Ancestry

January 18th 2012 was my last day as an employee at Ancestry.

That is right! I will never have to explain to another angry costumer that I don't have their family tree all completed and ready for them. (Apparently the commercials can be a little misleading?) Or they have had an automatic billing to their card every month for the past 2 years of 29.95. (Please everyone that is reading this, be sure to check your credit card statements regularly, it is always a good idea.)

I really did enjoy my time at Ancestry. I made a lot of friends and really surprised myself with how well I did with sales. I was hired September 1st 2010 and soon after tricked two of my best friends (I love you Racheal and Kate) to come and work with me in November of 2010. We had more fun than anyone should at work. Want to see? Follow this link to Kate's fun Post!
Catalina came along to play at Ancestry in December and then Jack and Naomi soon followed.
Long story short.... Management changed right after Joseph was hired in August and things have changed immensely.
Long story short.... We are all done with Ancestry!
Bring on a crazy new year :)

*2012*

I love this time of year. When you can look back at the past year and even if it wasn't as happy and successful as you'd like, there is a new year to make new goals.
Yes I do miss having a parking space at the gym, but that usually gets back to normal near the end of February.

Joseph and I sat down and made individual and family goals.  As you found out, in our last post, we have dedicated this year to traveling. Of course we have many other great things happening this year (John and Trudy VanCott return from their missions, Friends and family weddings, Joseph returning to school in the fall...), but since it is just the two of us, why not?
My best friend knows me well and knows I have my own concerns of traveling so much.... Anyway, I am very grateful she sent me this quote.

"Travel is not reward for working, it’s education for living."

Our first trip ended up being to Cabo. It was short and sweet and we loved it. We had gone before for our honeymoon and it was hard to believe it had been more than 3 years since we had been back.

The Famous Arch

Please tell me you remember when Joseph insisted on swimming on the pacific side because it was so fun with the huge waves? Well, I guess they decided it was dangerous enough to add warning signs.

This photo was on our way in to walmart. Why, my Arizona family and friends, does Arizona not have these? When conditions are so hot that your seat belt can give you a serious burn, I believe it is enough reason to invest in some of these umbrellas.

We took the local bus (.80 cents a person) away from the resorts and found our own beach with 3 surfers. It was so nice, Joseph fished 100% of the time (besides taking this photo) and I read and slept.

The beautiful view

Oh Yeah! Also taken at walmart. There are handicap parking spaces designated for pregnant women too. Just for you, Courtney and Naomi!

Traveling destinations for February are still being decided. I will post a few of the places we have in mind and I would love feedback or traveling advice from you all.

My 2012 Resolution - When normally I would be timid and scared, I resolve to be confident and optimistic with new ventures and experiences. 

Happy New Years Everyone!

He Did It!

Joseph did it!
We made a goal this summer to get a job with the airlines. Why? Because our friend Chelsea Neiger, who is a flight attendant, told us about all of the wonderful places she has gone. London, Africa, Hawaii, etc. Once we found out that she flies free in the US and pays tax for flights out of the country.


NOT FAIR, right? Well, Joseph found the connection he needed to clean planes back in October. After a month of working we now have benefits and flew to New York for a 2 day trip for our 3rd Anniversary. It was all on a whim and seemed so surreal.

We have now dedicated 2012 as our year of travel! It will be a great year!
If you would like some company on a vacation, let us know!

Good and Bad News

Bad news first? (That's usually my preference)

I did not make it into the Boston Marathon. They have made a change to their registration process to guarantee that only the most elite runners that register are accepted. Which means even though you may have qualified with an amazing time, if you had runners in your same division (mine being Women 18-34) that beat your qualifying time they would have a better chance at being accepted.

Because they are so kind, I did receive an email letting me know they were so so so sad that I wasn't going to be joining them April 15th 2012. Also included in the email was the explanation that although I did not make it in, women in my same division with a qualifying time of 3hrs. 38min. and 46sec. and faster, were accepted into the 2012 race.

What was the difference between my time and this one above ^ you may ask?

22 seconds...

-22 seconds I took to re-tie my shoe?

-22 seconds I took to drink 3 gulps of water?

-22 seconds I took .... too long.

Ha ha ha! I can't help but picture my brother Brad saying, "Next time, run faster."

Well there you have it. Next time I will definitely have to run faster because all Qualifying times are being cut 5 minutes from 2013 on. Next time . . .

Good news now?

A week from today, I will be Here!

I can't wait for . . . .

-The Food

-The Museums

-The Parks

Best of all . . . .

- The Kate!

Goodbyes?

