I finally get to be normal again!

As of 7 AM this morning I am officially done with work, and more importantly night shifts!  Sigh of relief. As much as I love my co-workers, nightshifts really mess with ya.  It will be so nice to be on a normal schedule again.  The lovely girls I work with threw me a party! We had these AMAZING pumpkin waffles with buttermilk syrup.  They seriously are to DIE for, and I'm not exaggerating. If anyone is interested I can post the recipe!  It's so simple and tastes just like fall :) So yummy.   I love these ladies, who definitely became my work family. and wish I could have gotten a pic of everyone I work with!

Quality, not Quantity

          My best friend, Kayci, and I hardly ever see each other.  We were together for two years in high school, but we were both SUPER busy, and I actually don't remember hanging out that much outside of school.  But then I moved for her senior year, and then I came back, she moved etc. etc.  It's amazing though, that our relationship only gets better, and we can see each other and it's like we never left.  I love that about us. We truly just get each other.  So when we do see each other, it is packed with fun things, and we laugh so hard, and forget about the world for awhile.

          This month she is moving to LA!  I can't wait till I get back from my mission to just spend lots of time there with her.  But she still had a lot of her stuff in Salt Lake, and her old car (she just bought a new one) was there and she needed to at least get it down to St. George to my house.  The plan was to drive up there together, and then we each drive one car home.  But I worked Saturday night, and Monday night.
 So commence the less than 24 hr road trip to Salt Lake and epic drive home :)

First pic of the trip!  I changed my face .25 secs before I took the picture so my mouth looks a little funny.  But isn't she GORGEOUS!

Haha so we're just drivin along, coming up on Beaver, UT, and the sign says #1 tasting water.  I've seen this sign I don't know how many times, and never have stopped to see if it's true! Sooo we did.  We thought there might be a stream or something, but didn't see any.  So we went into the bathroom thinking maybe the tap water? Yah, didn't work either. Oh well, we tried right? haha.

Have you guys ever looked at an Urban Outfitters magazine? Well if you haven't, you aren't missing out on much. Anywho, the models in there were in the weirdest poses, along with some pretty weird outfits.  This was Kc and our friend Cory trying to imitate.

Next we went to the PIE, which is the pizza place from heaven, seriously.  Kc and I have tons of memories there.  It's always a must when we are in SLC together.

 The walls are covered in writings of everyone that has passed through.  This was one from last year :)

 And ours. I can't believe it's still there, a lot of them get written over.

Um, did I mention I love this girl??

Then we decided to dance in the parking lot. This is awkward high school dancing reenactment.

This was just fun :)

they can't stop being models.

Haha classic..engagement pic?? lol. either way it shows our friendship. We laugh A LOT.

The ride home was very eventful. Her old car is really old and couldn't go over 65.  So the four hour drive from Salt Lake took us 7 hrs, with only a couple pit stops.  I have never had so many semis pass me.  But we kept in touch the whole ride, and it seriously was so much fun.  I couldn't have asked for a better 24 hrs with my sister.

I'm really going to miss her.  Even though we've been apart for almost our entire relationship it will be hard to not just drop a text whenever I want.

<3

Celebratin'!

I'm celebrating(late), my salt lake weekend a couple weekends ago..

I love Salt Lake City.  I moved to the U right after high school, made tons of friends and even though I had to move back, I go up there probably more than I should.  It's not that long of a drive, and I always have so much fun when I go.  not last weekend, but the one before I went up for a little last hoorah.  And basically I sucked at taking pictures.  Ugh. Sometimes I take millions, and others hardly at all.  Oh well. These are the few :)

This was right as I was pulling into the valley. It was breathtaking and this pic does it no justice.  I miss the green of Salt Lake compared to the red rock of stg.

I LOVE THESE GIRLS!  Becca on the left is my friend since high school, and I love her face off.  The one on the right is her beautiful older sister Meese, or M'Lisa.  We had a fun time at church, and this picture just makes me smile.

Braeden and I, remember him from here? we rented mountain bikes, and fit both of them in the back of his tiny car, and then biked around. It was super fun, and i realized I'm not as in shape as I thought I was lol.

Other highlights that I sure wish I had gotten pictures of.

-My good friend friend Shaun and I went to Park City and did the Alpine Slide and Coaster, and the Zip Line. It was SO MUCH FUN! Oh my goodness. I laughed so hard, and we had a grand time.  Shaun is seriously one of my favorite people, and one of the ones I first met when I lived up there.

