Choose your own Adventure

I have had a browser open with my blog for the last....4 months I think. It's been so long that blogger itself has changed formats and I'm not even sure how to create a post. (Crossing my fingers this doesn't get lost in cyberspace). For some reason I think if I leave a tab open for long enough, that something will get done.

This tab, of course, is supposed to be a reminder that I need to write in my journal and update my blog. I've made some progress on the journal. But there are still significant adventures and tales to tell.

I've been thinking of changing the title of my blog to something like, "the amazing and barely believable adventures of Nicole Kay" or "never a dull moment" or something along these lines. I've slowly been coming to the realization that my life is a little more....adventurous (read: brake-neck pace) than most? I don't know, you tell me what the words are. I'm still not quite sure what to label it. But one thing I know...I feel like I've just barely finished one epic adventure or experience and another one starts. And that seems to be...par for the course most of the time.

It's gonna be awhile before I get around to writing about them all (which is really too bad because when you break your tailbone skydiving, the world should know!). But here at least is a list of the adventures. I've decided to let you tell me what you want to hear the most about, since you're the one that has to read it. I'll give you a brief description, along with some tantalizing questions about my life that I'm sure keep you awake at night, and you can vote at the end in the comments section. (If I was really a whiz, I would set up a pole so you wouldn't have to worry about leaving a comment. (anyone know how to do that?) But I'm not a whiz. So you'll have to leave a comment for now.)

1. Graduation- Is this really the last time you're going to graduate from BYU? I graduated from BYU, (for realz this time) in April, with two masters degrees- one in Public Administration and Non-Profit Management, and one in Marriage and Family Research. The whole fam-damily came out and it was great.

2. Job- Weren't you unemployed for a long time and turned into a dragon? Why did you decide to stay in Provo and start doing something entirely unrelated to everything you've worked toward? And can I really survive on only 10 days of PTO per year? The day of graduation, and not a moment sooner, I was offered a job by Qualtrics, saving my sanity and my dignity. Thank goodness for jobs.

3. Caribbean Cruise- A cruise? With who? Where to? Should you touch sharp pointy fish in the water?? The day after graduation, I flew to Puerto Rico for a week long cruise in the US Virgin Islands. It was epic. I really need to write about this soon because I'm forgetting all the wonderful details. Good thing I have about 100000 pictures to remind me. I also got stung by a Lionfish and my finger swoll to the size of a hotdog.

4. Yellowstone- How close can you get to a buffalo before he charges you? How many hairy hostile creatures does Nicole have to touch before she learns her lesson? Carrie, Erica, Amanda and I went and stayed with Carrie at her house and went on a road trip to Yellowstone. Close encounters of the wildlife kind. We also stopped at the West Yellowstone Playhouse and Watched "The Drowsy Chaperone".

5. Spiritual realizations- what's the difference between judging others vs. setting standards in dating? What is true freedom in the gospel? Am I truly letting the gospel go deep down in my hear? Or just trimming the hedges and making the outside look pretty?

6. Rodeos- How redneck can you really be? Strawberry Days, Ogden, Preston, Spanish Fork. As many as I can possibly fit in. Why am I so obsessed with cowboys and all things country?

7. Singing with the Beach Boys at Stadium of Fire for the 4th of July. How did you pull this off? Are you a professional singer?

8. Family Time in DC- What are you made of money? Why did you fly out to DC? Is Penelope Ruth really the cutest girl in history who also happens to love furry animals and shiny things like her aunt? - Marshall Logan Kay's memorial service and falling even more inlove with Penelope Ruth.

9. Students for the Family- Aren't you done with conference planning yet? Is that project still running? I'm moving forward conference planning for March 2013 and it's exciting.

10. Skydiving- Why would you do this? (I'm not sure either.) I went. I jumped. I broke my tailbone. Done with this sport.

11. Dating- the adventures of dating a Cowboy and a Mountain Man. Who exactly are these mystery men?

12. Logan- How far can you paddle a deflating inflatable kayak across an open lake before realizing it's deflating and still make it back to shore? Kayaking at Bear Lake and spending quality time with Kim Taylor.

13. Alaska- Were there bear sitings? Moose? Whales? Sasquatches? Closure with ex-boyfriends?  week long trip to see old friends and amazing sites.

14. Meeting Jef Holm from the Bachelorette. Really? The guy from TV?

15. Being called and selected for Jury Duty on a high-profile murder case. Seriously? A murder trial? How does that even happen?

16. Moving- didn't you say you hated moving and you never wanted to do it again?

Yup. So that's about it

Actually, looking at the list, I can tell you right now that I'm definitely not going to get to blog/post pictures/tell adventurous stories about all of these. I already know that you are all waiting with bated breath for all of them. But take some time. Ponder. Pray. And decide which is most important to you.

For most adventurous: I would vote for the cruise or Alaska. Or the 4th of July.

For best stories: the cruise, the Bachelorette, Skydiving, or the Jury Trial

In case you're wondering about the things that stress me out/cause the most grief in my life: dating. moving. my family members being sad. some family members being difficult to predict. having  broken tail bone. being responsible to decide on someone's fate in a trial. I probably need to write about some of those anyway, to help me process.

So there you go. What (if anything) are you the most curious about/want to see pictures of/want to hear about?