My Cabin Weekend

AH!!! This weekend was so much fun!! We left for the cabin at about 6:30 and drove up for about an hour and a half to the Sander's cabin in Pine. We got there and were all so starving that we just sat and ate food for a really long time! (Hayley's mom made us our food for the two days :) So nice of her!) We started playing scum and I decided that it's really not about luck or strategy very much because I went from 5th to scum to third to last to actual third! That had nothing to do with me! It's all luck in the cards! It was really really fun though! We all sat down and jammed on guitars for a while and we got people singing, then we played catch phrase. Let's just say, I love my friends haha.

We woke up the next morning and ate blueberry pancakes and bacon :))). Delicious! We just kinda hung out then decided it was time to go to the natural bridge. It was SO HOT but once we got down by the actual bridge, it was beautiful! We hiked around for a little over an hour and headed out! We had two people get yelled at for going places they weren't supposed to...dang kids! We got out and we were all so sweaty it was gross. Even though it was kinda cool, it was super humid and it just sank into our clothes. By the time we got home, all we wanted to do was to change our clothes and put on more deodorant! So we did. We ate turkey sandwiches for lunch and started just hanging out. We were all so tired that the rest of the day wasn't exactly exciting but it was still really fun. We had a really awesome group that went and none of us really wanted to leave. As we were packing up the cars, the one and only injury of the trip happened...to...ME. My good ol' pal Wesley smashed my fingers while he was closing the trunk to the car! They are not all bruised and covered in little red marks (They are like blood blisters but teeny tiny). It didn't really hurt that bad, but now they are pretty sore and yesterday they were kinda swollen. It's all good but I tend to keep hitting them on things and making them hurt again! AHH!! :)

We had a movie night when we got home, Hayley, April and I and we ate lots of fruits and vegetables!! (We were all so sick of junk food that all we wanted to do was to eat healthy stuff!)

The MOST exciting part of the weekend though, actually happened this morning! The new Kid History is finally here!! And so funny! Enjoy :))

I'm Starting a Petition...

If I have to spend one more day sweating my brains out, I think I'm going to die. (Would you die if you brains had been sweated out?). Either way...ICKY!!! I honestly don't understand why the sun has to be so hot! It's so far away...it should take a chill pill... (hehe). I can't even get from my garage door to the car without already being soaked. This is a problem. Therefore, I am starting a petition to make the sun be less hot, or even just to skip the summer months completely. We can just go strait to fall :). If you would like to sign leave your names here......

_______________________    ________________________   __________________________.

I figure it won't take very many people, just lots and lots and lots and lots and LOTS of prayers! Let's get on it!

Last night was absolutely fantastic. April, Wesley, Miranda, Jaci, Brad and I went to Applebee's for karaoke night. I don't know why it is, but I get a lot of enjoyment out of drunk people singing karaoke. The best part is, we are all so crazy anyways that I'm sure people are saying, "I want what they've got!" They will be quite disappointed when all they get put in front of them is a glass of ice cold water! :) I think everyone should go at one point...super fun!

This weekend is going to be sooo much fun! Me and a bunch of friends from Valencia are going to stay in my friend's cabin! We get to get out of the heat warning isn't that great?! We are going to hike and spend time together before everyone leaves and it's going to be a blast! I honestly can't wait...it just needs to be 6:00 already!!!!!!

The other exciting thing about this weekend is that tomorrow....A NEW KID HISTORY COMES OUT!! I think we are going to have a little premier party for it. Yeah...we're legit. For those of you who don't know what this is...

These make me so happy!!! :) It's FRIDAY ERRY-BODY!

A Blessing From Above

The past couple of days have been absolutely amazing!! I found out a couple of days ago that I actually qualified for a grant! I get about $3000 a semester :). This is my reasoning behind why this happened.

A) Heavenly Father was really proud of the way I handled the whole situation and decided I was ready to have a little break! He is basically giving me a second chance!

ooooor

B) It took ME putting in the effort to figure some things out and make some decisions before I actually got the blessing! Once I figured out where I was living, started applying for jobs, got all set up with school, and had a good attitude about it all, this huge blessing came into my life!

