Journal Recap for August 2023:

Fun little tidbit… there is way more to each day that I don’t share on here.

August 1: I went into the office. I went to Target after work and then home. I packed for New York City. I had dinner and watched My Unorthodox Life and Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. August 2: I got ready and went into the office. I listened to Taylor Swift throughout the day. There was a rainstorm in the middle of the day. I went to Smith’s, home, finished packing, and watched Seinfeld. Shinah picked me up. Our flight took off around 10:30. August 3: I felt like I got decent sleep. We landed at 4:30 a.m., got our rental car, and drove up to Connecticut. We went into West Haven and then the Oak Street Beach area. We saw the Long Island Sound. We had breakfast at Georgie’s Diner. We drove to Yale, walked in the bookstore, and around the campus. We walked through an art gallery as well. We drove on the north side of Manhattan, under the Lincoln tunnel, down through Hoboken, Jersey City, and made our way back toward the airport via crossing through Manhattan and the Brooklyn Bridge. We dropped the car off and made our way to the Airbnb. We went to a store, ordered food, watched Catfish, pieced together the new music playlist, and went to bed. August 4: I woke up around 10 and chilled in bed unitl 12. Shinah and I went to Wyckoff Star Coffee Shop. We then walked around looking at the Buschwick Art Collective. We made our way to Coney Island. We ate at Taco Bell. I also got a hotdog at Nathan’s. We walked up the pier and through Luna park. We rode one of the scary house rides. We walked to the Coney Island Lighthouse which had us walk through a private community in Seagate. We went to our Airbnb. We finished the Catfish episode and then watched Broad City. August 5: We walked to a coffee shop. We then got on the wrong subway and found ourself on the Long Island Rail. We had to pay for a ticket onboard. We found the stop we needed and got a LL Cool J metrocard. We made our way to the Marquis Theatre. We saw Once Upon a One More Time. It was such a fun show with music from Britney Spears’ catalog. We went to a restaurant called Mom’s. We walked over toward the Hudson and walked back down up to the August Wilson theatre. Shinah headed back to our Airbnb. I watched Funny Girl with Lea Michele. I sat next to a woman named Marilyn, she’s in her 70s, and lives on the Upper West Side. I then slowly made my way back to Shinah after having to walk down a couple of blocks. August 6: We went to Abracadabra and got coffee and breakfast. Shinah and I then made our way up to 110th street at the top of Central Park. We walked over to the Seinfeld restaurant and around Columbia University. We walked throughout Central Park. We then went into ChinaTown and ate at a restaurant called Xi’an Famous Foods. We found ourselves in Little Italy as well. We went into a Christmas store. I got a couple cannoli’s. We went to Battery Park and chilled on the bench with the sunset and the Statue of Liberty off in the distance. We went to a bar called Party One. We picked up pizza, went to our Airbnb, and watched Do Revenge. August 7: We stopped for a quick coffee and then took the Staten Island ferry. I got pretzel bites. We got pretty close to the Statue of Liberty. We went to Hypnotronic Comics. I got a Ghostface figurine and a Riverdale and Spider-Man comic book. We walked down to the 9/11 Staten Island memorial. We then saw that our flight was canceled. Mine was rescheduled to tomorrow night and Shinah had to message in to get booked on that flight as well. We went back into Brooklyn and ate at Fat Boys. Shinah found us an Airbnb. We chilled in our rooms. We went to a few stores. Rainy weather. We went back, ordered food, and watched Fear Street 1984. We put on face masks and then headed to bed. August 8: We left our Airbnb, and walked over to La Colombe for coffee. We went into the Greenwich Village area. Tasha got into New York today for her vacation. We met her, Victor, and Emily at Delice & Sarrasin. Victor left and we went to 3 Sheets Saloon. We played beer pong. Emily left. Shinah, Tasha, and I chilled upstairs. We then went to her stop and made our way to the airport. My friend Stacie saw me in the security line. She is on our flight home. We chatted and laughed at our gate. Our flight was slightly delayed. We landed around 1 a.m. Shinah drove me home. August 9: I got ready, started laundry, and started working in my room. I took a nap at lunch. Sluggish day. Listened to podcasts. I went to the store, cleaned, packed for Portland, and watched Seinfeld. August 10: I met Briant and Shae at the Vivint office in Lehi at 8:20. Shae ordered a car for us. We met Jonathan at the gate and flew to Portland. We picked up our car rental. We went to our hotel. We ate at Portland City Grill. It had a great view of the city. We drove to Canon Beach. We walked the beach and saw Haystack Rock. We got ice cream at Suzy’s. We took some detours on the way home and ended up seeing a bunch of deer and elk. Headed back to the hotel. August 11: Briant and I headed down to the lobby and met Shae. We went up to the conference and had breakfast. Stayed in that room for the keynote speaker, had another speaker, and then met up for lunch. Another couple speakers and Rand Fishkin was the closing keynote. We went to the after party. They gave us drink tickets. We played corn hole. We then walked over to Powell’s Books. I got a book and some Ghostface socks. We went to a restaurant called gado-gado. The food there, per their listing says: pan-Asian & Dutch-Indonesian offerings. We got several items and shared. We played Egyptian Rat Screw with the Harry Potter cards Jonathan bought. Some people from the conference came and chatted. We headed back to the hotel. August 12: I put on the new music playlist, got ready, and met everyone down in the lobby. We went to Blue Star Donuts. I didn’t get anything because I was still full from dinner. We dropped the truck off and went to our gate. Shae and I went to Starbuck’s. I had Miss Congeniality on. Quick flight. Jonathan took Shae home and then took Briant and I to our cars. I took a long nap. I showered, packed for Zion, watched Olivia Rodrigo’s new music video, and started Red, White & Royal Blue. August 13: I picked up Shinah at 7:20, then Tasha, and then we got Starbucks. We stopped in Beaver and then drove to Zion. We hiked to Scout Lookout. We went to the visitor’s center and over to Zion White Bison Glamping where we stayed in #37, Annie Oakley, a covered wagon. We played corn hole, started making dinner, I ran to the grocery store, we ate, and set up our chairs to watch