Auntie Nephew Sleepover

I love getting in my nephew auntie time just as much as they love getting in their auntie nephew time. We spent the night with yummy food and watching Maleficent.

Aren't they the cutest? Or maybe I am just biased...

Zion!

I love having friends that will go on road trips with me and that will join me in hiking adventures. Rylee and I set out for St. George to sleep at the grandparents and spend the day hiking in Zion. My grandpa R.D. is all knowing and suggested that we hike Observation Point because the view was so breath taking, I can say that I completely agree with him.

BASTILLE MY SOUL!

Happy Halloween!

 Rylee and I attended our work party as the hilarious duo, SpongeBob and Patrick. Apparently, for work costume parties I go all out. With the help of my dad we constructed that amazing Patrick Star costume. We won't be going into the costume making business anytime soon, so sorry we won't be taking any orders.

 On the night of Halloween I will show up to your house decked out in this guy. Sometimes, I will come baring treats, other times I am the treat.

I'm a BIG Girl NOW!

"With greatness comes great responsibility." I am pretty great, so along with that comes the responsibility and adultness of getting my OWN car. I'm now the proud owner of a 2002 CNG Honda Civic. It's inhumane to have a car and not name it so from here on out he shall be known as Michael Blueberry, unintentionally sounds like Michael Buble. I didn't do that on purpose, it just happened.

I know what you're thinking, Kiley, your car isn't even blue. Why the Blueberry? Because I love Psych and since that show I have had the goal of naming my car the Blueberry, so I can say, "TO THE BLUEBERRY!" As I was car hunting I was a little set on getting a blue Prius. But that didn't work out and I had already named that car before I was even sure I was going to get it. At that moment I told myself no matter what color car you get, you will name it the Blueberry.

I'm not feelin' 22

Happy friggin' birthday to ME. To continue the birthday tradition I got together a group of the greatest friends a girl could ask for and we hiked Timp to celebrate 23. I couldn't think of a greater way to celebrate.

Sid and I made it to the Saddleback at 5:15 am (to be exact) and the sun wasn't going to rise for another hour and 45 minutes. It was 40 degrees so to keep warm I got to enjoy the best cuddle sesh with my "husband". Note to self: when hiking Timp to see the sunrise in September bring a blanket or just a warmer jacket. On the way down our group witnessed a FRICKIN BEAR POPPING OUT OF THE BUSHES. This was probably the most memorable birthday hike yet because of that bear!

Viva Las Vegas

Since Rachet and I were having withdrawals from each other we took a road trip to Vegas to see Ed Sheeran. He puts on a great show. I wish I could just become an Ed groupie and follow him around the globe. That would be a fantastic life.

Fear Conquerer!

I... Am a wimp and very scared of heights. Brother boss man wanted to have a company party and thought the best way to celebrate 1% Fitness is by jumping out of an airplane. I turned down the opportunity three times and I guess third time really is the charmer because that is when I finally succumbed to the pressure. Well and because I found out that Dennis and Darlene (the owners of the kitchen Rob is renting) were also skydiving with us and they are in their 60's. I can't have that. I need to be as brave as brave as Dennis and Dar. So I jumped. It wasn't bad and I would do it again.

That smile thousands of miles off the ground is actually genuine. Can you believe that??

I'M BAAAAAACK!

I'M BACK SKITCHES. I am now a resident of Orem, Utah and officially an employee of Downeast Outfitters Home store. My first day of work is tomorrow, wish me luck!

Toronto

Toronto is like the NYC of Canada but not nearly as fun. We toured around in the morning looking for antique shops but that was a let down. Vicki and Bob (our awesome tour guides) took us to the CN Tower which is like the equivalent of the Space Needle. That was pretty cool because of the glass floor, it probably the coolest thing they have in Toronto.

Niagara Falls

Coming back to all things The Office, I got to see where Jim and Pam were wedded! Niagara Falls is breath taking! The Canada side is bomb, it's a party, a Halloween one to be exact. The buildings are basically all Halloween related, I LOVE IT. There is a giant Ferris wheel that gives you an amazing view of the US and Canada side of Niagara Falls. When you look at the US side, it's just depressing. There is NOTHING fun! 

