Called to Serve - Austin

Brady's little brother Austin opened his mission call tonight!! Seems like just yesterday Brady was opening his mission call, I was holding back the tears as this journey was about the start. Austin had a lot of support, plenty of family and friends there, waiting to hear!!! He's had his mission call since Wednesday but his mother has been out of town until today so poor Austin has had to wait! But it was exciting and we're very happy for him :)

Ohio, Cincinnati Mission

After, we went to celebrate by eating pizza at the park with Brady's family! Austin put his availability date October 2nd, and that's when he's leaving! We're all so excited for him! Can't wait for this new adventure. Congrats Elder Ziegler!

Father's Day

I'm about to brag, so watch out guys, my dad rocks & I have the best dad in the world! ;)

I love my dad. He rocks. He is a very hardworker, and does so much for my family. I'm so grateful to have him in my life. He is tough but I learn so much. He takes such good care of my mother and I love it. I feel like my dad and I sort of have a special bond, that he may not think of but I like to think he does. My dad has been by my side for every single surgery I've ever had. He was always there to hold my hand when I would get my IV and when I felt grown up enough to not hold his hand, he still stood by me. And when I woke up from my surgery, he was always sitting next to my bed. Now I don't want to say my mother was never there to support me, because boy she was. One surgery I had, I was in the hospital for a few days and she went home one day for 3 hours to shower and do laundry, so my dad and other family stayed with me; I BAWLED the entire time she was gone. Hahaha, so silly.

Anyway, I'm just very grateful for my dad. His strength helped my strength. Knowing my dad would be there when I woke up was comforting, I knew he would be there without a doubt. It may not seem like a big deal, but to me it is. It's something special I will always remember. Because now that I'm older, and can handle it on my own, and will have a husband in 9 days!!!!, I will never forget my dads love, and selflessness towards me.

So for Father's Day, we got together and headed up to Silverlake and had a bbq and walked around the lake. It was wonderful having my family there, and Brady too! We both got sunburned but not so much me as Brady. I put sunscreen on ;) Hahahaha, it was fun though. Came home, took a nap, and then headed to Brady's dads house for another bbq for dinner. It was fun but I was SO exhausted from being in the sun all day.

9 Months Old!

This little sweetheart is 9 months old today!!! I can't believe he'll be 1 this summer. It saddens me because that means he'll be two soon which means Evan will be 3..... It's just sad. I wish my boys could stay little forever and they're not even my kids!!!

Evan was over last night for a bit, and tonight I get to play with this little warrior!! His parents got married on this very day 3 years ago!! I'm so grateful for their example! They're my best friends, and I love spending time with them, especially when it's the four of us!! They are such amazing parents to Sawyer and he is so lucky to have them!! They love him so very much.

Sawyer is the most loving baby ever. He can be a little hard when he cries, over the silly things, but what kid doesn't do that? I love when he snuggles. I love when he gives you that heart melting smile. He loves Brady and I'm pretty sure Brady loves him too! He holds Sawyer all the time and I love it! :) Sawyer is so cute when he talks, and is SO close to crawling. Sometimes I set his toys a little bit away from him so he has to come get it ;) I know, I'm so nice.

Anyway, this boy makes me smile so much. I'm so grateful to be his aunty! I love him very much and enjoy watching him grow!! Love you so much soyboy.

Oh, and happy anniversary to my sister and brother-in-law!!

I'm So Happy

I am so incredibly happy with my life right now. I am so blessed. I'm so blessed with the family that I have, the relationship I have with my Heavenly Father and Savior, Jesus Christ, the best friend ever, and the best boyfriend ever. I have had a tough time with relationships and letting it get to me but I'm working on getting over that and just really enjoying and appreciating the people who are in my life right now.

This morning I had more extra time to read the scriptures than I usually do. I've been slacking a bit, but I'm not perfect and at least I'm reading them. I'm grateful for the comforting words that I continue to read every single day. I can do this. I can do hard things.

