Meanings of Fall

Fall has meant a plethora of different things this year, but here are my top 3.

Number 1 - Concerts

Josh Groban was my first concert ever and definitely set the bar high. My friend Kacy (featured below) and I had decided long ago that the next time Josh came to town we were going. We had been looking forward to this for months. I can't say enough about how good his show was! Obviously he has a fantastic voice, but is also funny, clean, and an all around good entertainer. So good!

Number 2 - Fall Colors

I only took one official trip to see the leaves this year and it happened to be when I was home. Here are just a couple examples of the beautiful colors up Sardine Canyon by the Girls Home. I did get to go up to Park City for a couple of weeks for work and got to see some of those colors before they left as well. Definitely one of my favorite parts of fall.

Number 3 - College Football, more specifically BYU

I  love college football. I am a true-blue cougar fan and have enjoyed watching our team steadily improve, but I am also learning to cheer for other teams in the state. There is nothing quite like a crisp afternoon with you and your closest 65,000 friends cheering on your team.

I guess this is technically Number 1 part 2. I went a little crazy on the concert kick and also went to my second  concert this month.  I went and saw Imagine Dragons up at Weber State with my brother Taylor. They were also fantastic! Definitely a different atmosphere from Josh Groban, but they rocked it and it was a blast! Again I highly recommend it - clean, quality entertainment!

(This picture was before they started into Radioactive as their closing number. That song live is absolute awesomeness! Best part of the show!)

Other than that fall has meant taking the last part of the CPA exam (still waiting to hear on scores), quilting a king-size quilt (massive undertaking - pictures to come when its done), baking more and more ( I love homemade bread), and watching my siblings play lots of soccer. It has been good thus far and I am looking forward to November and December as we get to the heart of the holiday season. Time for more baking, decorating, and Christmas music!

New Adventures

The last couple weeks have been a bit of a whirlwind. Exactly one week ago I moved up to Salt Lake. It was definitely a bitter-sweet moment. Provo has been wonderful and has been home for the last 5 years. It was sad to leave people, but it was time to move on. Funny how in order to progress and grow we have to get out of our comfort zone (or sometimes kicked out).  It has also been a time of transition as my friends start going off in different directions, getting married, and having kids. Crazy! Life keeps managing to change whether I want it to or not.

On the plus side there are some things I already like about Salt Lake. First - I love that I only have to walk up one set of stairs to my house. I have my own bedroom that has a whole wall of closets. For someone who has lots of shoes (some say too many) this is absolutely fabulous! Next - I love that my commute this last week was only 30 minutes round trip instead of 1 1/2 hours.  Finally - as silly as it may seem I am excited about the food. Hear me out - I have come to realize that I love to cook and also go out and try new foods. I am setting a goal that every so often (I haven't decided how often), I want to go out and try a new restaurant or cook a new recipe. I'm sure there will be more things I come to love about living in Salt Lake, but this is a pretty good start.

As I try  new things and find some great ones I will share so if you are in the area you can enjoy the deliciousness. This last week at work we went out to lunch and tried a Korean place that is just off 5300 south right next to the freeway on the east side, it was called Cafe Seoul. It was delicious! I tried the beef bulgogi which was very yummy. I also tried sushi for the first time (a cooked roll) and it was quite good as well. It was a good foot in the door to cuisine of the eastern world.

The other place I tried was a gelato place I had been hearing about on the radio. Ever since I got back from Europe I have been craving some good gelato and not very many places sell it, let alone sell good gelato. This place in Salt Lake is called Dolcetti Gelato, it is right on the corner of 9th and 9th. It is the only thing I have had that comes close to what you'll get in Italy. It was delicious! Beware that it is on the pricier side for a dessert, but it is well worth it!

Those are my foodie recommendations for now, but I will keep updating as I find new gems. If anyone has any recommendations let me know!

Welcome to Real Life

Summer is in full swing and some pretty big things have happened.

First is that I graduated from BYU with my Master of Accountancy degree. It was bittersweet - I am glad to be done, but I love BYU and have loved my experience in the school of accountancy.

It is also weird to be saying goodbye to people that I have spent the last few years with.

