2 weeks and 1 day

I've determined that "Bridezilla" is a disease.  If you are a bride-to-be that means your immune system is weak, and chances of catching the "bridezilla" bug are high.  All I can do at this point is pray that I don't get infected. 

I'm pretty sure that the reason we plan crazy weddings and receptions is so the groom can see the bride at her worst....then he really knows what he's getting into by "tying the knot." 

2 weeks and 1 day.  That's when I get to marry my best friend, Adam.  And all of the ribbon and decorations and planning and to-do lists and craziness will be worth it. I can't wait.  I'm excited to start a new life with him by my side!  He means everything to me.   

Welcome to Adult Life

I officially feel like an adult!!!!  Do you want to know why?  In the last month:

I got a second job working as a hostess at a shmancy Italian  restaurant

I bought my very first CAR

I'm in real debt for the first time in my life....car loan!

I MOVED OUT!!!  Got my very own place.

And I am paying for EVERYTHING.  I think that's what officially makes one an adult, when the only mail you get is bills.  And your name is on all of them.
Goodbye random shoppings sprees at Target.  You will be missed. Good bye cheese fries and fudge oreo shakes.  I will never forget you.  

The Popsicles

I almost live at Target.  That's how much I love it.  A couple of days ago before I walked into the store I saw this:

What the random?   I thought.   That doesn't even make since.    Why would anyone put popsicles on their doors?    Inside my head I smuggly remarked:    They must do that so the not-so-smart people realize it says "Do not enter."    no duh.  I smiled at my snarkiness.  Ha ha so funny.  When I got to the automatic entrance doors they didn't automatically open.  Strange....until I realized I was standing at the other "Do not enter" doors right next to these ones.
Lesson learned.  When you are feeling snarky, just remember that God can hear your thoughts, and He might want to get in a good laugh:)

My DIY Wreath!

Moving into a new apartment....I'm determined to make it welcoming, and above all, cute.  I am a big believer that where you live should invite the Spirit and positive, uplifting feelings.  Through out my high school years my room became a safe haven, and that's how I want my apartment to be.  Somewhere of my very own that creates feelings of peace:) 

So of course I've been buying things for my future apartment!!!   

First things first, I needed a wreath! 

 

I bought a foam wreath circle at Michaels and then covered it with strips of left over fabric from my pillows. The hot glue gun was my best friend during this project.  It took me.....25 minutes total.  Not bad for something cute. Nothing says "welcome" like a DIY wreath.  Can't wait to hang it on my apartment door!!! 

DIY Pillows Rampage

I go through "creating" phases.  Meaning I get an energetic or creative spurt and I have to get or make something beautiful.  And then I do that forever until I move on to a new exciting project.  My phases range anywhere from shoe shopping, to scrapbooking, to scouting out and painting old furniture.  Last week I went through the pillow making phase!  Check out the pillows that I made with help from Pinterest!!!

And guess what? These pillows are all made out of either shower curtains or place mats!!!
For real.
I went to every craft store possible and just couldn't find the perfect fabric. I even went online....and nothing.  Then I remembered target. How could I forget the best store ever?! I'll do the math for you. The quality fabrics at all the craft stores are quite pricey per yard. A good quality shower curtain or table cloth (usually a 72 in. by 72 in. or bigger) at Target is $10-$20!  And plus the amazing cuteness is definitely a better deal.
This one is my favorite:

 Shower curtain pillow with a decorative twist in the front.
Maybe took me 30 minutes!


This pillow i made out of a place mat ($2.99)

 

To spruce it up a little, I lined it with black jewel beads from my local craft store. here's a close up

And this one is my pride and joy...I had so much fun making it:) I used all of the scraps from my left over fabric to make this one.  Great for tying in all of colors and designs!

Create

  It brings me a lot of joy by just making cookies or a scrapbook page.  I love that that Heavenly Father gave us the gift to create beautiful things. 

The Desperate Life of a Chocoholic

Many of you know I have an addiction.  This addiction started when I was 5 months old.  My grandpa, despite the disapproving opinions of my grandma, put a chocolate chip in my mouth.  From that moment my world changed.  Chocolate became part of my purpose in life.

I became a chocoholic.

There are 4 girls in my family.  It was Sunday night and we all in that fun time of month.  Can't go to the store because we'll break the Sabbath.......so we did what any desperate chocoholics would do:  we declared a house search.
In the pantry we found chocolate cake mix and chocolate frosting. I made the mix and realized we were fresh out of eggs.  Miraculously my mom remembered our out-of-town neighbors said in case of emergency we could borrow anything.  I wonder if they ever noticed their eggs are missing.  No worries I will replace them!