I am going to try really really hard to budget and save so that I can hopefully get a car!! And maybe even go back up in the spring. Honestly, I have no idea what is going to happen in the next few months, but I feel like I am ready and prepared for whatever will come!

The other awesome things that have happened recently are stake conference, temple trips, babysitting, hanging out with my friends that are leaving me, and much much more! I have been so sleepy though because I haven't been sleeping all too well :(. I don't really know what's going on, but hopefully next week will start a completely new me!! School, work ( I have a job interview this weekend for a nanny of three cute little kids!), and institute (I found someone to take classes with me!). This is going to be a good semester, I can feel it.

The show must go on

The past few days have been...uneventful to say the least. I have been working a lot but in all truthfulness, it takes up like 1/10 of my day. The rest of it is filled with a lot of sitting around. I want to do things, but I don't really have anything to do yet. I spent one whole day writing missionary letters, another day I spent organizing my stuff I brought home, and today I spent mostly getting things in order for the next few months. I have filled out some applications, sent in my ticket thing :(, and again, done a whole lot of nothing. I can't wait for my classes to actually start and for me to actually find a job! It will get me out of the house and I will be able to feel productive again. It's been a LOOOOOONG time since I have felt productive.

I really don't have much to say I just feel like it's time for me to move and get stuff done. It reminds me of the song that just got remade.

Alright already, the show goes on
All night till the morning the dream goes on

Life isn't over, it's good to have opposition in all things!

The Only Reason I Brought You Along

This weekend was really fun. Even though it was kinda low energy and not that much happened, it was just really nice to be so far away for a day. We got up to flag yesterday at like 2 and went to lunch with Ryan and Amanda. It was so nice to eat Freddy's again! Delicious... :) We just hung out for the rest of the day, not much but sitting on the couch, chatting, and just enjoying the quiet. We had a friend of mine over to watch psych and then we skyped my dear friend WESLEY!!!  He is back from Canada and it was sooooo exciting to talk to him! I seriously feel like he has been gone for ages but it's only been a month or so! Weird. Anyways, so we stayed up WAY too late doing that and we had to be up by 9 this morning for our pancake party we were throwing. In reality, only 4 people came and only two at a time. Super lame...last time I threw a pancake party, I had almost 20 people there. What happened?! Anyways, we had my friend Andrew pack up the car for us and we set off on our ride back! It was so funny trying to buy a ratchet for the truck bed without knowing anything about the truck! I'm sure that the guy at walmart thought I was a total idiot! We got it all figured out and we headed home. The ride home was the best part.

1. Crazy old guy walking towards our car on our way out of walmart
2. Gas light comes on in the middle of nowhere and there are no gas stations! (Last time I trust mom!!)
3. Random little gas station pops up on the side of the road! yay :) Heavently Father has got our  back
4. That gas station doesn't sell diesel! What kind of gas station doesn't sell diesel?
5. We find another gas station about a mile away.
6. I am the biggest moron ever and couldn't figure out how to work the gas!
7. 101E was closed, so we drove around through Scottsdale trying to get back on track. What the heck.
8. It only took us 4 hours to get home!!!!!!! (It is usually a 2.5 hour drive)

The funniest part of the trip was the comments that Miranda would make every now and again about the only reasons I brought her. On the way up, she figured out that I only brought her so I could drive in the HOV lane. This morning she figured out that the only reason I brought her was to clean my kitchen and to load up the truck while I talk on the phone. Stopped at the gas station I hear, "this is just one other reason why you brought me right???" hahaha  I love Miranda so so much and I am so grateful that I have a friend like her to do things like this with! We also took pictures as college super heroes, those will come later. It was a really good weekend and I can't wait to go to two farewells tomorrow! It should be a good day! Life is good.

You know that friend...

So today was a day of days. There are goods and bads to what happened today but as my mom says, I have made a lot of mental progress. I got a call from the financial aid lady this morning and she told me that I am not eligible for anything but loans for this semester. This is what I was afraid of...I can't go back up to school. As soon as I got off the phone, I got online and switched to all online classes which should be a challenge for me. I had my little pity party and cried it out for a while ( a very long while ) and sat talking to mom.