the stars. It was the Perseid meteor shower. We saw several meteors. We cleaned up and then Tasha and I got in the hot tub. August 14: I got up around 9:30 and freshened up. We packed up the car and did some cleaning outside. We drove through Zion and the tunnels. We went into Brice Canyon as well. We hiked up to Sunrise Point and part of Queen’s Garden Trail. It started to rain and it was breathtaking. I then put Spanish Fork into the GPS and we headed home. It took us on a side freeway off I-15 that was pretty cool. We went through Antimony, Koosharem, Sigurd, and stopped in Scipio. We got into Spanish Fork around 8. I dropped Tasha off at her grandma’s and then dropped Shinah off. I went to Del Taco, home, started laundry, ate, and listened to podcasts. August 15: Tired today. I went into the office. We packed meals with Vivint Gives Back. I washed my water bottles, listened to podcasts, did laundry, cleaned my room, got caught up on my journal, and finished Red, White & Royal Blue. August 16: I went to the clinic and then over to work at Amanda and Bre’s. I watched The Bachelorette. Bre got home. Chatted for a bit and then headed home. I watched Usher’s new music video starring Keke Palmer and then Seinfeld. August 17: I went into the office. Quick lunch and then we had a Marketing All Hands. Sarah, Briant, and I watched Olivia Rodrigo’s new music video. I went to Smith’s, then home, made dinner, watched Big Brother, and pieced together the new music Friday playlist. August 18: I started working in my room. I went to Beespoke during lunch and got a card and then a Starbuck’s gift card for Cat’s birthday. I showered again and got ready after work. I met Cat and Camden at their hotel in Salt Lake. She had her birthday dinner at Mar Muntanya. I sat next to Mac. Loved her birthday cake. August 19: Up around 8, had breakfast, watched Seinfeld, and then started cleaning. I cleaned my bathroom, room, kitchen, and living room. I had lunch and chilled in my room working on journal stuff. I picked up Amanda and Bre at 4:30. We ate at Ice Haus and then went to the Delta Center. Met up with my friend Raquel. We had General Admission tickets. Loved Jessie Reyez who was the opener for Sam Smith. The concert was so fun! August 20: I slept in until around 11. I got ready, went to Walmart, and then over to Amanda and Bre’s. The crew came over for a pool/BBQ day. I had dinner and watched Seinfeld when I got home. August 21: I went into the office. I left at 3:45, picked up Dustin, and we went to the Sandy Amphitheater for the Rebelution Good Vibes Summer Tour. We got some food, had lawn seats, and chilled. I took Dustin home and headed home myself. August 22: I got ready and headed into the office. I worked on some initiatives. I had a meeting and then our daily stand up. Another meeting, lunch, another meeting, anotha one, and small work to end the day. It was the first night Kylie and I could hang out together in a while. I had dinner at the counter and we chatted about our lives the past few weeks. We then watched The Pope’s Exorcist. August 23: Put on my Dolly Parton shirt and brought my Dolly Parton mug to work at The Coffee Shop. I watched The Bachelorette. I had lunch with Jacob and Brittany at Wok the Line. I submitted a claim and scheduled my windshield replacement appointment. I went to Walmart. I worked on my journal, watched Big Brother, chatted with Kylie, and went to bed. August 24: I got a Pumpkin Cream Cold Brew from Starbuck’s. I went into the office. Brittany, Sarah, and I went to the mall, Costco, and then back into the office. We got food and ate at our desks. I had Panda Express for dinner and watched Seinfeld. August 25: I put on the new music Friday playlist. I went to Ross, Walmart, and Macey’s during lunch. Productive work afternoon. Kylie and I went to the gas station. We watched Big Brother. Cat and Cam came down. We put on music, chatted, Cat made us each an aperol spritz. We had bruschetta and made pizza. We watched some of Miley Cyrus’ special. Kylie played her guitar. They left. Kylie and I finished Miley Cyrus: Endless Summer Vacation Continued (Backyard Sessions). I cleaned up the kitchen and headed to bed. August 26: I woke up, did some more cleaning in the kitchen, fell back asleep, and then got ready. Andrea picked me up. We went to Beans and Brews and then hit the road. We stopped at The Creamery in Beaver. We had lunch there and then continued on. Stopped in St. George and then I got in the driver’s seat. We went to Mojave Edge Hotel. We chilled in the room and watched TikTok’s. We made our way over to the Virgin River to play bingo. We brought food back to our room, put on some shows, and played Mancala. August 27: We went down to breakfast, back up, slept, and then got up around noon to get ready. We went to the gas station and then down to Las Vegas. We ate dinner at Sushi Neko. We parked right across from the Allegiant Stadium. The show started shortly after 9 and there were no openers. 7 sections. 34 songs. It was such an incredible show. Loved her vocals and outfits, the dancers, band, background singers, and the stage. We picked up food, drove back to our hotel, ate, and watched Naked and Afraid. August 28: I got up around 8, showered, packed, listened to podcasts, and got caught up on my journal. Andrea got up. We hit the road and stopped at Dutch Bros. We then stopped at Morty’s Cafe in St. George. We got gas in Beaver and Andrea got in the driver’s seat. I took a nap. Bathroom break in Santaquin. Andrea dropped me off. I unpacked, did laundry, went to the store, updated the calendar on the fridge, ate, and watched Seinfeld. August 29: I went into the office. We had lunch at Tepanyaki in Lehi to celebrate Brittany’s 12 year work anniversary. I went to the bank after work and then T-Mobile to order a new screen protector. I met Sarah M., Sarah H., and Sebastian at Arempa’s. Sarah’s sister met us at the Orem Cinemark. We watched Coraline. August 30: I went into the office today. I had a productive day getting some blog articles published. I went to VW during lunch to register my car. Dustin put the sticker on for me. I had dinner and got caught up on Claim to Fame. August 31: I went into the office. Brittany, Kenzie, Sarah, and I went to a fruit stand across the street from Harmon’s. We then went into Harmon’s. Good work day. I went to Old Navy and then Ross after work. I got red shorts and ordered the other items on Amazon to dress like Nick Jonas in the Disney Channel Games for the concert. I then went to Walmart and got gas. Kylie and I chilled on the couch, chatted, and watched Big Brother. I had dinner, got fully caught up, and made the new music playlist.

