Stuck in a rut

9:00 Wake-up

9:15 Eat Breakfast

9:30 Check email/job opportunities

9:45 Still in pj's

10:00 Consider getting dressed

10:01 Decide that pj's are so much comfier than clothes

10:15 Mom comes in my room and looks at me disapprovingly

10:16 Consider getting dressed

10:25 Decide to read instead

12:00 Eat lunch

12:15 Consider working out...nope, not today

Stuck in a rut....is what I am. I was counting on working immediately upon returning home, but as they say, the best laid plans do not turn out. So, in the meantime I decided that I would at least be productive and be a work-out fiend. That motivation lasted for about a couple weeks until the warmth of my bed called me back. After that, my motivation was toast. The one thing that I have been successful at is crafting. I will post pictures of my latest creations tomorrow :) Luckily, I have some job interviews lined up and things seem to be getting back on track. I hate being lazy!

This is a representation of me now:

This is a representation of eventual, newly-improved, joyful me:

So, cross your fingers and toes and pray that I will regain my mojo (yep..I just said mojo..).....pretty please?

The words I couldn't say

Have you ever had that moment of nostalgia after hearing a song on the radio? That moment that takes you back to where you were when you last heard it. Maybe it was at a bonfire the summer before College, or a road trip with friends. Immediately upon hearing those familiar tunes, you find yourself reminiscing about happy, or even bittersweet moments. This is one of the top reasons that I love music. I love being able to go back in time to relive those moments. Music has a way of filling us with joy. Music puts into words the emotions that we feel, but expresses it in such a way that is universal. Music unites us and can be enjoyed by everyone. Lately, I have been feeling stressed out and my immediate go-to solution is to crank up my iPod. I play it while I get ready every morning. I play it when I cook. I have dance parties (I know...I'm a dork)...and you better believe that when my dear friend Amy texted me on my birthday telling me to do a happy dance to celebrate...I did! Did it matter that my mom looked at me very strangely when I suddenly hopped up from my seat and started moon-walking (ok...that may be an exaggeration) around the floor? NO! It didn't matter because life is too short to waste being boring. Life is too short to pretend that you do not have Justin Bieber songs on your iPod, or that you don't enjoy rocking out to Taylor Swift....guys, I know you do it too! So...in honor of music appreciation, I present my top 10 favorite songs...of this moment in time that is :)


These are not in any order...it is hard for me to pick favorites!


1. Mean- Taylor Swift
2. Hang you up- Yellowcard
3. Better together- Jack Johnson
4. Marry me- Train
5. If I die young- The Band Perry
6. Free- Zac Brown Band
7. Let me down easy- Billy Currington
8. Count on me- Bruno Mars
9. Crazy girl- Eli Young Band
10. Rhythm of love- Plain White T's


My challenge to you is to figure out what your current top songs are...and when you do, have your own crazy dance party...you will find no judgement here :)


Freshman-year flashback:

Gotta love the 1 am dress-up parties :)

Amy and I brought the hood to Provo...Lil' Wayne style

Twiddling my thumbs

Soooo unfortunately, I'm not as hardworking as all of you because I have yet to find a summer job! This is not for lack of trying though....jobs just keep falling through :( So, to keep myself from going stir CRAZY at home, my mom and I are taking a Cake Decorating class. I have also been building my domestic skills by making crafts. I love being creative and saving money by making things instead of buying them. So, I invite you to grab a popsicle, lemonade (or any other summery treat that you like) and bask in my creativity....ok, seriously don't get too excited because my creations are not really that exciting if I'm being totally honest.

Ok....this is the first cake that I have decorated in class so far. Our task was to design a cupcake that we would place on top of our cake. Please do not judge the mismatching borders...I ran out of pink frosting so I had to use green for the bottom.

Our teacher cut into our cakes to make sure we properly torted (cutting a cake in layers) them. I decided to do a mixture of red velvet cake and yellow because lets face it, I love color!

I made a rosette fabric necklace and I actually like the way it turned out. Excuse the weird posing, I hate taking pictures of myself (can you say vain?)...especially mirror pictures.

I am seriously obsessed with headbands, so what kinda girl would I be if I didn't make some?! Plus, I figure they will be passed down to a daughter someday :)

Anywho, let me know about your summer adventures since as you can clearly see.......they are in short supply here!

My favorite store EVER is.....................

Drum-roll please...................Babies"R"Us. Ok, it may not be my absolute fave store, but I promise you, it is top 10 fo' sho' :) Today my mom, grandma, and I went out to run errands. While we were waiting on an order to be filled, we decided to go into the Babies"R"Us store that was next door. I almost died upon seeing the teeny tiny clothes and the teeny tiny babies that filled the store. For those of you that know me, you know that this is perfectly normal behavior for me. I love kids and drool over anything baby related. As we were walking around admiring all of the cute little gems, my grandmother turned to me and informed me that I need to hurry up and have children so she can spoil them. While her sentiment was sweet, there is one minor problem......I'm not married! My mom with a worried look on her face quickly reminded her mother of that little requirement. Normally, this type of conversation is reserved for married children that are slacking in the baby department. How is it fair that I already have this pressure?! Apparently my job this coming school year is to get married AND have a baby! I am going to be on a veryyyy tight schedule :p I actually did have to restrain myself from buying anything. I used to think it was crazy when people talked about buying things for their future children when they weren't even married yet (ahem...Amy :P ) but now, it totally makes sense! How do I know that when I have kids that cute little ducky onesie is still going to be there? How do I know that stores will still be selling little baby converses? I thought about how in my Psychology class, I learned that men are the hunters and women are the gatherers. Wouldn't I just be fulfilling my role as nature intended by stocking up on baby essentials? It would be a shame to pass up on a good deal :) As soon as my reasoning reached this point, I decided that it was time to leave the store. I realized that I was acting like a crazy person. I guess BYU culture is really starting to get to me. Once I was thinking clearly again, I applauded  my resistance. I realized that I do not want to take the fun out of that future moment when I am actually pregnant and get to experience actually being able to shop at baby stores. Until then, I will continue to love children and enjoy being a part-time mother to the babies of friends, relatives, and employers.

