gracisms

i'm still new at this blogging thing, but i've seen this on other blogs and really enjoyed it. so here is a list of my gracisms...things about me you may or may not know.
1.i am the youngest of 3 children. and i love it that way. the baby seems to get everything.
2. i wish there were more kids in my family. i think having large families may be difficult at times, but i think it would be awesome anyway, and so worth it.
3. i am afraid of flying. i never used to be, but i have become really really afraid of flying the last few years. i don't know why, and i don't like it because there are so many places i want to travel in the world.
4. i went to elementary school on the beach. that's right, 100 yards from the school yard was the pacific ocean. and i am so grateful for that experience.
5. i hate seafood. i grew up in a town that thrives on the seafood industry, yet i can barely manage to tolerate eating it twice a year.
6. i love tiffany&co. come on, what girl doesn't love the little blue box?
7. i love to travel. something about how seeing a new place and the similarities and differences between cultures. i love how it enlightens my understanding of the world.
8. i love experiencing all 4 seasons. summer is by far my favorite, but each season has something awesome to offer.
9. i prefer dogs over cats, but growing up, we always seemed to have cats instead of dogs. dogs have way more personality!
10. i love being in nature. it doesn't really matter what i'm doing, as long as i am outside, i am happy.
11. i love my job. i learn something new from it everyday. and there is rarely a dull moment.
12. grace is my middle name. it was my great grandmother's name.
13. catherine is my first name, but i think it's too formal for me, and i can't find a shorter version that i like.
14. growing up, everyone called me cici, but i always kind of hated it.
15. i have a wild imagination. i have always been a day dreamer, which makes it hard to pay attention sometimes, but i wouldn't change it for the world. i believe imagination is an awesome thing.
16. i was born on the ides of march, which is apparently the day caesar was murdered.
17. i always wished i had a summer birthday.
18. if i was born one day later, i would have been named martha, after my aunt.
19. i lived in mexico for a month and worked in a hospital during nursing school. it was an amazing experience, which makes me grateful for the technologies we have in the states.
20. i love to cook and bake, but i have absolutely no "instinct" when it comes to the kitchen. but i'm getting better...
21. i try to do one thing everyday that is out of my comfort zone. i think it helps me grow and better myself.
22. i consider myself adventurous. i have been skydiving and bunjee jumping, and am usually up for just about anything.
23. i'm a pisces, and i am usually pretty close to how pisces are described. even though i really don't believe in all that astrological nonsense.
24. i sometimes wish i had curly hair. my hair won't even hold a curl if i try. but people with curly hair tell me i'm lucky to have straight hair. guess the grass is always greener...
25. i like cemeteries. i don't know why, but i think there is something really cool about them.
26. i want to travel all over south america one day.
27. i love to people watch. i could do it for hours...and sometimes do.
28. i love everything tropical. the beach, the ocean, palm trees, pineapples...
29. i love to swing in hammocks. so relaxing.
30. i love the acoustic guitar. it is one of the most soothing sounds to me.
31. someday i want to do a road trip all across america. i would love to visit all of the 50 states.
32. i think the earth is such a beautiful place. the forests and mountains, and deserts. i love it all.
33. i am a really picky eater, but i am trying to be better about trying and liking new things.
34. i really like to dress up, but when i do, i feel really out of my element. i need lessons in walking in heels.
35. i love the sound of children's laughter.
36. if i wasn't a nurse, i would want to be an interior designer or photographer.
37.my favorite shoes are flip flops. i think they comprise 2/3 of my shoe collection.
38. i love the spanish language. i wish i were more fluent in it.
39.i took piano lessons twice when i was younger and quit both times. i wish my mom had made me stick with it. i've tried to teach myself as an adult, but it's not so easy.
40.my favorite food is mexican. particularly spicey food.
41. i don't think i have ever tasted a fruit i don't like. which is good because there are very few vegetables i do like.
42. i want to adopt children. i would love to have some of my own, but also adopt some. i think there are so many children in this world without loving families, and i would love to provide a loving family to some of those children.
43.i want to do a triathalon someday, but i hate running, so it may be somewhat of a challenge for me.
44.i fall asleep with the radio on.
45. i love to get lost in thought.
46.music makes me sentimental. if i hear a song, it can take me back to an exact moment from my past.
47.i love the water, but am kind of afraid of the ocean. i have been pummeled by one too many waves.
48.i prefer summer over any other season. there is no better feeling than sitting with the sun shining down on you.
49.i love to watch movies. comedies are my favorite.
50.i LOVE to laugh.
51.i love road trips, but i prefer not to drive. i don't think i'm a good driver.
52.i wish i liked to read more. i get bored easily, but i am trying to be better.
