Attitude of Gratitude.

I know I already posted once already tonight.  But I am so grateful to be home and to have traveled safely from Texas! If you didn't know I had a little bit of car trouble getting home.  On my way from San Antonio to Albuquerque my car started to act kind of funny.  It was staying revved up and was staying between 4 and 5 RPM...which is not good.  Lets been honest we had been driving pretty fast for most of the way and I think that is what caused my car to freak out.  So when we got to El Paso we decided to stop and get some food and as we were pulling out of the parking lot as I was pressing on the gas my car was barely even moving.  I literally was pedal to the floor trying to gun it and my car was seriously barely moving.  So as we pulled in to the parking lot to get food I decided to call my dad and ask for advice.  I was freaking out.  I was in El Paso Texas 4 hours out of Albuquerque and had no idea what to do.  And of course it was Saturday at 4 pm when no car shops are open.

Finally after calling about 5 different places I found a shop that was open.  At this point I had lost it...and my sweet sweet dad just kept telling me "its going to be ok.  take a breath.  everything will be ok" and me being the basket case I am, was thinking the worst.

So I got to the car shop and of course when the mechanic takes it for a drive it acts perfectly normal but he said he could feel it "slipping in and out of gear" which is really bad.  So he tells me that it has to be something with the transmission.  Awesome.  He then proceeds to tell my that my transmission is sealed shut and that only Nissan is licensed to work on my transmission.  So I was freaking out thinking that I would have to spend the weekend in El Paso until Monday morning to get my car worked on, and then figuring I would be having to drop a couple thousand dollars to have it fixed.

Lets just say tears.  Lots of tears.  I literally didn't know what to do.  Aubrey had work Monday morning so I was stressing that she was going to have to leave me alone so she could make it home.  And I didn't know what I was going to do.  But I am so grateful for my parents and the knowledge they have and they faith that they have.  Immediately my mom and dad suggested to say a prayer, and that they were going to see if they could find the number to the nearest bishop to see if there was anything he could do to help or if he knew anyone that could help me out. I honestly would have never thought to do that, but my parents are awesome.  They just kept telling me that everything would be okay and that we just needed to keep saying prayers that everything would be ok.

The entire time I just kept saying silent prayers to myself that everything would be ok and that we would be able to continue driving and that my car would be ok.  So after about a half hour talking to all the mechanics and having them tell me that I should not drive to ABQ and that it was my transmission that was messed up, another mechanic came out and said he wanted to take it for a drive.  He said he had worked with Nissan cars and he knew them well enough to know that if anything was seriously wrong a light would have come on, and no lights had. So we took it for another drive and he said that everything felt and looked fine with the RPM, and so he didn't see any reason that I shouldn't be able to make it to ABQ.  I kept asking "Are you sure?  If I was your daughter would you feel ok with me driving it?" And every time his response was yes.  So I made the decision to continue driving and hope that everything would be alright.  This mechanic gave me his card with his cell phone number on it and told me if anything happened to call him and he would personally come to my rescue.  I am so grateful for him!

Driving to ABQ and then to Salt Lake my car felt completely fine.  I had no problems the rest of the time driving, and I can't doubt that it is because of my Heavenly Father.  I know with out a shadow of a doubt that he had a hand in my life that day and that he was watching over me.  That day more than usual I felt the love of my Heavenly Father and my Savior Jesus Christ.  I know that they are aware of me and that they know me more than I know myself.  I am truly grateful for the testimony I have of this Gospel and the happiness it brings me.  At this point in my life I have a better relationship with my Savior and my Heavenly Father than I ever have.  I think it's because the last couple years I have had so many experiences that I couldn't have gone through alone.  And it's with the help of my Savior that I have been able to over come them.  I can honestly say that my Savior is not only my brother but he is my friend.  And I am truly grateful for Him and the amazing sacrifice that He gave so that I wouldn't have to go through this life alone.  Where would I be today if it wasn't for my Savior Jesus Christ?

I am also so grateful for my parents and their perfect examples to me.  I have been taught that in times of need  the first thing to be done is to get on my knees and pray to my Heavenly Father.  I am so grateful for their love for me and their willingness to help me no matter what.  I am so grateful that the church is always their priority.  And that they have so much faith in this gospel.  They are such great examples to me and I hope that one day I will be that same kind of example to my family.  I am so grateful to have been raised by such faithful parents and raised in such an amazing church.  A church of faith, hope, charity, and love.