We couldn't stop there.....

We found a can of sweetened condensed milk and cool whip.  You know where I'm going with this?
Yep, Better-Than-You-Know-What-Cake, or what me and my friends call "Immoral cake." It's just that good. So after accidentally burning the sweetened condensed milk and defrosting the cool whip, we feasted.
It tasted slightly funny, but we ate the whole thing.
Will I go to any lengths to eat good chocolate?
Yes.  

Make the real thing and die of happiness: 
Immoral Cake

Thank Goodness for La Quinta Inn!

This week I passed a La Quinta Inn and I laughed to myself!
Let me explain.......

My family is a playing-games-in-the-car type of family.  Games are fun, great for passing time and keeping us from fighting.  My mom knew what she was doing when she started this whole thing.  One of the family favorites commonly played on road trips is the ABC game.  Yes, that game.  You've all played it 1,000 times.  Love it!!!

For those of you who don't know, the object of the game is to complete the alphabet using letters you see on road signs and billboards. For instance, if you see a sign that says Airport next exit, you scream and point "A....Airport!" before anyone else does.  Then you look for a sign containing a B.  Now there is technicalities to this process.  If you are in my family, you can only use one letter per sign. You also have to give the little kids a chance(which may take forever).

The hardest letter to find is a Q.

What logo sign has a Q in it?

You may find it on a license plate if you're lucky....

But if not you can always rely on good ol' La Quinta Inn: the biggest blessing between Ogden and Salt Lake City.  I think La Quinta Inn is deeply under-appreciated for the great purpose it serves for traveling families.
Thank goodness for La Quinta Inn!!! 

My Future in an Envelope

Today I'm shuffling through mountains of old papers.  You know, notes from my best friend in 7th grade all the way down to bank statements and old homework I spent so much time on I began to be emotionally attached.  They are shoved in boxes that I tried to forget about.  But today is the day to tackle the mountainous load.
Between some receipts I found an envelope.  The label said "My Future."  I opened it to find a small paper I had written in 2007 and this is what it said:

Where I see myself in the future:

2008:  Attending Weber State University
2009:  Transferring to Utah State!
2010:  Finish up a semester, and then go on a LDS mission!!!
2011:  Serving a full time 18 month mission for the Lord
2012:  Come home from my mission and go to college
2013:  Meet Mr. Right.....somewhere down the line
2014:  Finish school!

This made my heart happy!  I achieved almost all of my goals! 
I attended Weber State. 
I didn't transfer to Utah State, but continued my education at Weber
In 2010 I finished up a semester and then left for an LDS mission in August. 
I spent the most wonderful 18 months of my life in western New York. There I served the Lord with all my heart.
This year in 2012, I'm home and establishing my life!  I enrolled in my last semester at Weber before transferring to Utah state.  And I can't wait to see what the future holds.
I am grateful for goals and the hard work it takes to achieve them.    



 

Cheesy Goodness

All I have to say is that I'm in love......with Jake's Over the Top's large cheese fries with Jake sauce.  You may ask how many times I've been to Jake's and ordered fries this week?  A total of 3......so far.  But don't worry, I eat lots of salads and organic stuff to balance my fry intake.  And I continue to pray that the Lord will preserve my metabolism:)

Who can resist this deliciously amazing cheesy goodness? 
I can't even begin to try.
Cheese fries = happiness to the body and soul

Defining Moment

Last Sunday in church, a teacher asked us:  "What is one of your defining moments?"

Here is one of my defining moments.

I was 16....so at that stage where you wake-up 4 hours in advance to do your hair.  Unfortunately my hair is so thick that styling would always make me late for school.  I would miss my ride and plead for my mom to take me.  Well this particular morning my mom gave me a big dose of responsibility to shallow.   As I announced, for what seemed to be the 1,oooth time, that I missed my ride to school my mom stopped dead in her tracks, glared a very momish glare, pointed to the door and said: "You are walking to school."

I looked out the window only to see it pouring rain!  And not just any rain it was like a typhoon!  Oh woe is me!  And my hair was perfect.  Life was so unfair.  After much whining on my part and no budging on hers, I slammed the front door behind me, opened the umbrella, and started to cry.  What else could a 16 year old girl to do?

Needless to say, I was quite wet when I arrived at my class.  Actually I was soaked.  But there was a smile on my face.  In between the time I slammed the door and reached the school something had changed.  I started off in a dramatized self-pity, all huffy and puffy.  As I continued to walk the lesson settled in.  I realized I must take responsibility for my own actions.  It's me who decides my own destiny!  And I can choose to be happy.

This moment changed my life.
   