You know that friend that you have, that no matter how upset, angry, or frustrated you are, all they want you to do is see the bright side of things? Mom was that friend today. I know she's right but I just didn't want to hear it! I wanted to be sad and angry but then, in trying to prove that she wasn't just showing me the happy she says, "But I gave you till Monday!!". I'm just glad the morning is over. Once I was done crying, I got on the phone with a couple of people, and started looking for jobs. I have one place I am going to put in my resume and another I am applying to be a nanny online. This was good for me to start making progress. I have been living in limbo land of what's going on and where am I going and it was really time to move on.

I went to the Merchants and listened to them practice for their show tomorrow! They are opening for Little Big Town! I am so blessed to know that family, they have been going through trials and I know that by watching them, I can grow too. It takes me back to how I felt when Joy died; there was just nothing I could do and it was hard to watch...well this time I COULD do something...I took dear McKenzie chocolate! She's the best!

I am leaving for flagstaff first thing in the morning and I am going to go get my stuff from my apartment. That was another plus for the day. I can finally settle in one place and get ready to start the semester. I am so excited to go back for a couple of days and I am taking my dear Miranda with me!!! It should be an awesome weekend! Adding to the good ending to this day, I am going to have my own little "office space" to work, Wesley gets home tomorrow, I got a little tiny email from Jarek telling me he was going to send my letter on Monday, and I have a double date on Monday with my friend Parker and McKenzie!! Even though it was a hard day, I'm glad it's over and I'm ready to head to FLAGSTAFF!!!

Never another potty break

Yesterday I brought home my little puppy Juliet :). She is a six week old Australian shepherd, Queensland heeler mix. She is pretty much the cutest thing I have ever seen in my entire life! She came home yesterday afternoon and spent the night hanging out with the kids and exploring a  little bit. Once bed time came along, I was set up to sleep in the living room and Jules was in the crate right next to the couch. The only problem is, little puppies can't control their bladders. This being said... there were a LOT of breaks to get up and go potty in the night. Once at about 9, 10, 11, 12, 1, 2, 3, 4...you get the drill. It was like having a new baby in the house, but this baby just whined nonstop. The kids started school today too so I had to keep her quiet all night so she didn't wake anybody up! Let's just say, it was an experience I do not look back on with fondness.  The other thing about puppies is they have SO MUCH ENERGY. Even if she didn't need to go potty, she was always screaming to get out of her kennel because she just wanted to walk around and play! It was a bit ridiculous. I love her I do, but when it came down to tonight...I couldn't do it again. I was going to go out with a couple of friends but because Jules wouldn't be quiet, I couldn't go. That was when mom had the brilliant idea to take her back to her mom for a couple more weeks. Hopefully by doing this, she will be able to control her potty times a little better and will be a little bit less of a crazy puppy! I made the quick little drive to the Hardt's and dropped her off. While I am sad that she's not here with me right now...I know that when I wake up in the morning fully rested and ready for the day, I will be glad I did. Now I can watch the video on puppy training and get ready for her return!

The financial aid lady called me today and set up a phone appointment to call me tomorrow morning at 8am. She said I should know how much financial aid I am getting by FRIDAY!!!! This is such a relieving feeling because I am so sick of being stressed out! I need time where I don't have to worry about anything but hanging out with friends and sleeping! Goodness. I also was very productive today because I got NINE missionary letters written, enveloped, and ready to send! All I need now is stamps and a couple pictures! Dude. I am so good! While writing these letters was somewhat of a grueling process, I can't wait to start getting the replies in the mail! It always makes it worth it! Now I am going to slip into the abyss of sleep I missed out on last night!

Sing it for the world

I am having pretty much one of those terrible days that you see in movies where it seems like the entire universe is working against you. I know it's not true and I have tried to stay logical through it all but in all reality, it sucked. The morning starts off with the fax not being able to go through to my cable company. They shut off the cable in my apartment in flagstaff because "I didn't pay." when I actually did, so I have to send them my bank statement. Ugh. So that takes up half of the morning I had set aside to work. The other half of my morning was spent on the phone being transfered from this person to that person, and from this office to that office. I am just really sick of talking on the phone and I want to talk to people face to face!!!!!!!! After this whole morning, there was still no work done (not what I  need right now) as well as more questions than I started with.

