Four. More. Weekends.

Since I'm heading home so soon, I've decided to make a plan for every weekend that I have left in Cedar to go and do something fun.

This weekend is Easter weekend, so I've decided to do Easter activities to make it fun. I convinced Luke to let me do an Easter Egg hunt for him. I'm pretty much a kid at heart, I know, but I can't imagine Easter without at least one Easter egg hunt! I'm way excited for it! We also are planning on dyeing some eggs. A friend was telling me about this cool way to dye eggs that involves onions and tea. It sounded really awesome and I'm going to try to attempt it.

Luke and I have already decided to make a day run to Vegas on one of the weekends. It would be nice if we could make a weekend trip out of it, but we don't know anyone there and neither one of us has enough money for hotel rooms, so a day run it will have to be. I don't exactly know what we'll do there (I've never been a huge fan of Vegas), but it's only a couple hours away so I know I'd regret not making the trip while I'm so close. I'm sure that we'll find something to keep us entertained all day! I'll just have to remember to keep my eyes closed as we're walking the strip. Yuck.

I also really want to make a trip to Zion's. I went with my family on a short hike on Saturday. It reminded me how much I love it there. It's my absolute favorite place for thinking. Relieved me of almost all the stress that I've felt lately and holds some of my favorite memories! I would really love to hike Angels Landing or The Narrows before I head back up to Idaho, but I'm not sure we'll have time. I'm really upset at myself for not making a single trip there since I've moved here (other than this last Saturday with my family). Luke DID agree to go on a hike at Zions with me if we have time. I'm thinking of either doing Emerald Pools (The hike I just did with my family) or maybe just Weeping Rock. I'm leaning towards Emerald Pools simply because I wasn't as impressed with Weeping Rock as I thought I would be.

There's also this state park called Sandy Hollows that Luke and I and a couple of his friends went and visited over the summer. I think we'll probably visit there again on the same weekend we do Zions. It's this hidden little lake that has a really awesome spot to jump from the red rocks into the lake. We had a lot of fun there, so I'm hoping we'll be able to find a weekend where the weather is warm enough for us to enjoy it again!

Somewhat related to my Zions trip, I want to make a trip to Bryce Canyon as well. I don't know Bryce Canyon nearly as well as I know Zions, but from what I've seen, it's gorgeous! Bryce is only an hour or so away, so we'll probably be able to do that on one of the Saturdays that we have left.

We only have four weekends left, so I think that's all we'll be able to do before we leave here. It's funny that I finally get to go home...and now things here are looking up for me! I have a nice job, I'm close to graduating, the weather is getting nice, and I finally have time to go do the things that I want to do! Don't get me wrong, I'm VERY excited to go home, and I definitely don't want to stay down here, but I wish I had gotten out a little bit more in the short time that I've been here. My biggest regret is not making it out to Zion's while I've been here, so hopefully Luke and I can make it out there before we leave for Idaho!

A couple quick P.S.'s. My family is in St. George this week. I was able to go down with them this weekend. So fun! I'm planning on making at least one more trip down to see them while they're there.

My other P.S. is that I have officially packed everything that I don't need for the next five weeks I'm down here. I decided I have WAY too much stuff, and got rid of quite a bit. I'm very proud...and I really hope that my stuff that I'm sending home can fit in my dad's truck :S.

Home!

I'm currently sitting at day number 2 that I've been back in Cedar since Spring Break...and I'm already very homesick. Spending Spring Break at home was wonderful.

I was lucky enough to get to go up to the cabin with two of my best friends and Savannah and her roommates. All together there were eight of us girls up there. It was so much fun! Me and Savannah mostly reminisced and read old Parry Posts together. It was nice to get to spend some time with her since we don't get to see each other very often. It was also nice to spend some time with my friends Kelley and Jessie, who I also don't get to see very often! Overall, it was a very fun weekend! Despite the fact that my dad had to drive up to bring the spare key to my car up.....(I have an awesome dad)

I worked for Frank and Tammi on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday-which made the days go by fast and helped remind me that I'm really not making up some of the memories I have of certain customers there. There's always a good story to be had at Work Wear House.