Canada side

 

 

US side  - look closely and you'll see no party

The Sacred Grove

After touring the Electric City my dad and I set off for Palmyra. In the morning we visited the temple then the Sacred Grove and then lastly the Hill Cumorah. I am so grateful for Joseph Smith and the courage he had. I am grateful that he prayed to God seeking for truth. What an amazing man he was. It is such an overwhelmingly wonderful experience to visit the Sacred Grove and to be able to witness the sights where our church was restored first hand. The temple is just so perfectly placed, God knows what he is doing. Not just when it comes to where temples need to be but just in general. I have never doubted that Joseph Smith was a man called of God, but seeing these sights in the flesh there is a spirit there that you cannot deny.

The Electric City

Instead of going home immediately, my dad flew out and picked me up in a rental car so we could road trip to Niagara Falls. But I would like to say that my last week on the East Coast was dedicated to all things The Office. On our way to Niagara we made a couple of stops and the first one was to Scranton, PA. Driving into Scranton they have the coolest mural just off the freeway welcoming you into the Electric City. I would have taken a picture of it but it was impossible to find the perfect place where you wouldn't get hit by a car. Our first stop in Scranton was the Steamtown Mall, which is where the "Welcome to Scranton" sign is located and they filmed a couple of The Office episodes at that mall. Guys, I died and went to The Office heaven.  In the episode called "Launch Party" Michael treats the office to pizza and instead of getting Alfredo's Pizza, he orders from Pizza by Alfredo. I won't give a play by play of the episode but basically Michael messes up and orders from the gross pizza place. Because I am obsessed with The Office, Alfredo's Pizza is where my dad and I got dinner. I can testify that they have the BEST pizza. I am salivating right now just thinking about it.

The train that Michael tried to run away on from his debt.

D-O-N-E, DONE.

After one year and four days of being a nanny, I am officially losing that title of "Kiley the Nanny" (aka house elf) and going back to just Kiley. This past year has been the toughest and the most exciting, and best year I have lived thus far. I can't wait to see what is in store for me when I move back home.

Lady Libs

 

 If you're ever contemplating paying to take the ferry to see the Statue of Liberty, DON'T. I mean if you have the option of touring the Statue of Liberty, do that I guess. But if you can't do the tour because it is sold out just take the FREE Staten Island Ferry. You get a great view and it's FREE.

And if you are ever wondering if you should go to the 9/11 Memorial, GO. You will cry and it's fine, even if you're an ugly crier. That is hands down the best museum I have ever been to. I spent a good two or three hours in this museum and could have easily spent a few more but my belly was longing for some Lombardi's pizza.

WICKED

Perks of being a nanny: free shiz. 

If you're a nanny make friends with other nannies. Not only does it save you from going insane, but if your friends nanny family likes you, you get cool things, such as free tickets to Wicked.

My days here in Philadelphia are numbered and I only have 13 days left. But who's counting? Rachet (one of my good nanny friends) only has like four more days left so we're trying to check some items off our bucketlists and seeing Wicked was in the top three. Rachet and I were planning on testing our luck with the whole lottery tickets thing but her nanny mom overheard our plan and graciously offered to buy us tickets. We didn't protest, so here's to the cheapest NYC trip we've ever had.

If you haven't seen Wicked, GO STAT. Such a great show and Justin Guarini isn't too bad to look at. Hello dream boat.

Top o' The Rock

Unfortunately, they don't give tours of NBC studios anymore BUT I did get to go to the Top of The Rock so I was satisfied. I've heard people say that the Empire State Building has the best view of this Concrete Jungle, but I beg to differ. I am probably biased since 30 Rock is probably my favorite building in all of NYC (minus the temple).

What a day!

Sidenote: This day was so great that it needed two separate blog posts. Forgive me. Actually, I'm not really even sorry, it's my blog.

