Womens Conference 2013

I'm only a month behind on this trip but I'm posting it now

and that's all that matters right?

Back on May 1st I got to go up to Womens Conference at BYU in Provo 

with my lovely mother and a few of our friends. 

It was so fun, uplifting, inspirational, and fulfilling. 

We drove up early on Wednesday afternoon so that we could get into 

town at a good hour so I could go visit my best friends new baby.

Miss Evelyn Ann was born on March 8th and I hadn't got a chance

to meet her yet. I was so happy when I finally got to see her and hold her.

She's a sweet sweet baby girl and has the best parents. 

I love this girl.. well both of these girls so much! 

I don't get to see my best friend often enough and when I do

I totally cherish those times! I am sad we live so far apart

but so happy I get a chance to see her and her precious baby 

once in awhile! 

After my fun visit with Chelsey... My mom and I went and checked in and

then met Jade and Keri for dinner at Firehouse subs. 

It was delicious! 

We love going up there with Jade and Keri. I grew up with Jade and our

mom's and us have stayed close friends. 

We all stay up talking way too late in our fun 'dorm rooms' and 

we never seem to run out of laughs or good conversation!

Our first day at the conference happened to be my mother's birthday. 

I tried to make it a little special by leaving her a delicious birthday cake

and cupcakes for later in the day! 

The first day of the conference was pretty successful. 

The first general session was titled 

"Continue Your Journey and Let Your Hearts Rejoice..

I am With You Even Unto the End." 

It was a really great session.. I loved the points she made about

not giving up and saying you keep walking and trying

and all will be well in the end. 

I love going to Womens Conference and sitting there the first morning

with ALL those ladies in the arena. It's amazing how many women come out

and how strong of a bond you can feel with so many women in such a large place.

The first class I attended was "Keeping Laughter In Our Lives"

'A merry hearth doeth good like a medicine.'

-Proverbs 17:22

We've always heard laughter is the best form of medicine.

I learned how important it is to laugh

laughter helps reduce stress levels, and lower pain

The last class  I attended that day was 

"When You Are Married Be Fiercely Loyal, One To Another"

It was pretty good but it wasn't my favorite! 

Happy to spend time with this girl! 

That night we all went to dinner at Zupas.. one of my favorite places! 

Unfortunately St George doesn't have one so we always have to

go there when we are up there! 

After dinner my mom and I decided to go to the concert that they always

put on. It was actually amazing! They had a lot of different singers like

Hilary Weeks who we love! They all did an awesome job and kept

us entertained! I'm really glad that my  mom and I chose to go! 

Once the concert was out we headed back to our dorm for the night. 

The next morning was our 2nd day at the conference. This day I felt like I 

got a lot more out of the classes! It was a really great day. 

The first general session was titled 

"Yea, Lord, We Do Love Thee" 

I learned that we show our love for the Savior by how 

we act each day. 

'What finally matters is what we become'

The first class I attend that day was 

"Prayer, A Matter of the Heart"

This class was awesome! I felt like I got a lot out of it! 

It taught how we can pray in a lot of 

'different' ways.. and how much happiness it can bring. 

The second class I attended was 

"How Do I Love Thee.. Enjoying our Journey as Husband & Wife"

I really enjoyed this class.. I always love the marriage

classes and this one was awesome. 

The speakers were husband and wife and the husband

was a marriage therapist at BYU and so he had a lot of good pointers.

'Can't offend Her without offending him'

-President Hinckley (Great Quote)

The last class we attended was

"Come to the Temple"

It was very quiet and reverent. . but did have some good advice.

It was fun to be with just my mom for a few of the classes! 

I snapped this beautiful picture of the flowers. . they are so pretty when in bloom!

Our last session is usually a general authority that comes to speak to us.

This year it was President Eyring. 

I think I posted before about this, but I have actually been very lucky

to have some close encounters with President Eyring. 

He spoke at my husband's Aunt's funeral last year. 

It was pretty amazing. 

And of course he did great for this session as well. 

It's always sad to have the last session over with! 

He did almost completely pack the Marriott Center. 

I really do cherish these times with my mom. I am so grateful we are able 

to go up together and enjoy this special conference. 

