Date Night

Calvin and I are poor college students, so going out on a date is a huge exciting event! So yes, our two hour date deserves a whole blog post. :) This past Thursday, Calvin and I decided to go on a little date before the stress of finals began! We went to Sages Cafe, which is a vegetarian restaurant. Calvin must really love me, because he is a huge meat eater :) Then, we went to Cheesecake Factory at City Creek to get some cheesecake. That was an adventure itself! It took us forever to even find City Creek and then we couldn't figure out where to park. Once we found out where to park we got on the elevator but kept getting off at the wrong floors. That was probably the highlight of the night! We drove up to Ensign Peak (but I was wearing heeels, so we did not hike it) and walked down into this little garden walkway that had these way pretty purple plants! Here are some pics:

My Birthday

So my birthday was almost a month ago, but I decided I should blog about it since I haven't blogged in forever because I feel like I have nothing to blog about!
Calvin took me out the day before my birthday. We have this habit of celebrating birhtdays, Valentines, and anniversaries for an entire day with each other. My mom even said, "How long do you think this whole going out for a whole day thing is gonna last?" My reply was, "...forever?", but we will see. :)
Anyways, we started the day by going to Taco Time for lunch (no, we don't wake up early enough for breakfast) even though he doesn't like it. We then went to the aquarium where we have yearly memberships! We finally got to see the cute new otters. I would post a picture, but my phone is currently broken. He bought me this card game called "It Came to Pass" which I have been wanting because I used to play it when I was little. We went back to my house and played for a few hours. Then, we went to dinner at Gepeddos (which is the cutest/tastiest italian restaurant) and then went to see Wanderlust with Jennifer Anniston (who I adore). I wanna say that next we went to Sub Zero and got ice cream or something, but I have a horrible memory and this was a month ago! Either way, I know I loved the whole day. Oh and he got me sunflower seeds, like the ones you plant and not the ones you eat, because I love sunflowers! I can't wait to plant them. He also got me The Office version of Monopoly which we went home and played. This is when we decided we are going to collect Monopoly games because we already have like six.
The next day, my real birthday, it was time for my birthday family dinner. I chose to go to the Cheesecake Factory (of course). We got to the restaurant at 4:00 p.m., on a Sunday, and still had to wait for an hour. But, we had a part of like 11, so I can understand. My parents and siblings went (besides Randy, I think Germany is a long drive from Cheesecake Factory), and both sets of my grandparents so it was really nice. Luckily, they messed up on my mom's and Ryan's dinners, so we got those for free. My sister got me some clothes, and everyone else mostly gave me money. I don't think I'm hard to shop for, but apparently everyone else does! It was a great birthday weekend, and I had spring break for the week after which made it even better.
Here is a pic of my favorite dish there. I know they look disgusting, but they are amazingly delicious! You can find them under the appetizer section and they are called Sweet Corn Tamale Cakes

And my FAVORITE cheesecake! Vanilla bean!

Great. Now my mouth is watering, and I hope yours is too!

p.s. I stole these pics from Google.

Immortal Mine Book Review

For the month of January I decided to read Immortal Mine by Cindy C Bennett who also happens to be my mom (no, I'm not biased).
Here is what the book is about:
Niahm (pronounced Neeve) Parker is thoroughly content with her life in the small town of Goshen. Her parents, who travel frequently for their work, have raised a headstrong, independent teen. While her peers can hardly wait for the opportunity to leave, Niahm plans to stay forever.

When Shane Coleman and his nephew Sam move into town, it's the biggest event to happen in as long as anyone can remember. It’s quite remarkable for anyone to move into Goshen rather than out, but when it’s discovered that Sam is 17, it requires some serious burning of the phone lines. All the teen girls are thrilled to have a new hottie in town—all except Niahm. Sam Coleman represents a threat to her perfect way of life.

Sam is drawn to Niahm against his will. He'd prefer to not be bound to this angry, stubborn, unlikeable girl. Unfortunately, he has no choice. However, Sam didn't plan on falling for Niahm. For Immortals, love is not only forbidden, but dangerous for her. He finds himself in a fight not only for Niahm's heart, but to protect her from being harmed by those who seek to destroy Sam and those like him.

Niahm finds herself attracted to the tall, copper-headed boy, who becomes her friend and then her support when tragedy strikes. Soon, she begins to realize that there may be more to Sam than she ever suspected... much more. But what he truly is, she can't begin to imagine.

Now, when I first read the back of the book it sounded slightly like Twilight to me, so I wasn't sure how it was going to turn out. But it is nothing like Twilight! Plus, it is way better. It is a whole different story, and it is very unique and entertaining. I would give Immortal Mine 5 stars out of 5! I loved it. I was getting near the end of the book and everything was all happy when BAM! Suddenly, the book took a very unexpected turn. Immortal Mine was such an unpredictable story and I loved it. I was really sad when it ended, but luckily it ends in a way that is satisfiable, at least for now. Plus, there are going to be sequels and since I have the hookups, I can probably read the sequel as soon as she starts writing it. :)
Immortal Mine was an amazing paranormal romance book that I would recommend to everyone, even if it doesn't sound like your type of book! I was a little skeptical at first as well, but I ended up loving it. In fact, it is my favorite book of Cindy's so far.

Find out more about Immortal Mine or her other two novels, Heart on a Chain and Geek Girl at her website: cindycbennett.com

New Years Resolutions

I know this is a little late, but here are my resolutions!

Brush my teeth every night - I know this seems like a simple task to most of you, but not to me! I am always munching on food at night and by the time I remember that I should brush my teeth, I am too lazy! But, I'm working on it.

Maintain a 3.5 GPA or higher - I made the Dean's List this semester at the U with a 3.7, so I'm off to a pretty good start, but I would like to keep it up.

Read one novel per month - I used to read ALL THE TIME back in the day, but I am so busy now. I miss reading though, and my vocabulary really sucks, so I am going to read one book per month and then maybe post a review on my blog about the book so look out!

Welcome!

I have always wanted to have my own blog, but I really have no particular special crafty talents to blog about, or some sad life story... So I'm just winging it! I suppose I plan on writing about my college experience, my hopes and dreams for the future, fun memories and experiences, things that inspire me from day to day, and probably a few things about baking (because that's something I LOVE to do!) 


Here are a few things about myself:
I attend the University of Utah where I am working on my Bachelor's in psychology with a health promotion minor. I also live in the dorms up there which is fun, but bittersweet at the same time. Because I received by Associate's Degree in high school, I will be done with my Bachelor's  in Spring of 2013! After that I plan on getting my Master's ASAP, and perhaps think about doing a Doctorate.

I love to cook, especially when it comes to baking yummy treats! Me and my friend Alexis are always baking up new tasty treats every time I come home for the weekend.
I love my family very much! My sister is my bestest friend in the whole wide world and I would be lost without her.

I also love my boyfriend, Calvin, very much! We have been together for over two years and I couldn't be happier. I never knew I would be lucky enough to end up with such an amazing, sweet man.
In my spare time I like to bake, do puzzles, play board games, watch The Office or Friends, hang out with my dogs, and sleep. I'm kind of like an old lady in that way!


Welp, there goes my first post. I hope you guys enjoy what is yet to come!