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A Good Day

Oh, it was a good day.

Today was wonderful because:

I went to the temple

I slept in 15 minutes later than I should have

Free Cafe Rio

I managed to pull off an ADORABLE haircut on this cute girl who looked 10 times better when she left than when she sat down in my chair. mmm. Good feeling.

The "runner's high" hit me around mile 3 tonight. . .LOVED IT.

And The Number of The Day Is . . .

59 people. 59.

The Family

I found these quotes on the Church's website (www.lds.org). There are so many more wonderful statements made in the media if you want to check it out. These two just really lifted my spirits and gave me hope that we live in a world where there is still some tolerance and respect for others and for a difference of opinions.

Beliefnet.com — Rod Dreher: Stand By the Mormons

“Now is the time for traditional Christians — Catholic, Protestant and Orthodox — to come to the aid of our Mormon friends. They put themselves on the front line of the traditional marriage battle like no other church group. And now individual Mormons are paying a terrible price for standing up for something we all believe in. I don't know how we can stand with them from afar, but at least we can thank them, and speak out when we see them being abused. We might also think again about how we view them. … I have deep disagreements with Mormon theology. But they are our friends and allies and fellow citizens, and they deserve our thanks and support.”

John Mark Reynolds, Philosophy Professor at Biola University – California and Thank-a-Mormon Day

“In the battle for the family, however, traditional Christians have no better friends than the Mormon faithful. It would be wrong if that support were taken for granted. We are intolerant of the false attacks on Mormon faith and family. We stand with our Mormon friends in their right to express their views on the public square. We celebrate the areas, such as family values, where we agree. A heart felt thank you may not win points from other friends who demand one hundred percent agreement from their allies, but it is the decent and proper thing to do. Thank you to our Mormon friends and allies!”

Things I Live For . . .

• Running
• My Family
  
• Brand New Books That Smell Delicious
• Sunday Naps
• The Gospel
  
• Laughing Till Your Stomach Hurts
  
• Warm Summer Rain
• Going Out To Eat (Preferably Sushi)
  
• Puppies
• Friends Who Put Up Endlessly With Your Annoying Habits
• The Mystery of Tomorrow
• Babies
• Amazing New Music
  
• Holding Hands With That Special Someone
• Chocolate
• Making Someone Smile
• A Night At The Movies
• Learning Something New
  

Wedding Day

So Erinn got married. . . so I jumped in the car with my roommate and our friend Rob and we drove to Idaho for the weekend. Great trip! Everyone can use a little N'Sync and Britney Spears mixed with some good techno and a little bit of KC and Jo Jo. Let me tell ya, that makes for some GREAT dance moves.


The Beautiful Bride

Marjie and I Singing In The Car

Gettin' All Cozy

Rob Got To Ride With Us For 4 Hours!

Oh Road Trips. . .

The Wall

Deep down in the corner of the basement of my grandparents house, lit by the perfect pull switch light that just adds that little something, rests THE WALL. Ever since I can remember, whenever we had a family gathering, we wrote on THE WALL. The cousins would sneak down and write funny things or a little memory of the event which was currently taking place in bright markers or crayons we found in grandma's kitchen somewhere. There are little pencil marks to show how tall each of the cousin's were each year. Little notes adorn THE WALL, like "Josh is a weenie" or "Family Reunion '99. So fun!" etc. I was back at my grandparents house a few weekends ago for my dearest cousin's wedding. We are only a year apart; we have always been so close. It was so strange to watch her take this big step in life; I couldn't help but wonder, "does this mean we're grown up now? If we can get married and be away from our families and our wall with all of our special notes on it?" So that night I crept into the basement to read the wall. There were scribbles and markings I hadn't noticed before; ones from my parents, my grandparents, aunts and uncles, that were so grown up from our little kid scribbles. It was such a contrast of adulthood and childhood all meshed into one big mosaic. I guess it just got me thinking about how much we all change and grow and learn, and that even though we sometimes don't think it will or can, things somehow change and we make it through the hard times and pass through the happy times even faster, and life just keeps on keepin on. But the one constant thing we have is our families. As the day of giving thanks approaches, I feel especially grateful for all of those people in my life who I am blessed enough to call family.

SICK

What NOT To Eat When You're Sick:

*Brownies

* A Milkshake (even if you are burning up and it sounds so wonderful. It's isn't.)

*A Hot Dog

These are the only things I've tried in the past few days, except for homemade chicken noodle soup from my roommate which was delicious. And Orange Sorbet. That was sweet relief. Oh and my friend Rob sometimes comes over and shares his clementine oranges with me. THose are fabulous. I Think I'm stickin' to that combo from now on.