Thursday was a pretty lazy day for me since I didn't work and my family was either at work or school. It felt so nice to do absolutely nothing for a day! I have always been a fan of being lazy when possible, and I haven't had a chance to do so in a while.

Friday was Tanner's 14th birthday! I can't believe my baby brother is getting so big! He is almost taller than me...a fact he is constantly reminding me about. I think he had a pretty great birthday. His big present was a basketball hoop from my parents. I'm definitely as excited about it as he is. I miss being able to shoot around outside the house...I think we'll make some good memories around that hoop!

Also on Friday, I went to a friend's wedding reception with Luke. It was gorgeous! It was at the Shelton Church out near Ririe. It was a cute little chapel that I wasn't aware existed. It was definitely a great place for a reception! The newlyweds are one of the cutest couples I know and it was great to see how happy they are! It made me even more excited for when my big day finally rolls around!

On Sunday Tanner was ordained to the office of Teacher. It was a really cool moment and it reminded me how lucky I am to be blessed with a family that is active and loves the church as much as I do. Sitting next to my mom and Camille as my dad ordained Tanner to a Teacher was a really peaceful moment. Another blessing that I'll have to tack onto my ever-growing list.

The absolute best part of my week at home was deciding on my plans for the summer. I have officially decided to move home! It feels so good to finally be able to know what my plans are for certain. The only downer about moving home is that I had to put my notice in at my job in Cedar. I love my job here. I enjoy the people that I work with and I enjoy my day-to-day duties. I put in my notice yesterday and they were very nice and understanding about the whole thing...even though I've only been working here for about two months. I'm definitely going to miss this job...but I am really excited to be living at home again. Now I just have to find a job for the summer.....

As far as next fall goes, my plan is to head back to Utah State and finish up my degree there. Hopefully by next May I'll be preparing to move back to Idaho Falls permanently. It feels nice to have more solid plans for my future :)

The next best part of my week was finding out that my family is coming to St. George for their Spring Break!...which means I get to see them soon! They are coming down on Friday and are picking me up to go down for the weekend with them. It will be so nice having them only forty-five minutes away for a week! I'm glad that things worked out so that they are able to come!

That's my Spring Break in a nutshell. I had a great time at home and I'm very excited to see my family on Friday and the rest of my family all summer long! Jack's Pack here I come!

Katie The Creep

I have always been weirdly interested in watching people...I don't really know why I find it so interesting. Lately though, I've become OBSESSED with this.

Other than the time I spend locked up anti-socially in my room, all I am ever doing is watching people. And not like the 'Oh, that dress looks cute on her' or 'That kid has a weird walk'....but the full out sitting and watching a person for as long as I possibly can. I don't know what my problem is---but I'm much too aware that I'm a full-out creep. I'll find myself pretending to look at the clock at the back of the room in order to get a glimpse of what the girl that is sitting behind me is doing or seeing how long I can watch a person before we make awkward eye-contact one too many times.

Recently, I've started a new hobby of keeping count of how many times a certain person does something. For example, how many times will the person behind me cough or how many times will that boy click his pen throughout the class period. Usually, I just keep count in my head since Luke is in most of my classes and he is not aware of this habit, but when I'm alone I keep track of these kind of things on paper. I don't know if this hobby is just a result of me getting bored very easily, but I'm not fully comfortable with it. I'm so aware that I'm a creep, that I'm even creeping myself out. It's not normal.

I was reminded of this a few days ago when I was casually making conversation with the girl who works the morning shift when I came in to relieve her. I brought up the fact that there is a boy who walks past the office at least 6 times every time I work and asked if she had seen him. She responded by saying she had never noticed him but had noticed the sticky note that read "Running count of how many times the kid with the glasses walks by" with 54 tally marks under it. She then continued to look at me like I had a serious problem and promptly leaving the office.

My obsession with watching people isn't limited to a certain type of person either. I'm obsessed with observing girls, boys, blonds, brunettes, skinny, overweight, dark-skinned, light-skinned, pretty, ugly, good-smelling, bad-smelling, cheerful, depressed, annoying, chill....well you get the idea. EVERYONE. It's like the crush you had in middle school where you wanted to know what that person was doing whenever possible....except it extends to everyone I interact with. I constantly find myself thinking 'I wonder what that kid with the dreadlocks is doing this weekend' or 'I wonder how that girl in Operations would handle a certain situation.' It's not that I find any certain person more interesting than another person, I have these thoughts about almost everybody that I interact with. It's seriously the weirdest thing ever. I try not to think about it, but it's like an extremely annoying song that you have stuck in your head...or an eye-twitch that just won't go away.