Something I have never been good at

Goodbyes
Is anyone good at them? They are emotional and consist of awkward hugs where you do your best to keep a composed face that slowly turns into a trembling chin until you lose it and just let the tears come. I had to say goodbye to WAY too many people in the last 30 days.
How did I handle it? I joked around with Racheal that I was FINE! There are 5 stages of grief and I spend most of my time in the best of the 5. Denial. Is that terrible? Having 2 parents for therapists I have learned over the years that I hold things in rather than talking through them, but that is what I have running for! Bad thing is, when I am in denial and you add sadness into the equation I feel the need to comfort myself with FOOD! Yay For FOOD.

Bad thing about food? When you are full of it, you don't feel like running. See where that equation doesn't play out well? So it has been an interesting 30 days.

Who left you might ask?
Lets start with my Zumba Family. I have been attending Zumba 4 times a week for the past year. Yes, my mother was successful and won the fight. Well, Allison, my instructor left to California at the beginning of August to support her husband through school. I am picky with my instructors. A good instructor is rare. Just ask my poor friend Brooke (next to me in white) who got married and moved to Athens Ohio. I hated these

goodbyes. I saw these people practically everyday for a year. Now we have fallen apart. Skyler, my cousin in the back, has become zumba certified and we attend his class every Thursday at 7pm. Thank goodness, It is nice to have it back.

Kate Darowski! She and I have been friends for about 12 years now... right Kate? Anyway, since she moved back to Utah in October of 2010 we have spent on average 7 hours a day together. (Really, I wish we could calculate that, I think I would be pretty close with that guess)

This past year we have had sleepovers, shared dinners, veronica mars nights, multiple road trips/adventures, etc. Saying goodbye to this one was so hard! We (Rach and I) went to her house before she left to the airport and said goodbye. We don't like to drag things out and make them overly dramatic, so we gave each other a hug and as I began to feel any tears I said, "Ok, bye Kate." Turned around and walked out. Racheal and I drove home and found out later that we both sat in our cars and cried.... ok, sobbed.

We talk on the phone twice a week and email almost daily ha ha. I love my Durski friend and I love that when I tell her I love her, she gets a little awkward and doesn't know what to say. Ha ha ha we have so much fun!

This beautiful woman below is my Grandmother, Monica Sanchez. Also known as Mamina, by those who love her most. She is my mother's mother and she has always shown her family so much love through all of her service. I will always remember the happiness I felt when she cared for me and my siblings. She always had delicious sopa (soup) and Jell-0 for us after school! I wont forget her beautiful singing voice and how she would sing Catalina and I to sleep. She recently passed away from a long illness of Parkinsons disease. She is now with my Grandfather Aldo Sanchez (Papillo), and I know they are so happy to be reunited.

Finally, on to Racheal. We have known each other through friends, but have become so close this past year working everyday together. She has moved to London for her masters program. I have always admired how intelligent Racheal is. I could write an email or message for work and know that having Racheal (and Kate) proof read it, they would express exactly what I meant to in a much more professional manner. Also Racheal can turn anything into a party, and she does! I love it! Who else do you know that can move Halloween up a month ahead?

We did well with our goodbye knowing that we would see each other again in just 2 and a half months.

My everyday routine for a year is now completely different and has been a little hard to adjust to. No, I don't like change. Who does?

More fun and optimistic posts to come. I am so excited for General Conference! Can't wait!

Best Summer Ever . . .

. . . and slowly it has become cold and lonely!

Wow what a depressing way to start my blog post! Really though, this summer came so slow and ended so soon! It Snowed on Timp Mt. this morning! I am in denial. It can't get cold just yet!
Anyway, I have had a very busy and eventful summer. Honestly, this is what I blame my lack of blogging on. There is no time for blogging with so many fun things to do.
Also, my friend Kate is a much better writer/blogger than I am, so I will be including some links to her blog posts. Read them. You will quickly find yourself falling in love with her witty remarks. Also, big thanks to Kate and Racheal for being the photographers of this summer. I am including a ton of pictures with just a little summary on this post. Read what you want. I know! It is long.

Here is a brief rundown, Ready?! This summer was full of . . .

Hikes!
Getting bored at work, talking to grumpy people can get old really fast. "Thank you for calling Ancestry, this is Olivia. How can I help you?" Customer: "Yes, you charged my card without my authorization . . ." VTO! Forget this, let's go for a hike!

For more pictures and Kate's post click here.