Also noteworthy: The FOOD Network has this really cool cake cook-off show on every day that is so entertaining, and if you're ill to the point of delirium, you can still handle it. Also, Paula Dean's Southern Cookin is the best cooking show on the planet. I felt a little bit closer to Gideon as I watched the plump southern belle tell the whole network "And Mamma's Wearin FLip FLops!!" As she waved her furry flip flops on the front porch of her Savannah Georgia home.

TINY TINY TINY!!!

I found an article in PEOPLE magazine and it made me so so so happy. This girl is TINY!!! Her name is Jyoti Amge. Can you guess her age? You won't. This little Indian beauty is 14 YEARS OLD. I keep the article in my purse all the time in case I need a good laugh. So next time you think your life is hard, just think: At least I can reach the toilet seat.

Halloween

Come on now people. Those of you who really know me. . . I'm sure you're not surprised that I was prego for Halloween. Truthfully, I just didn't feel like dressing up, so I shoved a hoodie in my shirt. But I did get more doors opened for me!

Me an April

Me, Em, April


We had a fashion show competition at school; the theme was THE GOOD, THE BAD, AND THE HAIRY. Our group won 2nd place! But these are some of my friend's work. Brilliant girls!

I almost ate Michelle's poisoned apple . . .

Edward Scissor Hands--They won 1st Place!

If you think this is scary . . . she was a boy for a dance party and actually looked legit. Creepy.

My HILARIOUS instructor Carolyn. In case you can't tell, she's princess Fiona as an Ogre.

Me and Baily! She's a gem.

Home Sick

So. . . . I'm home sick. Sort of. It's complicated. Which means, time for a post. First on the agenda of important things to shout to the online world:
GIDEON COMES HOME IN 11 WEEKS. E-L-E-V-E-N. When he first left, I made a jar full of M&Ms (730) and I was supposed to eat one every day until he came home. (That was TOTALLY Gideon's idea by the way-he said his uncle did it??) Anyways. About 3 weeks after he left I couldn't look at that stupid jar FULL of millions of M&Ms, so me and my roommates and Jared ate them all in one night. Now I can't believe he is coming home so soon. The whole situation is kind of. . surreal. . .

In my head, it's like I had this awesome dream one time that I met this amazing guy, and he was my best friend EVER. Then I woke up from the dream, but I couldn't forget about the boy in my dream. He's like my imaginary friend. Sometimes, when I get a letter, it's like he's alive and real. Then he's jut pretend again. And I keep hoping he'll come back to life but it feels like he never will. The idea of seeing him and talking to him FACE to FACE is unreal. Don't get me wrong; this is all a very good, happy, excited wierdness that i'm feelin'.

11 weeks is . . .

1 MORE OIL CHANGE

2 MORE FAST SUNDAYS

3 MORE VISITING TEACHING VISITS

6 LAUNDRY DAYS

2 MORE RENT PAYMENTS

5 MORE PAYCHECKS

1 MORE BIRTHDAY

1 MORE THANKSGIVING

1 MORE CHRISTMAS

1 MORE NEW YEARS

Asleep at Hannah and Sean's

Mission Call. . . I'm on the phone.

Our date night right before we cleaned the boy's apartment for hours!

My house for Christmas!!

Mission

I think me and Gid probably have some of the funniest memories ever. Can't wait to get that kid home!!!

BREAKFAST!!

So in an effort to ditch a couple of pounds, I have been eating these actually WONDERFUL frozen meals called Smart Ones. They're from weight watchers. And although I don't do the whole points thing, I feel healthier when I stick with these. But I have been living off of oatmeal every day for breakfast. It's GOOD, but I needed a little change. Well, these babies changed my life!! They taste 10 TIMES BETTER than the Egg McMuffin from McDonald's. (The only thing I eat there BTW, besides the yogurt which is not made there and is therefore safe.) Anyways, they're only 220 calories apiece and So YUMMY and FILLING! Try em!!

The Truth About Barack Obama and Babies

PLEASE WATCH THIS VIDEO BEFORE YOU VOTE.

If you aren't already aware, Barack Obama supports abortion rights and infanticide. I'm not sure why we would elect him to run our country, but I won't be surprised if he wins. He is a very smart, articulate man. In other words: He's a smooth talker. Who does that remind you of? Perhaps the one man who managed to single handedly lead a country into years of mass murder and destruction; also called the Holocaust. Just something to think about.

What a Weekend!

Friday was our competition day at school . . .

My group consisted of myself, my friend Baily and Christian. The theme was Disney/Pixar, and we had to dress up one of us like the character of our choice. So we chose the little old man (Jane's Dad) from Tarzan. We won second place! I think we did a pretty good job, he looked so real!
Friday night. . .

Zach and Caitlin and baby Jonah were in a super bad car accident. It was so scary waiting to find out if they were all ok or not! But luckily, they were all safe. It's always good to have things put into perspective for you a little bit. Love you guys!

