I'm Learning

Okay, so this blogging skill is a work in progress for me. I still have definitely not mastered it, but with the help of the complaints of friends, I realized that I had to remove "word verification" or whatever it was so that you can all now feel free to make comments on my posts. Yay.

A First

Well this is going to be a 5-minute post because I have like no time for this kind of business today. But I did want to highlight a moment of real history making in my little life. Today. . . I went to J-Dawgs for the FIRST time, well for the first time that I actually ate anything there! Pretty amazing, huh? I have lived in Provo for basically all of my life, (5 years spent in distant Orem, Utah) and at the age of 23 just had my first J-Dawg. Yep.
As some of you may recall, ever since we talked hot dogs in Mr. Lockwood's 8th grade science class and even worse, when we talked about the book The Jungle in Mr. Smith's class in high school, I have never really been able to enjoy hot dogs or really even swallow them. But today, I got an invitation, and I figured that it was time to do the deed.
I ordered a beef "dawg" with "special sauce" and banana peppers and. . . I LIKED it! Seriously. I mean, I don't think I need to go there and get one every week, but I could go back and enjoy myself again. Amazing! I'm really growing up. Hot dogs this week, who knows what I will try next week!!!!

Happy 23!!!

So it's my birthday today! And I have the best family and friends in the entire world who have all taken such good care of me today with treats, meals, gifts, calls, messages and all other fun birthday wishing methods. Thanks! Thanks!
Anyway, right now I am sitting in my Humanities class, obviously paying full attention, and I started thinking about how many fun and great opportunities I have had so far in my life and that led me to think about a few other things I want to do before I don't know, I have my 80th birthday or whatever (sorry this is not going to be great writing tonight because I am trying to pay at least half attention to my class)
Anyway, I came up with a list, which I am sure I will soon add things to but for right now here are a few things I want to do in the days, months and if it has to be so. . . years to come:

• Be in New York for New Year’s Eve and see the ball drop
• Go to a poetry reading where snapping of fingers is happening
• Paint something that I am proud of
• Take an oil-painting class
• Visit 6 of the continents
• Attend an opera (I''m embarrassed that I've haven't done this yet)
• Attend an Olympic Opening Ceremony
• Save a life (in a way other than by donating blood)
• Go to hair school (Yes I want to be like Audrey and Andrea)
• Read Les Miserables (unabridged)
• Run a marathon (I think I will try the half first though this fall in Park City)
• Learn how to ski (It’s sad to have lived in Utah all of your life and only gone skiing once)
• Build a tree house
• Go sailing in a sail boat (is it considered "sailing" if it isn't in a sail boat?)
• Serve a medical mission
• Sleep in a snow cave
• Learn how to do Family History (I realize I should know this by now, but I don't)
• Visit all of the temples in Utah
• Live in Boston
• Eat at least 5 fruits and vegetables every day
• Rollerblade 26.2 miles (you up for it Kathleen?)
• Learn how to eat in public with chopsticks
• Visit Jerusalem

Well, that is probably it for the night. I'm sure I will have things to add, and hopefully soon, I will have things to move over to the "accomplished" column.

Me

A little about me:
So my name is Katie Grace. Katie Grace Thornton. I am from Utah. I have basically lived here all of my life and I love it! I recognize that Utah is a "bubble" but that is one of the reasons I love it.
In December, I returned home from serving an 18-month mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latterday Saints. I served in both Richmond, Virginia speaking Spanish and then after receiving my VISA in the Bilbao Spain Mission. The decision to serve a full-time mission for the Lord and for my church was definitely the best decision I ever made in my life. No regrets.
I am home now and trying to figure things out. Figuring out how to play the balance game again. The time spent serving a mission is unique in that you get to spend 100% of your time serving other people and doing spiritual things, but when you come home you just can't really do that, and I am trying to find the balance now.
I am still able to live the "mission-life" a little through all of the other members of my family. I have a dad, a mom and 2 younger brothers, all of whom are currently serving full-time missions for the Church. My dad and mom are working with college-age kids in Seattle, Washington. My brother, Sean is in Milan, Italy. C.J. (Clark) is in Tanzania right now, but is serving in the Nairobi, Kenya mission. Yep everybody's gone except for me. Missionary orphan. jk I actually think that it is pretty cool.
Anyway, that is probably enough about me. One random question/comment for the night though to close. I am just wondering if the question "What do you like to do?" has become more popular over the last 18 months while I was gone in Spain or if I am just more sensitive to it right now because I feel like I get asked this question multiple times DAILY. And I kind of dred it. I never know what to say. I think that it is partly due to the "re-adjusting" from coming back from the mission, or whatever, I don't know. Really though, I feel like I get asked this question all of the time, and that I NEVER know what to say. I usually end up saying something like, "I am still trying to figure that out again" or to avoid more awkward questions about why I don't know what I like to do, just telling them things that I used to enjoy doing. I don't know. I don't know if I am even making any sense, but it's just been on my mind a lot lately. Is it possible that I don't "do" anything? I feel like I run around all day trying to do "everything" but when this question comes, I find myself nearly speechless. Any suggestions?