-Ultimate Frisbee!  If you haven't played this game, you really should.  It was so much fun to get with everyone again and just play our hearts out. I will miss that.

-La Cocina.  Went there twice. Bring on the mexican food haha.

-now i don't ever watch South Park or any show like that, but it's quite funny to listen to your friends quote stuff.  I know I probbaly wouldn't laugh if I was watching the show, but for some reason when they impersonate them it's hilarious!

-Doing a session in the Salt Lake Temple.  How majestically gorgeous!

-Becca making dinner from noodles and veggies and making it amazing!

-shopping for more mission clothes.

-getting a facial and massage from Meese who is in Master Esthetician.  Amazing!

-Having heartfelt convos with my girls. I love them.

-talking with my good friend Chase.  That kid is awesome.

-sleeping 12 hrs! Aw I really don't sleep enough.

-Randomly seeing Angela at the Institute! It was soooo good to see her!

This is what I'm celebrating.  Life is so good, and I'm grateful I was able to say goodbye in person to some amazing people in my life.  :)

Awe, made my day.

I feel so special today!  After a weekend in Salt Lake (all about that in another post) it was such a surprise to see a comment from Ash saying she had nominated me for an award!  It made my whole day.  Thank you girl. I'm loving all these new blog friends, y'all have been a blessing. :)

Seven random facts, eh? Hmm..

1.I love going black bear hunting! yes, that's what I said :) When I was little, like age 2 through age 10 or so, we would go to my grandparents cabin(which was their house) in the Upper Pennisula of Michigan.  We would get up really early, load up the hound dogs with their tracking collars, and start driving slowly down the dirt backroads looking for tracks on the side of the road.  Then when one was found we would let the dogs go, and start tracking them with a little antenna and box and see where they went.  I can't quite remember now, but you could tell from the way the collars were beeping if they had treed the bear, and we would tromp through the woods into where the dogs would have the bear up the tree. And then my grandpa would pull the dogs back, and the bear would scurry down and run off.  I have so many wonderful, wonderful memories of my grandpa and doing this with him.  I love my grandparents so much.  

2.I really like just keeping the plastic spoons in my mouth after I eat ice cream or something.  Weird? yes, I know haha.

3. I've never been to Disneyland, just Disneyworld.  I want to go!

4.  I love reading.  I love getting a good book, and never stopping.  And I get really sad when a book or series ends.  You start to really care for the characters...or I could just be a sap. Whichever :)

5.  I love dancing in parking lots with my best friend. After high school, and even now, we will go back to our high school and turn up the music really loud in my car and dance our hearts out to our favorite songs.  Being silly and dancing can make anything better :)

6. I like the Hannah Montana movie.  Haha, did I just say that?  Jk, I'm not ashamed.  I love kids movies like that. For one I love musicals, and they always have a good moral to the story, and are just one of those feel good movies.  The Hoedown Throwdown dance she does in it, I youtubed it until I learned it.  So much fun haha.  Please tell me I'm not the only one?!

7.  I'm such a carnivore!  I love meat. I'm not obessive or anything, but it's so good! Have you ever heard of Rodizios? Or any Brazilian restaurant for that matter.  They just bring around TONS of different kinds of meat and they scrape you off a bit of each one and you can pick and choose.  So delicious!  But I still love my veggies and healthy stuff too. :)

Well there are seven facts!  Now who to nominate.....

Brie from Blueberry lake.  She is just an awesome girl that I met through this blogging world.  She always has the best attitude and posts tons of inspiring things.  

Brit from Dancing Through Life.  I LOVE this girl. We had a dance class together and I'm so glad we became friends.  She is such a wonderful person, and has such a good sense of humor. She can make anyday bright. :)

Kelsey from Kelsey and Covey. This girl is just about the cutest thing on this planet.  I love reading her posts. Her and her husband are so in love, and they have tons of fun adventures.  

Enjoy!

Just a random pic of my lovely friend, Jessica.  Hope your day was bright today!

Little Sister love

For the past two years, I have done Big Brothers Big Sisters.  I have LOVED this program.  My little sister and I get along like two peas in a pod.  She has the cutest personality, and I love hanging out with her. I'm going to miss her so much on my mission!

For our little date we went to Menchies Frozen Yogurt, {sooo yummy! One of those places where you get frozen yogurt in many different kinds and they have OODLES of toppings to put on top} and coloring for the coloring contest, shopping, and then watched a movie at her house.  Our hang out sessions turn into all day affairs, but I wouldn't have it any other way!.

