Ashley Kay

A Last Minute Visitor and Vacation!

2012-02-11T11:04:00.000-05:00

Over the MLK Holiday weekend (even though it's not a holiday at my work, so lame) Cody Bear decided to come out for a visit! He gave us about a 3 day notice so you could say we weren't expecting it, but SO happy he was able to come out!

Tay and Cody skiied the first two days which made it easy on me to just stay at work.

The first night Mama and Papa treated us to PF Changs with a gift card. It was delicious!!! It'd definitely been awhile since I've been there so it was very much enjoyed. Thanks Mom and Dad!

Then we decided to be crazy, because we are young (ish) and can, right? So we left Friday night along with my dear friend, Carter, for a quick trip to Denver. We didn't pull into the grandparents place till about 3:30. I was exhausted considering I drove the worst part of the drive... 10:45-3:00 while the boys all slept. It was killer.

The next day we got to go to my cousin, Cory's, highschool game. Cory will be playing for BYU next year so it was exciting to be able to watch him play! Plus, it was against their rival so the place was PACKED and HOT, but still so fun! And they won the game!

Cute Brenley and I also just happened to be matchy matchy that day too! I'll take that as a compliment for having good taste cause she is such a fashionista!

After the game, we rounded up some good football food- LOTS (like way too much) of pizza, wings, celery/carrots, and Dr. Pepper (cause we are Calvert's) and headed to my cousins, Courtney and TJ's house to watch the Bronco's playoff game. Sadly, they lost, but it was fun to spend time with all the fam bam.

I seriously can't wait for this kid to be out in Provo this summmmmmer!

After church the next day, we headed to Cory and Brenley's house to hang out and play some cards for a few hours before we headed back to Provo.

AND, this studly man, Mr. Brian Mooney, lives in Denver now so he was able to stop by my Grandparent's house for a little bit to catch up on our lives. I sure do miss this kid, but I was glad I got to see him!

Somehow, we managed to survive another gruesome drive back to Provo, getting in around 3:00 am. Carter and I both had to work the next day so we tried sleeping the last 3 hours of the trip, which didn't work too well. I never can sleep in cars. So you could say the next day at work was exhausting.

But I was able to take a little lunch break and meet up with the brothers at In N Out that day. Cody would have eaten there for every meal if he had a choice. He loves that place!

That night we all met up and went to Zupa's! Being with 2 of my best friends and my 2 favorite brothers was such a treat. Nicole FINALLY got to meet Cody and Becks FINALLY got to be reunited with Cody! I'm so glad that my family likes my friends and my friends like to be with my family!

And sadly, our weekend trip with the baby brother was over! I'm so glad he got to come out since he never takes trips by himself! It definitely was a fun/crazy weekend and I'm glad I was able to spend it with family!

See you in a few months Cody Bear!

bye bye january.

2012-02-05T11:36:00.000-05:00

hi blogging world, yes i'm still alive.

and January is gone? Let's be honest, I was more than happy to say adios.. January is probably my least favorite month of the year. The months of Holiday season have just ended and the weather is at it's worst. (except what's up with this Utah weather? we've had legit snow ONCE this ENTIRE season. but I really am not complaining)

January was a pretty good month though. Here are some highlights for ya:

I've mentioned before how my friends are pretttttty stellar.

Case in point: The week I get back to Utah, Becky, Brit, and I decide to meet up for dinner to plan Nicole's bridal shower. Little did I know, it ended up being a late surprise birthday dinner for me with some of my favorite people in the entire world. Those sneaky girls. I was SHOCKED. seriously, had NO clue. I just took my time with Becky shopping around the mall thinking we were waiting on Britt to get down here from PG. But nope, it was a plan for me. It was such a fun time! I really feel lucky to have such AMAZING friends. Count my blessings every day.

IBeauty and the Beast 3D.
Is it weird that I still get goosebumps and emotional during the Disney movies?
Nope. I love every minute of that childhood memory.

Still showing my love and support for my BYU Cougars at a Men's Volleyball Match

Trying to show the snow we had for about 1 day. So much for that.

Mia's 24th birthday at the Pizza Pie Cafe to celebrate this wonderful occasion with all these people who love her.

Celebrating Birthday Buddy Brandon's bday at Red Robin with all my Georgia friends. The best part of it besides being able to spend time with people who got me through high school, our friends Dad ended up paying for ALL of our meals! Seriously?! Such a tender man. I love my friends from home and really want to try hanging out with them more because they are great people. It was a fun night catching up. It felt like I was in highschool all over again hanging out with them every night.

CES Firside. Thanks to the fabulous B. Dahlin, we got to sit in the floor seating. VIP.

The Reeve girls and I have a tradition to celebrate everyone's birthdays with a cake whenever I come up to babysit or hangout. It was mine and Brookie's turn to enjoy a special cake for our birthdays we missed over the holidays. I sure do love hanging out with these crazy and fun girls!

And to end January on a high note, Cousin Cory decided to come with his Dad for the day to watch the BYU Basketball Game vs. St Mary's! Cory will be on the team next year and has never even been to a game so I think it was about time ;) But I enjoyed spending time with the cousins and brother that night with a good dinner at Brick Oven and then going to The Chocolate for some dessert. If you've never been there, you should probably go sometime.

I sure do love this cousin of mine and can't wait for him to be out here this summer!!!

So that was MOST of January. Had a visitor and a mini trip in between it all that I will blog about shortly. Happy February!

WELL THERE YOU ARE BIRTHDAY GIRL!

2012-02-02T02:42:00.000-05:00

February 2, 1988 a best friend was born.

Of course I wouldn't realize that today meant more than finding out how long Winter would be around by some gopher until I met this wonderful lady. And I am so glad Mama Shep decided to bring this joy to the earth. And just for the record, she's definitely a lot better than a gopher.

Yes ladies and gents... today is Miss Becky Rene's 24th birthday! And I feel honored to welcome her to the 24 club to show her the ropes after being a part of it for just a little over a month.

And although we haven't known each other for too long, I honestlyf eel like I've known her forever. She has become one of my best friends and I am SO grateful to have her in my life. She is amazing for many, many reasons....

Becky has a zest for life. And it's contagious. She is honestly one of the happiest girls I've known. There never is a moment around this girl where I don't catch at least a little of that zest. She makes life fun and exciting.

Becky LOVES dolphins. More like an obsession, but it's something I love about her. I thought I loved dolphins (as long as I can remember, I DREAMED of being a dolphin trainer at Sea World) but I think she one ups me. Anything she sees that has a dolphin on it, she loves. She wants to swim with dolphins and I know that it will be one of the happiest moments of her life. I can't wait to hear all about it someday!

I was honored to have this lovely lady come spend a few days with my family and I in Georgia this past summer. We weren't even super close at the time, but I think it's what began to draw us closer together. And she instantly loved the Braves. (it's hard not to) But you know that the Braves hold a special place in my heart. And if someone will love them at first sight, it's a good sign for our friendship.

I could ALWAYS count on Becks to be by my side at the pool for hours. Yes she came to visit me in Georgia. And we did do some touristy things, but she was completely content and happy spending a day at the pool. My kinda girl. You don't find many people who are as dedicated to pool time with me as this one.

Becky likes to try new things. We took Becky to the Varsity- only the grossest, greasiest, largest drive thru joint in Georgia. I'm not even a fan of it, but every visitor should experience it at least once. Yes, she may have topped it off with LOTS of ketchup and mustard (cause that's how she always does it) but anyone who takes a bite into that food is one brave soul.

Remember how much I love my dog? Pretty sure Becker is one of her favorite Sants. They instantly bonded. It may be cause they share the same nickname. But they had that connection. She understands me when I say that I miss my dog.

Technically Becky and I met at EFY back in 2010. (And of course, this is always a good sign.) However, we didn't really bond till after the sessions were over and figured out we had the same love for John Mayer and went to the concert together that year. That was the moment I knew we'd be friends. But mad props to EFY. You've done it again.