I couldn't imagine going with anyone else, and it's kind of awesome

when you would rather go with your mom than someone else :)

That night afterwards it was just my mom and I. We decided to go do some shopping

around Provo and went and ate at Bajio! 

We spoiled ourselves at the mall and then once back at our dorm I

was persistent on getting this ice cream. I am obsessed! 

I love this! So we decided instead of getting a few scoops of it at the 

packed Creamery, we decided to just buy ourselves a carton..

It was delicious and don't worry..we didn't eat the whole thing :) 

This whole weekend was pretty amazing. 

I love this time of year when I get to go with my mom to Womens Conference.

 I truly love the conference itself and love the company I get to keep throughout the 
weekend.. If you haven't had the chance to ever go.. you need too! 

I hope I don't ever have to miss out on this girls trip! 

Life Lately..

I've definitely been slacking on this blog lately. 

So I'll just do a re-cap of what has been going 

on this last month.

My baby sister turned 17.. 

I can't even believe it. 

She is growing up so fast and turning into quite

the mature woman. 

She has so much talent and the biggest heart.

I can't wait to see what's in store for her

future, cause I know it'll be amazing.

I'm lucky I got to celebrate with her

at Olive Garden and with a yummy

homemade cake afterwards.

A few days after Tay's birthday was this little babe's 

blessing day. 

Isn't she the sweetest? I am literally obsessed with her. 

When she gets a little older I am certain she'll get tired

of me always snapping pictures of her :) 

I'm so lucky to be a part of her life though and to see her grow! 

She looked beautiful in her white blessing

dress and her dad gave a short but sweet blessing.

I was happy to be a part of her big day. 

I decided to go back to blonde..

It looks a lot more blonde in this picture than it does

in real life.. but I'm loving it being more blonde

than before.. 

Change is always a good thing! 

We celebrated my mom's birthday a week early since she

would be up at Womens Conference on her actual birthday.

This lady doesn't look a day over 29, I tell ya. 

She's just the best!

We enjoyed a pool party and some fun in the sun..

We ended the night with a delicious ice cream cake

from Cold Stone! 

I am so ready for these summer days by the pool! 

The weather here has been weird..

I'm ready for real summer weather and pool time

This guy came back through town.

Although it was really brief it was still fun! 

We basically hung out at our house and then went to 

my parents for a little while the last night he was in town.
He came from his long stay in Australia and Hawaii

to play baseball in Missouri again. He will then be

passing back through town hopefully in October

so we can see him again! 

Him and Adam are soul mates..

I am going to miss him! 

I wanted to remember this cute gesture from Adam.

He is infamous for leaving cute notes for me but 

these ones were especially needed. 

I was heading out of town that day for Womens Conference

and was happy he made me a lunch for work 

and included cute love notes.

The simple things in a marriage are what end up mattering

the most. 

I hope we can always remember the simple gestures and acts

of kindness! 

This guy sure knows how to make a girl feel special! 

Just a typical Sundayfunday..

Life has been pretty busy lately and just 

seems to be going by so fast! 

I received a new calling in my church as the 

Secretary in Primary. I am pretty excited and nervous! 

I am not sure what to expect.

I have been a primary teacher before with Adam and

we have been doing the ward bulletin now for almost 2 years

so it's going to be a new experience but I'm excited

for the new challenge and the opportunity

to meet new people and see the cute kiddos. 

Adam started working for my Dad this week actually.

He really wanted to work for him again and my brother

seems to enjoy it, so he's back out in the construction

field! He loves the fast-pace work day and meeting 

new people. I think it's a good fit for him.

It's also a nice schedule having 

the nights free, and the weekends. 

Not to mention his boss is a little 

flexible with his schedule :) 

I am in the process of figuring out the rest of my life too 

I have been contemplating back and forth for several

years about my career and what I really, truly wanted to do.

I always envisioned myself working and being a mom.

I feel cool and lucky that I received a

 bachelors degree and the thought of more

school has never scared me. 

I wanted to be a school counselor so bad a few years ago

and took all the right steps to try and achieve that..

I got a little side tracked and I'm just trying to figure out the

right path for me and my future. 

I am hopeful I'll figure out school soon and be able to

start working towards that career again..

obviously the sooner the better.