New Hair

I only made it 6 weeks into school until I couldn't fight it any longer; I had to cut my hair. I'll probably end up putting extensions in soon enough anyways. :)

I Quit Life Day

Last night I was so discouraged and stressed out, I decided I was going to steal a day for myself! I literally don't even have enough time to do my laundry. I go to school every day, 40 hours a week, and I work about 20 hours a week, and then church keeps me busy as well. Oh and Saturdays? Nope. I work 12 hour shifts EVERY Saturday. So today I took matters into my own hands, and let me say it felt so GOOD!!! My roommates were so worried about me; they haven't seen me sleep past 6 a.m. ever. EVER. So when I slept in until ten o'clock this morning, they woke me up because they were so worried. I just rolled over and mumbled to them that it was "skip life" day. So I did whatever I felt like doing today! It was a beautiful sunny, chilled fall day. I did things I haven't had time to do in SO LONG!!!

Things that I did that I have missed:

*Slept in! No alarm clock. My eyes weren't the lease bit red today! Awesome.
*Woke up and walked around in my pajamas and actually checked out the news while I ate breakfast!
*I ate breakfast SITTING DOWN, not while I curled my eyelashes and straitened my hair all at once.
*Went to the gym, and ran until I couldn't run anymore, instead of running as fast as I can for 30 minutes so that I can get home to finish whatever I'm doing.
*Did my laundry!!
*I shaved my legs in the shower, BECAUSE I HAD TIME!!! Loved it. I even stood under the water for a minute and relished in my own thoughts!!
*Obviously, I had time to post 3 times on my blog!
*Went to check on a job I really want at William's & Sonoma, and while I was there, as I was rushing back to my car, I remembered I had time to kill! So I slowed my speed walk to a stroll, and wandered.
*I walked through a painting gallery and stopped at every wall and thought about what the artist must have thought when he/she painted it.
*Went to the Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory and bought a caramel apple! To celebrate fall. MMMM.
* Bought myself a diet coke. TREAT.
*Downloaded new beautiful songs from iTunes.
* I cleaned my bathroom and my kitchen!
*Went for a bike ride!
*I went out to eat SUSHI with friends.

*Watched the debate

And now it's over and I am going to bed early because I got everything done today that I normally squeeze into 3 hours. Tomorrow I have to go back to the real world. But today was WONDERFUL and I highly recommend it to anybody who's stressed! Just put the things that can wait on hold and enjoy what you WANT TO ENJOY. Your baby. Your family. Your favorite book or movie. Just soak it in, breathe it in, swim in it. It's called LIFE. Don't miss it!

General Conference

Conference was AMAZING this weekend! We are so blessed to listen to the words of prophets! My mom sent up tickets (Thanks Mom!) so a couple of us went to the Sunday afternoon session. We got up there early, so we decided to take some fun pictures. My friend Josh and I decided it would be funny to take mock engagement photos. HILARIOUS. Anyways, it was such a neat experience to be there. I always love walking around Salt Lake with so many members parading around everywhere! It's such a nice feel. And of course, temple square just has a special place in my heart. LOVE it there. I can't wait for the Christmas lights to go up!Friends! Rob, Me, Marjie, Linda, and Josh

A good heal-clicker jump

Ha ha.

Medley's understand this pose.

This pose is harder than it looks!

Linda, Me, and Marjie

Jumping Pictures! Linda didn't quite get up there.

Two Abuelitas.

Toilet Paper In My Room

FALL IS HERE!!! There is nothing that makes me happier than the long anticipated arrival of Autumn every year. I just love the golden leaves and the crisp air and the smell of firewood burning, and the fact that now you have an excuse to drink hot chocolate for every meal. But this morning, as I looked around my room, I thought to myself: Winter must be coming. Why? Here are a few tell tale signs you can all be watchful of to let you know the cold times are creepin' in.

*There is a roll of toilet paper in your room from all of those blow-your-runny-nose-200-times nights.
*You find a sock in your sheets from being so bundled up the night before.
*Random hot cocoa stains show up on your kitchen counter. All the time.
*Leaves get inside your house and even though you'd assume they'd just stay in the entryway, they end up in your room, in your bathroom, in your freshly washed laundry even!!
*Your hair gets frizzy from your heater turning on
*Not to mention the arrival of your beautiful pasty skin.

Hello, winter. Come on in. I've been waiting for you.

My First Haircut!

So I started the cosmetology program at Bon Losee Academy a couple of weeks ago. . . and after many cut fingers and chopped up manequin heads, they finally set us free and let us cut a REAL PERSON'S hair!! My beautiful sister in law Caitlin was SO great and let me experiment on her. Her hair was super long and she let me cut it into an ADORABLE A-Line. (Technically called a graduated cut.) Not too bad for my first time! Never thought I'd say it, but I must admit I LOVE HAIR SCHOOL!