Weddings!
Angela Got Married! June 3rd Angela and Davey were sealed.
ZUMBA!
I really wanted to stay focused for my marathon training this summer. I kind of put that aside to Zumba 4 times a week. Allison has the best choreography and knows how to have a fun time dancing to great music. My love for zumba and latin dancing really grew this summer. I have a Zumba family that I will never forget! Allison, Brooke, Leslie, Jen, Noelia, Karen, Maria, Skyler, and my mom, Nina! I love you all!


Road Trips!
We planned a trip to California! We, again, needed some kind of escape from our monotonous work. We loved taking pictures at the beach! Need Proof? Kate's Post has unlimited pictures!


Kate Darowski has never been to Disneyland! 23 years of seeing all the magical commercials and advertisements and only imagining what it could be.

Yes, she loved it. How could you not? We some how went on the perfect day. I know you wont believe me, but we waited probably 18 minutes in a line, MAX. Kate's post!Meeting Celebrities!
While in California we were of course starving and stopped by Cheesecake Factory for dinner. Who did we walk by on our way to our table? Melanie! The Winner of SYTYCD! After a pep talk in the bathroom ( ha ha ha), we got the courage to go and ask for a picture!


Lucky little Kate won tickets to the Tonight Show with Jay Leno. It was really fun!Running!
I love to run! (Not sure why, but I just typed that with the Marry Popins tune in mind. You know? The song, I Love to Laugh?) Anyway! June 11th I ran the Utah Valley Marathon and am so happy to say, I did it! Third Marathon is the Charm? I qualified for Boston! It is all a fun story, maybe I will tell it someday. Kate ran the half marathon and did GREAT! Want to see?



Chelsea Hansen called me on Thursday night June 16th, 5 days after the Marathon, and told me her company had 2 open spots for the Ragnar. PSH! Of Course Joseph and I will run it! We packed up and were running the next day!
The Ragnar is just a bunch of crazy runners who, on very little sleep, run as a team of 12, 197-200 miles in about a day and a half (36 hours). If you're fast like the BYU cross country team it could take about 17 hours. Ridiculous right?! If anyone ever needs a runner, please call me!
Movies!
Harry Potter was my favorite for the summer. Yes, Harry Potter is more than a story or a movie to me. I grew up with Harry Potter. I was sent the first 2 books from my aunt Velia when I was 10 years old. 5th grade? I remember always having something to look forward to. A new book, a new movie. It all ended July 2011. I have to thank Kate for her talented writing. She has expressed exactly how i feel about Harry Potter and the last movie. If you love Harry Potter, please read.

Yes, we had tickets to the midnight showing of HP, thanks to Racheal! I do enjoy the movies, but they don't even compare to the books. Yes, I cried during this movie, a lot. It is okay if you don't understand and laugh at me. Joseph does. I have enough people who understand and can relate. I love Harry Potter. Thank you, JK Rowling, for bringing Magic to my life :)
Canyon Adventures!
An undocumented event was the drive in Joseph's 1994 toyota camry on the back of Cascade mountain with Craig and Kate. I will never forget the scary nerve raking event full of scary stories and scary driving. Let's just say Joseph believes his car is a Jeep made for off roading. We had no idea it would last about 4 hours ha ha ha ha! I wish we had some form of pictures!

Scootering down the canyon with Racheal, Jack, Sandro, and Joseph. I don't know if I will ever get tired of this activity.


It was dark and Joseph was sneaking into the picture. I believe Sandro somehow punched Joseph in the throat. It was funny hearing everything happen and then getting a picture of the after math. I am still unsure as to what exactly happened.
The moonlight lift up in Sundance was a first for me. I was a little scared at times with Joseph seeing how far he could lean forward ha ha.
I can't remember why we were all laughing so hard in this picture, but it makes it a great picture.

This summer was short and sweet and will be extremely hard to beat. (I didn't mean to rhyme there) . Thank you Friends and Family for making it what it was. Summer 2011!

Construction Ahead!

As you can tell, my Blog is currently under construction. I will be taking some time to work on it with the help of Kate Darowski. The only problem is I, for some reason, cannot find the time.

I am so behind on all of my posts! When loading my pictures from my camera on to my computer today, I realized that I have pictures back from December I haven't loaded.

I will be posting little clips of what has been keeping us so occupied. I am so excited for this week though. I get to go to...

Las Vegas


California's beaches

The Jay Leno Tonight Show
AND . . . DISNEYLAND!


I will be going with Kate, Racheal, and Danielle. It is kind of a celebration/goodbye trip for both Kate and Racheal. They will be leaving in August and September for school and I will miss them both VERY MUCH!
We had to make Disneyland our destination because Kate, in her 23 years of life, has not been to Disneyland. We are all so excited and know that we will have plenty of pictures and hilarious stories to share!