Road Trip to Salt Lake City

So remember that one time I decided to just up and move my entire life to Salt Lake City? CRAZY. Whatevs. I'm running on adrenaline right now. Let's be honest. I didn't have a plate to eat on until yesterday, my bed is smaller than my 5 year old niece's (awkward?),  my clothes are still in suitcases, and for the first time in my life, I've forgotten to eat meals. What? I'm just hoping this doesn't all crash in my face. I got excited for the first time (it's been mostly nerves/anxiety up until now), realizing that I'm completely exhausted at the end of the day. Why does that make me excited? Because I'm USING MY BRAIN!!!!! And actually LIVING my life. I'll probably delete these words in a few weeks when I get burnt out and frustrated. 

I digress. How did I get here, you ask? I road-tripped! With my father! Who just happens to be one of my favorite people EVER. Although I'm not sure he'd say the same about me after witnessing my breakdown as I was smacked in the face with Utahculture. Forgive and forget, dad? :) 

Here we are in NC, pre road trip. 

NOTICE: CAR IN BACKGROUND WAS PURCHASED BY ME. YES. I OWN A CAR. HER NAME IS GOLDILOCKS. 

I rescued a butterfly from the front of my car, somewhere in West Virginia. And by rescue, I really mean "killed." Oops. But isn't it beautiful? 

Another fact about road trips is that I eat more fast food than I ever do normally. Here we are, at one such McDonald's stop. Dad was elated when the cashier decided to give him the "surplus" mango pineapple smoothie in addition to the LARGE he ordered. Everyone in McDonald's knew how excited he was as he showed everyone his great deal. 

 I am now obsessed with chocolate-dipped soft serve cones at McDonald's. I may or may not have been tempted to stop by there today on my way home from training to get one, but since I'm not on a road trip, I had no excuse. Temptation overcome. 

 The majority of the trip was spent trying to convince dad to stop by the billions of hay bails or sunsets so I could take a picture (WITH MY AWESOME NEW CAMERA!!!) Here is the only success. I know, it's not even that cool of a picture, is it!! 

 Obligatory car shot. Warning: makeup and hair not done. 

 Success #2 - Sunset in Indiana (?) 

 Mmmhhh, Corn fields.

 Thank me later, Dad. 

 Dad wanted a picture by the corn fields, too. 

 Dad was convinced that THIS PICTURE (above) would be THE picture to commemorate this road trip. Unless I want to remember it as that time I was pregnant in Indiana, I'd have to disagree. 

 THIS PIC, on the other hand, is epic. My new cam has a panorama feature and I'm obsessed with it. This is somewhere in Wyoming. And btdub, when I stopped here, some other people totally stopped, too. 

Yes, I am aware of the fact that I wore the same shirt like 3 days in a row. Notice new cam.

 The Human Industry of Wyoming. 

Hello, SLC sunset!

No, we will not rub that on your back, you creeper

 Catherine & I had one last shabang at Wrightsville Beach last weekend. It was quite an enjoyable trip and I'm so happy she made the effort to come down to see me one last time before I leave. The forecast was stormy but we scared those storm clouds away with our relentless beach enthusiasm. !!!!!

After being approached by A Creepster old man who asked us to rub something on his back (ew), we proceeded to eat our awesome Baja Fish Tacos on the beach. I'm not going to lie, at that moment, I thought, "This is the life, man."

 Catherine was equally ecstatic. 

We spent lots of time just relaxing on the beach, taking 74392048 pictures, fruitlessly trying to boogie-board, crawling on the beach (don't ask), eating more food (see below), chatting, and collecting shells. I love Catherine and am so glad she is my sister and friend. I will miss her when I move!

We found this little gem of a restaurant called "Fish House Grill" where we consumed a delish seafood dinner. What a day.

Grandma's funeral/Salt Lake trip

Panera? Um, no thanks

Behold, a normal dinner in our home: 

Made completely from garden produce. Including, but not limited to: homemade pickles beets, pickles, squash quiche, home-grown cherry-tomato salad, garden stir-fried green beans, and homemade bread. Can you believe it? This is one thing I have realized I will miss tremendously. I have even turned down dinner dates because the food at my house is better. Chilis? Heck no. Panera? Mamma Hatch's is better. PF Changs? Um, I'd rather just eat our HOME-GROWN GARDEN PRODUCE MEALS. 