Brady. Oh man. I can never say it enough. I love Brady so much. He is the most important thing in my life. He is so sweet. I love his smile, and how he kisses me on the cheek, only a million times a day. I love that he tells me I'm pretty, sporadically throughout the day. The way he answers the phone when I call him, and I love love LOVE how close he lives to me. He's still the same gentleman that caught my attention almost 3 years ago. I'm so glad that he has found a job that he really enjoys, and is excited to start school in the Summer! I'm so excited for this year :) It will prolly be a big one for us, both individually and together :) He is my best friend. My better half. My soulmate. My companion. He is the best person I have ever known. I love him so much.

I am also very grateful for my best friend. She is so amazing. I miss her so much, I haven't seen her as often as I used to but she still means the world to me. She hasn't left my side in my trials and my successes. I never want her to forget how much I appreciate her and all that she does. I will never forget her, no matter where our lives take us. I will always go to her first. I will always keep her in my life. She is my best friend, my other half, basically she's my sister. We have done everything together in life, and I'm so grateful to have shared so much with her. I love you so much Abby, thanks for everything.

And last, I'm very grateful for my family. They are amazing people. I am currently taking a Marriage and Family Relations class, and we've been talking a lot about families and what they mean to us, and what we consider to be "family." I love that I'm never going to be alone. Friends come and go, people in our lives come and go but family is forever. I will always have them and I'm so grateful that they love me unconditionally, and that I can always be myself with them. I'm grateful for my parents, who made the decision to be sealed in the Lord's Temple. Their example has influenced me so much. And their decision has made me happier than any decision they've made. I love my family so much. Especially my little guys.

I love my life and I am so grateful. I'm so unbelievably happy right now. I couldn't ask for more and I will always thank my Father in Heaven.

Summary '12

Here's to 2012! I can remember going to Orem with my bff Jenna, to party it up at UVU Newphoria and having the time of my LIFE. And I remember coming home with SO much excitement for what this year was about to bring, and now it's over. This year went by EXTREMELY fast and I can't believe it, but like 2011, I'm pretty excited for what's in store next year :)

January - Partied the new year at UVU Newphoria with my bff Jenna. Brady 11 months left. Lots of baptisms at the Temple. Letter writing. My first little black dress. Squad (aka Karlee) got married and I was lucky enough to be a bridesmaid. My first day of Spring semester at SLCC. Roommate weekend with my beh fren Abby. I dyed my hair 2 colors for the first time in 4 years. Lots of letters and packages. Babysitting Evan.

February - Brady 10 months left. Set a reading goal. Valentine's Day craft. Lots more of babysitting. A lot of cruising and endless hot chocolate/pies at Village Inn with beh fren. Sister found out she was having a boy! Made it to 299 days left! Exploring studying places with Abby. Farewells. Packages. Institute. LADY ANTEBELLUM CONCERT!!! Ladies night out to see the Vow. Evan turned 1.

March - Obsession with Justin Bieber (still going). Catching up with old friends and making new! Brady 9 months left. More babysitting. Cousin Andrew came home from his mission, locked my keys in my car, while running for an hour, nobody at the airport could help us. Dinner with the roommates. Facetime with Jenna. Sunday walks at the Temple. More letters. Power outage at work. Mormon drinks with Abby. Baptisms at SLC Temple with some friends. Dying from my classes and getting ready for finals. Discovering the cutest bookshop ever. Eating a 6 pound pizza that too 30 minutes to cook. YWGC with sisters and mom. Prep for GC.

April - Brady 8 months left. My birthday twin from Germany came to visit! Temple trips. RSL game with co-workers. Easter. Babysitting some more. Silverlake trip with Abby; made an awesome music video. More letters. Spring semester ends. Bowling and RSL game round 2 with co-workers.

May - Brady 7 months left. Visit Ty & Skye's new house; bonfire. Linsey's baby shower. Mother's Day. Mommy/Daughter date for finishing school. 200 days left. Bloggy-blog turns 2! Free pony for Evan. Seminary graduation for sissy. Lots of letters. Roommate weekend with sissy. Hogle Zoo. Chocolate milk Tuesday/Lasagna with bff Jenna. Pictures of Brady from a friend! Jess graduates high school. Summer semester starts.

