Day #22 a freezing Friday and football!

Tonight was the Utah State v BYU game. It had been a little chilly during the day, but sunny enough to wear a cute sundress. But fall I definitely coming cause it was CHILLY!! We all ended up wearing polka-dot shoes to the game. So fun! We also stayed for the entire game, an accomplishment, and BYU WON!!!

Day #21 kittens and dancing

Today (Thursday) we had a pet....for about 5 minutes! But we had so much fun!! Hollie was walking out the door then told me to come outside. There was a cute little kitten looking at us! We played with him for a little bit, took him inside cause he kept trying to run away, an gave him some milk. Then we found out that the cute little kitty had escaped from his apartment above us, so we returned him to his owners :) It was so fun while it lasted. (picture to come)
I also got 4th place at a mock competition last night. It was way fun. I forgot how much I love dancing and performing!

Day #20 running and baking = successful day

I finally went on a run for the first time in 3 weeks!! So needed!! Running just makes everything feel a little bit better :)
The chill in the air also felt so good. I love Fall!!
I also went to town baking today! I made my granola, snicker doodles, and sour cream banana pancakes with Carmel buttermilk syrup :) Lots of dishes but so much good food.

I can honestly say that cooking and running are two of my favorite things to do...and that's a pretty good combo too!

Day # 19 oh floral design...

Today in floral design class she gave free ties to all the guys, but they had to earn it. It was pretty hilarious. She had all the guys come up to the front of the class say where they were from, why they are taking the class, what their name is, and if they were single or not!!!! Oh only at BYU!! Then at the end of class she picked out names out of a bag to give away the rest of the ties. My name was picked!!! It's always exciting to get free stuff!

Oh!! And the label on the tie says its worth $388!! Hard to believe, but what a steal ;)

We also made tropical flower arrangements! On my way home I ran into Madi, and then a guy randomly came up to us and told me what kind of animals/insect pollinated each different kind of flower...there is always so much to learn! Who knew a bird could pollinate a flower?! Haha

Day #18 Happy Monday!!

It was a good day! I took a 45 minute nap...what wonders a nap can do for you :)  It was nice to relax.
Starlee and I also got to be little gardeners yesterday. We picked more apples, watered plants, ate all the yummy raspberries off of the vine, and mowed the lawn. We're practically professional.
FHE was wonderful last night as well. Sister Ferrin made us homemade bread and honey butter. It was so delicious.  One day I want to be able to bake like that and make my house smell like homemade bread :)

Day #17 Photo Shoot

We did a "photo shoot" yesterday for fun!  They turned out sooo great!! I love my friends and am so grateful for their kindness, spontaneity, and the examples that they are :)

And a big THANKS to Hollie's friend Lane for taking these AMAZING pictures!

These are some of our FAVES :)

My roomie :)

Our "boy band" shot

She's ENGAGED!!!!!!!!!!

Day #16 Boating!

Saturday was such an exciting day!! I was so exhausted by the end, but that was cause I was having too much fun!! :)

I took my last test first thing in the morning...what a RELIEF to have those out of the way!

Then I went BOATING with friends in my ward.  Utah Lake was a little chilly, but we braved it! We wake boarded and surfed as well.  I had never done the surfing thing before, but it was so much fun!!! I couldn't make it back into the wake again after getting out, but I had some sweet wipeouts (maybe two face plants or so). haha  

The Relief Society General Broadcast was WONDERFUL last night.  If you haven't watched it you should--here's the link!  It was so comforting and inspiring. It has made me want to be a more charitable person. If everyone does their part to serve and help out here and there, we will all be happier and will be able to help one another out. This gospel is amazingly simple and yet it blesses my life so much!!!!

Then we decided to make shakes, so we went to the grocery store and got ice cream and Oreos. So yummy!! We finished off the night watching Dan in Real Life. Good Saturday :)

Day #15

Friday was such a long day, which usually isn't the case, but I got a lot done.  I took a test that morning and NAILED it, studied some more, went to a football game, and went to the dance party in the garage of our apartment complex.  It was a good day, and I ended up going to bed super early because I was exhausted and my last test to take in the morning!

My favorite part of the day was seeing my Uncle Lee and cousin Kallee!!  I am so grateful I have family that lives near by.  It is such a wonderful blessing!

