Just so everyone knows (and is jealous)
I will be out of town for the next week... as I am going to Disneyland and San Diego!





See you in a week!

Male Bonding.

On my way to Salt Lake, I made sure to stop by the bakery to celebrate Nie's birthday.



I bought the cupcake named after her, and wow the vanilla... the frosting... the cake... the cherry on top! (I didn't think to take a picture til after I had bitten into it, so the picture was creatively done... haha)

Thank you for making this possible!

I plan on attending this, pictures to follow!

For Ellen




I went to the Zoo today, more pictures to come of my vacation/family reunion, but I thought I would post a lil sumthin sumthin for Ellen, as giraffes are her favorite!

I am feeling very much that my degree is worthless and that life as a college graduate is no fun.

Anyone got ideas on what I should do? haha

I went to a temp agency... but I don't think I will be getting any work through them that is even remotely related to my degree in psychology... (aside from the fact that no matter where I end up working, it'll be with crazy people.)

Oy.

On a different note, the boyf is good and I am thinking about chopping all my hair off like Mandy Moore circa 2002. (http://www.imdb.com/media/rm3613432576/nm0601553)

Agree, disagree?

Sorry everyone for not dishin out earlier! I've been busy... and who can be upset with me for that? haha

First off: EFY did not hire me.

Lame.

Second: I have a boyfriend.

Story: When I was 16 I was on a ballroom dance team and this amazing man wanted to dance with my occasionally. His name was Ryan. He was 19 or so and preparing for his mission. We were dance partners for a few things but mostly we just really enjoyed dancing with one another and I recall one time we were doing a Viennese Waltz and I felt like we were dancing in the clouds.

Yada yada... I write to him on his mission a few times and then we get out of touch.

Fast forward to 2007, where I am at a temp job and randomly I'm working with his mom. She's such a sweetheart and its awesome.

Rewind: I was obsessed with Ryan when I was 16. haha I was reading some of my journal from back then and every time I had dance if I didn't dance with him I would write about it and say how upsetting it was!
I wrote once, when his dad drove us to a dance performance and he said I was welcome to the family and then I went to his house and his dog that hates everyone... she well loved me. So I took that as a sign that we were meant to be! ...the really sad part of the story is the time frame.... that I had a boyfriend!! But in my journal I am all like, I don't care I like em both! hahaha

Anywho, fast forward.

...he came up on facebook friend finder, so I added him. Then he was online and we were like, whoa it has been forever! Then I got invited by a friend to go to the drive in, so as I am considering going Ryan says, we should do something sometime so I extend the invite to him and he comes and picks me up but then we decide to go to dinner instead and blah blah blah...

three dates later and we were dating. :)

The girl leaned towards him and whispered, I have a secret. I kinda like you.

He replied, I like you too, but don't tell!

They hug and kiss goodnight, again.

Her arms around his neck, his hands on her waist she says, jokingly, No you hang up! And together they say in a girlie voice, no YOU hang up! They laugh because that wasn't planned and it tickled each of them! Then they hold each other tighter.

He kisses her and walks away.

She turns, grabs the door knob and enters the house, she turns to shut the door when she hears him running back to the doorstep and he grabs her and embraces her again! She exclaims, Gee I like you!! And in her head she is thinking about how many times she wished that same thing would happen and never did, not until him. Finally, another kiss and he walks away, though slower than molasses in the dead on January, she finds the willpower to step through the doorway again and close and lock the door. Once she does she runs into her room and writes him an email for him to find later... and she lies on her bed waiting for him to text her when he gets home.

An ever present smile, she goes to bed feeling his lips on her cheek.

An escalator in the Metro of Moscow, under Red Square. It was an awesome experience! And this escalator was so fun to ride, it went on FOREVER! I couldn't look back though and see how high I had gone... it scared me... haha



The water in Saint Petersburg...

EEK! We were not allowed to drink the water... but I had to shower in it because we had a performance. Sick!




Me outside of Catherine's Summer Palace



Anastasia!!





The Romanovs


There was a wall of Photos in Catherine's Summer Home, oddly enough...



They had a picture of me on there?! Whoa!

A typical meal in Russia...



Actually the food was amazing! Always a three course meal, starting with a salad, a soup, and then meat and potatoes. It was really good, I never went hungry!

On this bridge were trees. Lock Trees.







In Moscow, or particularly this part of the city, when you get married you put a lock on the tree to show that you made the commitment. I thought it was really awesome! Some people were funny and put a ball and chain or a pair of handcuffs, others used bike locks and huge locks, but mostly people just put normal locks. Either way, I love it and wish we did something similar! Think about it, at BYU or BYU-I(do). Maybe in front of the Taylor? haha... I think it would be awesome!