June - Brady 6 MONTHS LEFT!!! Brady & I together 2 years!!! :) American Fork Canyon with family. Left Wejo after a year and entered my new branch, Sandy! Matt & Morgan's wedding. Lots of letters. First trip to City Creek. Tried on Tiffany's ring; only $54,000. Vern's wedding. Bubbles' wedding! Chasing Chance concert/visit to Orem to see Ash! Calling in RS.

July - Brady 5 months left. 4th of July spent at swimming pool with family. 2nd nephew born! Cold stone with bff Jenna. Crafting and lots of visits to see new nephew. Sleepover with Evan. Going away party with some awesome MG's. Bee's game with necklace. Gilbert's first death. Remembering good times. Bought my Macbook Pro; best purchase ever.

August - Brady 4 months left. AAinga's wedding! Painted my room pink. Lots of late night ramblings and thinking things through. My 20th birthday! Cousin Tia's wedding. Birthday package. Birthday dinner with Abby (twice; celebrating our Aug. birthdays together). Work party at RSL game; first jersey. Evan in nursery for first time. First day of fall semester. 100 DAYS LEFT. Found out Brady's homecoming date.

September - Brady 3 months left. Dyed my hair; got layers. Friend in England finds Brady; takes picture. More letters. Lots of spiritual experiences. NSPW 2012. Nervous for Brady to come home. Brigham City Temple Open house. My first, live college football game; GO UTES! They  beat BYU 24-21; bought my first UofU shirt. Bff Jenna has beautiful baby girl; go visit. Plan to graduate in 7 months. Level 5 at work. Joseph Smith (Briley) comes home from mission. RSGC with beh fren Abby. Music & the Spoken Word/tour of GCC and Temple Square with friends.

October - Brady 2 months left. Brady's 21st birthday! Surprise package. First official 5K. More letters. Spending lots of time with nephews. Pictures taken for Brady's birthday. Tswift cd Red came out; loooove it. Finished the BOM. 3 years for Andy. Halloween/carving pumpkins/trick-or-treating. Sam comes home from mission. MRI - nothing to be concerned about.

November - Brady comes home this month; 3 weeks; 21 days. Said goodbye to Gilbert; welcomed new car (still no name). Final letters from Brady. November thanks. My last letter to Brady. Presidential race; my president still never changed. Breaking Dawn pt 2. Weekend visit to Orem to see Ash. Very.Last.Letter. Poster making. Baby shower for Skye. Finished sticker poster; thanksgiving day. Yummy food, lots of family; lots of nervous/anticipation/anxiety. LOTS AND LOTS OF CRYING. Cute new outfit. Drove to the airport; saw my sweetheart for the first time in 2 years; bawled my freaken eyeballs out. (He is STILL so cute). Spent the fabulous weekend with Brady (and every night after that). Festival of Tree's with family. Went to airport to welcome home Quinn!

December - Brady is home :) First family Christmas party together; won in bingo. Brady's mom engaged. Made my airport video. Jessica's Birthday. Morg's reception. Brady's homecoming talk. Temple Square with Ziegler's. Ward christmas party. Hanging with friends. Lots and LOTS of Fringe watching. Ice skating. Started the BOM again. My family Christmas party. Quinn's homecoming talk. MoTab Christmas concert. Cousin Justin's homecoming talk. Christmas Eve with Brady/my fam. Christmas night with Brady. Andy's birthday. Great things to come at work :)

And tonight, Brady and I will just spend our time together and watch 2012 go and never come back, while we welcome 2013 with open arms :) There is a lot in store this new year for me, Brady and the both of us together. We're really excited and we look forward to what the Lord has planned for us. I'm so grateful I can finally start this new year with Brady home, he is such a blessing in my life and by far the best thing to happen in 2012. I am so happy with my life right now :)

Happy New Year!

Thank You

I have some time to kill this morning because lately, my body really loves waking up really early. I decided I would take the time to write my thank you's out to everyone. Sorry I've been a little M.I.A. I'm just trying to soak it all up before I have to go back to work and school (school only has 2 more weeks.. YAY!)