I used to be so impatient .. still am a little :)

but the thought of a 2 year program doesn't seem so

long anymore when I look at my life the last 4 years. 

I think I can do it.. and I also am hopeful

I'll be able to be a mom someday and that will all

just fit in nicely. . 

Most posts to come soon on wonderful

Women's Conference, Mothers Day & Dad's birthday..

xoxo

General Conference Weekend in Pine Valley

I could get use to this view every morning. This April we 

decided to go up to Pine Valley again with my family

for conference weekend. It was a little colder than we would

have likes this year but it was beautiful nonetheless! 

We mostly played games, listened to conference, enjoyed the

sunshine and beautiful surroundings. 

It was a really quiet weekend with just my parents

Adam and I and my sister Taylor. 

It was even a bit too cold to ride the Razor around! 

Our dog is always in heaven when she is up there!

I loved all the conference talks this year and was really happy

when my husband and dad decided to go to the Priesthood

Session there at the Pine Valley chapel. 

There is just something special about my husband going off with

my dad for that special 'guy' night! 

That Sunday we had the privilege of having sweet baby Oakley

and her parents come hang out with us at the cabin.

I am in love with this little babe. 

The pictures of my parents holding this little angel just

melt my heart. It makes me very excited for the day that 

I give them grand babies and that warm feeling I will

have when they are holding my babes. 

I just love seeing them interact with Oakley! 

I am so happy that I've had the chance to be a part of

her life so far especially when I don't have kids of my 

own yet.. it's so fun to get some time with this sweet spirit! 

I am also dying to meet my best friends baby girl..

which I'm hoping will happen soon! :) 

Another Conference weekend down and now 

we will patiently wait for October! 

Baby Shower

A few weeks ago I had the pleasure of throwing my beautiful

cousin Kelsey a baby shower! 

She is expecting a baby girl May 9th and I couldn't

be more thrilled for her. 

She is going to make the best mom.

She has the kindest heart and the sweetest spirit! 

Not to mention a great hubby by her side! 

I really really enjoy throwing these showers and parties.

I have done 3 of these showers in the last few months and

I enjoy doing it some much. 

I secretly wish I could do this for a living..

I had decided to do a cute 'Ready to Pop' theme for Kelsey

because she honestly looked like she was going to pop.

She also had been having contractions and thought

her baby girl may come earlier so 

we were all happy when baby didn't make her arrival on or

before the big party. 

My mom helped me a ton with the shower and made

these adorable pink cake pops and popped yummy

pink popcorn. I also found these adorable stickers on

Etsy and had them customized for Kels. 

I also did cute little advice cards for the mom to be.

I didn't post these pictures but I did a cute 'Ready to Pop'

banner which we hung behind the mom to be's chair 

and you can see a little bit of the cute wall for presents.

I did two fun games. One was kind of like the 

'Price is Right' where we had a basket full of baby

related items and everyone got to ask the basket's

total worth. 

Then we had a game of word & candy bars..

guessing the candy bar that best describes the word..

this game was a hit at my last friend's shower

that I through so i knew Kelsey would love it. 

She then got to open presents! 

She had a pretty good turn out, probably between 30-40

which was perfect! 

It was such a fun night! 

My beautiful Grandma, Aunt and cousins..

Spring is in the Air..

Oh how I love my St. George this time of year! 

I have other pretty pictures, but can't get them to turn the

right direction.. but this one isn't too bad is it? 

I am not sure why this Spring season I have been so obsessed

with the weather and the beauty all around me..

Usually I love my seasons and embrace each one as they come

and we go on to the next.. but for some reason I am

really soaking up the beauty here in town. 

I love this time of year.. despite the crowds

and all the bustling around me

 I love the blue blue skies

and gorgeous trees blooming! 

My yard has a big tree that drapes over our fence and 

it had huge white blossoms that were to die for and sadly

they are already gone and are now green leaves.. 

until next time I guess! 

I'm heading up to Pine Valley for the weekend and it's so

gorgeous up there too that I can't wait to get up there! 

A little colder than I might like,

 but it'll be beautiful nonetheless! 

I've definitely hit my Spring Fever..