Days 12, 13, & 14 oh so busy!!

Well, needless to say, I have so crazy busy this week. But the amazing thing is that I have felt like I have had enough time to do everything I have needed to get done!! That is definitely a miracle!!
On Tuesday, the devotional was about being optimistic and finding joy in everything that happens in life. It was such a good reminder that I need to be looking for the blessings throughout my day and not complain.

So here are just a few...

Jasmyn did the dishes for me today :)
I only have 2 more tests to go!!!
I'm going to bed early :)

Day #11 One crazy week...

Here's my daunting task for this week...

• Language Development Test
• Hearing Science and Acoustics Test
• Floral Design ID Quiz
• Family Finance Test
• D&C Test

Yep...I have a total of 5 tests to take this week...yikes!!

My motto for this week is take life one minute at a time. I feel like if I try and think about everything all at once I won't ever get anything done. haha Challenge accepted--I will conquer this week!

Soooo...
let the countdown begin! :)

On another note, it is raining outside right now and I LOVE the RAIN!!! I am so content sitting in my living room in my big sweats listening to the rain :)

Day #10 apples

We picked apples, beets, tomatoes, zucchini, cherry tomatoes, raspberries, & blackberries at Starlee's grandparent's house today. When I grow up I want a garden/orchard like that. Their food is seriously the yummiest!!! They are so kind and generous to us :)
You can't get anything better than apples fresh off a tree!
I can't wait for apple crisp tonight!!!! :)

Day #9 Inspired.

Today I saw Les Miserables! It was the most inspiring show I have ever seen.  I am obsessed and cannot get the songs out of my head. The songs were so powerful and the messages about hope and love were so amazing!!! I can't stop thinking about it! Like I said, I might be a little obsessed for the next couple days.

(I apologize it's kinda dark and not the best picture ever)

My family is so amazing! I am so blessed to have such a generous aunt, uncle, and cousins to let me come with them.
LIFE DOESN'T GET BETTER!!

Day #8 Road Trip

This CRAZY week is over!!!! And I can't wait for such a fun weekend!!
I have been getting up super early, studying all day and going to bed late because of homework.  Definitely productive...but let the partying begin!!
My cousin Taylor and I get to drive up to Boise tonight to see Les Mis tomorrow!! Road trip!! Sorry I keep talking about it...but I am SO EXCiTED!!!

Day #7 One Day More

Quote of the day...
"When life gives you lemons, take the free lemons."

LOVE IT!!!!

Also, I got an A on my floral design test!! Yay!! 1 down only 5 left :)

AND me and my roommates LOVE Les Mis! We definitely have listened to the soundtrack all day!
I get to go on Saturday with my cousin Taylor! One more day until we leave for Boise to see it!!!

Day #6 Home.

There were so many wonderful things today that reminded me of home.

First, I ran into a friend from my stake back home, Stephanie.  She came into my D&C class and was visiting cause her roommate is in that class..how lucky am I! :)
Then I talked to my mom, and my sisters for a little bit.  I LOVE them to death and miss them A LOT!!!!!!
I also got to Skype with my friend Amy from high school!!! It was so fun to talk and catch up with her!
Then I called my mom AGAIN, cause I accidentally washed a glittery shirts with all of my white shirts...OOPS!! Thank goodness for mothers though, they always fix the problem :)

All in all, today was FANTASTIC!!

Day #5 FLOWERS!

Today I made my first bouquet. Thank you floral design class :) I forgot to take a picture with the wrapping on, but here's one after I put them in the vase!!

Day #4 Working Hard :)

Today was the most productive Monday I think I have ever had!! There is still so much to do this week, but when you put the most important things first things just work out. :)

This is one of my favorite quotes that I have in my planner to remind me what I really should be doing with my time...

"We must put God in the forefront of everything else in our lives. He must come first.... When we put God first, all other things fall into their proper place or drop out of our lives."
-Ezra Taft Benson

In my Family Finance class today, my teacher was talking about the expenses of money and said that we use our time (an ultimately ourself) to earn money. It made me think about how I am using myself during the day...am I doing something worthwhile right now or am I just wasting my time and talents?
(Hopefully that made sense.)