To You: 
Thank you. To everyone. To you, my mom and dad, my siblings, my best friends, and my mg's. To my church leaders and anyone who knew what it felt like to have a mish out. Thank you to those who support me and Brady. And of course, to the waiter haters, thank you ;) I'm grateful for the endless hugs, and smiles. For the endless "I can't wait for you to be with him again!"'s and the "You two are so cute, so happy for you!"'s. For reading my depressing, sad, I miss-my-boyfriend-but-here's-what-i've-been-doing-for-two-years blog. Thank you for getting excited when I got a letter or a package. Thank you. Seriously. I could not have made it without a lot of you. Especially my best friend Abby. She has helped me so much through this wait, and everything else in between. She's my solid rock and support and she's my best friend for life. Nothing will ever tear us apart. Nothing can separate us. Abby, thank you for your kind and patient heart. Thanks for listening to me talk about Brady endlessly. It really means a lot.
Thank you to my roommates. For being there for me when Brady first left, and continuously throughout his mission. Mini m&m's will always make me think of you. And I can't wait for you all to meet him :) He's a sweetheart and you'll love him!
Thank you to my sweet friend Jenna. She really helped me live while Brady was gone. I did more things the whole two years with her, than on my own. We had some really great times and I'll always miss that. But I hold those memories dear to my heart. She's so sweet and her baby girl is gorgeous. Looks just like her mommy :) Love you Jenna, "It's the best out there!"
Thank you to Brady's family as well. For loving and supporting me while Brady was gone. It's nice to have his family accept me, even while he was gone. It's hard being alone and not having him here, but their kindness helped me survive it. I love all of them very much, even the little kiddos that I'm excited to get to know more.
Thank you to Granny. For sending me his emails every single Monday without fail. I always knew at 8 AM I would have a notification on my phone that said, "England." And if I didn't receive it, whether it was at all or later in the day, thank you for calling me to make sure I knew you didn't forget about me. You are so kind and I'm grateful for your caring heart.
Thank you to everyone.

To My MG's:
Thank you. I used to be apart of the W4AM group on Facebook which included over 1,000 girls. I left it around the year mark. I just didn't feel that support was for me anymore. But that group helped me through the first couple months and I'm grateful. I've met some of the most amazing girls through that group. The majority of the girls that I met when I first started have all "graduated" and lives are started. I'm so grateful to all of you who answered my questions, or just simply said, "I know what you're going through." I never met every single girl that I met online, in real life, but the majority of them have become some of my very best friends :) To the parties, of talking really loud, and laughing, and talking of our boyfriends, the areas they're in and all that they've been through. What it's like to get letters from them, packages and how much longer we all have left to wait. From becoming friends with all of them on Facebook, to having dinner in real life. Jamming out to Justin Bieber, to making slideshows of our boyfriends. These girls have been with me through thick and thin. I'm so grateful to them.

To Brady:
Thank you for being patient with me. This hasn't been easy on either of us, but knowing we have each other makes it all worth it. The numerous letters I've sent, thank you for loving me anyway. I know I seemed crazy, probably majority of the time, but it's okay, because you love me still. You still accept me. I can't tell you how grateful I am for your endless love and support, even so far away. You were focused on so many things, all of them so very dear and important to the Lord, but you still found time to tell me hi, that you love me and that you're doing okay. All those sweet gifts, surprise emails and the little things you did to prepare me before you left, are some of my very favorite things. I cannot believe how much you truly cared about me before you left, and even while you were gone. You were and still are an amazing missionary. You may not wear the name tag anymore, but your missionary work does not end at the releasing. It goes on forever and ever, and I'm so grateful to have an example like you. Someone who inspires me to be better about my studies, my prayers, and the Christlike attributes I should strive to obtain. Thank you for serving a mission, and for making that choice on your own. You could have chosen so many different ways in life, and not that any of those are wrong, I'm just really glad you chose to serve a mission. It has changed you in such a great way, yet you're still the same Brady I love. I love you and I'm so grateful to have a blessing like you in my life.