Becky loves my family and that means a lot to me. My family can be weird, they can be crazy, they can be fun, and in any circumstance... Becky has loved them. It means so much to me knowing when my friends love my family a lot too. And just so you know Becks, my fam LOVES you as well :)

Becky is one of the funniest people I know. The moment I get with her, she has me smiling and cracking up and the things she will say or do. Some may not understand her humor, but I do and she'll always keep me laughing. Half the time I don't even know where she comes up with that stuff, but she is a RIOTTTTT.

Becky is comfortable and confident with who she is. One thing I love about her is she is not embarrassed about things she will do. She doesn't care what others think about her. If people can't accept her for who she is, then it's not worth it to try to impress them or pretending to be someone she isn't. I love that Becky isn't fake. You get what you see with this girl.

Becky is there for me. Whatever I go through, I know that I can turn to her. She will be there for me no matter what. There aren't many friends I have like that, but I am grateful she is one of them. She has been there for me through tough times and through the good times. And I can't thank her enough for that.

Becky understands me. I like when we both think we are funny and we know we really aren't to anyone else, but to each other. Does that make sense? It does to me. Anyways, we thought we were pretty funny when we decided taking a picture together every games night was a tradition that had to happen. It wasn't some big event, but it was to us. Like I said, she gets me.

Becky has a GREAT sense of fashion. But seriously, she can pretty much pull off anything. Whether it's just sweats or some cute outfit she puts together, she always looks adorable. And just a side note, she also has gotten me addicted to Forever 21.

Becky has a loving heart. She is caring, kind, compassionate, sweet, and I know she would do anything for me. She is so giving and so thoughtful to her friends and family. I feel that love on countless occasions and couldn't be more grateful to have a friend like her.

Becky is someone I feel like I can be my complete self around because I know she loves me for me. And let's get real, I can be weird. But she doesn't make me feel dumb or stupid. I know that I don't need to act any different around her because she accepts me the way I am.

Becky has become one of the greatest temple buddies to go with. Even with our busy schedules working full time, we will try to go to the temple as often as we can together. It's nice to know I have friends I can count on to go with me to such a sacred and special place.

Becky is someone I can trust. We've had some really heart to heart, deep conversations and not once do I ever worry that she'll go around talking about it with other people. I trust her with my life. And feel like I can tell her anything.

Becky is athletic. She loves to be outdoors and loves to be active. I love her adventurous side. She likes to participate in sports more than just being an observer. If there are any random pick up games going on around her, she will most likely join.

Becky is a good sub for a boyfriend. If I'm ever without a date, I know I can't count on her to be by my side to have a fun time. And really, who wouldn't have a fun time when being with this girl?

Becky is part of this trio that slowly developed over the summer, but more into the beginning of Fall. They honestly hold a special place in my heart. I don't know what I'd do without these girls.

Becky is quite the dancer. If you need to whip up some choreography for a dance in a matter of hours, talk to this girl and she'll show you a move or two. If you need to have someone join you at a dance party to make a fool out of yourself with, bring this girl along. I promise, it's definitely entertaining and you wouldn't regret it.

Becky loves the gospel. You really have a special connection with people that you get to work at EFY with because you get to see a very different side of them. I'm so grateful I got to be around her for a few weeks this summer. Watching someone share their love for the gospel with other people is something that is touching. I have had many opportunities to watch her share her love for this church know she loves being a Latter Day Saint with her whole heart. She loves our Savior. I can feel her spirit and she has helped my testimony grow by her example.

Last, but certainly not least, Becky is one of my best friends. It's hard to come across those kind of friends these days, and I don't have many, but she is definitely one person I consider to be that kind of friend. She is so gorgeous inside and out! I am so grateful that I have gotten to know this girl SO much better over this past year. She has been a strength. She has one of the most loving hearts. She has been a ray of sunshine. She has been an example. She has been my comedian. She has been there for me through so many things. She has been a HUGE blessing in my life. And most importantly, she has been my friend. I couldn't imagine what I would do without Becky in my life. She is one of a kind.

I love you so much Becky Rene! I hope you have the GREATEST 24th birthday of your life! You deserve it pretty girl! Happy, Happy Birthday! :)

Mama Mia!

2012-01-24T16:08:00.002-05:00

It is a special day for this lady! Today, she has joined me in the 24 club!

And what a fun year it has been knowing this girl and having her as a roomie for the 2nd year in a row!

I love Mia for many, many reasons. As you may recall from last year's post.
But let me just name a few reasons to remind you why this girl rocks my face off....

Mia is a good support system. No boyfriend on February 14th? (or ever) Don't worry, Mia is a good sub. I was lucky enough last year to have Mia as one of my Valentine's. Best Valentines Day ever.

Mia is ALWAYS up for a dance party. Just turn on some good music, blast it wherever you are, and she will always be right beside you dancing away.

Mia is a good friend. She is loved by SO many people. I can totally see why because of her fun personality and tender heart. One of the most caring and giving girls. When I was feeling like I was on my death bed, she was constantly coming to check on me and see if I needed anything. She is someone I know I can count on. She will be there for me on my hardest days just to listen while I sit on her bed and cry/complain. And she will be there for me during the happy moments.

Mia is always up for adventures! On the days where I have felt so spontaneous and random, I can always count on asking Mia if she wants to join in when no one else would. Of course she is always up for it and we end up having a fun time.

Mia loves the outdoors! She has taken up rock climbing as one of her interests and spends a lot of time with that. But with me, when the weather has been nice, you can find her outside soaking in that sun either laying on a blanket attempting to be productive with school or she will be up for bike rides and slurpee runs. We really love those warmer days.

Mia is quite the cook. Even though 90% of the time she makes some sort of chocolate dessert, they must be good based on how many people rave about those treats! And on the occasions she makes something not chocolatey, it taste so good! So all in all, she is one fantastic cook!

Mia is darling! Seriously, who could pull off a beanie and still look awesome?! Only a few certain people can and Mia is definitely one of them. She has great style and always looks so cute! If only I could be just a little bit smaller so I could fit into her clothes. That would be good. Oh well, so much for that.

Mia was part of the roommate situation last year, which I obviously loved. (don't worry current roomies, I still love you all) But she will always hold a special place in my heart from that year. I won't get on my soap box about that one.

Mia is easy to be around. She isn't difficult, she isn't picky, she just goes with the flow with whatever makes everyone else happy. She has to put up with a lot being my friend. Thanks for being patient with me :)

Mia has a sense of humor. The things this girl says and does will constantly have me laughing. I love her fun personality.

I'm so glad that Mia and I have grown as close as we have over the year. She has become one of my best friends. I couldn't have survived this past year and a half without this girl in my life! The Lord definitely knows me and my needs and He knew that I needed a friend like Amelia. So blessed.

Happy, Happy Birthday Amelia Bedilia.

Let's hope our 24th year will be a great one! :) So lucky to have you in my life!

I LOVE YOU (more than all the warm treats, mcflurries, pizza and $1 drinks)

Happiness.

2012-01-11T12:48:00.001-05:00

"The person who is thinking of others and doing for others is happy. Happiness lies in that little kindness we do when we don't expect anything in return."

-Harold B. Lee

I love this quote I read today.
Let's all find that happiness.
There is no reason to not be happy!

Happy Wednesday :)

2012.

2012-01-09T23:14:00.000-05:00

I know, I know, I'm late.....

but better late than never right?!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Hope you celebrated with people (and animals) you love.

And made some new year resolutions that you are still keeping up with.

...I'm working on mine.

you've had a birthday, shout hooray!

2012-01-09T23:03:00.000-05:00

HOORAY! I have now turned 24. Wow, I am gettin' olddddd. What's even scarier is to think that I'll be 25 THIS YEAR! what the heck.