53. i love to listen and watch the rain.
54.i am a huge fan of sports. except for golf. i can't stand to watch it, but i do like to go to the driving range every now and again.
55.i have what some may call an "additction" to shopping. mostly home furnishings. but it's pretty much under control, since i don't have much extra money after payday.
56.i think i am clumsy, yet i've never broken a bone.
57.i don't really watch very much tv, but i do love The Office, and Lost. and i'm kind of a sucker for some reality shows like The Bachelor.
58.i love going to college football games. something about the crisp fall air...i just love it.
59.i am super sensitive and cry easily...i blame my mother for that.
60.i love watching sunsets. there is a peaceful calm about that time and it's a great time for reflection.
61.i love camping. you wake up so early and the days feel so long. not to mention the campfires and spending time outdoors, talking, and listening to the guitar.
62.in high school, my favorite outfit was overalls, sadly.
63.i had to wear my bathing suit during graduation because i had gotten such a bad sunburn the day before.
64.i want a house with a porch someday so i can have a hammock. i also want to be able to have a garden.
65.i love all the holidays because you get to be festive and decorate and spend time with family and friends.
66.i dream of having an audi someday. but for now the car i want is an outback.
67.i want to go to graduate school and get my master's in nursing and work in program development. it takes too long to explain what that means so just ask me and i'll tell you.
68.i want to live in boston someday. maybe not forever, but i just love that city and want to experience it for awhile.
69.even when i have kids, i want to work part time. but with my job, my schedule is super flexible so i could still be home to take care of my children.
70.i love pictures. and i love having them displayed in my house. it reminds me of all the awesome memories i have and the wonderful people who are in my life.
71.i love to have candles burning. the atmosphere it creates is so homey and warm.
72.i have a 4 1/2 year old boxer named marley that i rescued from a dog shelter 1 1/2 ago. he's the best!
73. ice cream is my favorite dessert. i can't get enough of it. my favorite is ben and jerry's phish food.
74.orchids are my favorite flower. but i also love dahlias, chrisanthimums, and plumeria.
75.i was grounded once in high school for telling my mom i was at a friends house and going somewhere else instead. i have never been able to lie to my mom since. and that was the only time i was ever grounded.
76.i had someone tell me i was the fastest text messager they had ever seen. i prefer it over talking on the phone.
77.i was in a sorority when i first went away to college. it was such a great experience and i am still in touch with some of my sorority sisters today.
78.right out of high school, i went away to university of kentucky. it was an awesome experience to be away from home for the first time and have the true college experience, living in the dorms.
79.but after my first semester, i felt too far away from home and transferred to university of utah.
80.i attended 4 different colleges before i graduated. and it took me 6 years to get my bachelors.
81.i once cried and got out of a speeding ticket. but i wasn't even crying to get out of it. it was an honest reaction to the thought of having to pay for a ticket.
82.i changed my major in college once. i started out as an elementary education major. there is something wonderful about being responsible for teaching children. they are so innocent and i love surrounding myself with them.
83.when i was younger, i used to want to be a secretary. i loved organizing things on my desk.
84.i was one of 4 students in my 6th grade class that did there homework everyday for the entire year. as a reward, our teachers took us to barnes & noble and we got to buy a book.
85.in high school, i was voted most gullible.
86.i swam and played volleyball in high school. to this day, i love love love to swim. it's so therapeutic.
87.i want to be married for a few years before i have kids. but i want to have a big family...well big for me, like 4 kids.
88.i consider myself traditional.
89.one of my favorite memories is baking at christmas time with all the women in my family. it's one of the few times during the year that everyone is together.
90.when i get married, i want a really simple wedding. and it would be awesome to have a destination wedding. but i want my family and closest friends to be there.
91.i love the feeling of being barefoot in the sand.
92.i want to fly in a helicopter someday.
93.wherever i settle down, i hope it is near family. i love being able to just have lunch with my sister or my mom.
94.my biggest area of improvement is jealousy. and when i get stressed, i swear. and i hate both of those qualities.
95.i am so happy to have the church in my life. i can't even say how much joy it brings me.
96.i always have to have my nails and toenails painted. i feel naked if they aren't.
97.i think it would be cool to have an aquarium of tropical fish, but i'm not sure i would want to do all the upkeep it requires.
98.when i was younger, my dad had two horses, and i loved to ride them. but i haven't ridden for so many years.
99.i hate traffic. especially since i drive a stick shift.
100.the greatest life ambition i have, physically speaking, is to hike the 7 highest peaks of the world.

