Bonfires and Bachelorettes

Well these past couple weeks have been filled with lots of fun. Definitely keepin' me busy! Went to Sydney's wedding and she looked beautiful, roasted hotdogs and s'mores in Kim and Adam's fire pit, had the whole family come for foiled dinners and s'mores for Memorial Day, had my first Farr's icecream, and then went to Kim's Bachelorette party last night! Goodness let me catch my breath! Haha. And this week is going to be even busier with Kim and Adam's wedding! I'm super excited for them and to have all of our family there.I just love how our family is growing :) Please excuse my overload of pictures.

I just wanted to say how sad I was when I heard Elder L. Tom Perry passed away yesterday afternoon. He was such an amazing man and brought an incredible spirit with him where ever he went. I'm so glad I got to listen to him speak one last time in April at General Conference. I loved when he said, "It is important that they (the rising generation) do not give up on themselves... they must be revolutionaries." How beautiful and powerful that was to me. Our generation is here to make a bigger change on the world than we can even comprehend. Elder Perry will always be remembered and loved. Gotta run! XOXO

The Big 2-0

Well it's official, I am no longer a teenager! I feel so old haha. This past weekend was so fun though. Kim, Brooke, and I all drove down to Boise on Saturday morning and I got there to see the kitchen decorated with balloons and birthday things. Guys, my mom is so awesome. I hadn't seen her since my injury at the indoor track so I was so so happy to finally see my mama.

We payed our usual visit to Otto's house who, bless his heart, made a giant cake and a dinner for our birthday. He is such a kind man that I have a lot to be thankful for. I didn't really care what I got for my birthday. I was just happy to see my mom and be home! (even if it was the death of my teenage years ;) )

I was even more excited that I got to be home for Mother's day. My mom is truly an amazing woman. She succeeds at everything she puts her mind to and is extremely talented. She's taught me more than I can say and has been such an amazing example to me my entire life. I can imagine her as a single mother caring for 5 children in a run-down old farm house and being scared out her mind. But I don't remember how much we didn't have or how bad it really was. I remember the family home evenings and scripture studies where we could barely sit still, making cookies in the kitchen, playing in her very impressive garden, the arts and crafts that would leave a mess, camping trips, the chore chart with the cute prizes, and every other good memory I have of my childhood. My Mom has shown me the kind of person and mother I want to become. She has shown me how the atonement can heal and bring us indescribable joy. Her spirit is so beautiful and is one of my favorite things about her. Her example has touched me in so many ways. Just like the stripling warriors mothers had taught them: "...yea, they had been taught by their mothers, that if they did not doubt, God would deliver them. And they rehearsed unto me the words of their mothers, saying: We do not doubt our mothers knew it." (Alma 56:47-48) Thank you for helping me to become a stripling warrior Mom. Thank you for being everything I hope to be. I love you lots.

And to top off this amazing weekend, I got to Skype my best friends serving missions! :D They are such an example to me and I love them to pieces! Aubree comes home in August! Where has the time gone? I feel like she just left haha. And Andi comes home next May-ish. I'm so proud of them and everything they are doing.

I could not have asked for a better birthday. Finally the big 2-0! And just to put some icing on top of the cake... I AM OUT OF MY BOOT AND WALKING! That much closer to running again. Well, gotta run! XOXO

Bitter Sweet

Wow, I can't believe I am officially done with my second year of college at Utah State! It still feels like yesterday when I was moving into Pineview my freshman year. Goodness where has the time gone? It's odd because during the school year I always want it to be summer but once it's over I'm a little sad and want to go back. These past 8 months were definitely no where near what I thought they would be, but they have definitely been an adventure.

First of all, I just want to brag about and thank my roomie Jessica. Where do I even start? I would have never thought that we would be best friends when I met her almost 2 years ago. She is just so beautiful inside and out. She's driven beyond belief and just a little stubborn (like me haha). She is one of the kindest and welcoming people you will ever meet and will probably make you laugh at least fifty million times. I'm gonna miss our late night chats, laughing until we pee our pants and my face hurts, your bomb crock-pot dinners/brownies/famous cookies, venting about our boy drama, and just you. Thanks for being my taxi all semester (Thanks Carla), listening to me vent about track and boys, making me fat with your baking, bawling while watching Grey's anatomy with me,being my library buddy, and being the best roomie I could've asked for. I'm so sad I won't be living with Jess next, but I'm happy for the new journey she's about to take and I know that's not where it ends. Love you long time!

Well, after 81 days of being on crutches I am officially crutch-less! If someone had told me that I was going to be on crutches for 3 months I would have told them to jump in a lake! Haha but I did it!