And finally,
To all MG's; current and/or pre-mission:
Hold on. Do not let go. If this is a decision you have made, stick to it. A lot of people have asked me if I have dated and waited, and I can honestly say yes. I've gone on dates, and seriously dated someone. I won't go into details, but going on dates helped me meet people and have friends. It was a great time to grow and learn, and it just so happens Institute really helps you :) Attend institute, make it a priority. I did, and I found myself graduated from Institute. Who knew that was possible? Anyway, stick to your church meetings. Go to every.single.hour. even if you're sitting alone. Stay strong in your relationship with your Father in Heaven. Make prayer a first priority, not a last resort. A Book of Mormon that is falling apart, usually belongs to someone who isn't. Hold that book dear to your heart, it will get you through everything. Consistently read your patriarchal blessing. It's purpose is to help you on your way in life, and it definitely comforted me when I needed it most. Stay close to family and friends. Stay busy. I cannot stress that enough. Staying busy helps the days go by faster, and soon, you'll find yourself at the airport.

Don't give up. Even when the nights are hard. When you cry yourself to sleep because your heart aches for a hug. A simple hug. When you didn't get a letter, or haven't gotten one in a month or more. When you think he's forgotten you because other girls are getting a package every month, or 7 letters in 1 week. When you meet waiter haters, and you get the same statements from them as everyone else, "A lot can happen in two years," or "You're really going to wait for him?" and you proudly, yet feeling somewhat lonely, say, "yes." Because you love your missionary, don't give up. When you meet other boys, and they either shun you because you have a missionary, don't care and still want to date you, don't give up. You'll meet boys who are simply nice, and want to be your friend. Just remember to make a decision if things start getting serious with someone, because someone will get hurt. You will, and either your mish or the other guy will. Pray about it. Just don't give up.

They come home ladies. They truly do. No matter all the tears, sleepless nights, the countless "I-miss-you"'s, the, "can't-wait-to-hear-from-you"'s in all the letters you handwrite weekly. All the emails that talk of his mission, the pictures that are shared. It is all worth it. 

You will survive this waiting. And it is possible to wait for someone and/or something for 2 years (or more). You can hold strong, and still be in love, in a long-distance relationship. You will meet people who won't support you, but you always meet one more person who does. One more person who understands, one more person to hug and comfort you. Keep going, stay strong, and stay close to the Lord. The wait does come to an end, you just have to be patient, and understanding. Your sweetheart will come home. You will get to hold their hand again, maybe even kiss them ;) You will get to see their smiling, shining face. You will get to know what it feels like to be with them again. They won't be going anywhere when they get home, and it's the best feeling ever. You can do this. You can make it. My success story is just an addition to the thousands out there.

Don't give up ladies, you can make it. :)



Again, thank you to everyone for your love and support. I appreciate it, and it isn't forgotten.

Carving Pumpkins 2012

Looks like everyone carved pumpkins tonight :) I love Halloween, but is it sad that I'm glad it isn't as big of a holiday as Christmas?? I cannot wait for Christmas! I'm so excited!! Anyway, back to Halloween. We had family over tonight to have sloppy-joes and carve pumpkins. I haven't had a sloppy-joe since I was prolly 10 years old.

I really don't like carving pumpkins. It just kind of grosses me out, and the stuff makes my skin itch, so I could be semi-allergic to pumpkin guts ;)
(I'll just keep that as my excuse).

Evan was terrified of pumpkin guts, he just kept saying (well, what we could make of his almost-2-year-old language) "gross!" Haha, and just pointed, and each time we had him touch it he would pull back and wipe his hand on his shirt. Hahaha, it was funny. But he loved stabbing the pumpkins with the little poker, and helping everyone. He's just such a cute kid and I love spending time with him. My sister and brother-in-law came over and they joined in and made some awesome pumpkins. My mom decided we had one more pumpkin for me to do, so I chose to paint it. And it was definitely the runt of the patch. It was all deformed and so I decided that part of it look like it was an old person without teeth (sucked-in mouth). But as I painted it, I decided it looked like a space muppet from sesame street :)

We had a lot of fun and I'm really sad today is over. I love being with my family :) It is so much fun! Plus, I got to hangout with my favorite boys.