The one productive part of my morning was talking to my advisor. She was the ONLY, and just because I am so serious about this...OOOONNNLLLLYYY person that could answer some of my questions. The only problem is, what I heard was not exactly what you could call...good news. I am not able to take most of the classes I need to at the extended campus so my options are
a) Stay in flag
b) Take community college courses and lose my scholarship
c) Take ALL online courses from home, or
d) Switch schools.
I am not happy about any of these but option a. The only problem is, if option a ends up not being able to happen, I only have bad choices left! GRRRR. Moving on. After all of this is happening, I am a wreck because I am stressed out beyond belief and my mom leaves me behind when she leaves for callbacks! I know it's not really a big deal but goodness! At least tell me you are leaving or SOMETHING! Callbacks went well and I am excited for the cast :). While we are there though, mom gets a phone call saying, "We broke Chelsey's frame." My beautiful frame that we worked so hard on to get it perfect, is now  broken. It will never look the same. It's dead. Mom says she will think of something but I'm not so sure. All of this really just makes me want to drop down in my bed, grab Anna (who isn't even here :( ), and just cry till there is no water left in me! This is not what is going to happen though, I am going to be strong and I am going to figure this out. I have friends and family that love me, I have things to keep me busy, and I am going to be the person somebody else would want! That's what I'm going to do.

So I've got to believe, this is gonna be my year,
Stand up tall, look alive, you never know.
So I've got to believe, this is gonna be my year,
Stand up tall, look alive, be on standby.



The reason I named this blog post "sing it to the world" is because when I get in moods like this where literally nothing can explain the way I'm feeling, I just blare my music and I sing.I belt it at the top of my lungs. I can't explain why it helps so much, but it's the only way I can actually get my feelings out. Being sick has made it difficult but I know I will be able to sing again soon. I will, and I when I do, I will sing it to the world!

Summaaaaa Timmmme :)

It has been a CrAzY Summer! At first there was a lot of stuff going on but it has started to relax a little bit more. The big kids are back in school and the little kids have learned how to handle most of their eneregy. If it wasn't so darn HOT!!!! Anyways. I have a few big things I thought should be blogged about.
1. My awesome roommate summer is ENGAGED! Soon to be Mrs. Summer Walsh :)
2. I love the skies in the valley! I cannot explain to you how many times I have looked up and said...WOW!
3. I love my friends. I have had so much fun with my besties this summer! McKenzie, Miranda, Jessica, Mikaela, and MUCH MUCH MORE!!! Me and The girls did a photo shoot the other day and I'm gonna put some of those pics on here :) It was so hot though that it almost wasn't even fun! It was just like TAKE THEM AND GET OUT OF HERE!!! Also, I have had many skype dates with my lovely baby baker (long story) which have been absolutely amazing :).
4. I am getting a puppy! (Pictures also to come!) Soooo cute just waiting for them to be big enough :))
5. I miss Wesley and Preston! They are in Alaska right now and they will be home on the 12th of this month! HURRY!!!
6. I absolutely adore the rain. I just wish it was cooler so the rain was a little more fun.
7. I think that financial aid people should be more responsive and answer calls they get! If your answering machine says you will call me back...CALL ME BACK!
8. I love music. I love singing. I love dancing. I love belting songs at the top of my lungs. I like all kinds of music! I love broadway! It has been so fun this summer being with my friends and it turning into a jam session every time! I don't know how it happens, it just does!
9. I love old movies. I have been obsessed with them lately. You don't have to worry about bad stuff in them because that was not impressive back in the olden days! They dressed modestly, they talked properly, and their problems seem so much different than ours. It is fun for me to put myself in that other world for a couple of hours. I always feel smarter after watching them. Any good ones?? Let me know.
10. I CANNOT EXPLAIN HOW MUCH I LOVE GETTING EMAILS!!!!!!!!! The email I got today was so absolutely amazing. It was long and meaningful and I have re-read it over and over again! Happy day!!!!

I don't know why but I REALLY like this picture.

10.5. I don't really want to put another one because I love even numbers, but I love preschool. I sat with Katy today (It was her first day :) ) and I just really decided that I want to open my own right now. Who cares about school??? ( hope you caught the sarcasm there!) I love school too. I love being in school.

