Sunday, June 24, 2012
Beginning of my career
I am starting my career tomorrow. No more school, now into the world I go. I had a nice internship at a firm my final year of grad school but this feels different. A professinals salary with benifits oh my. I have many Different feelings of excitment and i am a little scared but i Am Ready to take on the world. Wish me luck!
Thursday, June 21, 2012
Okay just kidding
Okay, so I thought I was back. lol Graduation was awesome and so much has happened in the last month. Anyway, I thought I would take a minute to say hello to anyone who still reads this. With me going into the professional world I think I either need to make it private or be pretty basic about what I talk about. Any opinions on the best way to address this world of openness that is the internet. : )
Sunday, May 6, 2012
I am BACK
I am back. There is a part of me that believe that tomorrow is the First day of the rest of my life. I received my Masters Degree in Architecture last Friday. It has been an amazing Journey. I will talk more about that special day soon but I hope to be able to share much more of my new adventures, funny thoughts and life here.
Saturday, February 11, 2012
Hi EVERYONE,
I just wanted to take a minute or more and say hi, so "HI!" I have missed keeping notes aka journaling about my life but it has been on Fast Forward so if I wrote anything all you would see is Blurry letters. Anyway can you see the crazy coming out. Dugan and I had a wonderful Christmas with my Family. My sister and I scored tickets from my parent to go see Neil Diamond in concert in July, cant wait. January started off wonderful with a Happy New Year with our Clarks(To fill you in the "Clarks" are our BFF's) The year started out quick with a Studio trip to Vancouver, BC on the 3rd. Our Final studio is based in Downtown Vancouver. It is a Beautiful place. I feel like it's San Francisco meets New York City. They have beautiful Parks and the Ocean. We had a nice time and were back on Sunday to start school on Monday. It was crazy taking a school trip before school was suppose to start but this Final Studio is Flying by so I think we will be grateful. My dear Skeeter was born on Jan 9th. okay so her name isn't really Skeeter it is Allison Paige Clark. It was LOVE at first sight. With it being the first week of school and my BFF having her 3rd Beautiful baby girl it was a crazy week. I was able to see her a lot since the hospital was so close to work and school and they were there for four days. Carrie looked amazing through the whole thing. Her Son Jimmy turned 7 on the 31st and we got to celebrate with a Lago party and dinner at the Olive Garden. Dugan has been dealing with Kidney Stones the past few weeks. We ended up in the ER where they did all sorts of test and he has 2 of them. They gave him drugs and told him that if they didn't pass in a month to come on back. It has just added one more little twist in this crazy life. Back to school, School, School. I am designing an Elementary School and have Learned so much that I hope to share with you all. (Probably this summer) Children's education is changing so much and I love learning and studying all the Theory. Thank you Ted Talks and the Third Teacher. Along with Studio I have an Oil Painting Class, Architecture Law, and an Intense Theory class talking about Religious Architecture. All the weeks have been busy. I am working for MHTN Architects and have been for about 9 months. Oh Thursday's I teach 5th grade elementary kids about Architecture. I LOVED 5th grade (Marine Biology, Greek Mythology, The Civil War) These kids are so Awesome. It is defiantly a highlight of my week. When I walk in the Classroom they all say Hi to me almost in Unison and then for the next hour they think I am so cool. The only thing better then practicing architecture is teaching it and sharing it with other. So that is the first four weeks or so of school. Two weeks ago our ward boundaries were split and we changed wards. We now have 1 o'clock church which I was a little bummed about since I haven't had it for the past 20 years of my life but the first week it actually was pretty nice. But then again we only had Sacrament meeting since it is a new ward and they have only called 70 of the 200 callings. So after sacrament meeting we broke our fast with Milk and Cookies and went home. We had the Clarks over to watch the SuperBowl. This past weekend was a little crazy with the week ahead. I had worked on studio and studied for my Law Midterm. Monday I had work, Studio and then it was Study some more Law time. I studied with my girls Sarah and Jen for about four hours before we called it a night. Tuesday I had Oil Painting, Work and then headed to the school to get in a few more hours of studying before the test. The class is from 6-9 pm since our teacher is a Lawyer. I was at the school an hour or so when the secretary let us know that our Law teachers secretary called and he would not be making it tonight so the test is postponed till next Tuesday(Really Valentines Day). It was Bittersweet. I think we all could use more time to Study but then again we just wanted to get it over with. It was a good thing the test got postponed because around 7:30pm I started feeling really Crummy. So I worked on studio. My sister called to chat for a minute which is exactly what I needed. I told her a little about my lesson (A Testimony of Jesus Christ). We both shared our testimonies with each other and expressed our gratitude for our knowledge of Christ. I also happened upon an amazing quote. The image behind the words showed feet wearing sandals walking on water. The text said, "When you feel like you are drowning in life, don't worry - your lifeguard walks on water." My eyes filled with tears as I shared this quote with my sister on the phone. The conversation was short and full of mini miracles. At that moment I know that I knew I would be just fine this week. The next morning I FELT HORRIBLE. No time for rest. I had work and then Studio. My Nose was runny and stuffy, my ears hurt, my chest was all congested, my eyes were teary. My cough was Horrible and gross. I was miserable. After studio I had to work on my presentation for theory that I had on Friday along with my Schematic Design Review. The worse case scenario is having ANYTHING else the day of a Jury Review. I stayed up till about 2:30am working on the Presentation and Studio. I had to be up by 6am to get to my 7:30am Oil class. I was still feeling pretty Crummy but no time to stop. After oils I worked on Studio and went to work a short day. After work Dugan and I came home and I finished my studio stuff and my Presentation slides. I went to bed around 11pm since I was falling asleep at my computer and I would be presenting twice the following day. I got up at 6 polished my slides and my notes for my presentation. Dugan and I headed to the school. I polished my Studio Presentation off before heading to Theory. I presented my Research in Theory. It went pretty good. I was glad I didn't cough to much during my presentation. I was feeling a lot better but my chest still had me coughing up a lung every 5 minutes. After theory I ate a quick lunch double checked my Studio presentation and then it was time for the Jury. I was third from last so I had a minute to gather my thoughts. 