Went for my check up with Dr.Morgan this morning with my Dad. They took x-rays and told me everything looked great. You can't even see my fracture anymore! Just 3 screws light up like a Christmas tree on my x-rays but that's normal haha. Initially they had told me I would be in my boot all of May but they said to start wearing a regular shoe and walking around gradually a few hours a day. They said I should be out of my boot within a week! How crazy is that?! You could say I'm a little excited... just a little! :D Plus, Dr.Hall, my PA, said I could shadow him. I'm super stoked! When I went and did my physical therapy with Lori and Kevin today I put on a shoe which was a bit of struggle and walked! It was the oddest feeling. Haha I got a little dizzy because I was so nervous. But therapy is going so well and I am so grateful for the people and the facilities I have to help me get back to what I love. And I just wanna say how thankful I am for my Dad. He has hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, which is basically an enlarged heart. And let me tell you it makes perfect sense because he is literally the most giving and selfless person I have ever met. He's my best friend and has and always will be there for me. (Guys I'm totally the favored child ;) ) We've sort of made it a habit to got to Einstein's Bagels after my doctor's appointments... and I'm not complaining. :)

I know I still have a long ways to go, but I am really proud of myself for how far I have come. I never would have thought this would happen to me and that I could handle all of this. But I'm glad the Lord knows how strong I am and how strong I can become. Well, goodbye sophomore year. Thanks for all the memories. And HELLO SUMMER! Gotta run! XOXO

Because of Him

Wow, what an amazing weekend I've had! I always get so excited for Conference weekend and this year in particular I felt like I really needed to hear what our dear prophet and his apostles had to say. Saturday we just stayed here and watched it and Dad came for the first half. I really did feel like the talks were prepared for me and had the exact words that I needed to hear. I felt like many of the talks on Saturday focused on temple marriage and the family unit. L. Tom Perry's was one of my favorites. He focused on letting people know that the other world religions believe the family to be very sacred and important. And it's so true! It is so much better to look at others who are different from us and try to find the similarities rather than the differences. Later that night we headed down to Hooper to Jess' house to dye Easter eggs which I hadn't done in years! It was way fun and I love spending time with her family. We stayed up laughing our guts out all night haha. It made me really sad that Jessica won't be living with us next semester because I really have grown to love her. She is just beautiful inside and out and she's basically my sister haha.

We woke up and ate pancakes for breakfast. It was so cute because Jess' mom Kelli even make an easter basket for me and Brooke and let us hunt for it. So cute. I felt like a little kid again. We watched the first session which was AMAZING! Elder Holland's talk was definitely my favorite and was so powerful. Then we headed to Salt Lake to the Conference Center! I'm not gonna lie, I was a little nervous with all of the crowds and stairs. But all of the ushers were so kind to me. We actually got really good seats. It was so awesome. I just love President Monson. I feel like he isn't going to be with us much longer. It breaks my heart. But once again, it was an amazing experience and a happy happy Easter. I love the mormon message video from last year entitled, "Because of Him." I absolutely LOVE it and the new one for this year entitled, "Because He Lives." Here's the link to watch it: https://www.lds.org/church/news/watch-and-share-because-he-lives-easter-video?lang=eng

The gospel is so real and true and I cannot explain how happy it makes me. Because of Him: Everyday is a new beginning, No goodbye will last forever, I can leave my past behind, the world is filled with second chances, we can start again again, and there are no endings. Because of Him, I am everything I am and everything I can be. Let us remember his atoning sacrifice and that HE LIVES. Happy Easter. Gotta run! XOXO

Wedding Bells

Hello! Well this week was pretty uneventful. Same old same old. It rained for the first half of the week and my hood kept falling down over my eyes which made seeing difficult haha. But on a happier note, Kim got engaged on Friday! Happy day! Me, Brooke, Jeremy, and Adam's brother Ben all helped string lights on the konker tree up on Old Main hill. Haha we had some technical difficulties because it was too much power to plug into his car. But it all worked out and he popped the question after he took her on a walk to all the places they have had memories. We went wedding dress shopping on Wednesday at a local shop here in Logan and found a few dresses that she liked. She had seen this dress online that was in Salt Lake that she had her heart set on so we went to try it on on Saturday morning. We found some really pretty dresses, but in the end she chose the one she loved and it's just beautiful! Their date is June 6 in the Logan Temple. Hopefully I have my boot off by then haha! ;)

And since it's Sunday, I just wanted to take a minute to brag about three of my beautiful best friends serving missions. :) Andi has been my friend since sixth grade and is serving in the Edmonton-Alberta, Canada mission. Amber has also been my friend since sixth grade and is serving in the Chicago, Illinois mission. And Aubree has been my friend since eighth grade is serving in the Nagoya, Japan mission. And let me tell you, these three beautiful women have been such an example to me. They have voluntarily put their lives on hold to serve the Lord. They are selfless and make me want to become a better person daily. I love reading their weekly emails and can't wait until they're home! I just love love love them to death. <3

Well, I hope you all enjoy the rest of your Sabbath Day and find something to smile about. :) Gotta Run! XOXO