French, we convinced Holi (whom none of us really like) to hold class in Seerley because students are having a study vigil as a silent protest to the changes happening here at UNI (Seerley is where Ben Allen's office is). We got there and talked a little about the assignment due Thursday. Apparently she had a big grad student test to study for, so someone said, "We can just study here on our own if you want to go study for your test." She said, "Are you sure?" Of course we all agreed. "yeah, yeah! Go ahead!"  so she left. and so did half of our class, haha. I stayed, however, because I had a class after so I had no reason to leave. Olivia made a sign to set up by us:

"We appreciate the value of foreign languages" 

There's a talk about cutting the French program which is REALLY frustrating, but I won't go into that. 

After my 2:00 class I met in the library with Eddie and Courtney to work on the listening part of our French workbook together. We do it together because it's really difficult and she grades really hard. When we finished with that Tiffany, Katlyne and I went on a walk around campus, where I found my new friend...

I skipped choir practice at St. Stephen's and instead went to Coldstone with Katlyne and Tiffany because it was our CAC fundraiser there. No word on how much we made, but the ice cream was delicious. I went to bed early because I was so exhausted. 

February 26

I was hoping to be productive today, but we all know how that goes. I got home from Cedar Rapids around noon and then ate lunch with Danielle and some of her friends. I showered and left around 3 for the Rock. I went to spend the day at home. I stopped to see Pedersen's for about a half hour and then went to Zac's house for a bit. When my parents got home around 8, Zac and I went over there to make our supper and spend some time with my parents. We watched the Oscars and then I left around 9:30.

My photo of the day was actually taken by my friend Danielle, but it explains exactly how I feel. We miss Katlyne :(