Me with friends from the ward Alyssa and Hillary

Classic picture with the sign. Alyssa did a great job and got the Y and the Tanner building in the shot as well.

In the Tanner Building (the business building) where I essentially lived my last three years.

About a month after graduation we went on a family cruise to the Caribbean. It will be the last time all of us are together for a while. Gillen left on his mission in June and the twins leave next summer. It was a great time! Great food and entertainment particularly! 

Kids with our servers Aleks from Macedonia and Winston from Jamaica. They were the best! Dinner was one of my favorite parts. Choosing from a wonderful menu every night and having it served to you. Not much better!

The Johnson young men on formal night.

We saw a lot of this. We stopped in Haiti, Jamaica, Grand Cayman, and Cozumel.

Beautiful sunset.

When we got back we had family pictures taken before we sent Gillen on his mission.

We spent most of June getting this kid ready to go on a mission. He is going to El Salvador via the Guatemalan MTC. He will be an absolutely amazing missionary, but I sure do miss him like crazy!

Since graduation I am working full time for Larson & Company up in Sandy. I am living in Provo for the summer, but will be moving up to Millcreek in August. It has been a little bit of an adjustment from school to working full-time. I really didn't realize how much free time I had in school. It doesn't help that while being full-time I am studying for and taking the CPA exam which sucks up any potential free-time. I am hoping to be done with that in October and then I will feel really done with school. That's all for now!

Moab

Last weekend I took my first roadtrip ever and headed to Moab with my roommate Krista.

Here are the highlights in picture form.

Us as we headed out.

Double arch.

Park Avenue

Landscape Arch

Double O Arch.

Viewpoint on the way back from Double O Arch. I love the contrast. Also we had to walk on those stones to get down. 

Sideways Delicate Arch.

Up at the arch. It was so windy! We about blew off!

It was a great trip and a good way to relax before finals.

The Final Countdown

I graduate in approximately one month. Where on earth did this semester go? Senioritiis has definitely kicked in. I have been working on my "Must do my last semester at BYU list" which is coming along nicely. It is a bitter-sweet thing to graduate, but I guess I have to move on to real adulthood sometime. My most recent adventure was at trip to Denver for Beta Alpha Psi (the club I am an officer for). We got delayed both to and from Denver. My luck with flights as of late has been terrible - every single one delayed. Maybe it is a sign. For the most part life just keeps being busy. Between classes, working two jobs, volunteering in the tax lab, and a couple church callings I manage to stay busy. I enjoy being productive and busy though so this may not be too bad.:) My roommate and I are planning a graduation trip to Moab (since I have never been there - terrible I know for living in Utah my whole life). We are taking it the weekend right before finals - see previous comment about senioritis. Below are some pictures of the adventures thus far. My roommate and I try new recipes once a month so these are some of those and other treats. 

Twisted white and wheat bread (Recipe courtesy of Tami Van Dusen)

Homemade Pasta

Salted Caramel Cheesecake bars a.k.a heaven

Homemade potstickers, spring rolls, and coconut rice

Pumpkin roll

Red Velvet Cake - for Valentines Day

Ran into these lovely ladies at the Gonzaga game. 

Kacy (one of the roommates) and I at the Gonzaga game.

Krista and I went out to Utah Lake a couple weeks ago when the weather was too nice to do anything else. She is my cooking, exercise, and Moab buddy.

Utah Lake

View of the mountains from the west side of Utah Lake.

So ready for summer and more fun adventures!

Cooking Palooza

So over the break and of late I have been wanting to cook anything and everything. Sometimes (most times) this thwarts my healthy eating/weight loss plans, but now that school is in full swing my cooking has decreased so we should be okay. Anyways here are some pictures of what's been cooking over the last semester.

Bruschetta Chicken

Chex Mix

Layered chocolate cake

Fry Cakes (Grandma's recipe)

Gnocchi (a potato pasta)

Lemon Meringue Pie

Homemade Soft Pretzels

Homemade pumpkin pie from real pumpkin

Pumpkin chocolate chip cookies

Mango Salsa

Massaman Curry

Greek gyros (not my picture, but I forgot to take one)

I'm loving trying new recipes and sharing good food with my great roommates. Bon Appetite!