But the birthday this year was just great. I am so lucky that I have been able to spend every year with all my family on my birthday. Every other birthday in the fam there are just a few around.

However, I do wish mis amigos were around to party with as well. But don't worry, I realized just how blessed I am to have AMAZING friends. Want to know why?

Well first off, I get home and unpack and Nicole had something wrapped up that said I couldn't open until my birthday. So I set it aside for 10 days. Well, the moment I woke up, I found that present and opened it up to find a DVD. Not just any DVD. But one that had about 15-20 of my closest friends who recorded a little video clip to wish me a happy birthday. My Mom comes in my room and sees me crying... don't worry Mom, I just have the greatest friends ever. It was the greatest present I could have ever received. Sneaky Nicole. She is one of the most thoughtful, caring, and loving friends I could have ever hoped for. I watched that DVD at least 5 times that day. It was so tender. Thanks to those who participated in it, it made my birthday just that much better.

So after watching that, Cal and I went downstairs to eat some yummy blueberry muffins. But Callie was insistent that she served me for everything. Blueberry on a plate, orange juice in my cup, and tucked my napkin into my shirt. She takes care of me.

After that we relaxed for a little bit (aka- Sister watched my DVD with me) then got ready, picked up the grandparents and went to Zaxby's for lunch (duh, where else would I go?) It was delicious as always.

Then we headed to downtown Atlanta to go ice skating at Centennial Olympic Park. I hadn't gone ice skating in SO long so I was being super careful cause I HATE falling, but then the kiddos had a lot of fun skating around for about an hour or so.

The weather was absolutely GORGEOUS. Like low 60's... it was a perfect day in the ATL.

Later that night, we went to Ichiban Japanese Steak House for dinner. There were a few complications so dinner was longer than we expected, but it all turned out great and we enjoyed a delicious meal and free desserts! :)

Thanks to all my amazing family members and friends who made it a special day! It is one that will go down in the books for sure.

Bring on the 24th year.

Maybe my wish will come true?

2011 Recap.

2012-01-02T12:29:00.001-05:00

2011 has been QUITE the ride! there were lots of fun and exciting things that went on. Engagements, weddings, GRADUATION, trips to Vegas, California, Denver, Chicago, & Atlanta, incredible summer of EFY, attending MANY Braves Games, meeting and growing closer to incredible friends, visitors to the ATL over the summer, and have just had an amazing year!!

I look back on this past year and feel extremely lucky and blessed for all of the experiences I had that have helped me grow into a stronger and better person. All I can say is that the Lord knows me & my needs and loves me for me. I wouldn't be who I am today without the things I went through this past year.

So let's have a brief recap through pictures, shall we? (sorry, I am OUT OF CONTROL with pictures... just accept my addiction.)

JANUARY 2011:

FEBRUARY 2011:

MARCH 2011:

APRIL 2011:

MAY 2011:

JUNE 2011:

JULY 2011:

AUGUST 2011:

SEPTEMBER 2011:

OCTOBER 2011:

NOVEMBER 2011:

DECEMBER 2011:

2011 was a pretty great year; I hope this one will be even BETTER :)

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

christmas.

2011-12-30T23:03:00.001-05:00

K, Christmas at home FLEW!!! (which I knew it would since we only had a few days here before the holiday) It's sad once all the music is gone, the decorations are gone, and everything that makes this season magical is gone.

HOWEVER, Christmas Eve and Christmas Day were great days.

Christmas Eve was a busy one, as always. Cal and Brandon flew in that morning so we all were excited to be reunited again since the summer. That afternoon, we went to our Annual Christmas Eve Christmas Program at church filled with beautiful music that focused on our Savior. I love going to that every year. It's a really good way to spend a few hours on Christmas Eve.

That night, we had our traditional Christmas Eve Party with families in our home ward. It's one of my favorite things over the holidays because we always have so much fun together. They are the closest thing to family out here anyways so we always enjoy being together. We are interested in each other's lives, we like to tease each other about dating lives, spend other holidays together, go to dinner and a movie every year after Christmas, and we just honestly love spending time together. One of our favorite events of the night is the white elephant gift exchange. We try to embarrass each other or cheer one another on as it is their turn to open a gift. Just to show how well we know each other, A U of U fan got a BYU shirt, one girl who is obsessed with socks got some, and I got a "stud finder". Clearly, everyone is concerned for me and my dating life. But really though, it's such a great time. One of the Dad's shared such a sweet message with us about our friendships and how lucky we all are. It really brought a tear to my eye. I feel so blessed to be surrounded by people over the holidays who truly love me and care for my happiness.

After that grand event, we came home, opened our pj's, watched Home Alone, and fell asleep only for a few hours before we seriously woke up at the butt crack of dawn since we had to get to church by 10. We clearly thought we needed more time since we had 2 hours to enjoy a breakfast and get to church. But it was nice not to feel rushed. The rest of Christmas day we just relaxed (watched lots of NBA games) and had the Nielson's over for dinner and games that night.

It's always sad when Christmas time is over. I've really enjoyed this holiday season- spending it with friends and family that I love so much! I really think about how blessed I have been over the years.

Hope everyone enjoyed this season!
Let the countdown begin till Christmas 2012!!!

home again.

2011-12-29T09:45:00.000-05:00

i love being home! the trees, the weather, the family, the good food, the humidity, my home. i absolutely love it. nothing makes me happier than when i am with my family for the holidays!

Our puppy is the biggest moocher I have ever seen! It's probably because we will randomly give him droppings of our food. When there is any food around, you can count on Becker being right next to you with those puppy dog eyes. He was just eyeing my Dad that night while he was eating popcorn, which was hilarious, so of course we gave him some pieces. We love our puppy.

And we made our traditional Christmas cookies just 2 days before Christmas. nbd. we still had a fun time.

and so did Becker.

We also wrapped all the presents that day so it was a busy, festive day!

Merry Christmas.

2011-12-25T14:21:00.000-05:00

"Because He came to earth, we have a perfect example to follow. As we strive to become more like Him, we will have joy and happiness in our lives and peace each day of the year. It is His example which, if followed, stirs within us more kindness and love, more respect and concern for others."

-President Thomas S. Monson

Hope y'all are enjoying this holiday season and have been able to spend it with loved ones!

Merry Christmas!

Ho Ho Ho Night.

2011-12-24T11:48:00.001-05:00

'twas the Day before I was leaving for Georgia and all through the house,

the girls were having a "ho night", no boyfriends, or future spouse.

We got all dressed up and to Texas we went,

and ate way TOO many rolls, it was a fun night spent.

I've enjoyed spending this holiday season with these ladies,

including seeing all the pretty lights,

A Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night! :)

yep, i'm a dork.

two in a month?!

2011-12-23T15:17:00.001-05:00

I must be double the luck this year as a roommate cause now this best friend, Miss Nicole Erin Wait, is ENGAGED!!! And I cannot be more thrilled for them! I love being around these two lovebirds... you can tell they are so in love and so happy! They are definitely one of the greatest, hottest, and funniest couples roaming around Provo!

2012 is going to be a big party already.

Congrats you two! Wish I could be there to celebrate with y'all!

georgia on my mind.

2011-12-20T11:07:00.000-05:00

After Provo being a ghost town these last few days, I am FINALLY heading home to Georgia today!!!!

And SO ready for all the Christmas/Birthday Festivities the next few weeks!!!!

Like baking way too many cookies,

wrapping gifts,

traditional Dinner with the Mower Fam,

Christmas Eve with our family away from home,

the morning glory of Christmas Day,

snow? okay, maybe that'll only be a one time thing...

Zaxby's for the birthday,

and ringing in the New Year!

Ya... I am pretty pumped.

Happy Holidays Everyone! :)

bored at work.