As you already know I went and saw Jimmy Fallon. I know, shut up already. But before I actually got into the show I had quite the adventure. First off, I couldn't take my backpack into the studio because it stated so on my ticket but I forgot until I was at 30 Rock. I only brought a backpack because I was spending the night at my friend Liz's in Long Island after the show. I was frantic. I asked one employee in the NBC Experience store if he knew of any lockers where I could store my backpack for a while. His only suggestion was that I rent a hotel room for a few hours so I could keep it there... Funny thing is that he genuinely thought his suggestion was a great one. I on the other hand didn't like his suggestion so much. I asked an employee of 30 Rock and she said they didn't have lockers anymore because of 9/11. So the only place I could think of that would possibly let me keep my backpack there was the temple. Luckily, it was only a mile walk from where I was, so I headed there.

The front desk employee, Paz (I'm pretty sure that was his name) was quite the friendly, funny, older gentleman. I mean he was a temple worker so what else could I expect? I explained my situation to him and asked if I could keep my things in a storage closet for a few hours until the show was over. He joked that it would cost me $5 for 2 hours and it was a cash only kinda deal. I laughed and said, "Well shoot! I've got my dad's card... It's gold! So that's gotta be worth something, right?" He laughed and asked about my husband's credit card.

Me: Oh I'm not married!
Paz: Oh good. How old are you?
M: 22
P: Oh! Yes! You are way too young to be married. You must go out and live. Get married when you're 25 or something. Where are you from?
M: Utah.
P: Oh yeah, you people get married so young there. Don't rush into marriage, promise me you won't rush into it!
M: Don't worry, I won't. (Also there aren't even any prospects so I'm good!)

Then Paz proceeded to inform me that the reason why I wasn't married was because I was intimidating/scary to guys because I know what I want in life (which is what exactly?). Paz was talking so much I was actually getting worried that I was going to miss Jimmy Fallon! I didn't. And Paz finally gave me the key to the storage room. So I guess I'll take it that Paz was being God's messenger telling me that I need to calm down when it comes to marriage? Noted.

After Jimmy Fallon I met up with one of my best friends from Utah who was in NYC visiting her sister. It was awesome to catch up with her in NYC of all places. THEN THIS HAPPENED. JAMES FRANCO, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN.

I'll say it again, I LOVE NEW YORK CITY! It's a place where dreams come true. I have not had a bad experience there. 

JIIIIIIIIIIMMY FALLON!

GUYS, IT HAPPENED! I got tickets to see Jimmy Fallon in his element on The Tonight Show. It was fantastic! I only got a ticket for the monologue rehearsal, though. Because HOT DANG! Tickets for the actual show are hard to come by. Obviously. But you know what? I'll take what I can get and I have no complaints. At all.  

While waiting in line for the actual tickets to be handed out I got talkin' with the gal behind me (only cause I was being slightly creepy and eavesdropping on her conversation with her friend). Anyways, the gal, Kristen (I am pretty sure that was her name) was actually a member of the LDS faith and going on a mission in September to Italy. It was kinda cool, us Mo Mo's are everywhere in unexpected places. 

After getting our final tickets we were told to spread out, tour the 30 Rock, eat some grub, go pee, etc. until we were needed back at 3:10 for our final wait till the show started. When 3:10 rolled around I waited in line for about another 10-15 minutes and then one of the head writers came out and talked with us. IT WAS AWESOME. She was hilarious, duh. She also explained to us the importance of the monologue rehearsal and how it's unique to only Jimmy Fallon. The rehearsal audience basically chooses the jokes that Jimmy tells.She also informed us that Jimmy might ask us questions (but he didn't) and when we laugh we needed to do so obnoxiously loud so Jimmy could banter and add in his own commentary. 

Here are a couple of links of what I saw: this, this, aaaaaand this. Enjoy! 

DC Snitches!

I got to go to our Nation's Capital, Washington, DC! SO FREAKING BEAUTIFUL. I want to live there. But only for a little bit because I noticed a lot of preppy people. I don't really do well with preps. I am pretty sure I walked over 10 miles, I am beat.

That cloud is placed perfectly on top. 

They'll never know. (I'm a creep)

Home Sweet Home :)