This is the eternal flame and in the background you can see Mother Russia. This is in Volgograd, and its amazing! There is an article out, apparently, saying that Mother Russia is about to tip over. We didn't know this when we were there, she weighs about 8,000 tons, and her sword is about as tall as a 7 story building (or is it 12?). It's a memorial to the fallen soldiers of Stalingrad.

In Moscow we were able to go to a replica town, where there were clothing and things for us to take pictures with!



If I were Russian Royalty




Peasant Jenni

Me in front of the Moscow airport, MOCKBA!



Saint Basil's Cathedral on Red Square in Moscow!

Me with our Tour Poster in out Hotel in Volgograd!



Me with a Big Mac in front of McDonalds! They pronounced it Mac Doonals.



A toilet in Kazan. I LOVED the city... hated their toilets. Our hotels were normal, but every restaurant and the opera house where we preformed at had these delights, which I refer to as "Squatty Potties"

From Russia, With Love







More to come?

I am now a recently graduated student from Brigham Young University Idaho, and scared to death! What to do?

Flee the country!

Hopefully I will have a chance to post some pictures while I am in Russia, if not... you'll hear back from me at the end of April, beginning of May!!

Much Love-
Jenni

I graduate in under two weeks. By this time in two weeks I will still be on a plane to Russia.

RUSSIA!

Anywho, my mom has supported me through all of my schooling, and especially college. She has also been very generous to get me a graduation present, as well as a going to Russia present, Easter present, and I am certain it also counts for my birthday present.

Meet Nicholas...




Nicholas, (well I haven't decided if thats his name... my first thought was an attractive literary man... and I thought of Nicholas Sparks. Anyone willing to deny that? That's what I thought.) Anyway, Nicholas is amazing. He is an electronic book called the Kindle 2! I can download books onto it, their cheaper and conserve space, and its connected to the internet, it has electronic ink technology so it shouldn't hurt my eyes like reading on the computer can. It can read to me... its awesome!
My only complaints thus far, after playing with it for half an hour, is that its weird to type on... but I am sure I'll get use to it. I wish it were a touch screen... but my biggest problem is that it's too easy to accidentally buy a book! But, they put the money back on your card when you say nope, It was an accident. so, cool! I am off now to buy more books and read!!!

Please leave a suggestion of books for me to look into! So far I got Pride and Prejudice, which I have never read nor watched... for FREE! woo!

I recently downloaded Picasa, a photo editing thing by google, and I have been loving it!
I editing a ton of my dance pictures from Extravadance last week... and this week I got really bored, and lonely and sad to be honest... so I said, time to go for a drive. And I had watched YES MAN for the third time the night before, and thought, instead of running and taking photos, I will drive and take pictures! So I headed out of town, to the countryside. It was very pleasant, and I took a ton of pictures. It was so relaxing! So, then I came home and edited all of the pictures adding soft glow, or focal black and white, and things like that... so, enjoy!

Some of the things I want...

I've been thinking lately about how I can throw a humorous twist of my failed dating attempts, and also about what I have learned from those "relationships." (fail-ationships? haha...)

Anywho, someone very wise and kind sent me a small checklist sort of advice for dating, and I really appreciated it and decided I ought to sit down and write out somethings I honestly do want in a husband, and things that are not acceptable.

So far I only have a few things, but here goes...

I really do want a man who can lead me on the dance floor. This does not mean he has to have been dancing ballroom for ten years like I have, but that he gives an honest effort and that I do not have to teach him how to lead me. (I will write a story soon about what brought this about...) Also, I want a man who will dance with me in the kitchen, in the middle of cooking dinner. which brings me to another point...

I would love for a man who enjoys cooking. He doesn't have to do all of it! I want to cook as well! But for us to work side by side, with music playing softly in the back ground (also, he needs to enjoy music. I LOVE music, I love to find music to express feelings through words that I can not find to express. I live for music, maybe its the dancer in me, but really I think it is the hopeless romantic, and slightly socially awkward person in me that needs music to express what I am feeling. So, he needs to like music, and maybe not be as in love with my music as I am, but be able to tolerate...nah, enjoy it with me.)

So, he needs to enjoy cooking with me, but that also melts into another thing, that he isn't too picky with his food preferences, and is willing to try new foods and be adventurous that way. I mean if he is allergic to food... I can't really change that... but I might prefer someone who has no allergies to foods so that we can explore and try new things all the time without worry.

Lastly, for today at least, I would like a man who will zip up the back of my dress for me, and (who can teach me so I can) tie his tie for him...

sidenote--I have had this ...quality? for quite some time... he needs to have hands bigger than mine.