TV Shows:

Big Brother, Broad City, Catfish, Claim to Fame, Miley Cyrus: Endless Summer Vacation Continued (Backyard Sessions), My Unorthodox Life, Naked and Afraid, Seinfeld, The Bachelorette

Movies:

• Do Revenge
• Coraline
• Fear Street 1984
• Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone
• Red, White & Royal Blue
• The Pope’s Exorcist

Concerts:

• 198. GLORIA the tour with Sam Smith and opening act Jessie Reyes
• 199. Rebelution: Good Vibes Summer Tour 2023 with Iration, The Expendables, Passafire, DJ Mackle, and Rebelution
• 200. The Renaissance World Tour with Beyoncé

Gratitude:

getting everything packed for another trip to NYC, Taylor Swift’s music, rainstorms, sushi, Seinfeld, good sleep on the redeye, exploring Connecticut with Shinah, getting to our Airbnb at the end of the day, sleeping in, seeing street art, making it out to Coney Island, fun detour in Long Island, seeing a show with Shinah, seeing Lea Michele sing Don’t Rain On My Parade, seeing the Seinfeld restaurant, walking through Central Park, exploring ChinaTown and Little Italy, sunset at Battery Park with the Statue of Liberty, pizza, going over to Staten Island, JetBlue rescheduling my flight, Shinah getting on the same one, Shinah finding an Airbnb for the night, going to lunch with Tasha, Victor, and Emily, seeing and chatting with Stacie, finally getting on a flight home, a nap, business trips, beautiful city, good dinners, going to Canon Beach, good conference day, amazing dinner, quick flight home, a nap, safe drive, pushing myself to complete a hike, glamping, seeing a meteor shower, driving through Zion, seeing Brice Canyon, getting home safe, packing meals with Vivint Gives Back, working from Amanda’s, night in watching Seinfeld, fun music videos, starting the new season of Big Brother, work from home day, celebrating Cat at her birthday dinner, productive cleaning day, seeing Sam Smith with Amanda, Bre, and Raquel, sleeping in, pool day with family, productive work day, going to a concert with Dustin, good meeting day, chatting with Kylie, scary movies, Dolly merch, lunch with Jacob and Brittany, getting some stuff knocked off my to-do list, fall season upon us, Seinfeld nights, good dinner and chat session with Cat, Cam, and Kylie, road trip with Andrea, playing Bingo, Mancala, and laughing with Andrea, breakfast, naps, good sushi, close parking, an incredible 200th concert with my BFF, Dutch Bros, getting home safe, feeling productive when I got home, Brittany’s work anniversary birthday lunch, seeing Coraline in the theater with friends, very productive in office alone day, Dustin always helping with my car stuff, lunch runs with Brittany, Kenzie, and Sarah, getting stuff for my concert outfit, getting caught up on Big Brother, and chatting with Kylie