I love this gospel and I am so grateful for experiences in my life that strengthen my testimony of the truthfulness of it.  In a relief society lesson about a year ago my great friend and now my amazing roommate Micah said "Nothing in this world makes me feel the way the Gospel makes me feel, I KNOW its true!!!"  Ever since then those words have been engraved into my heart.  And that sums up exactly how I feel!

Nothing in this world makes me feel the way this Gospel makes me feel.

I KNOW it's true!!!!

I'm baaaack!!!

I'm back in Utah, and I couldn't be happier! As you may or may not have read in my last post, I did love Texas and had so much fun this summer, but I am so happy to be back in Utah! Utah is home and lets be honest I do love it here! And being away made me realize that! 

The last week spent in Texas was strange! The whole week I had a hard time comprehending the fact that Aubrey and I were headed back home! And it didn't help that I couldn't really start packing until a couple days before because all I really had to do was put everything in my car.  There wasn't a whole lot of packing to be done.  So my time was spent waiting for the days to pass to I could actually start getting ready to leave. That last week went by really slow but at the same time it flew by!  To be honest it was hard to stay motivated and productive at work.  If I wasn't the best employee my last week I apologize.  But ya know when you put in your two weeks notice and then from that moment on you just have no motivation to do anything because you are leaving....ya that's pretty much how I felt.  Horrible I know, but it was just so hard being at work when I was so excited to come home! But we made it through the last week successfully! 

The girls at work and I decided to go out with a bang at Aubrey and I's favorite restaurant Chuy's.  It is sooooo good! Such good Mexican food. And let's be honest their Tres Leches is to die for, along with their jalapeno ranch.  I could probably drink that stuff it's so good! We had a ton of fun at dinner and didn't stop laughing the entire time! Our waiter probably though we were all crazy! But what do you expect when you get 5 girls together?! I am really glad we got to all go out one final time! Such fun girls and I will miss them tons!

I'm not going to lie the entire summer I had put off getting something for each of my family members and so did Aubrey...so literally our last day at Del Sol and our last day in Texas we decided it was probably time to find some fun Texas-y things for our families.  Along the street that we worked on were a bunch of typical souvenir shops which basically all had the same things with minor differences.  The store that I purchased all of my families things was the same place that Aubrey and I took our old fashion photos! They had lots of typical souvenirs and lots of crazy t-shirts like this one! hahaha Honestly this was the first thing that I noticed when I entered the store and I think I laughed for about 5 minutes! So great! Need I say more?

My last day of work was more bitter sweet than I imagined it would be.  I figured I would be so excited to leave and that I wouldn't miss it at all.  Well, do I really miss the working? Not really.  But I cannot deny that I working right in front of the Alamo is probably one of the coolest things ever! I was constantly in awe of the fact that right in front of my store was such a historic place.  So much history behind the Alamo.  And although its a little underwhelming it is still so amazing! Never again will I get such an opportunity, and I am so grateful for that! So on my last day I felt it appropriate to take my one and only picture of myself in front of the Alamo.  Sad to say it really is my only picture of me and the Alamo.  

Like I said earlier the girls I worked with were seriously so fun! Loved them all! We all got along really well and we had a lot of fun while working.  They kept me sane during the super slow hours at Del Sol and kept me calm during the crazy busy hours! But of all of them besides Aubrey this is the girl I will miss the most! My dearest Melissa! She seriously is a crack up! Love her! She is so funny and so fun! We had so much fun together and never stopped laughing! Such a sweet heart and I really wish I could have brought her home with me! Melissa, Aubrey and I had some really good times! 

Love these girls! 

Melissa, Aubrey, and I.

Final Week!

IT'S MY LAST WEEK IN TEXAS!

I really cannot believe that my internship at Del Sol San Antonio is coming to a close this week! This summer has gone by so fast.....I really can't believe it! Aubrey and I have done so many fun things and have had so many memorable moments.  Needless to say this summer was totally worth it! It has been such a great experience! I have learned a lot about myself and experienced some really awesome things! This is a summer I will never forget! It felt like forever waiting to actually get out here and now it feels like I just got here and am already leaving.  It's true that time flies when you are having fun! And I truly have had a blast! So here's to most likely my last post from San Antonio Texas! 