2011-12-19T17:54:00.001-05:00

-you know how most people hate going to the mall or shopping during the Christmas season cause it's a mad house? Well, not me and Becky. We've been at the mall every weekend simply because we love the Christmas craziness and watching people at the food court. It's been one of the best weekly activities.

- a lady called into work the other day and this is how the conversation went:
Lady: "Hi, my husband thinks our furnace isn't working and wants a service. But I don't think there's a problem with it."
Me: "Okay..."
Lady: "And I don't want to have to have someone come out here to look at it when it's working just fine. It's just a waste of our money. I know he is going to try to call for an appointment, but just don't schedule anything. We don't need it."

WHAT?! I'm sorry, I'm not a marriage counselor. Please don't put me in the middle of this.Thankfully the husband never called or things could've gotten interesting.

-the envelope moistener is one of the greatest inventions of all time. speaking of, i reached my quota for the year in mailing out Christmas cards. thank you job.

- never go to the post office during the holidays. last week I waited an hour because our office needed A LOT of stamps. Today, I thankfully went just to pick up mail from our PO box because the line was OUT THE DOOR. pretty sure those people are still there after an hour. poor things. note to self: always deliver Christmas presents FAR in advance to avoid that chaos.(ya right, I'm queen of procrastination)

-while on the topic of my job, my bosses are crazy. not even an exaggeration. anyone wanting to hire me? i'm on the look out.

-counting down the hours till I'm on a plane home! 25 hours and 13 minutes. Have I packed for my 2 week vacay? nope. should be a long night.

the proposal.

2011-12-18T18:12:00.002-05:00

it happened.

Nicole and I helped set up,

led Kate to her first destination, and sent her on her way right on schedule for the big moment!

Ladies and gents, I am pleased to announce the engagement of my bestest friend, Miss Katelyn Stone, to Mr. Marcus Hunt! They are only one of the hottest couples in Provo! They are thrilled. and we are thrilled.

So a big congrats to one of my favorite couples! I am SO happy for Kate. She only deserves the best and Marcus definitely fits that spot perfectly! I'm so glad they have found each other. He makes her SO happy. Happier than I have ever seen her before. I couldn't imagine any one else better for my best friend!

I love you both so much and can't wait for the wedding!!! It's going to be one big celebration in California!!! :)

And her ring is absolutely PERFECT for her! The picture is a little blurry, but it is gorgeous!!!

Three cheers for another best friend getting married. Every year, I have at least one roommate get proposed to. Honestly, come be my roommate and I'll probably rub off the luck on you.

Mindy.

2011-12-17T02:24:00.001-05:00

Last Monday night is one that will go down in the books.

I ventured up with these 2 old (yet fabulous) roommates of mine to Bountiful for a special Mindy Gledhill Christmas concert at the lovely Krista Maurer's home.

Let's just say it was a magical evening. It wasn't just any regular concert where you could hardly see the performer. No, no, no. This was up close and personal with Miss Mindy. I loved everything about this little concert we had going on. Mindy was great, her band was great, the songs were great, and we can't forget those fabulous Christmas decorations that Krista worked hard on... those were outstanding (but would you except anything less from Krista? nope). Seriously, I just loved everything that was happening that night. It was so festive and magical.

One reason for this evening being so great was that I was reunited with Sweet Kaycie, Suzanne, and Meg for the evening! Sadly Mia and Britt couldn't join us from the "Green Gable Gals", but I still had such a great night being with these 3! They are always such a fun time and I was glad I got to spend a few hours with them. And I may be the only one who remembers this (because I'm weird like that), but he first time the 6 Green Gable roommates actually hung out was a beautiful and sunny Saturday spent at a pool, listening to Mindy's newly released CD. Let's just say Mindy holds a special place in all of our hearts (well, at least mine) so it was only fitting to be at this special concert with these ladies.

Since it is so up close and personal, we chatted for a little bit with the lady of the hour after her wonderful concert, had her sign my Christmas CD, and snapped this photograph with her.

'Twas such a fun night. Thanks to Miss Krista for putting together this special Christmas concert that I was able to enjoy with some of my favorite ladies!

realization.

2011-12-17T01:53:00.000-05:00

After all these years, this is the last Christmas season the freshman friends will be together. Besides the times people were on missions, we have all been in Provo (minus the Hawaiians). Well, let's just say I've been around the entire time. But come April, we'll start to separate even more. Some in Arizona, different parts of California, and a few still in Provo. It's so weird to think that this stage of my life is ending. Everyone will be onto bigger and better things: teaching, big people jobs, dental and medical schools, or still trying to figure our there lives (like me).

Of course one last Christmas dinner had to happen; we all hadn't been together since October- so sad! So I rounded up the gang for a fantastic dinner the Sunday before finals began! Our food was top notch. Every one brought something for the meal and it was all SO delicious. it was definitely one of the beat meals I've had this semester! thanks everyone for helping out!

And, as always, it was a great time. We first started off with Kyle playing some tunes on the organ. That didn't last too long (even though we are all secretly musically talented).

it's great to have these 2 cute girls added to our group! it's a good thing these boys married some fantastic girls who love being around us and we love being with them!

and we are all still very single (minus that cute babe on the left...story on that later). But, we love being single together. they can be great company.

I sure do love these friends. i love how comfortable i feel around them. i love how i never get embarrassed by dumb things i do or i say around them. i love how we are all so different; i feel like we each bring something special and unique to this family that was formed 5 years ago. i love how we love being together. i love that we have so much fun and will laugh at the dumbest things. i love the time they take out of their busy lives to do things like this.

i honestly just love them each individually and feel so blessed to have them as a part of my life, even if we don't see each other as often as i like.

we all felt a little sad knowing this was our last Christmas season together. next year things will be different, but i hope we can all stay in touch because they mean the world to me. they have been like family to me over the years.

We really did have a great time with each other during our wonderful dinner! It's nice to be surrounded by such wonderful friends when you can't be with your family during the holiday season. It looks like we will need to make the most of the time we have left together before next semester is over!

it's the holiday season.

2011-12-16T20:11:00.000-05:00

I would have to say that I've really enjoyed the Christmas season this year.

Can you believe Christmas is only 9 days away?! that blows my mind. And I go home in 4 days! It's not the most ideal, but I'm glad I'll get to stay home for 2 weeks! It's just weird all my friends leave this weekend and I'll still be living it up in P-Town a few more days. party on.

Anyways, I've done a lot more than I normally do during the season...probably cause I'm not stressed with school and finals every day after Thanksgiving break. That is one thing I'm glad I don't have to deal with!

I was so happy I got to attend my old work Christmas Party! It was fun to catch up with my old co-workers and meet some other great people who work there now! It was a fun filled night with delicious food, a white elephant gift exchange, and LOVING this house next door. Obviously the girls had to take a picture with it! But really, it was a fun evening spent with people I just love and miss every day!

Last week, our ward had a nice dinner in Aspen Grove near Sundance. It was such a great night! We stuffed our faces with delicious food, we had a few Christmas musical productions and a message from our cute little Bishop. It was a fun evening of remembering why we celebrate Christmas.

The next night, Kate and I made some Christmas Cookies to share with others! This picture thankfully doesn't show the disaster that struck our kitchen. But we had a fun evening listening to Christmas Pandora (such a fantastic thing), being together (since that rarely happens), and decorating some Christmas cookies.

Then it was onto Christmas parties for the weekend!

Becks, Nicole, and I took a trip to the Riverwoods to work on a special project in our Christmas Sweaters and took some pics in the magical Christmas house we saw! Like I mentioned in my previous post, I'm just obsessed with Christmas Lights!
The next night, my house from last year through an Ugly Sweater Party. Hello, memories! Last year was such a fun time so of course I felt a little nostalgic coming to this party.

But, we did enjoy ourselves (don't mind Shaun's face, he loved it) for the good 15 minutes or so we were there. Santa even came to visit! It was a grand ol' time at the Green Gable home.