These are the two I am choosing between! I am thinking more the right one :) Little girl named Rorie!

The Setter Uppers

I have realized something the past couple of weeks on stage crew. Setting up is a really big part of any production!! There is so much that goes on behind the scenes; between dealing with props and making sure that everyone is where they need to be WHEN they need to be there, there is also the setting up and taking down of all the sets! There is marking the stage so everyone knows where everything goes, figuring out who is supposed to take what, and when they are supposed to take it. It's a big job and we have lots of awesome people who are helping out the cause by being a prop carrier, a stage crew member, kid wranglers, hair do-ers, make up do-ers, and much much more! The cast did awesome on their first show tonight but this is a special shout out to all of those people that don't get their little moment in the light to bow and smile :). We ROCK!!

The other part of this post has to do with a bunch of the members of the cast that have decided to set ME up.  I won't say who, but there is a return missionary who is a family member of one of the cast members. Yesterday night before I got to rehearsal I get a text from mom saying basically you are getting set up and get ready to meet him when you get here, he's helping out. I decided ok, it could be fun! I walk in the doors and I have two more people tell me that there is a really cute boy backstage that I NEED to meet. I say, "Yeah I have heard!"  It is at this point when I walk into the back of the theater and I get asked by yet ANOTHER person if I have met the kid backstage and that I needed to talk to him because he is, and I quote, "really hot, single, shy and needs a date". This was also the time that one of the orphans from the show comes up and says, "DATE HIM! DATE HIM! DATE HIM!" I once again explained that I haven't talked to him yet. At this point I am getting  a tad frustrated. I don't want to be rude and not talk to him but now it's just getting awkward because he knows he's getting set up and I know he is getting set up with me. I sit down by mom and she says, "So have you talked to him yet??" OH MY FLIPPIN' HECK!!!  I eventually was introduced and we talked a little bit and that was really it. I talked to him a little bit today and it was fine but I really just do not understand why this is such a big deal? I understand that he is an RM but does that mean I have to fawn over him? Hmmm.

Anyways, that is my rant for the day! Show numbers 2 and 3 tomorrow, it's going to be a LOOOG day :) Night!

Summa time!

It has been a long time since I have blogged. I have no excuses. This is why once again, I am starting to blog! Hopefully it stays this time :)

It has been a crazy few weeks since I got home from Flag, completely packed with things to do and people to see. I have been the mom for 8 days, in California for 4 days, and completely swamped with Annie rehearsals (Even though I am not in the play! oh and p.s. you should all go see it!). I actually spent 10  hours at the performing arts center today and am headed back in less than 12 hours for a long afternoon of painting and partying with my girls :). It is so much fun hanging out with theater people! I forget how fun it is until I am back. I can be my crazy self with nobody really caring why I'm doing it! They usually play along too. Whether it is belting Wicked (!!!) or painting each other's heads, it is always a good time. I am glad that I am spending my time with such amazing people. It has been quite the experience not being in the show. At first I was sorta upset about not being in the show but I'm pretty sure I have had  more fun working backstage, cleaning dances, working hair and makeup, and being a sort of the everything girl. I have gotten many compliments and I really feel appreciated which is nice too :).

It is getting to be that time where I am in between desires.  I want to go back to flagstaff because most of my friends are there and there is more to do because of that. On the other hand I have had lots of fun things happen here, just not in the same way. I have gone to farewells, seen people I have not seen in ages, and gotten to spend a lot of time with my family. I don't really know exactly what I want to do so I am just going with the flow for now. I really just want my straightener!!!!! I can't believe I left it in flag! I use it almost every day! :(

The other thing I feel is important to put out there is that I am fairly sure I am going to be the last one of my friends married. I don't know why or how it ended up that way but I'm serious...everyone is GETTING MARRIED!!! It is just engagement picture after engagement picture and ring after ring!!!! I don't even know how to handle it! I am going to have nobody left to talk to and I am going to live alone with tons of dogs. (I would say cats but I really really hate them). It's not a bad thing, it's just a fact of life!