Aubrey and I enjoyed our final day off together so we decided we head down to Padre Island and enjoy the beach one last time! Before soaking up the sun we stopped at Padre Island Burger Company! Home of the best burger I have probably ever had! This is the Dr. Pepper burger! It has bacon, cheese, meat, and bbq sauce made from....yup Dr. Pepper! It is sooooo good! 

It's also HUGE! But don't worry...I pounded it!

 After an amazing lunch we headed to Whitecap...our favorite spot! 

And of course I celebrated our final beach day! 

(This picture is from a different day...but it explains my feelings for the beach)

A couple weeks ago we said farewell to Michael and Anne, our wonderful managers (unfortunately I didn't get a picture with Anne...)!

It was weird saying goodbye to them because it made me realize that our goodbyes would be coming soon.

Oh ya know...sometimes we get bored...and so Melissa and I fight over the male manikin. Don't judge!

 

My first henna tattoo! 

Yes, this is me planking in front of our store/the Alamo.
You cannot tell from this picture but I am screaming in agony...because this was so painful.

DON'T TRY THIS.

Well, if you haven't picked up on this from my posts, Aubrey and I have seriously had a blast this summer! We have done almost everything that San Antonio can offer 2 young Del Sol interns.  I am so grateful for the opportunity to come out here for the summer! And I am so grateful for the awesome friendship that I have with Aubrey! I couldn't have endured this summer without her and it's super lucky that we got along so well! I really have has such a great summer! It was weird being away from my family and not being able to do fun things with them, but I don't regret anything about this summer! I really think that we lived it up this summer and didn't waste too much time doing nothing. Of course there were days that we sat at out apartment in our sweats and watched movies but even that was a good time! As much as I enjoyed my summer I am soooo ready to go back to Utah...and back to my "normal" life...whatever that consists of! I'm ready to be back in the general vicinity of my family and my closest friends!  And ready to be back at my job doing what I truly love, cutting hair! And in the future...hopefully the near future I look forward to going back to school, because I have officially decided that I want to major in Journalism! I haven't decided if I will miss Texas as a whole...but there are things about Texas that I will for sure miss! So I have conjured up a list of things I will and will not miss.  So if you decide to ever go to San Antonio Texas, refer back to this list! 

I will  miss....

1. Food-Texas is home to some of the best food I have had.

-Tres Leches Cake (Chuy's)
-BBQ (Salt Lick-brisket. Smitty's-ribs)

-Burgers (Padre Island Burger Company)

-Jalapeno Ranch (Chuy's) 

-Sandwiches of the sorts (Druther's)

-Another burger (The Cove-Texas burger)

-Guacamole (Boudro's)

-Mexican food (Mi Tierra & Rosario's & Taco Taco Cafe)

-Fast food (Whataburger)

2.Amusement Parks- We went to some pretty awesome amusement parks!

-Six Flags Fiesta Texas! Had some of the best rides...and we just happened to walk on to ALL of them!

-Schlitterbahn Water Park! World's best water park? Just maybe! So much fun!

3. San Marcos Premium Outlets- That may be all I need to say.

I have never been to better outlets.  My shopping from here on out will have a hard time making up for San Marcos.  Lets just name some of the greatness...

J. Crew

Victoria's Secret

Juicy Couture

7 for all Mankind

Betsey Johnson

Coach

Banana Republic

Gucci

True Religion

the list could go on.

4.Austin- Such a fun city! It is so different than what you would expect of Texas!
We loved it there! 

5.River Walk-Such a unique place! Beautiful! 

6. Beach- Why wouldn't I miss the beach...Utah doesn't have one!!!

7. City life- Living downtown has been awesome.  We are literally a minute away from a million things to do!

8. Moments- We had some amazing moments here in Texas! That could have only happened here! Thannnnnk you!

9. Co-workers- We have worked with some pretty fun people! They make working 40 hours a week in the heat and on my feet bearable! 

10. The Alamo- Working directly in from of the Alamo never got old.  I will miss working in front of such a historic place where 3 million people come to visit a year.  The Alamo may be small and very underwhelming but it is quite beautiful at night when there is no one around and it is lit so beautifully! How many people can say they worked right in front of the Alamo!?