Weekend with Ty & Sheena

 A few weekends ago my cousin Ty and his cute wife Sheena

came to visit from California as they were passing through town.

I love his wife! I've only met her a few times but 

she is the sweetest and we get along really well. 

Ty and Adam are long lost bff's. They are obsessed with each other

and after they met last year at my Grandpa's funeral 

they text each other often and when they saw each other

it was like no time had passed...

it's a real 'bromance'. . 

When they got into town on Friday night we all met up for pizza

at my parents house and just hunt out with them.

Saturday Adam had planned a golfing trip for the boys.

My dad, Adam, Ty and my Uncle Kelly went out to Sand Hollow for

some golfing. It was a really cold morning and they left around 7 a.m.

but the course (from the pictures I saw) was absolutely beautiful

especially in the morning sun. 

They all seemed to really enjoy themselves out there

besides the chilly wind. 

Us girls stayed back in town. I got dropped off at my parents house

around 7 a.m. and jumped into bed with my mom..

We were both planning on going back to sleep on that Saturday morning

but decided we were hungry and were craving Kneaders. 

We ran through their drivethru and grabbed their 

French Toast.. which I had never had before and fell in love.

After breakfast we got ready and decided to do a little shopping

at Ulta, Blue Linen and some outlet stores. 

Sheena is pregnant and expecting a baby boy on 

August 5th. . which also happens to be my Grandpa's birthday

so it's pretty special. 

We are really excited for them! She has the cutest baby bump

I've ever seen! 

We also took her to Swig and enjoyed a Sugar Cookie..

and I got a Diet DP with coconut.. Heaven.

Once the boys were done with their golfing experience we

met up at Apollo Burger for lunch and then headed back to my

parents for a little nap..

We wanted to go see a movie but the day kind of slipped away

and we ended up making plans for dinner at Sakura that night.

It was a lot of fun at dinner but St. George during the spring 

months is totally packed and we had like 1-2 hour wait to actually

eat our food.. it was crazy.

We enjoyed our time with them both though and my Grandma

who came into town with them! 

Sakura lighting is the worst for pictures..

 

After dinner we headed back to my parents to let Adam and Ty

spend a little more time together.. :) 

They had to leave back to San Francisco on Sunday morning really

early so we didn't stay out to long with them on Saturday night.

Not the best photos ever.. but this is typical of my family..

(photo bombing or just laughing)

I loved having my cousin here for the weekend! It was so fun to

hang out with them and see the cute baby bump! 

I hope I can see that cute baby when he comes in August!

NASCAR in Vegas

I've been a bit behind on my blogging these last few weeks..

 but now I can do quite a bit of catching up!

So a few weekends ago we went down to Vegas with my family

for the NASCAR races. 

Since this is an annual thing I always look forward to going

down to Vegas with everyone! 

Adam left earlier that day and headed down with my brother

and parents and I drove Linzi and I down later that night.

It was a lot of fun this year with my brother back and my sister and her

boyfriend came too so it was all 8 of us! 

That Saturday before the races we went and did this Pole Position racing

and it was a blast! Of course with my sister in law being like

a pro drag racer, she obviously won our 2 races that we did. 

She was intense and if you got in her way she just rammed you..

She's pretty much the coolest ever..

I'm proud to say that I came in like 4th and 6th so 

I wasn't ever last. . that went to Adam both times :) 

After our racing we just went around to some shops and went

and saw Safe Haven, which I really liked! 

Afterwards we went to Cheesecake Factory for dinner, which is

among our favorites. 

 Cute Newlyweds..

This would have been a cute picture if I could get it to rotate

but I still want it on here anyway! 

The next day was the race. We headed to the track

really early that morning to beat all the traffic 

and to walk around their trailers and stuff.

 I typically don't need to get myself a shirt

or get really into the actual race itself.. I'm more

there for the 'social' part, but it was really fun this year.

And Adam of course, had to get me a Kasey Kahne shirt..

which I'll wear because he's hot! 

 

It was a beautiful almost spring day! 

And who wouldn't want to get their first burn of the 

season in Las Vegas? ha! 

I really had fun watching the race this year since Kasey was in first 

place most of the time! 

it's always more enjoyable anyway when

all of the family gets involved!

Well until next year..