Even as I'm writing this blog I've been staring at the employee at the Pizza Hut across the parking lot that is taking a smoking break. He has rubbed his nose six times, has kicked the side of the building with the toe of his shoe twelve times and has walked in six and a half circles...now seven.

My name is Katie Couch and I am addicted to being a creep.

My Amazing Great Grandmother

Today is my Grandma Parry's birthday. Since I am not in Idaho Falls, and therefore am not able to wish her Happy Birthday, I have decided to make a list my 5 favorite memories and things I admire about this wonderful person.

1. When I was younger, I looked forward to going to her house to spend quality time with her. Sometimes we would make different crafts. I'm sure all my cousins remember making Santas. I remember wanting mine to be different from everyone else's, so I decided to paint his cloak green instead of red. Grandma made me feel so special for my 'creativity' that I glowed for days. Othertimes we would play Phase 10. She always let me win. I can still remember all the little compliments that she gave me...like telling me I would be amazing at Kanasta because a couple times I drew the exact amount of cards I needed to deal. She has a way of complimenting you in a small way, that makes you feel like a much better person. This is just the way she is. She's a genuine, sweet, loving person.

2. Another thing I remember is the family dinners. I took them for granted when I was younger. Now, being so far away from home and not being able to go to the family dinners anymore, I realize how much I love them. It's amazing how large of a family I have, yet everyone knows nearly everybody else. This is because it's important to my grandparents. I'm so grateful for the close ties that I have with my cousins, second-cousins, uncles, aunts, great-uncles, great-aunts, etc. If it weren't so important to my grandparents to keep the family close, there are many ties that I have now, that I probably would not have otherwise. The tie that I have with my Grandma Parry is something that I treasure. The most amazing part about that tie with her is that it links me to SO many other ties with my family members. She's not content simply having a relationship with her grandchildren, great-grandchildren, or great-great grandchildren, but she wants every one of them to have a relationship with their extended family. I'm grateful this is so important to her and that she has passed it on to me. The relationships that are most dear to me are my relationships with my family, and I don't know who I would be today if it were not for them.

3. My Grandma is SO much fun to be around. She has an amazing sense of humor. She can make anyone laugh at almost any time! One memory that sticks out to me is playing Kanasta at the cabin with my family, Grandma, and either the Hopkins or the Roes (I can't remember! Sorry!). I have not enjoyed myself that thoroughly since. It was one of the first moments in my life when I was able to actually take a step back and realize how great my family (especially my great-grandma) is. She lit up the whole night with her teasing and quick remarks when someone was trying to pull something. It still makes me smile every time I think about that night.

4. My Grandma is ALWAYS there for me. I remember her coming to nearly every one of my sporting events as I grew up. What patience that must have taken! And it was not only for me that she did this! Ask any one of my cousins and I can guarantee that it was a rare event when Grandma wasn't able to make it to one of their games. It always made me feel so important when I saw my great-grandparents up in the stands watching me play. It was a wonderful way to remind me of their love.

5. My Great-Grandma has always made me feel loved. Even when I was an obnoxious child being rude to one of my cousins, she showed her love even as she scolded me. She has so much to do with how I turned out. She's made me want to be a much better person than I am. Every time I am having a rough time, I think of her example. She has been through so much in her life, yet I have NEVER heard her complain. Every time I see her, she has a smile on her face and everyone around her is enjoying her company. She is the strongest person I have ever known in my life, and the absolute biggest example to me of how to be an amazing person. Although I miss my Grandma Roe every day, I am SO blessed to have my great-grandma in my life. She has made me understand the true love of a grandparent. She has taught me so much and I treasure everything I have learned from her over the years.

I love you so much Grandma! I hope you have an amazing birthday! Thank you for everything you have done for me and continue to do for me. You are my biggest hero and I hope that you know that.