Julio (Iglesias?)

Yet another month has come and gone.
AND WHAT A MONTH IT WAS.
As already evidenced by the fact that I had to write a pre-blog halfway thru the month because I knew this one would be gargantuous. I will do my best to hold back on the gargant....is that the noun version of that word? Look, I'm already rambling....let's get on with it, shall we?

Highlights of Joo-Lye 2009, aka my last month in Provo, aka my last month of COLLEGE LIFE.

- Grad tassel. I own one. It's gold. It hangs on the wall by my bed to remind me that the end is in sight.

- 4th of july. I already blogged about this most favorite holiday. So i will say no more.

- Hockey game. So, one of my FHE brothers is named Gabe. Gabe plays for a city hockey league. So, being the good family that we are, we all went to support him earlier this month. We chanted things like "Gabe the babe," and "Gabe pride." (Yeah...) Anyways, naturally....I managed to get nailed with a hockey puck. It flew into the stands, bounced off the bleachers, and nailed me in the left shoulder blade. It hurt like the dickens for about 2 days but there was never even a visible bruise. What a waste of an amazing injury....Good story though.

- FHE video. Our ward had a film festival and each family had to make a music video for it. Our group chose "Bohemian Rhapsody" by Queen (my suggestion of "Fat-bottomed Girls" didn't go over so well. But oh, what a song....) Anyways it was hilarious. It involved a gnome statue and purple leggings. You can fill in the blanks.

- Institute pizza. Have you ever ordered and transported pizzas to feed 180 people? I have. Actually, I did this every summer at EFY for like 700 kids. But at EFY they got delivered. When you get put in charge of ordering it for your entire stake institute class, consider delivery....because if you choose to pick them up in your Honda CR-V, you might be silly and forget that the parking lot isn't near the building. And you might only ask one friend to help you carry them. And your shoulder blade might still be hurting from a certain hockey puck incident 2 days before. Needless to say, my arms were sore the rest of the week....

- FRISBEE. Yes yes yes! Intramurals is well under way. The season is mid-tournament right now, so the semi-final game is tomorrow night. Stay tuned for the August update to find out what happens...

- Cedar City! Yes, I took a little drive down to little ol' Cedar. Hit up a Shakespeare play, remembered that I hate shakespeare, hung out with old roommates and friends, etc etc. It felt good to get one last visit in before I bail on the state of Utah.

- Slip n Slide. Giant hill + hoses + dish soap + boogie boards + my ward = Best activity ever. And one very bruised kneecap. (Why do all my good stories end in injury?)

- Harry Potter, i.e. 'arry potta! Of course I went to the midnight showing. Must you even ask? Of course I drew a lightning bolt on my forehead....and the forehead of everyone who came with me. Unfortunately the movie was only mediocre for me....I didn't like that they changed some stuff from the book. But just as movies go, I would say it's definitely worth seeing. But only if you have a lightning bolted forehead.

- Speaking in church. Truth be told, I haven't spoken in sacrament meeting since I was like 15. I almost made it all the way thru college without speaking in a student ward....but they got me 3 weeks before graduation. Sneaky. But honestly I loved it...I got to speak on friendship and fellowshipping. Best topic ever. I love friends.

- The Peanut Butter Solution. (Okay that was a bad pun about a strange movie.) The real story is about a peanut butter war between myself and my roommate Lars. Round one: I hid a giant marshmallow inside her jar of PB. Round 2: She hid a handful of mini mallows in mine. Round 3: You know those little poppers you can play with? I put a couple in her PB...I was afraid she might eat one if I put too many. That wouldn't have been pretty. Round 4: She takes a can of sweet peas exactly small enough to fit in my jar and crams it down into the PB. Not even enough room left to get my fingers in there to pry it out. I managed somehow. Round 5: I break spaghetti noodles into thirds and cram them pointy end down into her peanut butter, until every inch is full of them. It was like a pokey fortress of noodles. Round 6: I am waiting for this to happen still. I'm sure it'll be epic. Stay tuned.

- Cherries. Have you ever tried a cherry? I have. As of this july. And i'm addicted. But be careful, they will make your tummy hurt if you eat too many all at once. Which I guess applies to any food....except tacos...okay maybe tacos...

- Provo River. Death-defying experience! Okay not exactly. But it wasn't a LEISURELY floating experience like the Salt River in Arizona. For one, it was FREEZING. I couldn't feel my hands every time I tried to paddle. For another thing, there was actually a current. Think rocks and logs. I made a deal with my friend that if he would steer both our tubes around scary things then I would go in front and take all the cold splashes from said obstacles. It was a cold but worthwhile bargain...I was thawing out for hours afterward. Would I do it again? Of course :)

- 7/11 slurpees. It's best when you live two blocks from a 7/11. It's even better when they have pina colada and banana slurpee flavors for a dollar. And it's awesome when there's a random swing hanging from a tree exactly one block between home and the the 7/11. It's become quite the tradition.

- Boating. Went boating with my co-workers on Provo Lake. They tubed. I watched. I hate tubing. It scares me. Plus the water smelled weird....my boss called it "poo lake." Gross. Kind of like growing up in the Islands subdivision, eh?

- Logan roadtrip. Yes, I went on a one-day mid-week roadtrip up to Cache Valley with my lovely friend Katie Lewis to watch her play her guitar at her very own show! She's famous, I know. I wore a tie-dye shirt with her name on it. I also fell in love with northern Utah. But only summery northern Utah....I suspect it would be fearsome in the winter.

- Ward Campout. Finished off the month of July last friday night with a ward campout up in Springville canyon! Bonfire, food, volleyball, fireside (literally), sleeping under the stars....Oh yeah, and did I mention it still managed to be freezing cold at night? Why is summer so conditional on trivial things like "location"? Needless to say, my roommate Jenny and I solved that problem by putting one of our sleeping bags inside the other one and squishing both of us inside both of them. It was squishy but toasty warm! Yay roommate bonding :)

- TEMPLES. This is my favorite highlight so I saved it for last. Guess how many Temples I went to and/or saw this month! Done guessing? EIGHT! Yes, for reals. Provo, Timpanogos, Draper, Oquirrh Mountain (pronounced O-kur...it means "glowing" in Indian lingo), Jordan River, Salt Lake, Bountiful, and Logan! I feel like the luckiest girl ever. I didn't even plan for such a thing to happen. Utah sure has its perks every now and again!

Okay congratulations if you're still reading! You shall be rewarded with pictures (albeit not very many...)

Enjoy :)

First, an escapee that didn't make it into the 4th of July post. Here we are walking to go spy on the Jonas Brothers concert.

The lightning bolt in all its glory...

Teen angst. We just wanted to be like Harry...

Logan Temple! (it looks like a castle)

Oquirrh Mountain Temple!

Bountiful Temple!

Sorry I don't have pictures of the other Temples.....they're pretty too, don't worry.

Love love love :)