<3

A look back...and a smile forward!

It's my 100th post!  I can't believe i've made it to this point! I wanted to just take a look back on this year.  When I started this blog in April, I just wanted it to be a private online journal, viewable to only me, to get my frustrations out. I was hurt, sad, frustrated, confused, and almost every other emotion. But since then I've grown, and the hurt has been replaced by peace, and joy, and I don't have to be embarrassed by what's happened to me.  Just embrace it and let it help shape me into the person I'm becoming.  I found this quote on Pinterest, and it sums everything up, like only the way quotes can do.

via

I've learned so much about myself since God told me "no."  I've learned what I can handle, and that I can handle SO much more than I ever thought possible; and I can handle it and use it to build me up instead of down.  I've learned when we follow what Heavenly Father wants for us, we can be so much happier than we ever thought possible.  When my fiance and I broke up, I thought my world was ending.  All my plans for the future were taken away from me in a matter of minutes. No matter how much I kept reminding myself that it was the right thing, {and I knew it was the right thing to do} it still hurt like nothing I've ever felt before.

 I have never questioned so much in my life. 

WHY did this have to happen to me. Am I not doing what I'm supposed to? We weren't doing anything wrong!  It's our choice isn't it? What did I do to deserve this?  Am I not good enough to marry him?  I'm never going to find anyone that I love as much as him, why did this have to happen to me? What is wrong with me?

It was not a fun few months.  Yet, laced with all the questions and hurt was peace, and moments of happiness.  It was the little moments, the tender mercies of the Lord, that helped me through.  It's amazing how a little moment of peace, a little ray of light can push through all the darkness to give you strength for a little while.  To give you that extra push to get up in the morning, and put a smile on your face.  I have never been so blessed and looked after as I was during those next few months, and even now, now that I've truly .  I learned to truly turn to my Heavenly Father and Savior to find my peace, to just let the past go, learn all I could from it, and move forward looking brightly into the future. 

I'm not saying I handled it perfectly.  There were moments where I just wanted to give up, and there were moments I did.  To just mope around all day eating ice cream and comfort foods. I didn't want to go to work, or church or anywhere in public. It was so hard to face all the questions, reliving the story all the time, even though people were just being well meaning. I would get so angry sometimes, so easily and the littlest things would frustrate me to no end.  But something was always there, at the precise moment I needed it, to take my hand and guide me through.  When I could barely make it through a day, he sent my eye doctor, of all people. He sent me two new friends that changed my summer. He sent me simple moments when I didn't even know I would need them.  Even on the day I was supposed to be getting sealed for time and all eternity I was especially not left alone.  It's amazing how the Lord sends others to do put their arms around us when He can't do it himself.  Have you ever heard the poem, "Footprints in the Sand." ?  I'm sure you have, but now you should listen to it. :)

The decision to go on a mission was also a real struggle.  I didn't want to go at first, in the least bit. But then I got an answer that I should go, and I went full steam ahead and just wanted to leave. I wasn't waiting for anything and nothing could stop me. But I was trying to do things way too fast, and in my own time frame and I wondered why nothing was working out. {and I couldn't see this why? lol. Hindsight is always 20/20 like they say.}   I went back and forth so much {over the course of two and a half months} that it was making me sick. But it was when I finally just calmed down and learned some patience that I knew I needed to slow down, and things will work out like they're supposed to, as long as I'm trying to do what's right and what I'm supposed to. And suddenly, I wasn't scared anymore. I was so excited! It was a peaceful feeling, instead of the rushed feeling. The night I turned my papers in was such a turning point for me.  I felt like my Heavenly Father was so proud of me, and let me tell you, nothing can compare to that feeling, nothing.  And now that I only have 19 days left till I leave, that peace that I've made the right decision has only grown.  I knew at first I needed to go on a mission, but I'm so glad I'm going now, and not then.  I knew I wouldn't have come home because I was sad or anything, but I needed to grow a little more, and have a few more experiences so that I could fully serve the Lord in the full capacity that He needs me to.

 I'm so grateful for God's"redirection" in my life! As much as I loved this boy and wanted to marry him, I'm so grateful we're not married, and that we both listented to those promptings!  Even though I believe we could have had a great marriage, God has different things in store for both of us, and His plan is always the better one. I've learned that God teaches us line upon line, and in His way.  I've learned that His way of teaching us always is for our benefit, and never to mock us or hurt us.  It's not about what we want, or what we think would be best for us at the moment. If we truly let ourselves be led by Him, our mistakes will never be to our detriment, only our aid, and our triumphs will be expounded upon us more wonderfully than we can comprehend. We are being prepared for eternal salvation, and I hope I can always look at my trials with a smile on my face and a faith that I am becoming the daughter He wants me to be.