Bo: stay here, don't ever get married and just stay!
Me: ok! I'm not planning on getting married anyways!
Bo: why not...?
Me: because boys smell funny!
Bo: .......maybe that's just me that smells funny....

Oh man that kid cracks me up! Anyways...guess there is a lot that needed to be said...this is REALLY LONG! :)

Escalante: Spanish for The Grand Canyon

Just if you wanted to know, Escalante is not spanish for The Grand Canyon but it was one of our jokes for the weekend. This was one of the most amazing weeks of my life. I did something I didn't know I could do, and I did it all the way. We ended up having 22 people on the trip!

We left at 6:00 pm on Wednesday night. We were told it was a 4 1/2 hour drive, but when we arrived at our camp at 2 am we decided they had tricked us. We ended up sleeping in the car that night because we were all cold and tired. We woke up first thing Thursday morning and started on our "short" hike for the day.






We went to a place called Neon Canyon.  It was in a place called Egypt and we didn't really understand why until we began hiking.  It was about an 8 mile hike in 3 inch deep sand.  I know that doesn't sound too bad but honestly, it was harder than the backpacking hike. About halfway along, there was a river we had to cross that was about mid-thigh deep, FREEZING cold, and fast moving. I stubbed my toe and it was bruised and swollen the whole rest of the trip.








We got to the end of the canyon at a place called the Golden Cathedral.  Bishop Kilgrow and Dallin rappelled down through it. We hiked back out and went back to the cars.

We drove to the top of Coyote Gulch, put on our packs, covered them with garbage bags, and headed out on our 2 mile hike down into the canyon.  We camped on a little sand spot for the night. It was cold and rainy and disgusting but we survived.

That night we camped right underneath this huge rock!
It was interesting to learn that sand is, in fact, NOT softer than regular ground.
It felt good on the feet but honestly, if I never had to lay on it again,
I think I would be satisfied!! :)
















The next day was definitely the most fun day of the trip. There was little ground to cover and a LOT of time so we got to play around a lot! We were walking up and down the little river that's down in the canyon, skipping rocks, sight seeing, etc. It was really amazing! There are so many beautiful things in nature. I really wish the trip had been longer because I could have stayed there for lots more days and been totally happy! The only thing about this day is that I got a really sore arm from learning to skip rocks. I am pretty good at it now, but since I did it wrong so much, my arm was pretty much dead!! All of these next pics are from day 2!

That night we hiked to the bathroom!!! We camped a little earlier
in the evening and had time to get completely set up before dark. We were playing card games and eating food for a couple hours then we had our own little fireside! We learned about 'hole in the rock' and what the pioneers went through.  If you don't know what the story behind that is, I suggest looking it up, it is an amazing story! It was fun to actually be around a fire having a fireside though, it made me feel all authentic! It wasn't raining that night (unlike the first night) so we slept a little better.  I think what was keeping us up is that we knew we had to hike out in the morning. It was pretty bitter sweet. We didn't want to leave and we knew it was going to be a hard hike the next day, but on the other hand, we all REALLY wanted our beds!! The hike out was about 20 minutes of climbing up steep rocks then almost another two hours to get out by the cars. It was very trying and really hard but I am so glad I made it out.  I was a little worried I would not be able to.

I knew that I wasn't as strong as I thought I was and I knew that this was something I had never done before. All this being said...I FINISHED!!! :)

Home alone..ALMOST!

The past couple of days have been so amazing! I was a little nervous about being home alone for the past couple of days...not because I was afraid someone was going to jump out and kill  me, but more because I hate having to entertain myself. It's a big chore and I would rather just have someone else do it for me.  I had Melanie and Mikaela come over yesterday afternoon. We went to Sonic and Big Foot's BBQ. You see, this is our tradition before the Bachelor on Monday nights. We got home just in time to watch the episode. More on that later.  I decided I didn't really want them to leave so I said, "Hey! You guys should spend the night!!". They did. :)  This morning we got up and watched tons of baby shows then headed out. The big hike is tomorrow and it was important to go get everything we needed. Wal Mart and the dollar store...They are the best! We got everything and then went and played tennis for a while. I also swung on the swings. It has been MUCH too long since I have done that, I forgot how fun it was!!!!!! I am now completely packed and just waiting for tomorrow...It's gonna be a long night!!