isn't she lovely?

well folks, here she is. my brand new, k2, road bike. growing up in southern california, i was issued the standard, one speed, back pedal breaks, beach cruiser. i loved my beach cruiser, so much. so much in fact, that i still have it today. it was the first thing i ever purchased all by myself. i worked an entire summer doing errands for my parents just to earn enough money to buy it. and once i got it, i rode it to school everyday. it even had the cute basket in front. there is nothing better than riding your bike on a warm summer day, feeling the wind all around you.

but living in salt lake city, i don't think i would get very far with my beach cruiser. so...i thought long and hard (at least 3 days) and decided on this lovely piece of heaven. now i can have all the joy of riding a bike again and i look forward to the many long rides i wil enjoy in the years to come. now all i need is a name...suggestions?

winter wonderland

one of the benefits of moving back to salt lake is the opportunity to experience the 4 seasons. growing up, i never really had that. there were maybe 2 seasons at best: summer and winter (60 degree days).

i have always been more of a summer girl, but this last winter was really good to me. utah is known for the best snow on earth. i mean, it even says so on the license plates. and this winter, i learned why. i was fortunate enough to spend a lot of time at snowbird and a few days at brighton as well. below are a few pictures of the wonderful time i had.

there is something really amazing about standing at the top of a mountain and just taking in the view. or riding down the mountain with the "swoosh swoosh" sound of fresh powder beneath you. it's times like that, i can really appreciate the world i live in and see the hand of God and what He has made all around me. i am so grateful to live in this world and for the beauty that is all around me. i really am so lucky and i am thankful everyday.

as great a time as i had playing in the snow this season, i look forward to spring and summer and the many great times i know they hold.

come one, come all

So i have had this blog for awhile, but have not gotten around to starting it. I am a big believer in journal keeping and I see this as another venue for expressing my thoughts, and getting your thoughts in return.
To start, a little about me. I am a nurse in the emergency department at the university of utah hospital. I have worked here for a little over 6 months and worked for a year on a telemetry (cardiac) floor before that. I absolutely love my job. There is never a boring day and I always leave having learned something new. Not to mention, the people I work with are incredible.
I am originally from Orange County, California and relocated to Salt Lake City in October 2007. I can't tell you enough of how much I love this city. I love just about anything outdoors and salt lake is an outdoor woman's delight! I also love the seasons and am particularly happy for summer to arrive, though my days at snowbird this winter were absolutely amazing.
Here is a list of things I plan to do this summer. If you want in on any of this action, just let me know...

hiking
road biking
wakeboarding
bonfires
kickboxing
jiu jitsu
raquetball
cooking/baking
camping
traveling
...and probably a lot of other things i can't think of at this hour.