But I am sooo very grateful for PRODUCTIVE DAYS :)

Day # 3 Craziest Adventure Ever...Red Rock Relay

Just thought I would add about our adventure last weekend.
(And I thought that's what I would be grateful for today :) )
The craziest adventure of our lives!!! But SO MUCH FUN!!!

Here's a summary of the mayhem...

• 187 total miles
• 12 runners
• 1 amazing volunteer
• 1 AMAZING dad who let us borrow his Suburban :)
• 18 1/2 hours of running
• 3 legs per person (we each ended up running between 12-19 miles!!)
• SORE LEGS
• Cool tattoos to flaunt after the race
• EXHAUSTION (we got very little sleep)
• ...and VICTORY!!!

GO JANE DEERE GIRLS/CHEETAH GIRLS!!!

We finished!!!!

Van #1 flaunting our well-earned stripes!!! :)

Day #2 I love to see the Temple!

I got to go to the Brigham City Temple Open House!!
It was such an amazing experience to go inside a House of the Lord and witness the physical beauty of the temple and feel the spirit of peace and happiness that the temple brings us. My favorite room to walk into was the sealing room, where as members of the Church we can be sealed together as families for eternity.  I felt such an overwhelming spirit of peace.  I am so grateful that we have temples (all over the world!) so that we can come closer to our Heavenly Father and be together as families for time and all eternity!

It was a neat experience to go to the open house because the Brigham City Temple will be dedicated next Sunday (Sept. 23rd)!  I get to watch a broadcast of the dedication. SOOOOOO EXCITED!!!

Also, one super cute story that just made my day...

We went to Maddox, a super popular and fun steakhouse, after the temple. When I was in the bathroom, I heard a little girl singing the primary song, "I Love to See the Temple".  It was sooo cute!! She didn't have the tune or the words quite down yet, but you could tell that she was so excited she had gone to the temple.  This is one of my favorite primary songs as well because it has such a sweet message:

I love to see the temple.
I’m going there someday
To feel the Holy Spirit,
To listen and to pray.
For the temple is a house of God,
A place of love and beauty.
I’ll prepare myself while I am young;
This is my sacred duty.

I love to see the temple.
I’ll go inside someday.
I’ll cov’nant with my Father;
I’ll promise to obey.
For the temple is a holy place
Where we are sealed together.
As a child of God, I’ve learned this truth:
A fam’ly is forever.

I am so grateful for my family and that we will be together forever!!!
The temple is truly such a special and sacred place!!

Day #1.

Today there were so many great things!!

1. It's FRIDAY!!!
2. Hollie and I got snow cones today at the little snow cone hut right by Helaman Halls.
    Lots of Ice + Guava + Tiger's Blood + Sweetened Condensed Milk=AMAZINGNESS!!!
3. Banana muffins in the oven right NOW!! (with jumbo choco chips in them!!!)

365 Wonderful Days Ahead!!

My challenge:

Every day, for the next year, record one good deed, blessing, tender mercy. or anything else that makes life simply amazing!  I just want to let it be known just how wonderful life really is!  There is so much beauty and happiness all around us, and I feel like I tend to skip out on it sometimes 'cause I'm not looking for it! I know that I am happier and the world looks brighter when I count my blessings and look for the good in everything.

I just LOVE what President Thomas S. Monson has to say about gratitude and living life.  (And his talk, Finding Joy in the Journey, is amazing as well!)  This quote is my inspiration for this year-long adventure! :)

"Let us relish life as we live it, find joy in the journey, and share our love with friends and family."

-President Thomas S. Monson 

So here it goes...

My Adventures in New York :)

The last 2 1/2 weeks of July were absolutely WONDERFUL, exhausting, life-changing, memorable, insane, crazy, and so fun!!!!  It was a once in a lifetime experience that I am so greatful I was a part of.

First off, upstate New York is so green and beautiful! The humidity and I didn't agree very well, but other than that I absolutely loved New York!

In order to not make this the longest blog post in the history of blogging, I have decided to only give you my favorite parts of the trip.

LAX Airport: When We Thought It Couldn't Get Any Better...

To start the trip off we flew out of LAX at 10:30 PM.  We had all day to pack, so we thought we were prepared and ready to go! But we got to the airport and two of our bags were overweight!! So we were rearranging our stuff and stuffing it in our backpacks while there was a huge line behind us.  When we finally were good to go, some lady next to us started clapping for us! All I could do was laugh! Good times! Good times!  Security went well, thank goodness! When we got to the gate, we realized they had changed the gate on us and had to walk the new gate which was at least 20 gates away or so.  Then they proceeded to change the gate 2 more times before we took off.  Definitely not a relaxing night at the airport!

