best time of the year

Best thing about the Christmas holiday....no school, and getting to go home and do fun fun things with the family and spend those special times with all the ones you hold dear.

Here are some of us enjoying family night around the christmas tree...

We traveled down to vegas for T and Rhen's bowl game...while there we took some time to check out the christmas decorations at the Bellagio hotel. Here is a pic with my siblings, Dallin and Ange.

And here is one with some of the fam at the bowl game. Man ill miss seeing those bros play and that fun family time while on the mission...
But all in all it has been a wonderful holiday break, and I'm ready to live up the rest of it. haha

ps.....I LOVE MY FAMILY!!!

times have changed

So last night, I finished up my last college final of (now listen to this kids....)...2 years!!!! I'll go on my mission and then I won't be taking another final till december of 2011. So weird, so weird. I went on campus this morning to sell back my last book, and I almost cried at the thought that this may be the last time I step foot on byu campus for a long, long time. haha. JK, I didn't cry, but it was totally weird to think about. It's great though, new ventures await me in the furture.

Come next winter, I could be enjoyin some weather like this....


and what if I got a coat like this.....haha

yep...that's right kids

Well, yesterday I went home and opened up my mission call! And it is now done and official. I will be serving a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the.......

RUSSIA MOSCOW WEST MISSION!!!!!
I will of course be speaking Russian (wow! ha), and I report to the Provo MTC on February 10, 2010. (so crazy soon!)

Despite a little nervousness here and there about the whole thing, ha, I am extremely excited!! I love this gospel and I am so excited to share the happiness that I have through the gospel with the people in Russia.

what really matters

"This is our one and only chance at mortal life—here and now. The longer we live, the greater is our realization that it is brief. Opportunities come, and then they are gone. I believe that among the greatest lessons we are to learn in this short sojourn upon the earth are lessons that help us distinguish between what is important and what is not. I plead with you not to let those most important things pass you by as you plan for that illusive and nonexistent future when you will have time to do all that you want to do. Instead, find joy in the journey—now....Brothers and sisters, my sincere prayer is that we may adapt to the changes in our lives, that we may realize what is most important, that we may express our gratitude always and thus find joy in the journey."

-Thomas S. Monson

from 8 to 80

So you know when you are writing in your journal and you have a little extra time to thumb back to entries long past, and delve into an old you from years ago?? Well, just recently I did this, and the particular entry I liked wasn't necessarily years ago, but just a few months. It was back at the beginning of fall, right before the new semester was just about to begin. I had written about how crazy fast the summer had flown by, and about how weird it was to think that the fall semester was already upon us.

It kinda made me laugh, looking upon that, knowing that now that semester that I had long been looking forward to, slash dreading is basically over. Man! Time flies so crazy fast! And the more years that seem to pass me by, the faster they seem to fly. It's kinda fascinating actually. This past semester has flown, and a new year and new semester soon approaches. It still completely fathoms me how fast the chapters of our lives open and close. I'm actual quite nervous that time moves so fast that in the next 10 years I will basically be 80....or else that may be what it would seem like, haha.

So my goal and challenge to myself....make each day and each moment count because before you know it, those days and opportunities may be gone....Spend more time strengthening those relationships that can last you a lifetime and into the eternities.

awaiting

Welp, thanksgiving has already come and gone. Kinda crazy. I spent the last couple weeks just countin down the days until I got to head home and eat some yummy goodness, and have fun with the fam. It was a blast, and my family is completely awesome!!!!

Now, I find myself awaiting some more awesomeness....I put in my mission papers last week!!!!!!!!! so hopefully in the next week or so we shall see! sweetness!!

what are you thankful for?

i am thankful for...