3 of the Jury members were my past studio professors. Which I am still not sure if that was good or bad. My presentation went great. They had lost of thoughts for me and I was happy to receive them. Any help I can get on the early juries will help for the BIG FINAL one. After Studio Dugan and I went to meet my sister and her family for dinner. We had a wonderful dinner to celebrate her 25th Birthday that is on Sunday. I can't express my Love for my sister in Words. I love that Girl sssoo Much. I had a yummy Lobster Corn Chowder and a dessert of Hot Nutella Brownie with Vanilla Ice Cream. After this week that is exactly what I needed. Today I slept in a bit before my Crazy Workout class. Every week I am sore for 2 days after. Loved the class then Dugan and I headed to the school. Finished my Oil painting, worked on studio and finished preparing my Relief Society Lesson. Oh wait, did I forget to mention that I am teaching Relief Society tomorrow. I got the call on Monday night while studying for the Law exam asking if I wouldn't mind teaching since they are still working on callings. I said yes. Some of you may wonder what was I thinking. Well let me tell you. When life gets busy I often feel that my need for the Lords hand in all I do gets more needy but I often find that my scripture study gets the boot. While working on studio I often listen to hours of religious music to help supplement but I knew that if I had to teach the lesson then I would have to prioritize my spiritual studies. My lesson preparations and seeing the hands of God in everything I do and expressing Gratitude for all his love made this week Amazing. On Friday my grin was so big and I was filled with pure JOY!!! The best feeling. I hope that tomorrow the spirit will be with me as I teach my lesson. I am so glad that where my strength ends the Lord is there to help me. I hope you are not all exhausted after reading this. It felt a little exhausting writing it. Well I wont be making any promises for the next clearly written notes about me but I hope you are all Happy and Healthy. You are in our prayers.
Luvs,
Charlotte and Dugan
Saturday, December 10, 2011
Since Japan
So since I got home from Japan I have felt like I pretty much dropped off the face of the earth. Anyway my studio final was yesterday and I am excited for the Christmas break. I am not sure the best way to talk about Japan. There is so much to talk about so I think I will try and work on something over the break to share. The past session of school has been busy. The big difference was that I had night classes on Tuesday and Thursday. I hate night classes. The classes themselves were great just bad timing. This session of Studio consisted of a Studio where I designed a waters rights lab and visitor center on a Site in Little Cottonwood Canyon, Professional Practice Ethics and Steel Structures. I had studio Monday, Wednesday and Friday. I worked on Tuesday and Thursday at the Firm and had class after work. Then I worked at VS on a few Saturdays. BUSY! Dugan and I are doing well and I am trying to decide if I am going to get a tree this year. In the past, due to cost and space we haven’t but now that were are in a house and I already have all the decorations from the first Christmas we were married I think it would be fun. We will see. I hope to write more over the break. Hope you are all well.
Loves xoxo
Loves xoxo
Monday, September 26, 2011
Almost 1/4 of the Way there
September 4th, 2011
First Sunday of the month. We had a great day and got a chance to relax knowing that tomorrow we would still have time to do homework. A night full of Harry Potter’s.
September 5th, 2011
Good Holiday Morning. Dugan and I slept in and then got working on school stuff. We played and took our Holiday on Saturday so to day is homework. We headed up to school and worked on homework. I know it should be school work since we are working on it at school but whatever. It was nice to have an extra day this week.
September 6th, 2011
Pro Practice and then work. I was excited to go to work and see my coworker Dennette who has been out of town for a month going and seeing all her children and grandchildren. She moved desks which is okay but I will miss her. I got lots done and before I knew it the day was over. We headed home and I made dinner before heading off to Ballet. I actually felt pretty good today. It always amazes me what practice can do.
September 7th, 2011
Today we had Mimi’s class for four hours and then Studio. Right before studio I talked to the women over the classes at the daybreak fitness center. We had a really good conversation and I think we talked a lot about the business and how it could work for my ballet class. I talked to my ballet teacher and she is going to talk to everyone about what we want to do next. I will keep you posted. After school I had an appointment downtown and then went back to the school to pick Dugan up. We headed home and watched Harry Potter and worked on homework.
Septmeber 8th, 2011
Today Dugan and I had our pro practice class and then I then I head up to Kaysville for our day of caring. We redid a landscaped strip at a shelter. We took out all the mulch and pulled up all the weed barrier and then replaced it all with new. It didn’t take us that long. My boss Dennis had his four year old grandson there. He was standing on the piles of new mulch (his castle) and telling us where we could dig. He is a great leader just like his grandpa. When we were all finished we went to Wingers for lunch. I got a salad that was good but so big that I will have leftovers for a while. Then Cason ordered a big cookie with ice cream that he insisted on sharing. I had a few bites and it was delicious. I had a nice little conversation with him about the mini golf course I went to last week with the Clarks. After work Renee (one of my fav admin girls) headed back to work with me. The rest of the day went well. A little while before I got off Dennis came to me and invited me to the MHTN golf tournament tomorrow. I was interested and excited but a little nervous. Sometimes it makes me laugh how intimidated I get by him. My tongue gets tied. Anyway after work I picked up Dugan and we headed home. My ballet class was cancelled due to the opening day of the state fair which is a family tradition for my teacher. Dugan and I had dinner and then it was a Good thing my BFF Carrie called and invited me to her Zumba class that she was teaching in my neck of the woods. It was a GREAT class. Thanks Carrie. We ended up staying late waiting for one of the young ballet girl’s ride to pick her up. When I got home I went straight to bed. Goodnight.