The rest of the trip went a lot better, and we stopped at the DC airport (on the 4th of July might I add)!

So excited that Washington DC is right outside :)

And we couldn't wait to get to New York!!!

Niagara Falls: Happy Birthday America!!!

Our first day in New York was a hot and muggy one. We did lots of walking and sightseeing that day and we were so grateful for the mist from the falls when we got closer to the falls :) We did the Maid of the Mists, a boat ride up to the falls, and the Cave of the Winds, a pretty walk 10 feet away from one of the waterfalls! 

We even got free souviners...blue and yellow ponchos and fantastic shoes!!

And we got WET! At least some of us were happy that we were able to cool off :)

The Falls at night are sooo PRETTY!! This is a MUST to add to your bucket list!

Picture compliment of Jenny Udall :)

Her photography skills are much better than mine!

Palmyra, NY: Those SIXTEEN Crazy Days :)

In order to condense all the crazyness and fun into my blog, I decided to give you the TOP TEN reasons why pageant was so amazing:

10. Palmyra, NY

It is such a neat town!  I loved everything about it from the corner with a beautiful church on each of its corners to the Chill N Grill where they have the biggest and best ice cream cones ever!!!

9. The Part

I was chosen to be a Ceremoinal Dancer. What is that?! That was exactly my first reaction to it too. haha Definitely a wierd role, but I was a wicked Judean dancer who danced in front of the High Priest.  I also didn't listen to the prophet Lehi and ended up chasing him off the stage.
I was also in the scene where Christ comes to the Americas and was one of the adults who got to watch over the children.  That meant I was right up close to them as they got to touch Christ's hands.  That was such a touching experience to see those sweet faces.  They were so well behaved and sweet!!

8. Costumes

Not only were the costumes phenomenal, the people that made them and helped us put them on every night were the sweetest people ever!! I loved visiting with them and having them braid my hair!

The other Ceremonial Dancers and I all joked that we had a carpet around our waists.  We definitely did.  They were so confusing to put on that I needed help every time I put it on. Our makeup was also another feat in itself.  This is probably the only time I will ever put on black eyeshadow, but I can say I did it :) And it ended up looking FABULOUS!!

7. The Crazy Schedule

Wake up around 7 am.  Be at the Hill by 8:30. Rehearsals, cast team time, eat, more rehearsals...work,work, work. 11:00 go home and crash. Repeat again and again. SOOO EXHAUSTING!!

6. S6

AHH! I had the best cast team!  We had so much fun the second week when we went to the lake, mulched a trail for service, and went to the Church History sites. Enough said, they are the best!

5. Service

The cast was filled with so many thoughtful people! I would always turn around and someone was doing something for someone else or quietly doing their part to help out.  This pageant was such an example to me of when you lose yourself in the work, you end up finding yourself.  I saw a HUGE change in myself when I was able to just think about others and not worry about what I was doing. I love this scripture because I know it is true!


"He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it." Matthew 10:39

4. Family and Friends

It was so amazing to share this special experience with my family and my Uncle Tom, Aunt Karen, Katy and Chris.  We all had fun dressing up and looking absolutely rediculous together! I also had Julie, Mallory, Grandma and Grandpa Udall, and Grandma and Grandpa Pierce travel to NY to come see us!! I also ran into a friend from school and my roommate!! Such a small world! :)

  

3. Sacred Grove

Our hotel was a 5 minute walk away from the Sacred Grove.  I went a total of 4 times while I was in New York.  One time I was on a run and decided that I didn't feel like running, so I just sat in the Sacred Grove for a while.  You get a feeling like no other when you walk in there.  It is so peaceful and I wish I could live next door to the Sacred Grove.