-a loving Heavenly Father and my Savior, Jesus Christ
-the gift of the Holy Ghost, to guide and direct
-this earth and all of its beautiful creations
-family
-loving and supportive parents
-siblings who become my best friends
-friends and roommates
-my education
-my job
-growth through experiences and challenges
-blessings and opportunities
-my home
-my bed
-warmth and warm fireplaces
-yummy food
-health and wellness
-sunshine
-snow
-smiles and laughs
-the outdoors and camping and hiking
-good smells...pumpkin, cinnamon, evergreen, cranberry....

around this time of year i especially love family gatherings, the plethora of fatty foods, desserts and pies, board games, drinking hot cocoa, listening to christmas music, all the beautiful lights, setting up fun decorations, cuddling up under blankets and having movie marathons, sleeping in, playing some good ol' football thanksgiving day, snow ball fights/sledding/making snowmen, the lights on temple square, road trips,...i could go on and on

lovely

So when I took my first interior design class my freshman year, I decided that my favorite architectural style was the late georgian style...and today I realized that it is STILL my favorite. haha.

here is one of the homes that I think is just beautiful...

and I really love the interior and furniture styles of the victorian period. Here are some pieces that I just think are soo cool...

I absolutely love this black and white checkered floor and this staircase that were quite popular in the victorian period...

but I also still really have a fancy for these modern and structural designed rooms...

fyi

christmas music is now playing on fm100.3 all day everyday....24/7...daytime or nighttime...in sunshine or in shadow...any day and everyday(well i guess except for sundays when church music abounds)...ALL THE TIME!

yahoo!
hahahahahaha

a good thing

• "...beware the temptation to retreat from a good thing".
• "If it was right when you prayed about it and trusted it and lived for it, it is right now".
• "Don’t give up when the pressure mounts".
• "...don’t give in to that being who is bent on the destruction of your happiness".
• "Face your doubts".
• "Master your fears".
• "'Cast not away therefore your confidence'".
• "Stay the course and see the beauty of life unfold for you".

-Jeffrey R. Holland

hand in hand

"It is our faith in Jesus Christ that sustains us at the crossroads of life's journey. It is the first principle of the gospel. Without it we will spin our wheels at the intersection, spending our precious time but getting nowhere. It is Christ who offers the invitation to follow Him, to give Him our burden, and to carry His yoke, 'for His yoke is easy, and His burden is light'.......When we choose to follow Christ in faith rather than choosing another path out of fear, we are blessed with a consequence that is consistent with our choice."

-Elder Quentin L. Cook

create something beautiful today...

i love these short little video clips...especially this one.

"True happiness comes from the joy of deeds well done, the zest of creating things new."
-Antoine de Saint-Exupery

"Life isn't about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself."
-George Bernard Shaw

tis the season...

Here in provo for the past few days it has been absolutely freezing!!! So, with the oooober cold weather, the pulling out of my fat, fluffy down coat, and that fact that the sun has not peaked out of the clouds for a while, I have turned my fancies to....CHRISTMAS MUSIC!!! yep, that's right kids, I have been listening to christmas music for the past few days. In fact, I am listening to it right now. Silver Bells by Bing Crosby is playing (just in case you were the littlest bit curious, haha).

I know most of you will find this quite odd, and I pretty sure by now my roommates wonder who the heck I am and why they let such a creep move into their apartment, ha, but honestly, I love it. It's grand. Who ever said you weren't allowed to listen to christmas music in the non-christmas season? It just makes me so happy, and wouldn't you rather have a happy smiley acacia to greet rather than a grumpy frumpy frowny one? That's what I thought...haha. Oh, and if you think i'm super odd, I attribute this special fancy of mine to my mother. She would always listen to christmas music way to early and stay listening to it way to late when I was a wee little child. Hence, here is me today, and I wouldn't have it any other way.

(this is one of my favorite christmas albums)

a nice quiet place to study?......

so i was recently on campus and took a visit to one of the loverly library restrooms. And as you all know, many of these women restrooms come fully equiped with soft couches and chairs. I understand that a woman with a young child may find this quite convenient, or even an overly exhausted college student may find that soft comfy couch a nice plus and a perfect place get a quick shut-eye. But i often enter the restroom and find girls simply just chillen on the couches and doing some much needed studying. So here is my question.........

why in the world would anyone want to study to the sounds of toliets flushing and odd bodily noises going on!!????



p.s....sorry if i have offended anyone, but it is just simply something that i have wondered for a long time, ha.

partay

so just this past weekend i went with some of my bomb-sauce girlfriends to a concert...it was fantastic! below you will find one of my favorite songs...ignore the weirdness of the music video, the song is what i like, ha.

i love ingrid!... you love ingrid!..... we ALL LOVE INGRID!!!! hahaha

what about right and wrong?