And Sunday I slaved away making my favorite Christmas cookies I always make at home! Seriously, I had to roll out the dough and bake them before church for about 2 1/2 hours and came home to frost and decorate them for another 2 hours after church.

HOWEVER, the time was well spent because these cookies are delicious! And if you are lucky enough, I have shared a few plates of them with people.

Sunday was also our Christmas program at church. Unplanned, all the roommates (besides Alyssa who was having a weekend trip to NYC) wore Black, Red, or White. We just looked like a happy Christmas family singing together in our Christmas Program. But I do love these cute roommates of mine.

Happy Happy Holidays one and all!

oh those christmas lights.

2011-12-14T14:02:00.000-05:00

I absolutely just LOVE this time of year.

Christmas lights are in full swing everywhere! Something about shiny little lights all over trees and houses makes things feel warmer and a lot happier. don't say you don't agree, cause i know you do.

Another reason? I got to go to the First Presidency Christmas Devotional (thanks to Nicole Erin for that gift) If you missed this fantastic event, read about it here. I always love this devotional the first Sunday in December. It really helps me get in the mood and spirit of the Christmas season! It's such a friendly reminder to remember the reason for the season. Just like President Monson said, "“Christmas is what we make of it. Despite all the distractions, we can see to it that Christ is at the center of our celebration. If we have not already done so, we can establish Christmas traditions for ourselves and for our families which will help us capture and keep the spirit of Christ.” I hope we can all remember Christ in our daily lives, and during this special time of year. I'm so glad I was able to attend this special occasion and was able to go with a great friend, Mr. Carter Zufelt. Don't be confused by this mustache and mistake him for my Dad... I have no say in what he does with his facial hair, although it was very entertaining to watch people as we passed them slowly look down at that thing and start laughing. Very entertaining.

The weather was a little bit on the chilly side, so we took a quick walk around after the Devotional, enjoyed looking at all the pretty lights, and headed out. If you live in Utah and haven't gone to Temple Square yet, DO IT. It's so magical.

Speaking of magical, if you have yet to visit my house this Christmas season, put it on your to-do list. It's nothing extravagant, but it is so festive and happy. The roommates and I got together one Saturday morning, and started operation Christmas. And let me say, I am pleased with the turn out.

Here's a little tour of the upstairs room:

Having a fireplace is so perfect for those cute stockings to be hung on. It's probably my favorite section of the room.

Oh and this little piece too. We wrapped those ugly bookshelves into big Christmas gifts. And those ornaments are too cute.

K fine, everything about this room is my favorite. We love our Christmas lights. The more the merrier, right? It's definitely a happy room to be in.

And that day Nicole and began watching one of my all time favorites- Home Alone 1. And don't worry, we've already watched Elf and Home Alone 2 as well. Nothing like being in a room full of happiness, watching some Christmas classics.

What can I say? I am obsessed with the Christmas.
Happy Christmas Light Season! :)

Ray Rayyyyy!

2011-12-02T16:38:00.003-05:00

Today is a VERY special day for my ~~3 year old~~ friend.... Miss Rachel Huey! She is turning 24 today!

It has now been 2 1/2 wonderful years that I have known this girl. And I am SO grateful for that! As I look back on our friendship, I can see that she has been a HUGE blessing in my life! I'm so glad EFY has brought us together cause let's be honest, EFY is pretty amazing.

Rachel has had some pretty hard times in her life this past year. And they hit her literally all at the same time. But I am SO incredibly proud of her and how strong she is through tough times. I admire her more than I can even describe. Even though we may not always understand why things happen, she knows that the Lord has a plan for each of us. There is a reason for everything. And we can always turn to Him in times of need. I know that has brought her comfort and peace these past few months. She's had trust and faith in our Lord through all the challenges she has faced and has testified that to me through her continuing example. Incredible, incredible woman. Honestly, one of the most remarkable people I have had the privilege to know and become great friends with.

Want to know some other reasons why I love Ray Ray? Ok... here it goes:

Ray Ray has this LOVE for EFY. Yes, we have frustrating days where we want to pull our hair out, but you know what? We both know it's TOTALLY worth it because we love EFY with all our heart. And why wouldn't we? It's what brought us together :) The experiences we have been able to share together over the past 3 summers have been amazing. They've also helped our relationship grow even more and become clsoer friends. I'm so glad that I've been able to have those experiences with her! I really do owe EFY a lot for all it has given to me!

I love Ray Ray and the fact that she likes to act like a child with me on some loopy days we have at EFY or even when we are just together for a long period of time. People may laugh or think we are completely weirdo's, but we are proud of our child-ish way.

Ray Ray likes to have fun. Her laugh has to be one of the cutest things I have ever heard! Even if you are upset about something, once she starts laughing, you can't help but laugh too. Or at least crack a smile. She is so full of life and bubbly (unless it's super early in the morning, which we've spent many together.. but who is bubbly at the crack of dawn anyways?)

And as a part of EFY, I was able to be her BC for 2 of the weeks we spent together this summer. And just the times when I observed her, you could tell how much she loves this gospel. The light of Christ honestly just shines through her. I really enjoyed the opportunity I had to watch her share her testimony and love for this church on a daily basis, because she helped my testimony grow. And I know for a fact that she helped those kids grow spiritually as well. Some may have never told her, but you could see it in their faces as she taught them. She is an example to so many youth and counselors she has had the opportunity to work and interact with over the years. I'm so glad I've been able to witness that. She's an incredible girl.

Ray Ray loves to be in the sun! So she makes for a GREAT pool buddy. Even if we can only have an hour of pool time before we need to go, she'll totally be up for it. That's my kinda girl.

I love Ray Ray's love for children. I've watched her interact with children on different occasions and I can just tell that she will be a FANTASTIC mother someday. She has such a big heart, full of love and kindness. I can't wait to see her with her own children, on our cul-de-sac.

Ray Ray is loving, kind, and patient. Any problems I would be going through, stress in my life (which can happen a lot when you're at EFY for 5 weeks straight), she was there, ready to listen and help in any way possible. She is pretty good at giving some advice too.She has been more than a good friend to me over the years and I'm so grateful to have her as a part of my life.

Ray Ray is a hard worker. For Kaycie's wedding, she helped make the cakes, put the bouquets together, decorated the reception place...ANYTHING that needed to be done, Rach was right there ready to help with a positive attitude and smile on her face.

Ray Ray is a GORGEOUS girl. Seriously, just look at her. Even during our early morning meetings at EFY, she would come on in just looking like as cute as a button while I looked like I hadn't slept in days. Some boy will be SO lucky to have her one day.

I absolutely LOVE that we have converted Ray Ray to become a Braves Fan! It's been a long time coming, but she is starting to understand a lot more of the baseball lingo, she'll watch games on TV, and try to stay up to date. We went a time or two to games this summer together and had a blast!I love her even MORE than I did before since she has converted as a Braves fan... and that's a lot of love.

Bottom line: I love Ray Ray SOOOOO much! She has brought so much joy into my life since I met her back in 2009. We've had some really great times together and can't wait for many more. I know the Lord puts people in our lives at different times and for different reasons and I KNOW that I could not have survived these past few years without her!I wish I could see her more, but Florida isn't exactly the closest place! But I have gotten to see her a lot this year, which I am SO happy about!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY RACHEL LEIGH HUEY!

7902!

so thankful.

2011-12-02T12:03:00.000-05:00

Thanksgiving Break has come and gone. And let me tell you what, it was such a great break!

Taylor and I drove to Denver late Tuesday night and enjoyed spending the rest of the week with family!

Side Note: This just has to be pointed out. Because it was just the two of us taking the road trip, we had a lot of extra space in my car so why would we need to be super reserved on our packing?

Take a look at this picture. Mine is neatly on the left side, Tay's stuff is the rest of the car!