There's many moments in our lives that define who we are.  Some come in one singular, exciting moment and some come gradually over time.  Some are happy, some are sad.  These experiences mold our character.  They inspire us to do better.  

The Perfect Antidote

    When you are serving a full-time mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints it's the best thing of your life!  When you serve you talk to millions of people about Jesus Christ.  You study, think, and teach about Him all the time.  He is your life!  What did I tell you......best thing ever!!!!
    Well......all of this includes some sacrifice, including putting your social life on hold.  That means no dating! Temporarily giving that up is worth it for the experience.  However, I seriously didn't think about guys for 18 months.  I came home very independently single, forgetting about the whole guy thing.
     I felt really sorry for my first date.   Let me expound:
I forgot that a man can open your door for you.  I forgot that it is okay to make eye contact with a member of the opposite gender. I forgot that you could be attracted to a man, and it won't be a sin.  And I forgot to.....be myself.  Oops.

But I decided to watch Pride and Prejudice the other day.  Oh I love that movie!  I love it when Darcy confesses his true love to Elizabeth, and she totally rejects him.  I love when he helps her family, and the moment she realizes she loves him. And I love at the end when he calls Elizabeth "Mrs. Darcy"  and tells her that he loves her.  I bawled.  And then I bawled some more. I forgot how amazing love is!  Pride and Prejudice:  the perfect antidote for independently single women.

Rainy days

Last Spring I lived in Wayland, New York.  It rained for 90 days straight!!! The sun was literally MIA.....and I really missed it.  I thought I might never see it again.  The baseball fields turned into swimming pools and the mesquitos multiplied and replinshed the earth. How I yearned for a day without rain! But then something amazing happened: the storms ceased, the sun came back, and green appeared.  The most brilliant, wonderful, amazing green! The trees, the grass, the ivy.....I felt like I lived in a fairytale!  Suddenly the rain was all worth it. 

I feel this is like my life sometimes.  90 straight days of rain.  The sun is missing.  But I would never trade those rainy days for anything, because of the brilliant green of spring that comes afterwards!  Sometimes we have to be patient through the storm, and then we experience more happiness than we can imagine.  So I am grateful for all my days whether rainy, snowy, or sunshiny! 

Picture Perfect

They say one picture means a thousand words.  I believe that's true!

My mom used to literally follow us around with a camera.  Whenever we'd do something cute...she snapped it. If she missed it she begged us to do it again.  I didn't see my all of my mom's face for 2 years after she got her new expensive camera!
Every single "family photo shoot" had at least one person with a bad attitude.  You know, the person that you have to tell three hundred times to smile...which usually leads to an argument and then pretty soon mom's in tears.  "We are preserving memories!  Just smiling for one photo won't kill you!"  (P.s. we always knew "just one" meant at least 50).

I didn't realize how much a picture meant until the other day.  I've been thinking a lot about my family lately.  I look at the thousands of pictures my mom took and the old family Christmas cards....there we are, picture perfect.  We all are smiling and happy.  Somehow the hard times disintegrate (although always there) and I remember the good.  Like the time where we got rained out from camping and spent the night laughing instead of sleeping in the car....or the big family dinner we had on Kameron's graduation, where everyone was together.  Those are the things in life to be remembered.  Even though life is not picture perfect, I am grateful for my family and the cherished memories I have.  I am so blessed!

Little pocket of sunshine

So......I may or may not have struggled with the dating scene post-mission.  Let's be real......boys still may have cooties.  But don't worry, it will wear off.
I just received an email from one of my institute teachers and this is what it said:

This made me smile!  Don't you love emails or texts that totally make your day?!?!  Thanks Brother Chang!

An ode to my friend.....

This post is dedicated to my most trusted friend.  He knows me well, actually he knows exactly what I'm doing at exactly what time.  I'd actually go as far to say that he knows me better than I know myself....his memory never fails to amaze me! He even knows what I should be doing and when I don't do it.  He knows what I'm thinking and every single one of my goals.  He knows how much money I have in the bank and....unfortunately....how much I spend:)  But I'm happy to say that he is the BEST secret keeper ever!  Never tells a soul. He's by my side 24/7 and never gets sick of me, and never talks back when my ideas are outlandish!!! He looks great in black and white.  Without him, I am lost and very.....sad.  Lost because I forget what I'm doing and sad because I get nothing done when he is not there.   He is the best thing that has ever happened to me.  We have not spent more than a day from each other in nearly 2 years.  Right now I want to publicly thank him for his years of dedicated service and always being there for me!!!! 
You might be wondering who this could possibly be?

He is my daily planner.
 