Have you ever felt inspired to do something, but yet you are still completely scared out of your mind? Did that inspiration come from the Lord, or from some other source? You have a decision to make. You can make a choice which involves doing something great, in which growth and strengthening can occur, or you can choose the other side, which involves something...great...in which growth and strengthening would also occur. So which one do you choose? The great one, or the other great one? Either way, you know that the Lord would be pleased with either and support you. It is not a decision of right or wrong, but a decision of personal preference...what do YOU feel would be best to do? I always find these the most difficult decisions to make. Both are great. Both are good. You know that the Lord wants YOU to make your OWN decision, based on feelings of peace and comfort you receive. But in a decision there are two sides, one or the other, so doesn't this mean that somehow one is better?

I ran across an article today, where Elder Oaks says...

"A desire to be led by the Lord is a strength, but it needs to be accompanied by an understanding that our Heavenly Father leaves many decisions for our personal choices. Personal decision making is one of the sources of the growth we are meant to experience in mortality. Persons who try to shift all decision making to the Lord and plead for revelation in every choice will soon find circumstances in which they pray for guidance and don’t receive it...We should study things out in our minds, using the reasoning powers our Creator has placed within us. Then we should pray for guidance and act upon it if we receive it. If we do not receive guidance, we should act upon our best judgment."

I am so grateful for church leaders who are open to the guidance and direction from the spirit. They truly are the mouthpiece of the Lord.

be a little better

Can i just say that I LOVE general conference weekends! Not only do I get to listen to the divinely inspired words spoken by the prophets and apostles, but I also had the blessed opportunity to spend the conference weekend with my awesome family. I LOVE family! Here are a few of the most enjoyable things that happened while being at home this past weekend...

1) I got to have a sleepover with my younger sister, in my old room
2) I woke up saturday morning to the smell of delish food, and my dad had cooked us all eggs and his healthy waffles
3) I got to be in the presence of my family while watching general conference
4) I went on a run with my sister
5) Me and my siblings took a total of 3 grocery store trips to the new wal-mart right down the street, ha
6) I got to cook in the kitchen with my family and prepare yummy reciepes that I learned through my foods class
7) I finally did my laundry
8) My brother and sister-in-law also came to play
9) We all roasted marshmellows and made smores in the fire pit outside
10) We set up the tent in the backyard and attempted to have a fun sleep there until the rain and wind came...
11) I got to help decorate the house with all mom's fall decorations
12) I got to play the piano, which was just recently tuned...and sang songs with my sister-in-law
13) I helped mom do some cleaning
14) not a single bit of schoolwork was done throughout this time!!
so all in all, it was a wonderful relaxing and enriching weekend. one of the best.

I greatly enjoyed the topics talked about in conference this october. Those of love and service. One of my favorite talks was by Elder Bednar. I loved his challenge to not only express our love to our families more often in word, but also in our actions. He emphasied the importance of family scripture study, family prayer, and family home evening. He related these three things to being, "the brushstrokes on the canvas of our souls".

Through listening to and pondering on the talks given this conference weekend, I became very grateful for the loved ones that I have in my life. For those who support, encourage, serve, and love me on a daily basis. For family and for friends. I came out with a greater resolve to be that type of person myself. To be a better friend, a better sister, a better daughter, a better example...always striving to be more like my loving Savior, Jesus Christ. I want to wake up every morning with a smile on my face, realizing that everyday is a brand new day, and challenging myself to do a little better and be a little better than the day before. To serve more and love more. To share the peace, joy, and happiness that I have gained through the truths of the gospel with ALL those around me.

you make me smile

Everyday on my morning run, I pass under the shade of a great big oak tree. Underneath the tree there is a swing made out of a wooden board, and tied to the tree above with some rope. Just a few days ago, as I passed by the same swing yet again, I noticed something somewhat different. Written into the wood on the side facing me, with permanent marker, were the words..."I have never met a girl more beautiful." I stopped, looked around, and thought, "oh me?! Why thank you!" haha. Obviously I am not crazy enough to think whoever wrote it was talking about me, but now every time I pass by that swing, it just makes me smile. I always wonder who wrote it, who they wrote it to, why they wrote it, and how many people it has made smile as they pass by.

life...an old time rail journey

One of my all-time favorite quotes is by Jenkins Lloyd Jones...