I thought I was bad, but then I saw Tay as he came out with golf clubs, the huge blue bag (in the middle back of the picture), A LOT of hanging clothes (there were still 4 more sweatshirts/jackets he brought out after this picture), and all his shoes (because he "didn't know which ones he'd want to wear"). I felt much better about my two Vera bags (the small one was just for some shoes/boots to justify myself). But it really didn't matter since we didn't have to squeeze anyone else in (thank goodness).

My parents, Cody, and Lexie also came in for the holiday break! It was great having them there with us, but we definitely missed Cal and Brandon there. The weather was absolutely gorgeous for 3 of the days we were there- it was in the high 60's! I always wonder how Denver is right next to Utah because I think Denver is prettier most days. (sorry Utah lovers) We spent some enjoyable time outside at the park the first afternoon with our cute little boy cousins.

That night the cousins all went to Aubrey's house to make s'mores, watch Modern Family, and play Just Dance. It was a lot of fun spending some time with my cousins! Not to mention, my primo, Jordan, has returned from his mission in Argentina! It was so great to see him again! I swear, it's like they never left when they get back. But I sure do miss those missionaries while they are gone!

Thursday morning we were up bright and early, ready to play some football on a GORGEOUS morning in Denver. Seriously, the weather was perfect. It was fun to play with all family for the turkey bowl. Normally we go play with our ward back at home and they are slightly more competitive, which means they make the girls play with the young children (so lame.) Anyways, the teams were the "oldies" vs. "under 30's". Let's just say the oldies have had a lot of time playing with each other. We'll be ready next time. But we still had a lot of fun together.

After getting all cleaned up, and taking little naps, we were ready for some delicious food! I felt like royalty with all this great food placed right in front of me. I felt incredibly blessed to be surround by family I love, enough food on my table, and a warm house to enjoy. One.lucky.girl. Sadly, Aubrey Lynn was only able to stay for 2 days because of work so she had to leave Thanksgiving night. It was great to see her and spend time with her for a few days. She can always put a smile on my face. Love that girl.

I am so glad my family was able to come out for the break! It has been such a long time since we were all out there together. I definitely enjoyed them coming out, making me yummy breakfast, paying for my meals & activities.. but really, just being around me all week long was the greatest! Thankfully, Christmas is right around the corner and we'll have Cal and Brandon with us!

I'm also glad these 2 cute boys and their parents drove from Arizona for the break! They are the CUTEST things ever and such a joy to be around! Precious Crewe (on the left) has adapted to the cheetah sign. This wasn't the best pic I could get of him, but his eyes just widen and he makes a growling noise as he does it. BEST.THING.EVER! As they get older, they slowly love spending time with their older cousins! Callahan (with me on the right) wanted to be my partner for the infamous game of "scum" my family loves to play together. He was hilarious the entire night as we talked trash to the other players. I sure do love those cute boys. Hopefully I can make a trip to Arizona soon!

Jordan gave his homecoming speech that Sunday morning and it was one of the most tender talks I have ever heard! You could tell that he just LOVED his mission with all his heart and loves his family a whole lot. I'm so lucky to have him as a cousin!

After his talk, a lot of extended family went over to their house for a delicious breakfast. Of course I take advantage of things like this because normally I just have some yogurt or cereal and head out to work!

My grandparents are the most adorable people I know! Normally I stay at their house whenever I visit, but my Uncle, Aunt, and their 2 boys did so I didn't spend as much time with them as normal. But I still am grateful I got to see them for a few days! They sure are fun people to be around!

And I got to spend more time with this cousin of mine, Cory (middle of the picture on the right). He's actually my 2nd cousin so we normally don't spend as much time with their side of the family because ours is just so big in and of itself. But because him and his other siblings and cousins are a little older, we got to spend a lot more time with them over the break and had a great time! It's funny once kids reach a certain age, it's a lot easier to hang out with them (even if I feel old). But Cory comes out to BYU next summer and will be playing for the Basketball Team next Fall! If I'm still around, I will definitely be at his games cheering him on! I've heard that he's quite the basketball player. So proud of that cousin of mine!

I can't even believe this is my 16 year old brother! He has turned into quite the stud and an enjoyable boy to be around! I can't wait till we spend more time together in a few weeks!

I am soooo incredibly thankful that I was even able to go to Denver for 5 days with having a full time job. Our office actually closed the 3 days I would've missed so it worked out quite nicely. Denver has been like my second home, especially since I moved to Utah and they were the closest family I have had around. I'm lucky to have such a loving and amazing family! We enjoyed our time we had together this past Thanksgiving week. We ate lots of good food, played many games of scum, danced our booties off, watched some Christmas movies, and just enjoyed being with one another.

Sadly, Thanksgiving break ended WAY too fast! But, thankfully Denver isn't too far away so I hope to visit again soon!

Happy December 1st!

2011-12-01T23:22:00.001-05:00

Tis the Season.

EFY Health Counselors get Married!

2011-12-01T13:07:00.001-05:00

Yes, I was there the first day they met.

I even met Ry Guy and went to a Braves game with him before he even met Lizzie Girl.

And then I proceeded to watch the first 5 weeks of them together.And let me just say, I love these two with all my heart and soul.

These two are just as cute as can be.

And guess what?! 5 months after they met and they were married on November 19th in the Salt Lake Temple!

Callie obviously had to come for the great occasion so I got to be with my sister in Utah for a few days! Sadly, we only took pictures on the wedding day, but we had a great time visiting the Reeve's in Alpine, the Holder's in Park City, and even spent the night in Park City one night. It was fun to have sister around in Utah

I also loved being with all of her darling roommates again. They are so hilarious and fun to be around!

They had quite the bridal party too. Lizzie's 2 sisters are even missing in this picture. I really loved the flowers and the colors for her fall (ish) wedding! I happily brought some flowers home from the reception that were just gorgeous!

Since Brandon couldn't miss work, he flew out on that Saturday morning so we had fun spending the day with him! I really do miss having the Slama's in the land of Provo! Minnesota is too far away.

It was slightly cold that afternoon (if you couldn't tell), but it was so fun to see these two on such a wonderful and exciting day for them! You can tell they are so happy and so in love. And I love the idea of these two together.They really are perfect for each other.

The dinner was at the Joseph Smith Memorial Building that night. There was great food, great friends to be with, and just a great evening in honor of two people I love.

We even had a little EFY reunion! Although I wish everyone could've attended from EFY, I'm glad I got to see these 4 that night. Just brought back the great summer memories.

Congrats Mr. & Mrs. Drake!

Thanks for letting me a part of this happy day for y'all!

bye, bye no shave november.

2011-12-01T00:39:00.000-05:00

Well November was gone in the blink of an eye. That was great.

Here's a few of the adventures that went on this past month:

Dating Committee threw a successful FHE night, complete with acting, a Q&A panel, mints and gum. We had a blast. And we had quite the turn out. Dating committee event= success.

We kidnapped our roommate, Liz, for her birthday dinner at Sushi Ya.

we're kinda the best kidnappers ever. ask liz.

I went to a crepe shop for the first time and enjoyed a DELICIOUS banana crepe. wow. so, so good. my mouth is watering just thinking about it.

But, we mainly went to the crepe place to be good friends and watch Nick perform at Open Mic night. the crepe was a definite perk.

Carter came over for a surprise visit! I haven't seen this kid in forever so it was great catching up with this cave man. Thankfully this guy was the only true no shave november beard man i saw the whole month.

Simuka, one of my lovely girls from the Palmyra EFY session, was in town for the Thanksgiving break so she came over to my house with her brother to hang out for a bit! I seriously love this girl to pieces and wish she would just move to Utah already!

there are some other things that happened during this month that will have it's own special post so stay tuned! i promise I'll do better updating this thing!

georgia on my mind.

2011-12-01T00:02:00.002-05:00

Hi, my name is Ashley Kay Sant and I am SUPER behind on my blogging. I apologize to those who care (Nicole). With lots of birthdays and lots of traveling, I've slacked a bit.