2. Missionary Work

Before every performance we got to go out and talk to people in the audience! It was so fun to meet people and find out where they are from and why they are coming to pageant.  I got some really funny looks and was told I looked like Princess Leia a lot.  But it was so special to go out and tell people why I was at pageant--I came to testify of Jesus Christ and His gospel and that as we come to Him and through the restored gospel of Jesus Christ we can all return and live with Him one day.  I came to share that with thousands of people who saw the show :)
The sister missionaries were such wonderful examples to me of how we can share this message with others.  They are so loving and kind, you just have to love them!! They have inspired me to be a better missionary and serve a mission one day :)

1. Spirit of the Hill

The Hill Cumorah had such a spirit about it.  I don't even really know how to describe it but say it is WONDERFUL!  Sometimes I would just be sitting there and be overwhelmed with such a warm feeling. You couldn't help but have a smile on your face because you just felt so good inside all of the time! There is such a peace and happiness on that hill--it's contagious!

Well, Congrats if you read this whole post! It's a NOVEL!  But if you are ever thinking about The Hill Cumorah Pageant--being in it or seeing it--YOU SHOULD!!!! :)

Today...

I just crossed off one of my to-do's from last summer!! Are you ready for it........

I PARALLEL PARKED!! :)

I actually did it, no one was in the car with me to help me out, and all 3 cars (my '92 Geo Tracker and the other two BMW's surounding mine..yikes! I was a little nervous) survived!  They say the best way to learn how to do something is to actually go for it. And as Nike says, JUST DO IT!!  That definitely happened tonight because I was late for an appointment and the only spot relatively close required me to parallel park.  I didn't even have time to think about it I told myself, well here it goes...JUST GO FOR IT!!

I think this is a new challenge for me: whenever something good comes along, have 30 seconds of insane courage and JUST GO FOR IT!

And with that said, I will get on finishing my post about Hill Cumorah right now :)

Cake! Cake! Cake!

A couple weeks before I came home from school my sister Melissa texted me randomly and asked me what kind of cake I liked.  She went even further to ask about if I liked fudge or ganosh, raspberries or strawberries. Fast forward to last week.  Melissa started baking all of these cake, so I thought maybe she was making a birthday cake for me cause my birthday was coming up.  She told me no it wasn't for me, but for a project. Ok well, I was bummed out. Well, my birthday came and SURPRISE!! The cake was for me after all!  And definitely the fanciest birthday cake that has ever been made for me!  

 Two tiers...

Molded chocolate candy words...

With a raspberry bavarian cream fudge filling!

And it was the most DELICIOUS tasting cake ever!

Thanks Melissa!! You are such an amazing sister!!

Now we are on to making my Aunt's cake, but probably not quite as big as mine. Melissa said she would never make another cake again it was so much work, but she has such a talent she can't waste it.

Happy day.

I love Sundays.
Hands down, the best day of the week.  I relaxing at home with the fam, going to church and taking a break from everything that has happened during the week. I also feel like Sundays are the prettiest and sunniest days of the week.  I don't know why, but it always seems to be a little bit brighter and more cheerful on Sundays.  And, it's always the start of a brand new week.  This week will definitely be an eventful one...Hill Cumorah Pageant 2012 here I come!

Monday is my last day of work for a couple weeks. Yay for vacation! I am a swim teacher at Lucille Cowle Swim School and love being a swim instructor.  I love teaching all my little kiddos how to swim--they are all so cute and I love it when they learn something new.  Tomorrow is the end of the set, so this will be my last lesson with all of them and will definitely miss them!

Tuesday is departure day!!!! My family and I are flying to Palmyra, NY to be in the Hill Cumorah Pageant. 

What's that? I am still not even 100% sure. haha. I feel like I won't be able to really tell you what it is all about until I have been in it.  But yes, my family and I are actually going to be performing in the pageant!  This pageant is put on by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints,which I am a member of, and depicts scenes from the Book of Mormon testifying of Jesus Christ and the Restoration of the Church.  We, as cast members, get to talk to the audience before and after the show and answer questions/take pictures with them, etc. Now I know that is a very very vague explanation, so here's a link for you to check it out yourself if you want-- http://www.hillcumorah.org/Pageant/home.php :) 
Yup. It's the real deal.  Legit costumes, a GIGANTIC stage, lights galore, and lots and lots of people!!
I don't know what I will be cast as yet, but I am way excited to find out! Let's hope I am ready for all of this craziness to begin! :)

Everything starts on Friday, so my family and I will have two days to go to Niagara Falls and see other sights in NY!

I have so many blessings to be grateful for and so much to look forward to! Pictures and more to come on the HCP 2012!!