• "Anyone who imagines that bliss is normal is going to waste a lot of time running around shouting that he has been robbed. The fact is that most putts don't drop, most beef is tough, most children grow up to be just people, most successful marriages require a high degree of mutual toleration, most jobs are more often dull than otherwise. Life is just like an old time rail journey-delays, sidetracks, smoke, dust, cinders, and jolts, interspersed only occasionally by beautiful vistas and thrilling bursts of speed. The trick is to thank the Lord for letting you have the ride."

I shared this quote with a friend one time, and they expressed to me how they didn't understand why I liked this quote so much. They found it rather depressing, not inspiring. I can see where they are coming from though. This quote doesn't make life seem too exciting or special. It simply states that life...is just life.

But I love it so much because it always makes me stop and ponder on my own life...where I have been, and where I'm going. It helps me to reevaluate my attitude and my outlook. Life really can be many times just full of sidetracks, dust, jolts, etc. But, even through the jolts and sidetracks of life, if we are always grateful for what we do have and for what is wonderful on our journey, we can always come out of it, and find ourselves coming encounter with beautiful vistas and thrilling bursts of speed. Heavenly Father has given us this mortal life to experience different trials and challenges so that we may experience growth, strength, change in character, and eventually true joy and happiness. Even through times of struggle and sadness, or a life thought to be just plain dull or monotonous, we can find joy. This joy is found through the simple things of life, and through our all-knowing and all-loving Father in Heaven and our Savior. For me, I am personally grateful for my "ride" on the "old time rail journey". Trials and challenges have come and gone, and these have brought to pass the experiences, opportunities, and growth, that make me the person I am today.

here we go

A few days ago, I happened upon the beloved byu bookstore, climbed the stairs, and stepped into textbook heaven, where I proceeded to collect my own textbooks for the upcoming fall semester. Being the nerd that I am and always have been, I went straight to my apartment, up to my room, and started thumbing through the pages of my new books. Is it just me, or does the smell of a new textbook always bring with it happiness and a smile upon the owners face? ha.

The fall semester is fast approaching. The weather has cooled down somewhat. The days are getting shorter. School starts is approximately one week. Where has the time gone? It feels like just yesterday I was packing up all my "school stuff" and getting excited for summer months full of no worries and bundles of fun. Well, those summer months WERE full of loads of fun, and it is sad to say that they are mostly gone. But, a new chapter is already beginning to unfold. Me personally...i am very excited. With the start of the new semester comes new classes, new professors, a new schedule, new faces, continuing friendships with old faces, cooler weather, the changing colors of the leaves, new opportunities, new experiences, and....more memories.

So, even though the hot summer days are soon to pass us by, and fall begins to call our names, I say...bring it on!

i just love love...

long time no type,huh?
so precisely about a week ago, my older bro/wonderful friend got married to his highschool sweetheart of about 5 years...YAY!!! The weather cooperated just perfectly for them on their special day, and we all enjoyed the company of long time friends and family. So, with this wedding and the wedding of my other brother at the beginning of the summer, this makes for an addition of two new sisters to the family in the past 5 months....pure awesomeness! I love watching my family grow and grow as the years pass by.
oh, the beautiful bride also had the courage to put enough trust in me, haha, and gave me the wonderful opportunity to construct and make the cupcake wedding cake (so much fun!!)


Rhen and Kori


Sara and Terence


The wedding cake

cute kiddos

my mom told me something the other day that i just thought was hilarious...Memorial day my little brother joe (he's five) woke up, and my dad told him that it was memorial day holiday. Joe then looked at my dad and told him, "Dad, today is the day that we celebrate all the people that have died for our country." haha, little kids are so funny, and so smart. Smarter then we think. In having two young twin siblings it has completely surprised me at how amazing little children really are. They can be a little crazy sometimes, haha, but overall we just forget about that side of them and see them as just the cutest, sweetest, and funnest little things to play with. Too bad we all have to grow up and can't be that cute anymore. ha.

memorial day weekend in a nutshell

Why my memorial day weekend was pretty much superb...