I will NOT miss...

(I've decided to make my "not miss" list shorter so I didn't sound like I hated it.)

1. The Large Inferno - AKA the heat of Texas! The entire time we have been here it has been 100+ degrees everyday excluding maybe....maybe 5 days.  I do not love that!

2. Humidity- Humidity makes the heat worse then it already is.  I have never sweat as much in my life as I have this summer....yuck.  

3. Idiot Drivers- Texas drivers are slow. 

4. Sweaty Tourists- This goes along with #'s 1 and 2....but the heat + the humidity makes tourists really sweaty...and then they come into our store...and continue to sweat. Its nasty.

5. My hair in Texas- My hair doesn't really do a whole lot here.  It doesn't quite hold a curl here...but when I straighten it, it ends up not as straight by the end of the day...and my hair has NO volume here. So I have looked like a flat head all summer. HATE that!

San Antonio really is quite the remarkable city! There is lots of things to do here and lots of history behind this city! It being the 7th largest city in the U.S. it definitely didn't disappoint! There was never a dull moment this summer! I will miss San Antonio just a tad! But I'm looking forward to going home! 

Wow this has been a realllly long post and I apologize! But it being my last one from Texas I felt like I needed  to go big or go home! And everything is bigger in Texas so I went big!!!! Peace out Texas! Utah here I come!

I am really excited to start a new chapter in my life! I'm headed back to Provo and am soooooooooo excited to be moving in with a great friend of mine, Micah! We are going to have a ton of fun living together and I cannot wait!!! Thanks for reading and following my adventure in San Antonio, and thanks for being a part of my life as a 22 year old single LDS girl! xoxo

Chills....and maybe some tears. Just maybe.

So I was on my new favorite website Pinterest and I stumbled upon this video.  

1.This is my favorite hymn.

2.She is my favorite singer.

3.Gave me chills multiple times.

4.I may or may not have shed a few tears.

5.She is amazing!

I could keep going...but just listen and enjoy!

Carrie Underwood and Vince Gill

"How Great Thou Art"

Its the final count down!

T-Minus 12 days until I head back to Utah!

Not that I am counting or anything! I cannot believe that this summer is already coming to and end! It has been super fun and a really good experience! But I am ready to go back to Utah and my life there! Its been a great break from Utah! But I'd be lying if I said I didn't miss it!  But I still have 12 days of Texas and work!

I am not going to lie....its moments like this one that I will miss when I head back!

The Alamo is so beautiful at night! And around dusk!

So we had a sudden down pour of rain while working one day! And boy did the streets clear out! We had about 50 people in our store...it was packed! They were just trying to get out of the rain! The rain lasted all about 10 minutes...but the whole time it was a constant down pour! It was crazy! 

As we have all learned the craziest things happen at the Alamo!  Well yesterday while working.....there was a massive CONGA LINE! With music, and ladies dressed up in pink and yellow "silk and ruffle explosion" outfits and feather head dresses! And they got a ton of innocent by-standards to join their conga line! And of course us girls at Del Sol couldn't help but enjoy it from the store!

Melissa and Aubrey! 

"Silk and Ruffle Explosion"

I wanted to join in all the fun!!! 

Conga Line!

These weird guys came into the store today and one had this massive sombrero! I've seen them around town before! And so of course I asked if I could put it on! My question to the world is why on earth do you need a sombrero this large?! And what do you do with it when you get home and are no longer on vacation!?

By the way!!!!!!!  Aubrey and I went to Schlitterbahn this week!  It supposedly the worlds best water park with the worlds longest water park ride! It was super fun! We certainly enjoyed ourselves! There were some super fun water rides...including a ride that is basically a roller coaster for water! It not only goes down hill...but you go up hill as well! You ride a double tube and they use high water pressure to shoot you up the hills! It was so fun! We seriously laughed the whole time! And at the end, no big deal...I struggled getting off the tube and almost fell and the girl life guard totally laughed at us! It was awesome! I swear the life guards don't experience funny/awesome people because all of the life guards totally loved us and laughed at all the funny stuff Aubrey and I were doing/saying! We totally made their day extra ordinary! Needless to say if you ever go to San Antonio make sure to head up to New Braunfels and go to Schlitterbahn! Totally worth it!