But let's put that aside and go back to my wonderful weekend trip back home to Georgia in the beginning of November!

First off, the kiddies had NO idea that Callie and I were both coming home for the weekend until 2 days before when Lexie opened her birthday cards from both of us. This is what I put in mine:

i like to pretend i'm creative.
When you find a deal for $187 round trip to Atlanta, how could you pass that up when all I needed to do was get off some time from work? It was just what I needed.

Nicole was a gem and drove me at 6 am to the airport on Thursday morning. (Don't worry, she was paid back with a trip to Texas... Roadhouse that is)

It was an enjoyable few days I got to spend with my incredible fam bam.

Friday, as a part of Lexie's birthday gift, I told her she was missing school and we were going shopping and eating lunch at a restaurant of her choice. (ya, I'm the best sister ever) We made a pit stop at Target (of course) and bought the Justin Bieber Christmas CD and blasted it the entire day. I'm not ashamed. We had a fun afternoon together.

That night, I went with the parents to the Varsity football game for my old high school. Talk about a blast from the past. It was against our rivals and the game was super exciting! Just reminded me of the good ol' days back in highschool.

Cody had to dress out for it since he is QB on the JV team, but I was proud to see my little bro out on the sidelines being supportive. I kept yelling to put Cody in the game. Much to my dismay, they did not do such a thing. But it still was a fun game.

Cal flew in late that night so I was excited to be reunited with her again after 2 months. Not to mention, she became quite the chatter box at night. I'm laying in bed, exhausted, and she is just talking away. You would think she would be more tired than I am since that's the routine married life, but nope. She was up and talking my ear off. I was grateful for it (even if I hardly responded) because I miss talking with her and seeing her daily.

Saturday we had Lizzie's Bridal Shower at my house. Lizzie had no idea Callie was coming so she was quite surprised! But it was a fun time; we enjoyed yummy soups and desserts and I loved seeing the ladies from my home ward. They are all pretty fabulous.

2 down, 2 to go.

The rest of the day was spent hanging with the fam, going to our favorite mexican restaurant, and watching football.

Sunday came too fast. We went to church, ate some lunch, and it was time to head back to cold Utah.

I'm glad I was able to take a quick trip home and a break from Utah.

Can't wait to go back in 3 weeks!!!

exciting weekend ahead!

2011-11-17T10:33:00.000-05:00

i'm on my way to pick up this cute sister of mine at the airport to spend the weekend here with me in good ol' Utah!

and my two favorite health counselors from this summer are getting married on Saturday!!! i sure do love these two cute love birds!

oh, happy weekend.

this is halloween.

2011-11-16T14:05:00.000-05:00

i don't know what overcame me this year, but i became OBSESSED with the Halloween season. Maybe it had to do with the fact that I was too busy traveling every weekend in October last year, I didn't get into it too much. But don't worry, I made up for that lost time this year. I took advantage of dressing up Halloween weekend. And let me tell you something, I enjoyed EVERY minute of it.

Night 1: The go-to Night.

We decided to go to Comedy Sportz. Nicole said that people dress up for the shows so, of course, I was on board. I didn't want to dress up too much, so we decided to be nerds. Typical go-to costume. Well, we were the only 3 dressed up, I was proud of it, Nicole was embarrassed, and I got a free ticket to another show for dressing up. Totally worth it.

Oh and side note: it was Miss Katelyn Stone's birthday that day too! I was glad she came to the show with us that night. I sure do love this pretty girl!

Night 2: Ultimate Party Night.

it was the night where everyone was going to parties and dressing up. So this was the one we actually had to think and plan what we'd wear. Well let me introduce you to this Neverland Trio:

Tiger Lily, Peter Pan, and Tinkerbell.

And let me just add that we were so proud of how well we pulled this off in just a week! We loved our trio choice and enjoyed our night.

This lovely girl, Miss Halloween Fairy aka Suzanne Whitehead, put on an epic Halloween party with the boys that live next door to her. She looked fantastic and it was great to see her (except she was like a bouncer at this party so I saw her when I got there and when I left. lame.)

And even though it was so dark you could hardly see who anyone was (and not to make things more difficult, everyone was in costumes), we did manage to find a few friends every now and then to party with.

...including Hugh Hefner. Oh, words can't even describe how proud this little sister is.

Night 3: Actual Halloween Night.

Since Halloween fell on a Monday, not many parties were happening. Of course I still wanted to dress up, just didn't want to put much thought into it. Which is why I decided to be a cat. And yes, I even wore my cat ears to work, but not the tail. That could have been slightly uncomfortable and annoying so I passed on that.

But even though we had no parties to go to, we dressed up, and went to Becky's to enjoy some cornbread and chili (round 2) and watch Hocus Pocus.

Becks just threw on that brunette wig of hers, put on her glasses, and became an Animal Trainer for the night. She was the best trainer I've ever had.

Destry was in the best pup suit I've ever seen! So we had to have a little animal fight.

Nicole and I just did twin thing and were cats together that night. We did enjoy getting ready that night, making some whiskers and cat noses for this easy costume. Let's get serious, we are the best lookin' cats around.

And there you have it. I couldn't have had quite the Halloween season this year if it weren't for these 2 gems in my life. Hope everyone had an enjoyable Halloween season as well!

Can't wait till next year!

fall break?

2011-11-16T13:37:00.000-05:00

ya right, I don't even know what one of those is like. I have wanted a fall break since I went to BYU and crossed my fingers my office would just close those 2 days too. ya, that was wishful thinking.

but that set aside, the weekend was pretty good.

i babysat this cute baby and her sisters overnight that Friday right after work. we danced to some justin bieber, made a birthday cake, watched a movie, and had a sleepover in the parents room. these girls are always so fun to be around. and it's nice to go somewhere where I feel at home since I can't exactly get to my house too quick.

The next day I went to the BYU football game with these freshman goofballs! As you can see, we had FANTASTIC seats and the weather was beautiful that day! The game was a pretty good one too. And it's always great to spend some time with my favorite boys.

I also got to meet up with two of my kiddos from my EFY group in Palmyra during halftime! Seriously, I miss that week and those kids all the time. It was so great that I could reunite with 2 of them at the BYU game for a brief time! Now I just need all those crazies who live in Utah to come down and visit!

And to end the fall break I didn't have, I gave a talk in church that Sunday and had some great people there to support me. Although I was super nervous about the whole thing and I'm not into the whole public speaking stuff, I was so happy to see those faces out in the crowd. Really, I feel so blessed to have some amazing people in my life. I love them so much.

So there you have it. The fall break that didn't exist ended up being a pretty good weekend!

My Mother Dearest.

2011-11-15T14:01:00.003-05:00

I have this pretty, fun, amazing, talented, loving Mother and it just so happens to be her birthday today!
She really is one-of-a-kind and such an important person in my life! I am SO grateful that she has been the one to raise me, care for me, teach me, and love me unconditionally. I wouldn't be the person I am today without her raising me and being an example to me.

Bottom line: She is the BEST Mom there is, and here is why:

She puts her family first. Ever since I could remember, my Mom LOVES her Family more than anything in this world. She talks to her parents weekly and even sometimes her brothers. But she loves to hear from her kids away from home. She wants to keep up with all of our crazy and different lives because it is important to her, and we can see that. She wants to know about the little things that give us joy, or the things that will make us sad. No matter what the situation is, whether big or small, she wants to know about it because what is important to us, is important to her. She treats her kids as individuals and will never favor one over the other. She loves each of us as separate people who she cares for and loves equally. I can speak for all the kids when I say that we got SUPER lucky to have been raised my incredible mother!

