Ready, Set, Legislate.

Started work in this building yesterday.

It's eerily quiet, but that will all change Monday.

Badge? Check. Suit pants? Check. Awkward bathroom photo? ...Check.

Our office, where @spnitz86 and I live.

Hi there, hello.

In case you thought any harm or ill will fell upon me New Year's Eve, be comforted that is not the case. I have not blogged because I have been very busy being a lazy bum, that is, until I start my new job!

Rewind.

I had a fabulous New Year's Eve evening with Katie and Alana(good luck Miss NV!) And, I had the great pleasure of being so tall I could see over the heads of most, if not all, of the people dancing. 

After exhausting my parent's hospitality, and watching the entire first season of Downton Abbey(WATCH IT NOW), Katie and I returned to a real treat: a snowless Provo.

But here's the exciting part:

I'm not taking classes this semester! Isn't it wonderful? I'm a beauty school drop out! 

Just kidding. I deferred for a semester because starting next Thursday I'll be a communications coordinator for the Utah House of Representatives! I'm so excited I literally wish I could start tomorrow. It may or may not be the greatest job on earth. 

Why, you ask?

Oh because I get to wear suit pants. And I have a badge. Also, free fountain drinks. My own office is thrown somewhere in there too. But really because I get to go to meetings in this beautiful building:

Just walking inside makes you feel more important. 

If you use Twitter and you want to know what we're up to, follow @UtahReps. (I'll be the one tweeting, what what.)

PS- Did I mention suit pants?

Happy Birthday KT.

Tonight we celebrated Katie's twenty-third birthday. Hip hip hooray! We tried to eat at Communal, turns out they're closed on Mondays.(Who does that?)

So we ate at Spark instead. I've been quick to rush to Spark's defense in the past, and I stand by their mocktails, those things are tasty. But seriously, the burger I ate was nast. So if you go there, don't get the Philly burger, only get the Berrytini.

We opted out of dessert at Spark(it probably would have been terrible), and instead fed Katie cake at The Chocolate. So delicious. Go there, or make a date take you there, and absolutely order the turtle brownie and a glass of milk.

Happy Birthday Katie!

Some Summer Fun

Aside from the fact that I'm generally stuck in class 5 days a week(only 3 weeks left!), I have had a lot of fun. Naturally I've documented this fun with an iPhone/Instagram(so trendy) and not a real camera. Sorry.

First up, Typhoon and the Decemberists played at the Twilight Concert Series. I liked Typhoon better, the Decemberists were extra whiny and extra lame. Also we counted 63 pairs of TOMS. OUT OF CONTROL UTAH, OUT OF CONTROL. Also the waffle place wasn't taking cards and the cookie place was closed, so I had to eat ice cream. Blah, first world problems.

The stage from our trusty blanket.

Katie and I are not serious or dirty enough to be hipsters.

A Michael sandwich!

Friday I flew to Minneapolis, and found this guy at the SLC airport. Also the Denver airport and I are great friends, GREAT FRIENDS.

That is absolutely a braided mullet twisted up into a bun.

Once I made it to sweaty(humid) Minneapolis it was non-stop fun for 72 hours. We saw a little bit of downtown, went to the Mall of America, had several adventures using public transportation, saw H.M.S. Pinafore, watched fireworks, got rained on, and caught the last 2 songs of the U2 concert.

Caught.

Grant loving that we were at a musical.

Seriously funny, see it.

Love iPhone pictures.

In all seriousness, it was one fun weekend. Even the getting stuck in the rain part. I think I'm done with airports though, or at least riding next to unaccompanied minors that try to fight me for control of the arm rest.

PS - A random picture of Katie wearing a giant bowl as a hat.

You look like the 4th of July, it makes me want a hot dog real bad.

The 4th of July is probably my favorite holiday. (I say probably because I also really love Christmas, and my birthday.)

This year Dad, Emily, and Ally came up to visit and celebrate with me! (Mom, Hailey, and their sensitive ears stayed home. They're coming to see me tomorrow.)

On Friday they came and picked me up from work and then with Shannon in tow, we ate at Happy Sumo. If you live in Provo or SLC and you haven't joined their VIP list, you should. Now.

Saturday we ate breakfast in great company and then went to visit SLC's "This Is The Place," monument. Later that night we celebrated Independence Day with David Archuletta and Brad Paisley at the Stadium of Fire. (There are no pictures of that.)

Emily at the Monument.

Emily being the Paparazzi. If she's not careful I'm going to freak out like Britney Spears did.

Em and I

Em, Ally and I

Dad and some girls

Al and I

Sunday, after we tortured Ally by making her sit through a singles ward testimony meeting, we watched 17 Miracles. Usually I'm not down with LDS films, but this one wasn't bad. It was about the Martin and Willie handcart companies, and it wasn't cheesy.

There's this one scene that I've been thinking about all week. After they cut their rations for the last time and it started to snow, one of the women decided she couldn't walk anymore, so she kissed her husband and children goodbye and she sat down on a rock and cried.

Maybe I am completely heartless and unsympathetic, but I was so disappointed in her. I wanted to yell at her to stand up and follow her family. I've obviously never walked more than a few miles, so I'm obviously not qualified to comment. I just know, that I never want to be that woman. When things get hard, I never want to the one to sit down on a rock, give up, and wait to die.

On a much much lighter note, we watched the parade on Monday! We also watched two old men fight at the parade, and then it was time to say goodbye.

I had such a fun weekend, Provo is always 1000000 times better when family's in town.