1) To start off my memorial day weekend, my little sister Angela came to visit me and enjoy a nice little sleepover with my roommies and I. (PS...I love that as we grown older, we tend to grow closer in our relationships with our siblings. I remember as children when we would fight and bicker and say words worth a good mouthwashing such as "hate". At the time we could not really imagine considering our siblings friends and really wanting to hang out with them, haha. Now we can, and I think that is so cool. I love my siblings and think they are just awesome.) Well, Angela came with me and some friends to watch a movie up in the canyon, which ended up being quite the little dodging session with us and the sprinkler systems. Needless to say, it was fun even with a few wet sprinkles.

2) My sister and I went with some friends on a fun hike up to Stewart Falls. We'd never been there before, but it was super fun and beautiful. We all decided to get a little crazy and try out the waterfall, ha. It was soooo cold that I got a little brainfreeze. It was beautiful though, definitley recommend this hike to anyone. It actually isn't really much of a hike, but a fun little stroll, with a beautifully rewarding waterfall in the end.

3) Saturday night was campfire time. We found an great campfire spot up the canyon at Vivian Park and roasted some marshmellows and starbursts. A few brave souls also decided to share some scary stories. It was wonderful because the rain held up just until as we were leaving. haha, it totally reminded me of all the times me and my fam would try to go camping in south carolina, but because of the huge amounts of pouring rain, we always seemed to be flooded out. Don't ask me why, but the weather for some reason had some vendetta against our family camping trips and never wanted us to finish them. ha. but now we have some fun memories and even videos to share.

4) Memorial Day monday me and my bro headed up to our uncles in Alpine where a lot of my mom's fam was gathering for some festivities. It was so great and relaxing, we spent most of the day outside soaking up the rays and swimming in the pool. Thank heavens to whoever created sunscreen...they are my lifesaver. without it, i would now be your own personal bright red walking human raisin. after soaking up too many rays, we had some yummy food and also a nice little birthday celebration for my grandma(I call her g-ma). oh, speaking of my g-ma, her and I are making some fun clothing items out of my oma's old but very cool retro fabrics. I can't wait to finish them, they'll be cute. and when i have access to a camera, i will remember to take a pic of them and post them for yall to see. So yea, g-ma's b day celebration was fun, and me and my brother rhen ended it with a fun little cupcake stuffing contest. We wanted to see who could stuff the biggest cupcake in their mouth and eat it all too. ha. sadly, rhen won. im still waiting for the day when I can beat him at something. ha

gone fishin'

this weekend was a great one...saturday I went with my family up to some lake in payson (very beautiful by the way), and went fishing. It was nice to have a little break from the everyday. and, I totally caught my first fish!!! well, at least that i can remember. but wait, that isn't even the most exciting part, ha. this is: I totally gutted the fish too! (well, not mine. i actually had to give my fish back to the water cause it was just a little one, but i gutted someones fish) haha. probably one of the grossest(how do you spell that?) things that I have ever done. totally wanted to throw up while doing it...what can i say, guts and blood just really aren't my thing. But needless to say, i did it and now I can totally cross that off my to do list! lol. I would also like to say that im kinda upset, cause i don't have any awesome pictures of this event to share with yall. I can't find my camera at home, and i'm a little scared that my baby bro got a hold of it. but hopefully soon pictures can accompany my posts on this blog. otherwise, it is not much worth reading...a picture is worth a thousand words....
yesterday I headed home for a fun little mother's day celebration with the family. We had a grand old time, and the best part as always... was the food. We grilled up some pork and the fish from the day before. it was delish. it was fun to spend time with my mom, shes great. when you actually take the time to sit down and think about it, you only begin to realize the blessings that come into your life because of being raised by a wonderful mother who cares for all her children. so just a quick shout-out to you mom...I LOVE YOU!!

all we need is a miracle

yea!! so, after what seemed like an eternity of job shopping, i was finally able to land myself a job today! i had been all worried and freaked out that it wasn't going to work out and i wondered if i should just get used to being a bum all summer. haha. But it ALWAYS does work out somehow, whether in the way you expect it to or not. I am so very grateful!! and i think this will be a wonderful opportunity...

just the beginning

well, here i am. cool huh. i decided to start a blog cause my awesome roommate sara callan totally convinced me to. yea, she is a miracle maker.