September 9th, 2011
Today I had the MHTN 2nd Annual Golf Tournament. The company was founded in 1923 so it has been around much longer then two years. Anyway I got up early to get ready. When I left the house I felt a little funny since I was wearing my “Country Club” outfit which is much different then most of my clothing. I was wearing a Navy Blue Polo shirt with a khaki skirt and Kswiss white tennis shoes. I drove down to Thanksgiving point where the tournament was held. I got there and tried to help out a bit. Then we had breakfast and shotgun was at 8:00am. For the first hour or so, I rode around with Mike our head of marketing. The way the tournament worked is there are consultant companies that sponsor each hole so engineers, contractors etc. Then there were 13 or so teams of clients such as school district reps, higher ed, and other clients. It was very interesting to watch how it all works. There was a moment where I thought about my personality and was wondering how I would have done if I would have decided to go into marketing. I came back to the club house and helped with things and went and hung out with the consultants who had holes near the club house. Around lunch time some of my other coworkers came and we headed in for lunch after the tournament was over. They awarded the winners and had a raffle for some awesome things. After that I had to head out to get to the school for Studio. I was very grateful for the experience and it was nice to finally meet people who I had been emailing for the past few months face to face. I got to studio and just worked on my project. After school Dugan and I decided that it was an eating out night. We decided to go by our house on the way to the restaurant. Dugan had me change my cloths and when I came back downstairs he hugged me and said you look like my wife again, I like you much better this way. I guess he wasn’t into my preppy country club look. Then we headed to the same mexican food place as last time. I love that I can just get a big plate of veggies with some rice for dinner. It started POURING RAIN outside right after we got there. It was cool to sit in the restaurant and watch the lighting across the sky and hear the thunder. After dinner we headed home I straightened up a bit and with in moments of sitting on the couch I was OUT. On Friday’s I think my new bed time in 7:30pm. What a day.
September 10th, 2011
Today I had work at 6:00am. Then I picked up Dugan from the Trax station and took him to work. Then I went to the school to work on my presentation for Mimi’s class and talk to my group. I have spent hours on this presentation. I am so ready to get it over with. Dugan and I headed home and worked on our presentations some more. What a way to spend a Saturday.
September 11th, 2011
Dugan and I had a nice day at church. Our new Family and Relationship class started during the Sunday school block. I am looking forward to it. I have never taken it and I think it will have some good points. The teachers are the stake patriarch and his wife. After church Dugan and I had a nice afternoon at home. Through out the day I couldn’t stop thinking about the fact that 9/11 happened ten years ago today. Over the past 10 years I have avoided the media in the days prior to 9-11. I guess I have felt that my memories are so vivid that I don't want to have them become even more crisp with footage being repeated over and over again. I have the fear of being over taken with emotion and sadness again. I haven't been able to bring myself to watch any films depicting that day. I am not sure what has hit me the most on the 10th anniversary if it is how long it has been or the continued learning and realization of what truly happened. In my studies of Architecture and skyscrapers there is so much power given to the strength of steel. Although it still needs fireproofing my understanding of how the towers burned and fell just over takes me. Then the emotion of a group of people doing such a thing. I will never forget my feelings and experiences that surround 9-11. I visited ground zero once on July 3, 2009 and couldn't comprehend what I was feeling. I hope to be able to return again to see the memorial. I can't find the words to continue my feelings so I will end with we love you, we miss you and God Speed.
September 12th, 2011
Today we had to Present in Mimi’s class. At first I was VERY nervous but after presenting my first part I started to feel comfortable. By the time it was time for me to present my personal case study on the De Beers Building in Ginza I was fine even though as a group we were running out of time. All in all I think the presentation went pretty well. I will let you know when I get my grade back. Then we had studio. Randy our teacher came around and touched base with us but it is pretty much time to produce. After studio Dugan and I stayed a little later before heading home. I made Club Chicken and potatoes for dinner. I had some readings to do for tomorrow and then I spent the rest of the night on Google Plus hang out and Skyping with my family. Today is my Wonderful Dad’s birthday. I think he said he was 3o something. You will have to ask him about that. We got to see my nephew Liam’s cute face and chat with him and my Sister and Brother in law and then after we all got off I saw that my brother William who was in China just got on skype so we called him up and talked a little longer. It was truly a Magical night. I will always say it, “I just want to be with my own Family”. Happy Birthday Papa. I Love you oh so Dearly.
September 13th, 2011
Today Dugan and I had our Pro practice class and then went to work. I had plenty to do and everything felt like it took forever. Sometimes computers can really be a pain. After work Dugan and I went back to the school to work on studio since our mid review is tomorrow. I was sad that I would be missing Ballet for the first time in months but that’s what happens when school starts to get busy. It trumps almost everything. We actually didn’t have to stay to late. I came home and worked till just after midnight so I could get up early tomorrow. That is the hard thing about deadlines. I am a morning person so working late is much harder then getting up early but sometimes you really can’t tell how long something is going to take so you stay up till 4:00am to make sure. Not this time. Midnight and then 6:00am was the plan.
September 14th, 2011
Today is our Mid Review for Studio. I got up early and worked on what I could and got ready. Dugan and I got to the school early and I finished up the last bit of my project. One of my five 3d objects didn’t turn out how I would have liked but it is okay. I was glad to see that I was presenting second so I could just get it over with and not have anxiety while other people presented. It went well and I had some good feed back and praise. Dugan was 6th. There were 14 people to present but we still finished just after five which was pretty impressive. Dugan and I headed home and I made BBQ shrimp with Jasmine Rice for dinner. We didn’t have any homework for the next few days so we started watching part one of the 6th Harry Potter. After the first 20 minutes I couldn’t stay awake. Although it was only 8:15pm we decided to turn off the movie and head to bed. Good night.