I hope you all have a wonderful and safe Halloween :)

Being An Aunt

Being an aunt is the greatest thing on this planet. I cannot explain enough how much I love being an aunt. I know I will love my future nephews/nieces, but these two boys are currently owning my heart. I love them more than they'll ever know.

These boys keep me laughing. They keep me smiling and they always know how to turn my frown upside down and keep it that way. These boys are so special to me. I never knew I could love someone so much in my whole life (obviously besides Brady). It's so fun to have little kids in the family again, and to watch them grow and see/help them discover life. It's so beautiful and I love when they laugh, smile, talk, play, etc. They make me so happy and I'm so very very very grateful to my siblings for letting me be apart of their lives :) I can't imagine not ever knowing them.

I love watching them grow up, even if it means saying goodbye to the baby ages :( I love buying things for them at the store, and getting cute outfits on sale! I love pushing a stroller, and sharing my cereal. I love watching blues clues and dinosaur train. I love cleaning up toys only to help Evan (and someday, Sawyer) make a mess again. I love taking pictures. Super obvious. I love knowing I can visit the Zoo and have someone just as excited as I am. I love watching Evan love his cousin Sawyer. I love watching Evan sign to us "baby" and then want to hold Sawyer. I love them both. I just hope they will ALWAYS know how much I love them... And I want to thank them for all the opportunities I get as an aunt :)

Just Let Me Cry

"When I agreed that God could put this heart inside me, I understood that there would be a chance that it would break. But I know He knows exactly how I'm feeling, and I know in time He'll take the pain away, but for now just let me cry. 'Till every tear has fallen. Don't ask when, and don't ask why." - Hilary Weeks

I have felt so close to the Lord today. I love Him very much. I am so grateful to be His Daughter and for the knowledge I have that I will be with Him again one day. I'm so grateful for my friends and family, and my amazing boyfriend who keep me going to this day. This song is so deep and meaningful, and whatever I face in life, I know the Savior stands beside me. My testimony has indeed been strengthened today. ♥ I have a few struggles going on in my heart right now, and I simply feel nobody understands. I am feeling so overwhelmed by the Spirit today. Every time I go to cry, or go to complain, etc. I feel at a loss for words. Nothing will come out. I keep thinking about my Father in Heaven. I feel His love surrounding me. I know He is here with me.

"I have felt joy, the kind that makes my heart wanna sing. So my tears are not a surrender, I'll feel that way again. But for now, for this moment, just let me cry. I know it's hard to see, but the pain I feel isn't going away today." - Hilary Weeks

This song is beautiful and has the exact words to how I'm feeling today. Sometimes I feel really bad about complaining to others. Or talking to them about my struggles, even if it's been days, weeks, months, years since the actual event. I'm a very attachable person. I'm fragile. But I'm strong. Yes, I hold onto things. Yes I have a hard time moving on. Yes, I struggle. But I'm human. God never said it would be easy. He only said it would be worth it. I'm grateful it's not easy. I'm grateful I have these trials. I'm grateful I am becoming stronger. I'm grateful that I'm being shaped into a strong Daughter of God. I love my Father in Heaven. I wasn't sure how to post this today. Or if I should even post at all. But I forget it's my blog, and I can share what I want. And today, I'm sharing the tender mercies of the Lord. I'm sharing that He didn't leave me standing alone. He was and still is with me through this day when I didn't think I could make it on my own. What a humbling day it has been, and I pray to have this feeling always. I am so blessed and so lucky.

I testify that our Father in Heaven loves us. I know He does. I know He is watching over us every single day. When we feel nobody, and I'm talking, not a single.soul. understands how we're feeling. He does. He truly does. He is our Father. If anyone knows us best, it's Him. We need to turn to him in times of trial. For He is our escape. He is our way to happiness. He is our way to better days. Our moment and time is now. And who better to walk with than Him? I love my Heavenly Father. So very, very much. In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

"I WILL NOT FAIL THEE" - Derek Hegsted

Happy Father's Day!