So the Bachelor. I have mixed feelings. I really really wanted Chantel to win, I just did. I liked her a lot more and  felt like they were better for each other. He, on the other hand, thought Emily was. I was even more upset at his decision when I figured out they were not even together at the time. I hope they can work it out and get married but I don't know. I actually cried when he told Chantel goodbye because she was SO in love with him and so open and he didn't seem to appreciate it much. That is my little say on the matter. SO EXCITED FOR TOMORROW!

Busy Weekend

The title of this post pretty much says it all! I have had so much fun in the valley this weekend! After my super fun Friday night, I went to play practice first thing Saturday morning. I got to do everyone's favorite thing...clean!! Not actually cleaning like removing dirt, but I got to clean a couple of the dances for the show.  It was really fun for me to be there again. I learned something though, you cannot make 50 kids participate in doing something they don't want to do.  It was the longest half hour of my life. All I wanted to do was to get them to all do the counts on the same word so it would look good and they just did not understand.

There were issues with the adults too...just very different ones. When someone has experience in something, they think they are always right! They have to let their opinion be heard and nobody can question it.  There were a few ladies that made it very clear that what I taught them was not right and not what they were supposed to do. What I don't understand is why Molly would send me to do something and to teach them if they weren't supposed to listen to me. That's all I want to know. A few people even left and didn't let me help them anymore. WOW. That is all I have to say on that subject.

After play practice I went and picked up Bo, and him and I went to Julia's house.  Bo missed Lainey and I needed a hair cut...BAD. It was fun to catch up.  It's awesome when you have a leader that becomes a friend. I have actually talked to her more than my mom has since the move. I love her to death and I'm so glad she has been there for me.  We went to sonic during happy hour which I decided was the best invention of all time!! The rest of the day was not all that exciting but it was enough to where I just wanted to sit down and SLEEP!

Today I went to 5 hours of church, which is the usual routine when I am down in the valley.  All of the singles ward, then 2 hours of primary. :) It's everything I love all in one day! Singles ward has gotten so much more fun since I have gotten to know people.  It is really exciting to go and have someone to sit by and have people  know who you are. I really love it. All that is left is to get my backpacks together for the hike on Thursday and hang out with the fam! I have not had Sunday dinner in heaven knows how long...I am excited :).

I love doing things with people

Today was honestly one of the most fun days I have had in a LOOONG time :). To start off the day, I got to go to school and see my old seminary teachers and my English teacher miss Jensen.  After getting picked up and eating a piece of pizza, Andrew texted me and asked how Queen Creek was. I told him good and after a short swap of information, we ended up at lunch. While waiting for his roommate to get out of the temple, we chowed down on some Macaroni Grill. Definitely a lot of fun!! Arriving home, I did some work and  headed to the Merchants to help sister Merchant with the party.

I got to babysit baby Claire for quite a while and I absolutely LOVE HER.  The party went amazingly and Maddie said she had fun :).  My gift for her was so amazing...Mouthwash (for the obvious reason), a watch (so she is home from her dates in time), nerds (reminding her to always be herself), lotion (for all those hand holding times), and last but not least, lip plumping lip gloss (for the KISSING of course) :).  She liked it.

After deciding that we all felt old at a sweet 16 party, the elders of us that were there ended up going to hang out together. First we stopped at Sonic because all the boys were hungry.  After sonic we decided to go bowling. We got to cosmic bowl and it was REALLY fun. I didn't fail too miserably so I call it a success.  We decided the night was not quite over yet, so we went to McDonald's and got the really cheap ice cream cones. It was SO much fun. It ended up being Me, McKenzie, Wesley, Trent, and Chris.  I am so glad I have such amazing friends that we can go and have a dance party in the middle of the street and still have so much fun :). Thanks guys!!! You rock!

HIKE!

Yesterday afternoon I got invited to go on a hike! We went to hike mt. Elden (I think that's what it's called). I was told we were going on a 2 mile hike...little did I know, the person who invited me had no idea what he was talking about! There were 5 of us: Larissa, Anderew, Jason, Tracy, and me.  We headed up the mountain and it wasn't too bad at first, just a little steep.  The hard part was when it started getting cold. Being the smart hiker that I am, I didn't bring a jacket. It was a beautiful day and I forgot it gets colder the higher up you go!