September 15th, 2011
Happy 13th dateversary to Dugan and I. It was September 15th of 1998 when Dugan and I started “going out” or so they call it when it is young puppy love. All day there were moments that I kept remembering from the past. Wow what a ride. I am so happy to have such a great Best Friend to share my life with. We had class bright and early at 7:30 but after arriving to school a classmate informed us that the teacher wouldn’t be there till 8:00am. So we all hung out till class started. After class all the Grad 2’s had a meeting with the director. He announced that we would all be going to Vancouver, Canada for our Final Studio. We will be going the beginning of January and then we get to choose our program(type of building) we want to design. After the meeting Dugan and I headed to work. I had a successful day. The lunch for the lunch and learn was so good. It was Zucchini and Squash with Penne Pasta (which I only had a bit of) Salmon, Spinach stuffed Chicken, french cheese bread with amazing butter spread and chocolate brownies. What a meal. I was very carful with what I had and was even able to save some to bring home for Dugan. After lunch I sent out the record sets of drawings for two projects, and took care of gathering some final information for another project. I had a nice conversation with one of the Marketing girls. I LOVE Architecture but recently I have wondered how I might be able to mix Architecture and Marketing as a career for me. I feel that my personality would be great for that. I also was recommended a book that I will let you know how it is. Kim is Awesome. After work I picked up Dugan, we had dream dinners and then headed home. He went to get a hair cut and I got ready for Ballet. Ballet has temporary been relocated and after driving around and getting so lost and so frustrated I headed home without ballet. Dugan and I finished Harry Potter from the night before and went to bed.
September 16th, 2011
Today I got up early and got lots of business done. I took Dugan to work and then ran errands. I had to have a zipper fixed on my backpack, mailed my IPAD case away to be replaced and took care of a few other things. I went to by my favorite little Gourmet Local Cookie shop to try there cookie of the month. It is called Maggie which is a fresh strawberry peach cobbler cookie with a honey goat cheese frosting. I love that she uses good quality ingredients. It was totally worth it. Then I went to pick Dugan up from work before heading to the school. We had Studio where we talked about the reviews from Wednesday and started working on what we need to do next. I can’t believe that this session of classes is over in 3 and a half weeks. Dugan and I headed home while the rains came down. We had a nice evening at home and went to be early.
September 17th, 2011
Today I had work then meet my friend Carrie with her daughter Katie at the farmers market downtown SLC. We enjoyed trying some fun things and I got some delicious gala apples and a spider made out of beads that Carrie insisted I get since my name is Charlotte and I do like spiders. After we were done shopping we headed over to my favorite little waffle place and shared a wonderful waffle before I headed to the school. After Dugan finished work we headed to Park City to meet up with our friends the Clarks. Twice in one day, I could get use to this. We did a little shopping at the Outlet malls. Where Dugan and I got super lucky at one of the stores. They had these scratch discount cards and the best you could get is 40% off your whole purchase and that’s what I got. We were able to get Dugan a new Jacket that he has been needing since last winter and I also got a light weight jacket that will be great for the office when the weather cools down. I love Guess clothes. Then I picked up a few gifts before we headed to dinner at Baja Cantina. It was nice to get out of town for the evening and hang out.
Sunday September 18th,
Today Dugan and I had a nice time at church. We are enjoying our new sunday school class and Relief Society was wonderful as Always. After church we walked the long way home from church and just chatted. We had a nice Sunday nap and got some things done for school.
Monday September 19th
Today we had Mimi’s bright and early. Ohayo Gozaimsu I have learned a few Japanese words really well but I am having a hard time learning some of the sentences. We will be in Japan in less then 3 weeks I better keep trying. After mimi’s we had Studio. I can’t believe how much there is to do and so little time. After studio we headed home and had a nice night at home.
Tuesday September 20th
Today we had a Conference about the Integrative process in Architecture. The conference went from 8am-1pm. Then we headed to work. It was a good day at work till I went to leave. I got in my car, put in the key and turned it to hear Nothing. Of course it had to be the battery or the starter. I realized that our Jumper cables are in the other car which is the one we usually drive. I went back into work to see if anyone could jump me. Nope. Usually there are so many people that work till 6:00pom but not today and the ones who were still there had no cables either. So I left the car and will be back with my cables tomorrow. In the meantime I had been trying to get some of my old friends from the Provo Victorias Secret together since it has been years and one of the girls is in town from Arizona. Miracles of Miracles all the girls could meet at the Gateway with there families. So Dugan and I rode trax and met them at the California Pizza Kitchen. Lisa was there with her husband and 2 kids, Nicole with her husband and her 2 kids, Misi (visiting from Az) and Dugan and I. I had a wonderful time. They are such Wonderful Women and I can’t believe how long it has been since we have all been together. After dinner Dugan and I headed to Trax to take home it was a bit chilly but at least we had a way home. When we got home we tried to start our other car but it was also dead so we will be taking trax back up tomorrow.
Wednesday September 21st
Today Dugan and I got up early and took trax’s back to my work with jumper cables in my backpack. When I got to work I asked our IT guy if he would be willing to come and jump me. I was praying (as were some of my family members) that it was just the battery. After the car got a little juice it started right up. We didn’t want to risk anything so we drove it straight to get the battery replaced. Which didn’t take to long and then we headed to the school. We had mimi’s class and then Studio. I had an appointment downtown so Dugan took Trax home and headed home after my appointment. I made dinner before heading to Book Club. We read the book Matched. I really liked it and can’t wait for the sequel called crossed that comes out in November. Teri was the host and did an amazing job of leading a great discussion about the book. Maybe the fact that she is a teacher has something to do with her awesome abilities. After book club I headed home and went to bed early.