I just wanted to wish a Happy Father's Day to these men in my life :)

Dad: I love you so very much. You are amazing and I couldn't have asked for a better father! I know Heavenly Father purposely sent you here to earth to lead, guide and protect me and for that I'm extremely grateful! You do so much for me and my family. You've always been my rock during surgeries, and that is something I will never forget. Thank you for always holding my hand! I love that we share similar interests, and that you go on walks with me :) Thanks dad, keep doing what you're doing. I love you always and forever!!

Jake: You are the best brother EVER. I'm so grateful for you and your constant love for me. You've never been negative towards me and have always encouraged me to be who I truly am every single day. I'm so blessed to have you in my life! I love that you live so close, and that you allow me to see my wonderful nephew :) He really is such a cutie, and a wonderful blessing in my life! You are such a good dad, and I love that you two have each other.

Mitch: You're prolly the best brother-in-law ever... and so far, the only one! Ha! ;) But I'm so grateful for you and all that you do for Linsey and my family as well. I'm glad I've known you pretty much my whole life, but you make my sister so happy and that makes me happy! I know when this little one of yours makes his big debut that you'll be ready to take on the challenge of being a father! You are such a good, loving and happy person, and I know Sawyer will be blessed tremendously because of your faith, willingness and desire to support, love and care for your family.

And of course, to my Father in Heaven. I'm so grateful for your ultimate sacrifice. That you sent me here to earth to learn, grow, love and serve others and build up Your Kingdom! This journey of life has been insanely crazy, but I'm glad I got the one I have, because I wouldn't want this journey any other way. There is so much that I'm thankful for.. that sometimes words cannot express! I love you more than anything else in my life and somedays I just wish I could see your face, but I know one day I will... and it will be familiar to me.. I live for that familiar face... so thank you.. ♥

American Fork Canyon

My family decided to make a trip up AF Canyon to bbq hot dogs and enjoy the summer sun :) It was a beautiful day, and a beautiful place to be! We just enjoyed each others company, ate yummy hot dogs and went for a little walk around the area we were sitting. It was a lot of fun :)

Hogle Zoo 2012

We went to the Zoo today for Memorial Day! My sister and her in-laws/BIL's family went to the Zoo and we brought along Evan and Jessica! It was so fun! Evan just stared and I'm sure he was just not sure since it was his first time! It was neat to see the animals again! I hadn't been since like... elementary school! Hahaha anyway, we had a good lunch and were able to see the bird show :) Which was way cool! I can't wait to go back and see the Polar Bear exhibit!!

He was out after 2 seconds of being buckled in!

Call Me Crazy, But I Love it!

Today in church, we had a lesson in RS on this.

Beautiful talk. I've read it a few times now.

I'm so blessed to babysit my nephew.

In fact, it's not really babysitting.

It's more like, lets play, laugh,

and dance to glee music on the tv!

It's best friend time :)

I truly love watching him,

and take every opportunity that I can.

We had him over the other night so my brother and SIL could go out! My sisters were all with me and we just played for a couple hours! It was a lot of fun and this boy just had us laughing the WHOLE time. That was one thing that stuck out to me in this general conference talk. That it's a blessing to be around these children; these spirit children of our Heavenly Father. And at the end of the day, no matter how stressful or horrible work was. No matter what score I got on my math test, or what boy is breaking my heart now, or if I didn't get a letter... to see that precious, most priceless smile greeting me at the door with a hug just wins over every time. I can't even describe it but my nephew has taught me so much when it comes to just being happy. He's always going to be there, smiling, laughing, throwing toys, screaming, running, hugging me, and just being carefree. He's a blessing and a constant reminder from my Heavenly Father that I have a beautiful life, and that I can just take a breather, and focus on what really matters..... my family. :)

So grateful for this little boy.

I never thought I could have so much love for him.
He has truly changed my life.

So, to the future, thank you Evan. For loving me at my best and worst.

Free Pony!

So my stinkin' awesome beh friend of mine had this brilliant idea.

We were driving to her house after church, and drove past this...

Yup.

That's right.

A free pony!!

Oh my gosh.