Here is the woman that makes all of it happen: 

 My mom is pretty awesome. One time last week I called her from work around noon and she had canned 15 jars of tomatoes, vacuumed the whole house, mowed the lawn, picked all of the produce that had accumulated in the 3 weeks she was gone, and done all of the laundry. We call her crazy work-ethic the "gayle-force winds." You better not get in her way! Some day I hope to be as hard-working and amazing as she is.

PS. She has canned 50 cans of tomatoes in the past 2 weeks. 

Fourth of July

Where: Wrightsville Beach

When: July 4, 2012

Why: Because we love the beach, and our country. !

Who: My friends! (from left) Camilla, Izzy, Me, Ben, Spencer

Thoughts of Grandma

My grandma passed away last week. I feel super blessed I got to see her one more time before she passed. I also got to go to her funeral, which was a sacred experience for me.

I would frequently visit my grandparents when I was living in Provo, as they lived right behind Kiwanis park. I loved visiting them. There would either be one wooden chair in the middle of the living room, facing the two big comfy chairs, or two chairs (depending on if I had a bf at the time). The lamps would be on, one illuminating Grandma's old hands as she crocheted booties for her great-grandchildren. The other chair would be complete with Grandpa's two slippers in front of it - holes in each of the big toes.

We would eat dinner, which would always always consist of: bread with butter and sugar-free jelly, soup from a can, a cold salad consisting of green beans, cauliflower, raisins, carrots, cheddar cheese and Catalina dressing, and occasionally canned pears or peaches on the side. The meal would begin with a short concise Gpa Hatch prayer. I would take great measures to eat slowly, but it never worked. The meal always ended with a piece of European dark chocolate, which Grandma would back up with, "You know, there are studies that prove that this is good for your heart!"

The rest of the evening would be spent following up on my life and theirs. How school was going, what I was up to, if there were any boys I was interested in. I would ask them what projects they were working on and how they were feeling. Grandpa would always respond, "We're getting older, you know."

One particular experience stands out to me when I think of Grandma. I came to their house one night in a particular fluster, virtually on the point of tears. I was very interested in a this one boy. We had spent almost every day together for a month and he seemed noncommittal and confusing. I sat there and word-vomitted all of my concerns (like I do) to them. Usually Grandpa was the one with the classic advice. I always love his advice.

But this time, Grandma piped in. She shared with me how recently she and Grandpa were on a road trip back from Canada. At one point on the trip, she thought to herself, "I really want a yogurt." She thought about saying something, but instead decided, "Ephraim [my grandpa] is the head of our family, so I'm going to wait until he wants one." A few moments later, Grandpa randomly said, "I want a yogurt!" and they stopped at a gas station and ate some yogurt.

Weird story? Maybe. Grandma had Alzheimers in her later years, and sometimes the stories she would share would be completely unrelated and random. Maybe this story was one of them, but I got meaning out of it for some reason. Although it may seem a little extreme (dude if I want a yogurt, I'm going to say it!), I think there is some truth to it. I learned that day that it is very important to let the guy lead, especially in dating and marriage. I learned from G&G's continued example what it means to work as a team in marriage, and the importance of the roles of men/women. A lot to learn.

(Oh and btdub, the guy totally called a few hours after my visit. I totally wanted to be like, "So now you want your yogurt huh!? HUH!? but I didnt)...

I have countless other memories of Grandma, including playing her huge homemade pipe organ, in the accoustically-sound music room, or sleeping in that same room on the pull-out mattress, staring up at that vaulted ceiling the night before entering the MTC, or listening to her prayers about "the wicked leaders of this nation that are leading us down to destruction." (Haha! Should I say amen to that?)

I will always remember Grandma as a woman of faith, sacrifice and fire.


The Resurrection, Spirit world, and Atonement are more of a reality now. I know that we will all rise again with perfect bodies. I know that this life is not the end, but rather a testing period to "prove ourselves" obedient to our covenants and all that God asks us to do.

10 reasons I love summer

 1. fresh blackberries

2. freshly-mowed grass

3. humidity at 8:30 pm

4. summer squash and zucchini

5. one thousand cucumbers, and the concoctions that result with said cucumbers

6. one such concoction: lime mint cucumber agua fresca - mmm.

7. homemade fruit popsicles (ignore expression)

8. fresh mango salsa. oh my gosh. so delicious

9. visits from my cute niece Adrienne!!

10. spontaneous "beach trips" to Jordan Lake by myself. and that delicious lake water. and playing on those yellow poles I remember playing on for hours when I was 7 yrs old.