Thursday September 22nd
Today we had our last class of our Professional Practice Class with Ryan. We still have group case studies to do but class is over. After class I headed to work where I got a lot done. Tomorrow we are having a retirement party at our office so we tided up. After work I was so glad to be heading home knowing I would make it to Ballet tonight. Ballet was wonderful but I can’t believe we are already starting to learn the choreography for our dance recital in December. I am hoping to be able to be part of it. I already know I will be a teddy bear but I am not sure how it is going to work with my school finals week so as for now I am not committing to anything. I Love Dancing. Then I headed home and got ready for bed since I have work in the morning.
Friday September 23rd
I only work on Friday’s if I don’t get in all my hours on Tuesday and Thursday so due to the conference on Tuesday I needed four hours today. I helped tidy up a little more and worked on some of the other work I needed to get done. After work I picked up Dugan and we headed to school where we had reviews on our five details for our studio project. My review was really short but it will give me a little time to figure out my next step. Dugan took trax home and I headed to the Retirement party for Mick. It was very nice and I am glad I stopped by. Plus my sister met me at work to drop off Liam. While we were driving in my car Liam started playing with a roll of my drawings that I don’t need anymore. He was so creative and thought of so many things it could be, a telescope, a trumpet, a magic wand and the list goes on and on. He sang me songs and told me all the words he knows in sign language along with the sign. On our way to my house I decided to take him Birthday (it’s only a month early) shopping before heading home. He picked out some new winter Cars pajamas, some Cars underwear, a Tomas the Train Puzzle, a pirates vest with a skull and crossbones on the back and some scooby doo fruit snacks. We headed home where we played at the playground and kicked a ball around before heading inside for a bath. He put on his new PJ’s, and Vest and we played with the puzzle while having fruit snacks. We read lots of books and cuddled up on the couch all before mom and dad came to pick him up. I love my little Mr. Liam. He is such a smart and great kid. Thanks Ashten for letting me spoil him for a night. Then it was off to bed. Goodnight
Saturday September 24th
Today I didn’t have work. YEAH!!! I slept in a bit and then enjoyed my morning. Dugan and I rode trax to his work around noon where he worked and I finished writing my paper for Ryan’s class. Then our friends Jim and Carrie came to pick us up and we went to dinner at Stoneground where the food was great but the service was Slow. After dinner we headed to the Grand Theater to see the Battle of the Improve. It was hilarious. I am pretty sure I was full on laughing for two hours. My stomach hurt from it. It was a great change of pace for a date night and many of the actors were so Clever. After it was over we stopped to get ice cream at Cold Stone ( I haven’t been there in years) I shared a Mint Shack with Dugan before Jim and Carrie dropped us off at the nearest trax station to head home. What a great day.
Sunday September 25th
This morning I woke up and got caught up on what I missed from the Relief Society Broadcast last night. I LOVE Brother Uchdorf. The forget me not flower will never be the same after his Beautiful talk. The rest were also very good. Then I got ready for church. It was fast Sunday due to General Conference next week. Then Dugan and I had our Sunday school class again and I had a great lesson in Relief Society. Did I mention that I Belong to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, I know who I am, I know Gods plan, I’ll follow him in faith, I believe in the Savior Jesus Christ, I’ll Honer his name. I’ll do what is right. I’ll follow his light. His truth I will Proclaim. Dugan and I had a nice Sabbath day at home.
First Sunday of the month. We had a great day and got a chance to relax knowing that tomorrow we would still have time to do homework. A night full of Harry Potter’s.
September 5th, 2011
Good Holiday Morning. Dugan and I slept in and then got working on school stuff. We played and took our Holiday on Saturday so to day is homework. We headed up to school and worked on homework. I know it should be school work since we are working on it at school but whatever. It was nice to have an extra day this week.
September 6th, 2011
Pro Practice and then work. I was excited to go to work and see my coworker Dennette who has been out of town for a month going and seeing all her children and grandchildren. She moved desks which is okay but I will miss her. I got lots done and before I knew it the day was over. We headed home and I made dinner before heading off to Ballet. I actually felt pretty good today. It always amazes me what practice can do.
September 7th, 2011
Today we had Mimi’s class for four hours and then Studio. Right before studio I talked to the women over the classes at the daybreak fitness center. We had a really good conversation and I think we talked a lot about the business and how it could work for my ballet class. I talked to my ballet teacher and she is going to talk to everyone about what we want to do next. I will keep you posted. After school I had an appointment downtown and then went back to the school to pick Dugan up. We headed home and watched Harry Potter and worked on homework.
Septmeber 8th, 2011
Today Dugan and I had our pro practice class and then I then I head up to Kaysville for our day of caring. We redid a landscaped strip at a shelter. We took out all the mulch and pulled up all the weed barrier and then replaced it all with new. It didn’t take us that long. My boss Dennis had his four year old grandson there. He was standing on the piles of new mulch (his castle) and telling us where we could dig. He is a great leader just like his grandpa. When we were all finished we went to Wingers for lunch. I got a salad that was good but so big that I will have leftovers for a while. Then Cason ordered a big cookie with ice cream that he insisted on sharing. I had a few bites and it was delicious. I had a nice little conversation with him about the mini golf course I went to last week with the Clarks. After work Renee (one of my fav admin girls) headed back to work with me. The rest of the day went well. A little while before I got off Dennis came to me and invited me to the MHTN golf tournament tomorrow. I was interested and excited but a little nervous. Sometimes it makes me laugh how intimidated I get by him. My tongue gets tied. Anyway after work I picked up Dugan and we headed home. My ballet class was cancelled due to the opening day of the state fair which is a family tradition for my teacher. Dugan and I had dinner and then it was a Good thing my BFF Carrie called and invited me to her Zumba class that she was teaching in my neck of the woods. It was a GREAT class. Thanks Carrie. We ended up staying late waiting for one of the young ballet girl’s ride to pick her up. When I got home I went straight to bed. Goodnight.