The headless dinosaur

A couple of days ago I drove up a hill near our house with my sister.  We were talking about whatever, then we saw something on the side of the road.  It's Utah right?  So most likely roadkill?  Well....except this particular road kill was never alive to begin with.

Let me just show you:

 So picture this but....headless.  Poor guy I don't know what got him first...a child or a car.
My sister and I paused.  "Did you just..."  "Yep."  Followed by a roar of laughter.  Man I don't know why it was so funny.  We laughed all the way home.
That's what I like about life, you get to laugh a lot.  Laughing simply makes you feel better....it releases a load.  President Gordon B. Hinckley said: “In all of living, have much fun and laughter.  Life is to be enjoyed, not just endured.” So thank you to all the headless dinosaur moments that add joy to my life!!!!

A big change in my life

   The last couple of months I've had a big life change.  I just got home from serving a mission for my church. Can i just say that it was the hardest yet most incredible thing of my life?  I loved it!!!  For 18 months I thought, studied, served, and talked about Jesus Christ.  As missionaries we are asked to leave the comforts of home and go to completely new surroundings to serve the Lord.  But the sacrifice is worth it!
    I miss the mission.  I actually have home sickness for the New York country sides. Those memories and life changing experiences will always be in my heart.
   So here are a few things I miss about my missionary life.  This is an email I sent home to my family toward the end of my mission, when I was completely enveloped in the work:)

You know you are a missionary when....

• you teach and serve people even in your dreams
• your heart pumps a little faster every time you see the mail man(seeing the mail man possibly means that one of your friends remembered you are still living and sent you a little something special)
• your clothes start to wilt....
• you pray not to fall asleep while you're praying
• you live off of salad and cheezits, and whatever the kind people of the world feed you.
• you feel prompted to talk to everyone, even if they get in their car and start to drive a way...you catch them!
• you start using scripture words in your speech like "that is an exceedingly cute sweater" or "so great was the food thereof"
• dry shampoo is the ultimate beauty secret which makes showering optional (just kidding)(but seriously)
• you are happy even when people totally reject you
• you continuously crave food
• your knuckles are red from knocking on everyone's door
• your biggest joy comes when the people you are helping says they've read from the scriptures
• Thrumpy is your new look.  You don't care if it's ugly...if it's comfy and fits you'll wear it
• you experience millions of miracles everyday
• you love the people you serve with all your heart
• you could not image yourself doing anything better than testifying of Jesus Christ and His gospel to the world

An Easter thought

I am grateful for my Savior, Jesus Christ

I don't think I'll ever comprehend how much He did for me, which is why today I celebrate Him!
Nearly two years ago, I sat on the bed of a disheartened friend.  She had fallen back into her whirlwind of  addictions and seemed to be drowning in despair.  My heart yearned to help her.  I tried to understand how she felt...but I just didn't know. The only thing I could offer was my testimony of Jesus Christ.  "Laurel, I know Jesus Christ can help you.  He has felt the pain of your addictions.  He knows your struggles, fears, anxieties.  For a moment He was you."
The memory of Laurel will burn in my heart forever.  With tears streaming down her cheeks she whispered, "I did not know that."  Every since that day, I have a special gratitude for the knowledge I possess of my loving Savior.  I know that He lives!  I'm grateful that He died for me so I can be cleansed from sin.  I love Jesus Christ!  He is the light of my life.
  

Share your testimony about Jesus Christ:  He Is Risen

A Little Pinch of Color

    I think there was a time in my life where I wondered if I ever could be happy. TRULY happy. Isn't that the big million dollar question?!  There is that word "someday".  Someday when I've graduated and can actually make money, or someday when I find the man of my dreams, or someday when I can eat oreos and not suffer from sugar overdose.....then I can be happy.  I didn't want to wait for someday anymore, I wanted to be genuinely happy with my life the way it already was.
    I took a color theory class a couple of years ago. P.s. it happened to change my life!!!  The instructor explained that only 2% of your direct line of vision is pure color. The further you get into your peripheral vision, the more gray the color becomes until you reach the end where your peripheral vision is completely black and white.  Luckily your mind fills in the gaps so you can enjoy color all around you. Thank the Lord for our eyes and brains!
   I guess happiness depends on what you are focusing on.  If you are focusing on what other people have, your own happiness becomes gray.  Well, I was tired of seeing gray.  So I decided to focus on the pinch of pure color.  For me, that is Jesus Christ.  When I focus on Him it fills the gray parts of my life with brilliantly colored blessings. Believe me the gray is still there, but it doesn't stop me from seeing all that I have and enjoying a rich life. So this is my life with a little pinch of color:)