Etsy

Ok.

I have done it.

I have succumb to the rantings and railings of my family to share my talents with the world.  What started out as a way to get me through school and church without sleeping or zoning off has finally left my notebooks and entered the real world.

For years my family has tried to get me to do this.  And now, being unemployed, I have all the time in the world to actually do it.

I have opened an etsy shop.  There isn't much up yet.  Emphasis on yet.  So far, everything is freehanded by me.  All original works.  All one of a kind.  Etc. etc. etc.

So feel free to check it out.  www.etsy.com/shop/ktdoodle

Hope you like it.

You Guessed It

You Guessed It.

I quit my job.

Turns out, I do NOT like working in the insurance business.
Mostly because I didn't like the hours.  They were exactly opposite of Derek's hours.  He'd go to work at 8 AM and get home at 5 or 7.  I would go in at 12 or 1 and get home at 9 or 10.  And work Saturday.  And Sunday.  Basically, it was not working out.

Not to mention a long list of other cons.  But I won't bore you with that.

So yeah.  Get ready to hear from me a LOT again, because I am unemployed again....

yay.....

25

Yup.

I'm 25.

Weird.

A list of things I can do now that I am 25
1.  Rent a car without any fees
2.  Say I am 25

That's about all that is different.

My sister left me a message (we had a great game of birthday phone tag) saying that the 2nd quarter of your life is so much better than the first quarter.  I can believe that.  But the 2nd quarter is going to have to be pretty dang good to beat everything I have experienced thus far.

I shall blast through the largest chunk (mostly because I don't have those pictures on this computer).

  High school was great.  Mostly because I had the greatest friends on the planet.  Luckily for me, I still have them.

I went to BYU and made more awesome friends.

Then I became a river guide and did that for 3 summers

And made my best friends.

I went to New Zealand for 4 months and it was AMAZING

Then one day, I took a leap.  And went to Moab with a cute boy I hardly knew.  Oh did I mention his family was there too?

Little did I know, this was going to turn out to be a long term investment.

 We had a great summer

 I finally got to row some big water

Lived through the worst week of my life. 

I flipped a boat in Westwater

Derek got "Catfished"

 I ran my first marathon (and 2 more)

 I got married and sealed to my best friend on December 29, 2009

 I graduated from BYU

 We went on the adventure of a lifetime.  Peru, Argentina, and Chile.  

We have gotten really into climbing

I was the Director of Recreation Therapy at a nursing home and I LOVED it.

We moved to Fort Collins, CO and are loving it thus far.  

I am a life insurance agent.  Yes, I know.  That's new...

What I've Been Doing

I am currently studying to become an insurance agent. 

I know.  Very different.  But it's a job and it pays me money.

I have already read all of that once (online and it sucked so my agency printed it for me).

Now I am reading it again to study for the big test.

The Devil's Backbone

One thing we love about Fort Collins (there are many) if how much it reminds us of Southern Utah.  When we get back into the hills we discover red rock and desert and feel so at home.  It is wonderful.  What can I say?  We are desert/mountain people.  Preferably when they are together.

Last Sunday, it was really warm (high 50's), so we went to the Devil's Backbone.  Probably a 15 minute drive from home.  It is this long stretch of sandstone jutting up out of the earth.  Everything surrounding it is flat desert.  Then there is this "backbone" sticking up out of the ground.  Very aptly named.  However, they don't let you climb on it...boo.  I sure there is good reason like crumbly rock conditions etc.  Anyway, here are the pics.

(the keyhole)

It was a nice little Sunday walk.  

What I've Been Up To

So as many of you know, I do not have a job yet.  (Emphasis on yet, I WILL get one.  I don't care if I have to be a bagger at the grocery store I WILL get a job so help me). 

But since I don't have a job YET, I have had a lot of time to really get into my art.  Yes, art.  What started out as a means to keep me awake and paying attention through college and church has turned into something I am pretty proud of. 

I drew a few different templates on computer paper and legal pads of ideas.  But I knew they wouldn't look like that.  I don't go off of other things.  I just do.  But after I had the idea of what I wanted in my brain I went to the Jerry's Artarama in Old Town and purchased 2 feet of pre-primed canvas (which is about 4.5 feet long too).  I did some research and this was the best way I figured for me to work.

I started with a blank canvas taped with electrical tape to my kitchen table (we eat at the coffee table anyway so it didn't matter).  Here is about 4 or 5 hours of work.

Starting to come together

Waiting to be stretched onto the frame (Derek built one for me because he is great like that)

This is the finished product.  If and when we have children I have decided at least one of them must be a girl so I can hang this in her room. 

But I have decided to try to finally actually do something with this self-created talent of mine.  My family has been bugging me to get into design for years.  Now that I have ample time on my hands, why not?

Climbing Outside in January?

Yesterday was awesome.
Derek and I went on a 10 mile trail run on the Blue Sky Trail and Rimrock Trail.  It was great.  Very enjoyable.

But even better than that is this.

We went climbing outside in January.  For real.  That isn't much a possibility in Utah unless you go south.  So it was nice.  A 35 minutes drive from home up Poudre Canyon and we were at The Palace.  It is called that because the geological formations in the mountain look like a palace.  It is really cool.  Another awesome thing is that you have to cross the Poudre to get to it.  So you can only climb there Winter, Spring, and Fall.  Luckily for us, in winter the crossing is frozen, so we didn't even have to get wet.  But it was so warm.  I was in a t shirt and chacos (it was probably 50 degrees), until we got in the shade of course.  Then it was a long sleeve shirt and chacos.

But the climbing there is great.

I will admit it.  I am scared of leading outside.  I get scared leading inside sometimes still.  And those who have climbed with me before will attest to the fact that sometimes I freak out when I am cleaning the top of a climb because I get in my own head.

Not yesterday.

I cleaned two routes Derek lead (I think I could've lead one of them) and then I lead two routes and he cleaned.  So I cleaned and lead outside with out freaking out at all.  It was a big deal.  And so fun.

Really poor,very quickly taken picture of the cool tunnel in Poudre Canyon

The Palace

Poudre Face (where we were climbing)

Ready to climb

My clumsiness.  While crossing the frozen river we were in some snow (because we didn't know where to go and I slipped off a rock and cut myself.  So graceful)

The Brain Bucket.  (Mom this is for you to know we are keeping them safe)

Hahaha...butt...

I love this view.  

Off Belay

One of the climbs I lead was super easy.  I told Derek, "You probably don't even need to put your climbing shoes back on."  And since he was now being top roped, he didn't.

Another area of the Palace

Once more.  Climbing paradise.  Super fun.  Really accessible.  Love it.  

Did I mention this all took place on January 19?