September 9th, 2011
Today I had the MHTN 2nd Annual Golf Tournament. The company was founded in 1923 so it has been around much longer then two years. Anyway I got up early to get ready. When I left the house I felt a little funny since I was wearing my “Country Club” outfit which is much different then most of my clothing. I was wearing a Navy Blue Polo shirt with a khaki skirt and Kswiss white tennis shoes. I drove down to Thanksgiving point where the tournament was held. I got there and tried to help out a bit. Then we had breakfast and shotgun was at 8:00am. For the first hour or so, I rode around with Mike our head of marketing. The way the tournament worked is there are consultant companies that sponsor each hole so engineers, contractors etc. Then there were 13 or so teams of clients such as school district reps, higher ed, and other clients. It was very interesting to watch how it all works. There was a moment where I thought about my personality and was wondering how I would have done if I would have decided to go into marketing. I came back to the club house and helped with things and went and hung out with the consultants who had holes near the club house. Around lunch time some of my other coworkers came and we headed in for lunch after the tournament was over. They awarded the winners and had a raffle for some awesome things. After that I had to head out to get to the school for Studio. I was very grateful for the experience and it was nice to finally meet people who I had been emailing for the past few months face to face. I got to studio and just worked on my project. After school Dugan and I decided that it was an eating out night. We decided to go by our house on the way to the restaurant. Dugan had me change my cloths and when I came back downstairs he hugged me and said you look like my wife again, I like you much better this way. I guess he wasn’t into my preppy country club look. Then we headed to the same mexican food place as last time. I love that I can just get a big plate of veggies with some rice for dinner. It started POURING RAIN outside right after we got there. It was cool to sit in the restaurant and watch the lighting across the sky and hear the thunder. After dinner we headed home I straightened up a bit and with in moments of sitting on the couch I was OUT. On Friday’s I think my new bed time in 7:30pm. What a day.
September 10th, 2011
Today I had work at 6:00am. Then I picked up Dugan from the Trax station and took him to work. Then I went to the school to work on my presentation for Mimi’s class and talk to my group. I have spent hours on this presentation. I am so ready to get it over with. Dugan and I headed home and worked on our presentations some more. What a way to spend a Saturday.
September 11th, 2011
Dugan and I had a nice day at church. Our new Family and Relationship class started during the Sunday school block. I am looking forward to it. I have never taken it and I think it will have some good points. The teachers are the stake patriarch and his wife. After church Dugan and I had a nice afternoon at home. Through out the day I couldn’t stop thinking about the fact that 9/11 happened ten years ago today. Over the past 10 years I have avoided the media in the days prior to 9-11. I guess I have felt that my memories are so vivid that I don't want to have them become even more crisp with footage being repeated over and over again. I have the fear of being over taken with emotion and sadness again. I haven't been able to bring myself to watch any films depicting that day. I am not sure what has hit me the most on the 10th anniversary if it is how long it has been or the continued learning and realization of what truly happened. In my studies of Architecture and skyscrapers there is so much power given to the strength of steel. Although it still needs fireproofing my understanding of how the towers burned and fell just over takes me. Then the emotion of a group of people doing such a thing. I will never forget my feelings and experiences that surround 9-11. I visited ground zero once on July 3, 2009 and couldn't comprehend what I was feeling. I hope to be able to return again to see the memorial. I can't find the words to continue my feelings so I will end with we love you, we miss you and God Speed.
September 12th, 2011
Today we had to Present in Mimi’s class. At first I was VERY nervous but after presenting my first part I started to feel comfortable. By the time it was time for me to present my personal case study on the De Beers Building in Ginza I was fine even though as a group we were running out of time. All in all I think the presentation went pretty well. I will let you know when I get my grade back. Then we had studio. Randy our teacher came around and touched base with us but it is pretty much time to produce. After studio Dugan and I stayed a little later before heading home. I made Club Chicken and potatoes for dinner. I had some readings to do for tomorrow and then I spent the rest of the night on Google Plus hang out and Skyping with my family. Today is my Wonderful Dad’s birthday. I think he said he was 3o something. You will have to ask him about that. We got to see my nephew Liam’s cute face and chat with him and my Sister and Brother in law and then after we all got off I saw that my brother William who was in China just got on skype so we called him up and talked a little longer. It was truly a Magical night. I will always say it, “I just want to be with my own Family”. Happy Birthday Papa. I Love you oh so Dearly.
September 13th, 2011
Today Dugan and I had our Pro practice class and then went to work. I had plenty to do and everything felt like it took forever. Sometimes computers can really be a pain. After work Dugan and I went back to the school to work on studio since our mid review is tomorrow. I was sad that I would be missing Ballet for the first time in months but that’s what happens when school starts to get busy. It trumps almost everything. We actually didn’t have to stay to late. I came home and worked till just after midnight so I could get up early tomorrow. That is the hard thing about deadlines. I am a morning person so working late is much harder then getting up early but sometimes you really can’t tell how long something is going to take so you stay up till 4:00am to make sure. Not this time. Midnight and then 6:00am was the plan.
September 14th, 2011
Today is our Mid Review for Studio. I got up early and worked on what I could and got ready. Dugan and I got to the school early and I finished up the last bit of my project. One of my five 3d objects didn’t turn out how I would have liked but it is okay. I was glad to see that I was presenting second so I could just get it over with and not have anxiety while other people presented. It went well and I had some good feed back and praise. Dugan was 6th. There were 14 people to present but we still finished just after five which was pretty impressive. Dugan and I headed home and I made BBQ shrimp with Jasmine Rice for dinner. We didn’t have any homework for the next few days so we started watching part one of the 6th Harry Potter. After the first 20 minutes I couldn’t stay awake. Although it was only 8:15pm we decided to turn off the movie and head to bed. Good night.