Well I know this post wasn't super exciting! But not a whole lot of new stuff has happened! So I apologize for the lack of excitement! But I'm sure with my last couple weeks in Texas some fun and exciting things will go on! Love and miss you all! And I'll be back soon enough! Can't wait!

"Your adventure is about to begin"

So its been a really long week and I'm glad its over! Saturday I worked 11 hours....why does that need to happen? But actually as much as it sucked, it wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be.  The morning went by really fast and I worked with really fun people. So time went by quicker than I was expecting! Oh...and remember how I work across the street from the Alamo and we get really top notch people into our store!? Ya....Saturday was full of them...and interestingly enough a lot of the great situations I came across had to do with me being LDS! This one guy...oh wow...first of all thought we worshiped David Smith....I corrected him.  Its Joseph...and we don't worship him. And then he didn't realize that we as Latter Day Saints believe (like most Christians) that Christ rose from the dead on the third day.  He just though we acknowledged Jesus as the son of God but not as our Savior.  He was weird! So I corrected him of all the things he was misinformed about! It actually was a good missionary experience! But needless to say he was still weird.  And then he told me that I needed to get paid extra for standing there and looking so good....awkward.  Stuff like that doesn't need to be said! 

Oh! OH! And this lovely couple we have here! 

Just the matching green shirts! 

"I love Frank!"

"I love Jennifer!" 

And not to mention the heart is made out of bandanna material.

With white pants? 

Black converse.

I never want to be this couple!!!

But I skipped a day! Friday Aubrey and I closed together and after we decided that we would go to Rain Forest Cafe.  I honestly haven't been since I was maybe 12....so I was kind of excited.  Well...it being a Friday night we knew we would probably wait for a while....45 minutes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! YIKES!  So to fill our time...and to get away from the mass amounts of people waiting by the door, we decided to entertain ourselves in the gift shop! Seriously we were like little kids! There is so much stuff to play with in there!!!!!!! It would have been impossible not to play around! Its like they put all of that stuff in there to entertain people! So ya...we had a good time...but got bored quickly (naturally)! 

 The hat Aubrey is wearing would actually be a great snowboarding hat! 

She's really thinking she should have bought it! 

And it is freaking saweeet!

 I didn't realize until after I took the picture that my Jamaican hat had eyes on top of it!! 

 Hahaha I can't look at this picture without laughing!

Why am I the way I am?! Aubrey just laughed at me because of my face! 

I'm cool! That's all.

 Ya..."Tracy the Tree" may or may not be looking down my shirt.

We don't know.

Oh A-Breezy! Such a "Major Cutie"!!

 "Lisa, Party of 2! Please come to the rock, your adventure is about to begin!!"

Ya that's what they say over the intercom!

I for sure make that outfit look good! 

Yowza! (We strategically placed the snake to look like that!)

I was hoping that if I kissed this giant stuffed frog that he would turn into my prince charming.

I was sorely mistaken.

Waste of a perfectly good kiss.

Well that was the excitement of my weekend! I GET TO GO HOME ON TUESDAY!!!!!!!  Just for a family reunion! And it's kind of sad....I will literally only be there for my reunion and then I will be heading back to Texas.  But I am so excited to see my family! Especially my niece and nephew! But I'm also excited to spend the weekend with all my extended family! We always have a good time together and I am blessed to have such a great family! So shout out to the Webster clan!!!!! But thanks to those that are still following my life as a 22 year old single LDS girl!  Loves Doves!!!

You Make My Dreams Come True!

I recently watched 500 Days of Summer....a real movie about how relationships really are.  If you haven't seen it, and are the type that loves fairy tales, happily ever after movies...it may not be the one for you! Jk Its a great movie! Super funny! But it is a very realistic movie! That's all! This song is in the movie and I love this song! It just makes my heart happy! Soooooo push play and enjoy the wonderment of this song as you read!

**This picture does no justice**

I saw this man the other day while working.

If you can't tell he has a bowl cut, rat tail, mow hawk.

WORST HAIRCUT EVER!!!!!!!

Again...

**This picture does no justice**

The Alamo brought yet again something interesting into my life.

As I was working (as I am usually always doing)....this red monkey(?) in an Aladdin costume showed up.