We were laughing so hard.

We decided my nephew would love it, so we switched cars and got the truck to go pick it up. Hahahahaha we were laughing the whole time and just felt like complete idiots because we felt like everyone was watching two girls pick up this used pony. Hahahaha, we didn't care. We purposely drove on the main road to my house just have people drive past us with weird looks on their faces! Hahahaha

We showed it to my nephew and he was scared. He didn't want to touch it, or sit on it, but he liked that it bounced. After a while he did touch it, and then sat on it for like a split second but cried after that. Hopefully he'll warm up to it, because my mom said his dad (my brother) had one when he was little and loved it to death!! Hahaha, it was such a fun experience, so random, and definitely hilarious! :)

I love my best friend very much!

Family Is My Greatest Blessing

I know I post a lot of Brady on here....and my life, and the weird and crazy yet awesome things I do, but the one thing I love blogging about is my family!! I love it, and especially about the adventures I have with my nephew! He's such a stinkin' cutie and I love him so very much! :) My sister and I were lucky enough to watch him tonight while my brother and sister-in-law went to see Avengers and the parents were on a date! So we just played and it was nice weather outside so I brought some toys, including the basketball and his bouncy ball, and we just played and it was wonderful! Then my parents came home from their date and my mom joined us outside for a little bit! My sister Jess took some pictures for her photo-class so I'll share a few with you!

Evan is just such a stud. He cried cause I wouldn't let him just walk into the road, so then I taught him that we needed to watch for cars so I showed him to look both ways and if it was clear, that we could walk. Hahahaha, I'm pretty sure he hadn't a clue what I was saying, but oh well :) Then we played in the dirt some more and went inside! Then him and I just hungout! I love when we sit on the couch and he just sits next to me, and wiggles and moves, and acts silly and just talks and talks and talks really loud! It's the cutest thing, and it always makes me laugh. He's always making me laugh!! He's just a funny kid and I love him very much :) I already feel like I have a close relationship with him, and I'm so glad. I'm so happy that I was blessed with a nephew like him, and I'm even more grateful that my brother lets me watch him! I enjoy it every single time!

Easter 2012

We started our Easter yesterday with crafting and egg-dying. We colored eggs, and wrote things on them. We cracked a few eggs, and stuck alien stickers on them for Evan. He just wanted to hold the eggs most of the time. Crystal made the CUTEST Easter decoration and I'm so jealous I didn't do one!! I'll definitely need to make one for summer time :) Me and my mother share decorations since I don't own my own home, and well, I currently live in hers so we make it work :)

This morning we went to my cousins farewell and he did a fabulous job talking on the Resurrection! He's serving in the Scotland/Ireland mission and leaves on Wednesday!! Good luck Shane :)

After we came home, and just vegged and did some homework (well, I did). My sister was over and we also had little baby over to play with :) My brother and sil came over later and we all had lunch, talked fafsa/school and things got a bit frustrating for me. I didn't receive the financial help that I was hoping, and I'm sad to admit, I'm pushing my graduation back to Spring of 2013. Trust me. I'm really upset about it. In fact, I cried and I couldn't concentrate on my homework for a few hours. There were small, but lots of factors that played in this decision, and I'm still nervous for it to work out, but financially, I have to do it this way. It might take me a few days to get over it, but I'm really sad I'm not graduating in December like planned. Hopefully God will help me through this third year of college, and I will graduate with my AS in Psychology.

After that we had an easter egg hunt for baby, and it was hilarious. He didn't grasp the concept of picking up the egg, and putting it in his bucket. He just wanted to open it! My mom got him some fun toys and we gave him some candy as well :) He just played outside and we spent the rest of the day with family.

I'm so grateful for my Savior and that I got to spend the day with my family. I'm so grateful for His Resurrection, and that I have the chance to rise at the morning of the first resurrection with my family, forever. My Savior is my best friend and I've been working really hard on strengthening that relationship and I've seen a difference in this last week. I'm so grateful for the Atonement and it's power to help forgive and heal us in our lives. I really hope everyone has a chance to learn of the Atonement and Resurrection. It's incredible.