September 15th, 2011
Happy 13th dateversary to Dugan and I. It was September 15th of 1998 when Dugan and I started “going out” or so they call it when it is young puppy love. All day there were moments that I kept remembering from the past. Wow what a ride. I am so happy to have such a great Best Friend to share my life with. We had class bright and early at 7:30 but after arriving to school a classmate informed us that the teacher wouldn’t be there till 8:00am. So we all hung out till class started. After class all the Grad 2’s had a meeting with the director. He announced that we would all be going to Vancouver, Canada for our Final Studio. We will be going the beginning of January and then we get to choose our program(type of building) we want to design. After the meeting Dugan and I headed to work. I had a successful day. The lunch for the lunch and learn was so good. It was Zucchini and Squash with Penne Pasta (which I only had a bit of) Salmon, Spinach stuffed Chicken, french cheese bread with amazing butter spread and chocolate brownies. What a meal. I was very carful with what I had and was even able to save some to bring home for Dugan. After lunch I sent out the record sets of drawings for two projects, and took care of gathering some final information for another project. I had a nice conversation with one of the Marketing girls. I LOVE Architecture but recently I have wondered how I might be able to mix Architecture and Marketing as a career for me. I feel that my personality would be great for that. I also was recommended a book that I will let you know how it is. Kim is Awesome. After work I picked up Dugan, we had dream dinners and then headed home. He went to get a hair cut and I got ready for Ballet. Ballet has temporary been relocated and after driving around and getting so lost and so frustrated I headed home without ballet. Dugan and I finished Harry Potter from the night before and went to bed.
September 16th, 2011
Today I got up early and got lots of business done. I took Dugan to work and then ran errands. I had to have a zipper fixed on my backpack, mailed my IPAD case away to be replaced and took care of a few other things. I went to by my favorite little Gourmet Local Cookie shop to try there cookie of the month. It is called Maggie which is a fresh strawberry peach cobbler cookie with a honey goat cheese frosting. I love that she uses good quality ingredients. It was totally worth it. Then I went to pick Dugan up from work before heading to the school. We had Studio where we talked about the reviews from Wednesday and started working on what we need to do next. I can’t believe that this session of classes is over in 3 and a half weeks. Dugan and I headed home while the rains came down. We had a nice evening at home and went to be early.
September 17th, 2011
Today I had work then meet my friend Carrie with her daughter Katie at the farmers market downtown SLC. We enjoyed trying some fun things and I got some delicious gala apples and a spider made out of beads that Carrie insisted I get since my name is Charlotte and I do like spiders. After we were done shopping we headed over to my favorite little waffle place and shared a wonderful waffle before I headed to the school. After Dugan finished work we headed to Park City to meet up with our friends the Clarks. Twice in one day, I could get use to this. We did a little shopping at the Outlet malls. Where Dugan and I got super lucky at one of the stores. They had these scratch discount cards and the best you could get is 40% off your whole purchase and that’s what I got. We were able to get Dugan a new Jacket that he has been needing since last winter and I also got a light weight jacket that will be great for the office when the weather cools down. I love Guess clothes. Then I picked up a few gifts before we headed to dinner at Baja Cantina. It was nice to get out of town for the evening and hang out.
Sunday September 18th,
Today Dugan and I had a nice time at church. We are enjoying our new sunday school class and Relief Society was wonderful as Always. After church we walked the long way home from church and just chatted. We had a nice Sunday nap and got some things done for school.
Monday September 19th
Today we had Mimi’s bright and early. Ohayo Gozaimsu I have learned a few Japanese words really well but I am having a hard time learning some of the sentences. We will be in Japan in less then 3 weeks I better keep trying. After mimi’s we had Studio. I can’t believe how much there is to do and so little time. After studio we headed home and had a nice night at home.
Tuesday September 20th
Today we had a Conference about the Integrative process in Architecture. The conference went from 8am-1pm. Then we headed to work. It was a good day at work till I went to leave. I got in my car, put in the key and turned it to hear Nothing. Of course it had to be the battery or the starter. I realized that our Jumper cables are in the other car which is the one we usually drive. I went back into work to see if anyone could jump me. Nope. Usually there are so many people that work till 6:00pom but not today and the ones who were still there had no cables either. So I left the car and will be back with my cables tomorrow. In the meantime I had been trying to get some of my old friends from the Provo Victorias Secret together since it has been years and one of the girls is in town from Arizona. Miracles of Miracles all the girls could meet at the Gateway with there families. So Dugan and I rode trax and met them at the California Pizza Kitchen. Lisa was there with her husband and 2 kids, Nicole with her husband and her 2 kids, Misi (visiting from Az) and Dugan and I. I had a wonderful time. They are such Wonderful Women and I can’t believe how long it has been since we have all been together. After dinner Dugan and I headed to Trax to take home it was a bit chilly but at least we had a way home. When we got home we tried to start our other car but it was also dead so we will be taking trax back up tomorrow.
Wednesday September 21st
Today Dugan and I got up early and took trax’s back to my work with jumper cables in my backpack. When I got to work I asked our IT guy if he would be willing to come and jump me. I was praying (as were some of my family members) that it was just the battery. After the car got a little juice it started right up. We didn’t want to risk anything so we drove it straight to get the battery replaced. Which didn’t take to long and then we headed to the school. We had mimi’s class and then Studio. I had an appointment downtown so Dugan took Trax home and headed home after my appointment. I made dinner before heading to Book Club. We read the book Matched. I really liked it and can’t wait for the sequel called crossed that comes out in November. Teri was the host and did an amazing job of leading a great discussion about the book. Maybe the fact that she is a teacher has something to do with her awesome abilities. After book club I headed home and went to bed early.