Gee whiz if you made it to the end, thank you for reading! I write all this so that I can remember. This has been a big journey for me, and I'm grateful I can look back with a smile, and look forward to my new adventures with an even bigger smile.  Life is wonderful! Keep smiling :)

4 weeks!

Life should be a party!


-I only have FOUR weeks left till I leave!
-Going to SL this weekend to find more clothes and to play with good friends.
-Going to eat at Zupas and The Pie this weekend. Seriously, STG NEEDS to get a Zupas.
-Jillian Michaels 30 day shred. Seriously guys, I love her workouts!
-Pinterest.  I can't wait till I get back from my mish so that I can start to do all these fun ideas.
-Did I mention I leave in four weeks? haha
-Spending all day Saturday with my dear friend Catharine, loving her little chubby boy, singing hymns and playing the piano, and then eating dinner and watching a movie.  It was so great to be a part of her family for a day! They are so stinkin' cute. I wish I had taken more pictures.
-I'm going to start reading "The Help" tonight. I've heard so many good things about it!
-Currently eating a cinnamon chip muffin, and it is sooo good.
-Finding new blogs that just inspire you.
-BEING ALIVE AND LOVING THE LIFE I'VE BEEN GIVEN. I'm so very blessed. I hope to never take it for granted.

VIA

Just had to share this thought of inspiration. 

I'm very humbled today..

It's been ten years.  I remember going to school, and we watched the news in science class.  We went to New York my senior year of high school, and I've seen Ground Zero.  How humbling that was.  So many people lost their lives right on the ground where I walked.  Even though I saw it six years after the fact, there was still a reverence there.  Something I think, and seriously hope, will never leave.  I'm grateful for the troops fighting for us now.  To keep us free so we can have the freedoms we do.  I'm grateful for all the firefighters and medics and others involved who heroically, with no thought for themselves, fought to save the lives of those in the towers.  I'm very humbled today.  May we never forget, and never let our children forget, and our children's children, forget this day.

GROUND ZERO

 Memorial for all those who lost their lives.

This one really gets me.

9/11/2001

Happy Birthday CB!

I can't believe my baby sister is 20! She's not a teenager anymore.  We're on very different paths of life, but I love her so much and I'm so glad she's my sister.  A sister truly is a forever friend.  We're only 23 months apart, but it still makes me feel really old to have her be not a teenager anymore.  I love you c.  Thanks for always making me smile.  :)

<3

My first crochet project!

Earlier this year, Kc taught me how to crochet. We had a fabulous evening of crocheting, and watching disney. Yes, we watched like four hours of the suite life of Zach and Cody. Don't judge :)
That was April.  I haven't really done anything since with it.  I just haven't had the urge to make something, and to make anything cooler than a straight, square blanket is way out of my league.  But with my mission coming up I knew I needed something warm, and I wanted to have a project to keep me busy for the next six weeks! So I decided to make a scarf! One of the ones where it's a circle and it's a little baggy.  It started out slow, and I forgot to take pics along the way, but here's the finished project.

And because of a 12 hr shift where there was nothing to do, I finished it in less than a week instead of six, buuut guess that just means there is room for another project.  What should I make??

Life is a Party!

Monday's technically not over, right? It's celebratin' time!

Today I'm celebrating..

- the friends in my life.  I don't know how I got so lucky, but I have amazing friends.  One of my really good friends, Braeden, came down this weekend.  We went hiking, then a scenic drive to Cedar breaks, then game night, then hiking again this morning.  It was a fun filled weekend. And he was really patient with me when it came to taking pictures, some of the time.

Haha I tried FOREVER to get a good picture of me blowing one of these and getting the cool effect. It didn't work.   Hence the look on his face below :)

This morning we hiked through Snow Canyon {it was such a lame trail.} If I had wanted a workout by walking in sand, I would have rather gone to the beach. We hiked over 3/4 of the way through this.  At least we got our exercise, right?


-The beautifulness that is our world! I definitely need to go exploring more.
-The temple is open again tomorrow! Oh how I've missed it.
-I only have 6 weeks left until I leave on my mission.
-Game night with super fun people. What a night full of laughter! It was awesome.

Tell me some of the things you're grateful for/celebrating in your life!