Look at those gorgeous eyes!

I love her curls! I hope my children inherit my curly hair :)

Am I the only person that is baby crazy?!

A forever kind of love

Love (noun): Profound, tender, passionate affection for another person.

You read about it in books, see it in movies, and hear it mentioned in songs.

Many people want to be in love, they just do not know how to stay in love.

In today's world, divorce is the instant go-to option for struggling couples.

When things get tough, people figure that obviously their relationship is doomed.

I am so happy that I chose a major that I feel very passionate about. I find it comforting

to know that when you build a marriage around Christ and both you and your spouse

work daily to stay in love and strengthen each other, you can have the greatest joy imaginable.

This fact has really become apparent to me as my mom and I have worked on a project for my grandmother,

or as we refer to her, Mema. 

Mema is not my biological grandmother. She is my grandma as a result of my adoption...but as we know, adoption does not make your family any less real...at least I hope you

know that haha...anywho, back to the story! My mema married her husband Hugh when she 

was nineteen-years-old. He was a Pilot in the Air Force and for much of their early marriage, he 

was gone. He was not home when my mother was born, in fact, he did not even meet her until she

was a few months old. He fought in World War II and was a recipient of a Purple Heart for valor.

Mema spent countless days and nights worrying about her husband. Worrying that he would not

return home to her. Through it all, they remained connected and happy. My grandfather died 

of Cancer when I was seven-years-old. It has now been about thirteen years since he passed

 away, but the love still lives on. Mema often mentions him in such stunning detail, it is like he has

 never left her side. 

She talks about their courtship and how they met at a military ball. Mema's memory has declined

 as she has gotten older. Her clarity is the worst now that it has ever been. The memories that 

she NEVER has trouble remembering all center around my grandfather. She'll say "oh, my husband

 used to love that"....or "I miss him so much". My mom and I decided to look through my

 grandmother's old pictures to find ones of my grandparents. I scanned the pictures and edited them 

a little to allow them to be a little clearer. The pictures were enlarged and framed. They now hang on 

the wall behind her bed. He face lit up right away when she saw the pictures. Hearing her talk about 

grandpa and seeing the love that still lights up her eyes, makes me so excited to find my own forever love.

 In the end, all the money or prestige that we attain in this world will never be what we remember. 

Instead, we will look back with joy on all the people that we loved. I hope that someday, I will look

 back and remember the day that I entered the temple with the love of my life, to be one of my greatest memories. 

This picture was taken right after they got married :)

Look how in love they are!

This is my grandpa with my Uncle Charles

From the left: My uncle Charles, my mom (I guess she was a grumpy baby :P), and my Uncle Terry (he was killed in the Vietnam War when he was 20)

A picture taken while my grandfather was serving in World War II. Mema is looking at a picture of my grandfather.

Wasn't my grandfather so handsome?!

What are the great love stories from your family?

We must be as little children.....

My current calling in Church is to be an Assistant Teacher in my mom's CTR 4 class. All I can say is that I LOVE it :) I love children and not surprisingly, I love spending all of my time with them. They have such a unique way of looking at the world. They make me more excited about life, because I get to experience childhood again. I get to see the world through their eyes...and that is truly amazing. I can see, now more than ever, why we are asked to be like little children. In primary, we have been working on learning the hymn "Praise to the Man". The music leader has been using tons of creative activities to help them learn the song. My favorite and perhaps the most memorable way occurred today. A man in my ward knows how to play the bagpipes. It was announced to the kids that we were going to have a very special musical instrument to listen too. Brother Kemper arrived, all decked out in a kilt and other Scottish attire. He then proceeded to play "Scotland the Brave", or as we know it, "Praise to the man". The little ones were taken aback by the loud sound of the bagpipes. I was waiting for the Bishop to come in at any moment to tell us to be quiet! It was probably one of the best things that I have experienced. We marched and sang along with the bagpipe and everyone was grinning ear-to-ear. It made me feel so grateful for the gospel and extremely grateful for the faithful farm boy that courageously restored it. I am so grateful for children and for the simple and sweet testimony that they have of the Savior and of his love for them. I cannot wait to have my own (6...14...1,000) kids :) I want a houseful of rambunctious, loving, and faithful children. I cannot wait to teach them and raise them alongside my future husband. I will teach them as I have been taught and hopefully, help to raise another generation of faithful, hardworking people.