Thursday September 22nd
Today we had our last class of our Professional Practice Class with Ryan. We still have group case studies to do but class is over. After class I headed to work where I got a lot done. Tomorrow we are having a retirement party at our office so we tided up. After work I was so glad to be heading home knowing I would make it to Ballet tonight. Ballet was wonderful but I can’t believe we are already starting to learn the choreography for our dance recital in December. I am hoping to be able to be part of it. I already know I will be a teddy bear but I am not sure how it is going to work with my school finals week so as for now I am not committing to anything. I Love Dancing. Then I headed home and got ready for bed since I have work in the morning.
Friday September 23rd
I only work on Friday’s if I don’t get in all my hours on Tuesday and Thursday so due to the conference on Tuesday I needed four hours today. I helped tidy up a little more and worked on some of the other work I needed to get done. After work I picked up Dugan and we headed to school where we had reviews on our five details for our studio project. My review was really short but it will give me a little time to figure out my next step. Dugan took trax home and I headed to the Retirement party for Mick. It was very nice and I am glad I stopped by. Plus my sister met me at work to drop off Liam. While we were driving in my car Liam started playing with a roll of my drawings that I don’t need anymore. He was so creative and thought of so many things it could be, a telescope, a trumpet, a magic wand and the list goes on and on. He sang me songs and told me all the words he knows in sign language along with the sign. On our way to my house I decided to take him Birthday (it’s only a month early) shopping before heading home. He picked out some new winter Cars pajamas, some Cars underwear, a Tomas the Train Puzzle, a pirates vest with a skull and crossbones on the back and some scooby doo fruit snacks. We headed home where we played at the playground and kicked a ball around before heading inside for a bath. He put on his new PJ’s, and Vest and we played with the puzzle while having fruit snacks. We read lots of books and cuddled up on the couch all before mom and dad came to pick him up. I love my little Mr. Liam. He is such a smart and great kid. Thanks Ashten for letting me spoil him for a night. Then it was off to bed. Goodnight
Saturday September 24th
Today I didn’t have work. YEAH!!! I slept in a bit and then enjoyed my morning. Dugan and I rode trax to his work around noon where he worked and I finished writing my paper for Ryan’s class. Then our friends Jim and Carrie came to pick us up and we went to dinner at Stoneground where the food was great but the service was Slow. After dinner we headed to the Grand Theater to see the Battle of the Improve. It was hilarious. I am pretty sure I was full on laughing for two hours. My stomach hurt from it. It was a great change of pace for a date night and many of the actors were so Clever. After it was over we stopped to get ice cream at Cold Stone ( I haven’t been there in years) I shared a Mint Shack with Dugan before Jim and Carrie dropped us off at the nearest trax station to head home. What a great day.
Sunday September 25th
This morning I woke up and got caught up on what I missed from the Relief Society Broadcast last night. I LOVE Brother Uchdorf. The forget me not flower will never be the same after his Beautiful talk. The rest were also very good. Then I got ready for church. It was fast Sunday due to General Conference next week. Then Dugan and I had our Sunday school class again and I had a great lesson in Relief Society. Did I mention that I Belong to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, I know who I am, I know Gods plan, I’ll follow him in faith, I believe in the Savior Jesus Christ, I’ll Honer his name. I’ll do what is right. I’ll follow his light. His truth I will Proclaim. Dugan and I had a nice Sabbath day at home.
Friday, September 16, 2011
Inspired by Kathy
This is in response to a post that my cousin posted about "health experts" and how we try to do what is right, but what do we do when we have no clue. Two of her main statements were
If you consume more calories than you burn then you will, in fact, gain weight. Therefore, if you consume less calories than you burn then you will, in fact, lose weight. End. Of. Story.
If it is working for you then keep doing it. If it isn't then try something else
Amean, I realized last month if I didn't have to spend all my time searching and trying to sort my findings I would be better off. So I did just that. I took some of the OBVIOUS things and I am with you on the reasoning of math. Calories in vs calories out. If I want to sit on my butt all day. Then I am going to have to eat a hard boiled egg and some veggies for lunch, if I am going to go on a three hour hike and run around at the park with my friends kids, then maybe we can go out for ice cream(a small please) and have a fun day. I have been doing Ballet twice a week for the past few months. I haven't lost ONE POUND. But do my clothes look different you better believe it. Do I love myself? Of Course. Its a battle we get to fight our whole life. We can't give up food. It's just not an option. So take what God gave you and when you go to a dance class or the gym and you are tired, be grateful you can experience your body in ways that many can't. I believe God gave me this body on loan for my earth life and I will be held accountable of how I treat it. Making it Personal.
If you consume more calories than you burn then you will, in fact, gain weight. Therefore, if you consume less calories than you burn then you will, in fact, lose weight. End. Of. Story.
If it is working for you then keep doing it. If it isn't then try something else
Amean, I realized last month if I didn't have to spend all my time searching and trying to sort my findings I would be better off. So I did just that. I took some of the OBVIOUS things and I am with you on the reasoning of math. Calories in vs calories out. If I want to sit on my butt all day. Then I am going to have to eat a hard boiled egg and some veggies for lunch, if I am going to go on a three hour hike and run around at the park with my friends kids, then maybe we can go out for ice cream(a small please) and have a fun day. I have been doing Ballet twice a week for the past few months. I haven't lost ONE POUND. But do my clothes look different you better believe it. Do I love myself? Of Course. Its a battle we get to fight our whole life. We can't give up food. It's just not an option. So take what God gave you and when you go to a dance class or the gym and you are tired, be grateful you can experience your body in ways that many can't. I believe God gave me this body on loan for my earth life and I will be held accountable of how I treat it. Making it Personal.
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