Catch Up

WARNING: LONG POST AHEAD

 

I have been putting this off for too long. I am SO behind! So, we'll play a little catch up so I don't have to worry about it anymore.

 

B E A R  L A K E

 

A couple weekends ago, my siblings and I were able to spend the weekend with our beautiful mom in Bear Lake! It was so much fun, and quite the adventure! The weather was looking a little iffy when we first got there, so we spent the first afternoon and evening hangin out in our itty bitty cabin playing all sorts of games and chowin down on treats. Can't get much better than that right? We even got our party pooper brother to play some games with us!

 

 

The next day, we went to the lake! It was a little too chilly to get in the water, so we just played on the beach, but it was still so much fun!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We watched the sun set on the lake, played more games, and then headed home the next morning. It was such a great little trip, and so fun to spend time with our momma!

 

I N D E P E N D E N C E   D A Y 

 

I LOVE THE 4TH. I can't even express in words how much I love the 4th! And this years was probably one of the funnest I've had in such a long time! Which says a lot.(side note, why the heck is funnest not a word?) 

 

We spent it with my dad and had a blast. We woke up bright and early for the parade in our little town, then headed over to the next place for a second parade. Both my brothers were in them for the high school student government! We then spent the day hopping from celebration to celebration, sweating our brains out. Seriously, SO. HOT.

 

 

 

 

After all the celebrating in the parks, we headed over to my grandparents magical house and had boat races in the creek!

Mine lost every time. No big deal.

 

 

We went back home for a while, swam in our little kiddy pool (you're never too old for those) and then headed to the fireworks!

 

 

 

I wish I could explain just how great the 4th was, but there is just no possible way!

 

C A M P I N

 

After the 4th we went campin in the little campsite my grandparents have on their property behind their house! We had such a great time full of lots and lots of laughs.

^^ that little smirk on my brother's face is because he put sugar on two pancakes and salt on the other, and my dad had NO idea... yet... ;)

 

 

 

YYAAHHTTZZEEEE!!!!

 

 

 

P I O N E E R   D A Y   B E G I N N I N G   C E L E B R A T I O N S

 

I started the weekend off with these three little hooligans for a few days!

 

 

Yes, that's chicken noodle soup for breakfast.

 

 

Then last night, my sister and I headed up to WSU to hear the fireside that President Dieter F. Uchtdorf was speaking at and finished the night off with the firework celebration after!

 

 

 

President Uchtdorf's message was so touching. He spoke of the pioneer's and their trials and strength. One of my favorite things he said was that the best way to honor our pioneer heritage is to have compassion, to work, and to be optimistic. They were there for each other every step of the way with love and concern for one another. They woke up every morning with a clear and defined purpose to serve God, for each days progress mattered, and when they had every reason to shout that all was not well, the sang that all was well. They knew God had a plan for them, and despite all the tribulation, they still came.

 

I'm so grateful for the pioneers and for the spirit they brought to this beautiful state!

 
M I S S I O N   U P D A T E

I met with my stake president yesterday... now all that's left is waiting for my call to arrive in the mail! AHH!!! :)
 

Phew! I think I'm finally done catching up.. for now! ;) Hope everyone had a fantastic weekend!

Big News + An Update

Okay, okay. Most everyone knows this little (big) announcement of mine, but to all the lovely people who don't... 

AHH! I can't even begin to explain how excited/nervous/anxious I am! As of right now, I'm half way through my papers. So hopefully within the next couple weeks I can get those wrapped up and off to Salt Lake! Don't worry, a whole separate post/blog is coming just for this. So the story will come later. 

But for real. I need advice people. All you RM's out there. Help a sista out! 

As for my update.

Nothing too exciting has happened. Except for the fact that this summer weather is uh-mazing. 
And my blog got a new do.

But anyways, here's the past couple weeks via my phone pictchas. 

^^ Memorial Day camping at Grandma Dixie and Grandpa RJ's! ^^

^^ The Wedding Crew ^^

^^ This was taken up by Oakley on our way home from the wedding. Gorgeous right? ^^

^^ My cute brother took me on a date the other night! He's the best. ^^

^^ First snow cone of the season! Pina Colado for lliiffee. ^^

^^ Cute little birds nest in my tree! Except for the dang things keep eating our strawberries. ^^

^^Ignore my lovely looks, but I'm tellin ya. It's hard to pull a teenage boy on a long board and take a picture at the same time! ^^

^^ Came across this beauty just chillin in the high school parking lot up the street. I NEED IT. ^^

Hope everyone had a super awesome Wednesday! 

L a t e l y

Is this not the most perfect bunch of grapes you've ever seen?

Not to mention they are DELICIOUS.

 All this basketball is making me impatient for March Madness.

And girl scout cookies.

Because they are one in the same.

Another birthday celebration, another cake.

Yes, I've had cake for breakfast, lunch, and a midnight snack

for over a week.

 I thought I lost this little gem the other day.

I about freaked.

But I found it ;)

I've also had a big kid capri sun everyday this week.

Thanks dad for buying a butt load!

And finally,
the daily horoscope app freaks me out.

Happy Monday!