My hands were completely numb by the time we reached the top (or as far as we ended up going) and they were really fat! I looked like an oompa loompa!  It was 2.5 miles uphill, and I mean REALLY uphill, pretty much as uphill as you can get.  That's where we turned around. Going down was almost as fun as going up, seeing as we had to walk down that steep mountain, sliding on icy snow. There were a few good falls let me tell you. We made it to the bottom and headed home. This might not seem like that big of a deal, but to me, it was time to think and be with amazing people.

While I was hiking though, I was following the people in front of me and the people right behind me were follwing me. I started noticing something. Andrew went first, then me, then the others.  I was following his and watching where he stepped so I could step there and I wouldn't fall.  The others were following me doing the same thing. It really reminded me of how life works.  By being a follower of Christ, you are also being a leader. By choosing to follow someone I trusted, those that trusted me knew they would be ok. It was a really neat learning experience!

My Ward Family

Being away from home is a little bit scary at times. There isn't really anybody to turn to, all of the friends that have known you for forever are just gone, and you have to start new. I learned yesterday that there are things away from home that can act like your family. My ward is absolutely amazing.

Last night we had family home evening.  We went to a member of our bishopric's house and we played scategories. This sounds like a very simple thing, but with our small little group, it's great. Every week, no matter what we do, we always have fun.  We all get along and we always have fun. It makes me so happy. I know that no matter what, when I go to FHE, I will have fun. (Even though I miss the Bachelor)

My Relief Society president is the most amazing person ever. I know I can talk to her about everything. We go way back! She babysat me when I was little, the amazing Kourtney Garner!! Her, along with my visiting teachers, the sister missionaries, my friends, my teachers...it is a GREAT ward and I absolutely love it.

I hope that everyone can have a chance to be in an amazing ward like I am :).

Our Generation

It has been a good couple of days! One of the best parts being, I have a new phone to use! Summer let me use her old phone until I work out my phone situation. It is just like my old touchscreen so it is a blast from the past! I never knew how dependent society was on technology! L. Tom Perry talked about how hard it is for him to adapt to our fast moving technological generation.  The Palm pilots, the blackberries, the ipads, the iphones, and now he has an ipod.   Not to mention the facebook, twitter, and youtube.  I was thinking about how I don't feel like anything has really changed. Everything feels the same to me.  I have always grown up using computers, phones, the Internet, and it's weird to think there are people who didn't.

A girl told a story in church yesterday about how her computer got a virus and how now she doesn't have it to do her homework or to work and how she was freaking out.  It is crazy to me how dependent we are.  There are classes now that are COMPLETELY online. If something happens to your computer, there is nothing you can do about it.  I am so happy that I have a working computer. 

Last night I also talked to my visiting teachers! They are so sweet. They gave me a message on how the priesthood and the Relief Society go hand in hand. The Relief Society takes all of its organization and power from the priesthood. I am so happy to have the priesthood in my life. I am hoping that I have the chance to go to the temple soon, it seems like a good time!! :) 

Happy Monday Everyone!!!!! 

A Saturday to Remember.

Yesterday was an amazing day! It made me really appreciate the amazing friends and family that I have.  My dear cousin Deanna, my awesome friends Britney, Courtney, and Ryan, and my buddy Carsten make my life SO amazing!  After waking up and eating pizza, we had an awesome day hanging out, going to circle k, watching youtube videos, playing on a website, and just have the time of our lives!

We decided it was time for a friend photo shoot! We got all cute and matchy and took pictures behind my apartment in these little woods.  They are so cute :). I love taking the time to just enjoy a day, nothing to do, nowhere to be, just friends and all the time in the world.

This morning I woke up and skyped Mom, Dalin, Rhett, Stephen, Bo, and Katy. I love them so much and am so excited to go down and visit them this weekend!!!! :) Fast Sunday and I am pretty sure I am about to eat myself alive, I have a certain friend visiting me and all she makes me want to do is eat and lay in bed with a heat pad!!! Luckily she has been nice with the cramps but the hunger...NO WAY!!