Aurora

You would think that after living in a state for over 24 years you would have seen most parts of that state, but yesterday I visited Aurora and Salina, which are really small towns in central Utah, for the first time. Kevin's parents own two rental houses down there, and I went with Kevin and his dad and uncle to trim the trees. It was great fun. It was pretty cold (although Kevin managed to get sunburned) and not too exciting (except the time I almost got whacked in the head by a very large tree branch), but it was kind of nice to get out of Salt Lake for a bit and go back to the country. I guess it was a pretty good way to spend one of my increasingly rare weekends.

Babies

Last Saturday, Kevin and I went to Kamas to work on my parents' garbage disposal. After we finished that we went up to the barn to feed the critters. We had went up the previous Sunday to visit my grandma in the hospital, and Kevin had liked the baby goats so much that he took his camera up to take some pictures. As he used to have his own photography business, the pictures turned out really good. My favorite goat is the little white one. She has been dubbed "Yoda." You can see why when you check out her ears. Kevin likes the Boer goat, who has been dubbed "Prince Andrew," because his mom's name is Princess, so of you may be able to guess where the Andrew part comes from. If not, don't worry about it. :)

Cool New Toy

One of the perks of having a real job is the ability to buy new toys. I have had the same laptop since I started college, which was five and a half years ago. My laptop and I have had a love/hate relationship for most of those years, but lately it has just been having lots of issues. Last Monday, I finally had a breakdown and decided that I was going to go to Best Buy right then and buy a laptop. So I did. This laptop is much nicer to me, and I can sense that we are going to have a long and happy relationship together. Lest you mourn too much for my old laptop, Kevin is keeping it to tune his Evo, so I will still be able to see it.

Here is my cool new toy:

The Living Planet Aquarium

For Valentines Day, Kevin and I went to the Living Planet Aquarium in Sandy. I have never been to it before, so I was excited to go. (As a disclaimer to those who know me fairly well, yes, I do not like fish, but as long as there is a pane of sturdy glass separating me from them, I can handle it.)

It is a small aquarium, which isn't surprising considering it is in the middle of a desert. However, they had both native fish and tropical fish. I especially liked the coral reef displays. I just love the brightly colored fish that live there.



















I was disappointed by the octopus. All he did was sit in the corner like a shapeless, lifeless blob. I wanted him to swim more.

Another part of the aquarium that Kevin really liked that I wasn't too crazy about was the "petting" pool. You could pet rays. Kevin finally talked me into sticking my hand in the pool. I did touch the ray, but only for two seconds before I was totally grossed out. I prefer my animals to have fur and feet.



All in all, it was a really fun day. I greatly enjoyed spending time with Kevin and discovering the treasures of the community surrounding me that I have neglected. And as Kevin really wants a 100 gallon salt water tank at some point, I guess I will have to learn to curb my disgust for fish a little bit.

Hot Pots

Saturday, Kevin and I went to some hot pots up Ogden Canyon with our friends Amber and Kenyon. It was an interesting adventure.

The hike to the hot pots was quite perilous due to the snow and ice, and I was terrified that I was going to slide off the trail, fall off the cliff, and plunge to my death. Visions of making it on the 10 o'clock news as one of those stories of reckless young people dying were going through my brain. So not cool. However, Kevin kept me in one piece. I did manage to slip, but he caught me, and I walked away with only a slightly skinned knee.

We ended up sitting in the hot pots for two hours. (My attention span was done by 30 minutes.) It was definitely not the cleanest water I had ever seen, and I was very anxious to jump in my shower once I returned home, but it was very relaxing and kind of fun.

Unfortunately, despite the fact that I am dating a somewhat retired photographer (he stopped doing that when he came to Utah, and sold his camera since), I do not have pictures. Hopefully I will soon participate in an activity that is conducive to photography. My blog is getting kind of boring and impersonal.

Well-Baby Nursery

Last Friday I had the opportunity to do well-baby nursery. Most of the nurses complain about doing this, so I wasn't too enthused, but I actually found it to be quite enjoyable. I wouldn't want to be in there everyday, but it was nice break from the normal craziness that defines my job. It was fairly low-key. The only exciting thing was a baby who choked and turned blue. I guess that was more scary than exciting, but it did break the monotony. The baby was promptly sent to the Level 2 Nursery. They are much more qualified to care for babies who turn blue.

I mostly did baby baths and assessments. I tried to hide the fact that this was my first experience bathing a baby, but it did get quite difficult evading questions about what was normal for a baby.The most interesting thing about the day was the fact that I had an orientee with me. Basically the blind leading the blind. Hopefully she learned something and didn't experience a total waste of her day.

Car Show

Monday I went to a car show with Kevin (my boyfriend, aka the main reason I haven't posted anything for over two months). It was my idea to go, despite the fact that Kevin is very into cars. I have never been to a car show, and it was very interesting. Unfortunately, I do not have any pictures due to the fact that I didn't take my camera and Kevin only took pictures of the Corvette (and didn't share). While there, I decided that when I grow up and have lots of money, I really want an Escalade. I normally hate SUVs, but there is just something about an Escalade that makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. I guess if Kevin gets his Corvett, I should be able to get my Escalade. It is much more practical after all.

I also decided that Lexus and Volvo are both nice brands of cars. However, my price range will probably remain within General Motors. Although the million dollar Ferrari was nice.