2012 Recap

I know I'm like, seven days late, so just move on from that fact and recap the last year with me!
So many wonderful things happened, and it's easy to say that 2012 was extremely good to me. I couldn't have asked for a better year. A lot happened, and life has continued to move on without slowing down!
Here's a list of the year's highlights (I tried to do them in order, but I know I messed up in there somewhere) :
1: I turned 18! Not only was it the best day of the year, like always, but I got to spend my birthday with one of my most dearest friends. We danced the night away! Plus, my dad gave me a huge bouquet of flowers at the dance. He's kind of the best.
2: I graduated from Seminary. What up! At the graduation three of my best friends and I got randomly chosen to bear our testimonies. It was an unusually neat experience and it made me so grateful to have the friends that I do! I may not have many, but I have the best. AND... there was a lunar eclipse that day. Or a solar eclipse... anyway, there was an eclipse.
3: I graduated from the wonderful/not-so-wonderful high school. Talk about weird! At the time I didn't feel old enough to do that, but now I definitely don't feel that way. Not only did I graduate, but I ended my Student Government career with a bang, and had to give a speech. Something I am particularly proud of. ;) That's one day I will never forget!
4: For my senior trip, I decided to have my family tag along with me, and we went to the wonderful world of South Carolina. When I would tell people where I had chosen to go, I would always get such strange looks, but let me tell you. It is the greatest place ever. I crave it all the time. SC stole my heart.
5: I sent out some of the most incredible young men around the world on missions! Those were events full of mixed emotions. Not to mention, the other half got their calls. I'm so proud of all of them and I love them all more than anything!!
6: One thing you should know about me is that "where I come from, it's cornbread and chicken." Yes, I am from the lands of the south, good 'ole Georgia. One of my bucket list items had been to go back there and see where it all began, and I was fortunate enough to go this past summer! It was incredible. Southern Belle right here. ;)
7: My family and I got to go to the Brigham City Temple open house. I have never been surrounded by so much beauty physically and emotionally. I'm so blessed to be a part of such an incredible gospel and an eternal family!
8: In the fall I started college, and here is where I fell in love with Institute. I've said it before, but Seminary/Institute has changed my life, and I can't describe how grateful I am that I have the opportunity to go!
9: I did indeed meet the one and only, Andy Grammer. WHOO. What an experience that was. I took my best friend Jess with me and created one of the most exciting memories ever! What a man.
10: My brother Hunter earned his Eagle Scout rank! I am extremely proud of him for accomplishing his goal to get it before he turned 14. He is one of the most incredible boys I've ever known.
11: Little Baby P was born! My almost nephew as I like to calm him. He's one of the cutest little boys I've ever seen. Good work to his parents!
12: I met one incredible guy! He's basically one of the sweetest people I have known, and he has been such a blessing! I lucked out somehow... :)
13: Long lost cousin Cletus visited us from the South. Sure did miss that creepy man!
14: Every year my extended family gets together and does a Christmas service project, and this year we put together a little production of the Nativity for a retirement home! It was such a great experience, and makes me happy that I have the best family ever.
15: Jess and I had some great adventures, which included getting her car stuck in the snow and one of my favorite best friend times ever.
16: Christmas was one of the best I've ever had! There are too many details to go into that, but I'm sure one blessed girl.
17: My cousin came home from his mission in Hawaii! That included a road trip, tons of food, and a loud, laughing family. It was so great to see him again and see what an incredible man he has become!
 Some things I didn't have pictures for:
18: I received my Young Womanhood Medallion at my birthday! A little late I know, but at least I got it!
19: Both my Grandma and Grandpa went into remission from cancer this year! Prayer is the greatest thing.
20: I gained the nickname of "The Funeral Crasher" and I'm not even going to explain that one. haha

2012, it was real, it was fun, but I'm so excited to see what 2013 brings!

Rewind and Fast Forward

 I need to rewind a little bit to catch up on what's been happening up until this point!

We celebrated both Caden and Hunter's birthdays. Cade turned the big 1-6 (which is super weird..), and Si turned 14.  I love that their birthdays are only six days apart, because that means double the cake for me! 

 If you read my earlier post about the eagle project that Hunter was doing, he accomplished it! His goal was to get his Eagle before his fourteenth birthday. He collected books for the Navajo Native American Reservation in Arizona called the "Teec Nos Pos Chapter".  He got a little over two thousand books, then he and my dad took a little road trip down there with our Aunt Zana is a full blood Navajo and such a great help to give the books to the children's library. My little brother is the best, and I'm so proud of him. He did such an awesome job and definitely earned his rank as an Eagle!

Of course, we carved pumpkins for Halloween. I attempted to carve the Joker, which did not turn out. Caden carved the Assassins Creed symbol. Hunter carved Iron man, and Ally carved the word mustache. I'm not really sure why, but she was proud of it. :)

I also was apart of the annual "Godfrey Hallow" with my best friend and her family. It's always an interesting/super fun experience. It was followed by the most delicious Navajo Tacos known to man and a bunch of laughs. 

Cade went on his first date and to his first dance with the cute neighbor girl! 

He looks like such a man in the picture on the right. He's getting too big.

Congratulations to all of the newly called Elders recently. I had six friends get their calls on the same day. Pretty exciting! Life is such a great experience. There have been some happy new things recently that have made life that much better! Count your blessings :) 

Can you believe it's November already?