My Birthday Review…

Mike started my birthday celebration a week before my birthday started. Saturday, the 13^th of August, he surprised me and we went golfing. We went to the Lakeside Golf Course because they let you golf for free on your birthday. It was Mike’s first time going to golf the full 9 holes in probably 15 years. We had fun finding a lot of balls on the course. We searched for stray balls whenever we had the chance. We started with 6 balls and ended up leaving with close to 16 or 17 balls. Now that’s golfing! Mike did very well he got par three times. I got one par and one birdie (one below par) on a 5 par hole. I think it was my first birdie! Yes, I did win if you were wondering. No, he didn’t give it to me because it was my birthday either. It was a lot of fun. After we stopped by my Grandpa and Grandma Swenson’s house and had a nice cold Pepsi. They always have funny stories whether it is about Tammy puttering around, the old folks, or other random stories. The fun continued with a pool party later that night. Danny, Haley, Jon, Alair, Morgan, Joe, Dave’s family, and Mama Deb and Papa Hill all came by. We had a pizza party and went crazy!

The following Tuesday, the 16^th, I met Mike in Park City for a birthday dinner. I was able to see his office, meet some of his coworkers, and then he drove me to the surprise destination of Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse! It is a really nice restaurant with lots of good and really expensive food.Mike and I decided that we are not the high roller type. The food is great but we enjoy other restaurants just as much and they aren't nearly as pricey. Plus, we noticed because we didn't order wine our waiter was not as friendly to us as the table next to us, who ordered wine. He was showing them pictures of his dog and joking around with them, pretty weird. After dinner we walked around the Park City Lodge. We saw a chess set and I challenged Mike to a game of chess. I skunked him and won the prize of 4 Andes Mints! It was great to finally beat him at a smart person game. He is always winning me in Scrabble and Strategic games. So it was a nice change. The night only got better. We went to the outlets and only had a short time before closing so we were running to the different stores, laughing the whole time. We were like little kids again. Mike kept saying, “You want this? You wanna buy this? Well what do you want? You have to get something!” It was really cute. In the end we ended up with a black shade shirt. It was a great birthday dinner.

Thursday night we took off to St. George. On Friday, I stopped by my dad’s office to meet his coworkers. Emily was dying to meet me, but hardly said two words to me, pretty funny. After the real fun started though we tried out a place called Anti Gravity, my dad had set it up and was really looking forward to it. There are huge tramps everywhere. We played dodge ball, ran through the obstacle course, jumped around, and watched dad wrestle with a little kid who was about eight. He just kind of attacked my dad. It was hilarious and we all got a good laugh. Later the same weird kid came up and tried to challenge him again. It was really, really funny. After Anti Gravity we headed off to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. It was really pretty not to mention HUGE. Saturday morning came quickly as we rose to see the sunrise. It was really pretty over the canyon. Then we got ready for the big MULE ADVENTURE. It was the highlight of the trip.

We learned a lot about Mules:

1. They are very gaseous. They were ripping them up and down the mountain, especially Mom’s mule.
2. They have more endurance, live longer, are stronger, smarter, and more sure footed than horses. Although, not as quick.
3. All males are infertile and only about 30% of females can produce.
4. They are NOT half donkey/half horse because they have 63 chromosomes. Therefore, you can tell whether it’s more donkey or horse by looking at it.
5. They go to the bathroom a lot.

We had a really great time. We got to go about two miles down into the canyon. That night we ate at the lodge restaurant. It was good but definitely overpriced and they didn’t’ even give us the sunset view window. Not that we always expect the best seat in the house, but it only seems right if you reserved it four months in advance. What total weirdos! Sunday was my birthday, we partied and so many people wished me well as I grew one year older. Another great birthday!

Salt Lake City gave me a present a week later. Throughout August, I had been applying to pretty much anywhere just trying to get something going. I was getting desperate to do anything; I even went to several interviews to sell Aerus vacuum cleaners. I met with a recruiter at the Recruiting Connection. However, they all weren’t completely random. I had phone interviews and face-to-face interviews with United Health Group which I thought sounded like a good company. I also went for a Tennis and Tutoring job which I thought I was highly qualified for but they decided to go another route. My lack of experience was really biting me in the butt. Stevens-Henager College was finally willing to take a chance on me. I was going to start on August 29^th and I was going to be one of their newest “Admissions Consultants.” I was finally going to be able to get some work experience to add to my resume. It was a start. So thank you Steven’s Henager College for the belated birthday gift.