And proceeded to dance around and pose in photos with small children.

Awkward.

This unknown creature was only in the plaza for about 5 minutes and then left.

So weird. 

San Antonio is not only famous for the Alamo, but it is also famous for the river walk.  The river walk is lined with beautiful trees, a plethora of restaurants, and a couple gift shops of sorts.  The river walk also offers boat tours that take you on a tour of the whole river walk informing you of lots of tid bits of interesting facts. Aubrey and I finally made time to take a boat tour! It was really pretty and quite fun! And to top it all off there was this super cute 5 year old Hispanic boy sitting by us that loved us! Here are some pics of the experience!

Friday night after quite an enjoyable day at Del Sol....um...ya...we (as in Aubrey and I) decided that we would enjoy our evening by finding our local karaoke bar! Karaoke Cantina! Love it! Let's talk about it...so we are driving to the location of choice which, by the way, is in the ghetto (which is fine).  We pull into the parking lot and lets be honest, its pretty etch-a-sketch.  Some beater cars mixed with a bmw, and then this fabulous demolition derby look a like car.  We walk inside...it being a bar figured we would get IDed.  We did not.  We walked right in a took a seat and began to enjoy some karaoke! Typically great! Out of tune, off pitch, drunk, a little ghetto.....GREAT! Buuuuuut this by far may have been the best performance I have ever witnessed! This woman....oh this woman! So top notch! Yes she did have a mullet.  Yes she is wonderful at singing....um.  And YES we later discovered she is the owner of the previously mentioned fabulous demolition derby look a like car! Absolutely fabulous! Please...please enjoy this video of her great performance of the one and only Heart Breaker by Pat Benatar! 

If you couldn't tell in the video I was completely and utterly shocked and baffled by her wonderful performance! Sooo...I took a picture of my face that I had the entire time! Don't mind the Miller Lite sign! 

(I hope you can sense the sarcasm as I'm writing about her "wonderful" performance....) 

On a completely different topic totally unrelated....I've decided Texas has lots of pretty clouds...in the words of Bob Ross (if you don't know who that is look him up, he use to have a painting show on like PBS, he painted "happy clouds"...)I like to think Texas has lots of "happy clouds".

Anyway....Aubrey and I got home taught on Monday! They actually didn't come to our home...we met them at the church and decided to be taught in the nursery room! And discovered the best thing about nursery! The  mini potty, and the mini chairs, and the mini sink.  Why am I not in nursery!? So I wanted to feel like a nursery child...and...I sat on the mini potty! It took a full squat to get on that potty! I got a good work out sitting down and then standing up!  

Later that night we went to Chuy's! Probably our favorite Mexican restaurant that we have discovered here in SA! And they have the best Tres Leches cake! And did our waiter and his manager give us free Tres Leches? And then proceed to write their numbers in caramel? They sure did! Most cleaver way to give your number out! I ate their number....and then didn't call....ooops. My bad.  It was quite delectable though. 

Yesterday Aubrey and I decided to go to the local art museum...The McNally art museum!  It was really cool! I'm really glad I took my art history class at UVU or I probably wouldn't have enjoyed it as much as I did.  There were a lot of artist that I studied in that class and so it made it more enjoyable that I knew a lot of the artists and could relate to the pieces a bit more.  It was a little overwhelming though standing in front of pieces by Monet, Picasso, Manet, Cezanne, and Rodin. It was especially overwhelming standing in front of the actual "Waterlilies" by Monet.  It is an absolutely beautiful piece of art!

The Museum is actually an old home made into a museum and this house is absolutely beautiful and the grounds were gorgeous as well! I just kept thinking that I wanted to live there! 

Its been a pretty good week! And....AND...great news! I get to go home next Tuesday for my family reunion! I am so excited to see my family and spend some time with them! I have 6 weeks left here in Texas and I'm getting excited to come back to Utah! This summer has been fun...but I'm ready to get out of this inferno they call Texas! Its rained twice in the 8 weeks we've been here...and I think there have only been maybe 5 days that it hasn't been 100 degrees...ugh...its too hot here! But I'm still enjoying it! And we are having a lot of fun! So the next time I blog it will probably be after I visit and return from my quick trip to Utah! Love and miss you all! Thanks for being a part of my life as a 22 year old single LDS girl!!