She's a hard worker. She has been quite the super Mom raising 5 crazy kids! Once a few of us were out of the house, she started a job and has gone to working full time. But she makes her best efforts at work (really, they are lucky to have her) and then will come home after a long day and stay busy around the house whether it's making dinner, helping the kids with assignments, taxiing them to their different activities, and keeping the house looking spic and span until she crashes a few hours later. Luckily, she has my wonderful Dad around to help her with these things as well, but she is a working machine! I don't know how she has so much energy at the end of the day. Good thing she can squeeze in her 10 minute power naps a day. I don't know how those energize her, but they work!

She is a Mom that likes to have fun! She'll come play tennis during those humid summer nights, she'll be outside hitting the ball with my dog, she'll be out at the pool with us for an afternoon under the sun, she'll even join in on some random dance parties with crazy daughters, she'll watch youtube videos with us over and over again and laugh just as much as we do, she'll ski while we spend the day at the lake, she'll be standing and cheering as crazy and as loud as me at Braves games while we get stares from lame, boring viewers, and she'll join in on our late night runs to Dairy Queen for some good ice cream. That list could go on forever. But let's just say, she is a crack up and will keep me laughing with the things she says and does. When her kids become super hyper and crazy, she is right alongside us. She has a great sense of humor and is SO fun to be around!

She is my #1 Supporter. Whenever I make any decision in my life, she will be the first to give me approval and support. She may not even realize how much she has helped me when I was going through school. She would push me through to make it through the tough days to get to the final goal, which was graduation. And she was there for me to celebrate that great accomplishment and it meant the world to me.

She is a great listener. I can't how many times I have just called her to ramble on about something and she will just sit there and listen. Then I have to go somewhere and end the conversation without even getting an update from her (what kind of daughter am I?) I probably bore her half the time with my stories, but she will never make it known to me. She will just sit there and listen and be interested in what I have to tell her. Whenever I need to vent about anything (which let's get real, this happens often), I know I can turn to her and she won't mind. And the other thing that is so amazing to me is that she CARES about it all and will understand me. She will put everything aside in her busy life to listen to mine. So selfless. Seriously, what a great Mom I have.

She is also one of the most stylish women I know! Seriously, I only WISH I could have the clothes she had and look adorable in all of them! She probably gets embarrassed by my choice of clothing sometimes cause most days I just prefer a big sweatshirt and sweat pants. I love coming home cause Callie and I will both raid through her closet to find something to wear. I.want.her.clothes

She is musically talented. Let's just say that if you're a Calvert, you HAVE to be musically talented. My grandparents and some Aunts, Uncles, and Cousins are SO talented! My Mom has a BEAUTIFUL singing voice and can play almost anything that you put in front of her on the piano. And you can tell she loves it! It makes me super jealous because I know I'm nowhere near as good at singing and definitely not even close to how well she plays the piano. I think if I keep working at both of those, MAYBE I can be almost as good as she is one day. Really, she is so lucky she has been blessed with those talents. Just talking about it makes me want to work hard at those things that I just let slip away from me. Thanks for the motivation Mama Cita!

She is gorgeous! Seriously, people think that she is my sister because she looks so young and is SO tiny! That's a great compliment to me! (I just hope I am blessed with those genes for my later years.) She definitely doesn't look as old as is she is turning today. Don't you worry Mom, you don't look like you are in your 50's.

I just had to put this in here. But ever since I was a baby, seriously, like when I wore diapers, we started coming to this amazing Chinese place. And these ladies have watched me grow up and it is always such a crack up to go there (which is every time I am home) and hear them say the same things over and over again. But they always do say how beautiful my Mama is and how she looks so young. I couldn't agree more.

She loves sports. Growing up with 5 brothers (one brave woman), one had to of known that she was going to have to watch or go to sporting events whether she liked it or not. Well, she LOVES them! Baseball (duh), Football, Basketball, everything! She has put her kids in sports and will be at every single game not just to be a supporting Mom, but because she really enjoys them! Sometimes she'll even be the first one to mention watching a game together before my brothers or even me with Braves (shocking I know). And bless her heart, since I can't watch every single Braves game out in Utah, she will constantly be texting or calling me through out games that I'm not watching to update me. She is my personal sports broadcaster. I'm super thankful she was raised liking sports cause my siblings and I have been raised liking sports. It makes for a good time around World Series, Super Bowls, College Football Bowl Games, and NBA finals. We can throw some pretty good parties at the Sant casa during those games. So here's a shout out to the mother for raising me to love sports! Obviously this is something my family is passionate about so deal.

She is a fantastic cook! If you've had her food, you know what I'm talking about. For those who haven't, you are totally missing out! The moment I would come home from school, almost always I would ask what was for dinner. She has always made the best meals! It's one thing I look forward to every time I go home. She can even make a simple grilled cheese taste SO much better than the one's I make. It's the "Mother's touch". She has always made great food for her family. She is a walking recipe book- she has so many recipes that she has just memorized, it's incredible! I'm hoping that I will be able to do that one day and have my children love the food I make as much as I have loved and enjoyed my Mom's.

Last but certainly, not least, not only is she my mother, but she is one of my best friends. She is the most kinda, loving, caring, patient, and understanding Mother. I know that I can turn to her for anything at ANYTIME of the day, which can be hard sometimes with the 2 hour time difference. But I know without a doubt that she will be there for me through anything, supporting me and pushing me along. She wants nothing more than for me to be happy and I can see that through her words and actions. I have loved spending the majority of my life watching her example and hoping to become half as great as the mother she is one day. She is a huge blessing in my life and wouldn't be the person I am today without her!

Happy Happy Birthday to the most AMAZING mom in the world! I love you so much! Hope you've had a fantastic day! :)

Halloween Season!

2011-11-13T14:12:00.001-05:00

I have LOVED the Halloween/Fall season this year! Last year, I felt like I did nothing to enjoy the season. But this year, I did EVERYTHING I wanted to do except carve a pumpkin. (ya, I know.. it's only one of the EASIEST and cheaper things to do, but I didn't do it. whatevs.)

First on the list, I went to Cornbelly's with Becky, Nicole, and Shaun. (thanks for being my date Becks)

Aren't they just the cutest things?

We had a great time going around the ENTIRE place jumping on "big pillows" with all the children, going through an inflatable beast, had a horse race, and went through a few mazes. Needless to say, it was a fun time with these best friends of mine.

Second on the list, I went to the Haunted Forest with a bunch of random friends one Saturday night and loved every minute of it!

And maybe I held Becky like this a lot during the whole thing, sorry I was probably annoying.

And here are the things I am most scared of: Freddie Cruger, any man with chain saw coming near me, and the girl from the ring coming out of the well. Those people can stay away.

But tis the season right? I love getting spooked. On top of that, I love being spooked with some great friends. We definitely had a lot of laughs.

Next on the fall list: Driving up the canyon to see the pretty fall colors!! Thanks to Nicole for being a sport and letting me drag her to Provo Canyon to try to see the pretty leaves one last time before it starts getting ugly. We had some success and enjoyed our enjoyable Sunday afternoon ride up the canyon. It was a gorgeous day! Thanks Nicoley Baby Boo for coming along with me :)

And last, but not least, we had a Fall/Halloween dinner at Becky's with some family and friends complete with homemade chili and cornbread. I haven't had that for Halloween since I lived back at home so it was thoroughly enjoyed. Great company and great food always results in having a great time!

Obviously, I will need a separate post for my Halloween weekend! So stay tuned (ya, to the 2 followers I have out there)

Hope everyone enjoyed the season as much as I did!

reunion with the freshman gang.

2011-11-13T13:39:00.002-05:00

Freshman year of college was one of the greatest experiences of my life.

That is when I met some amazing people who became my best friends:

But 5 years later, we are still friends and I am so thankful for that! We don't get to see each other as often anymore because our lives have changed a bit: some have gotten married, some have graduated, (ok just me but a lot of them will in April!), work/school has taken over lives, and one has moved his life to Hawaii so sadly we may not ever all be together again! But one thing that will never change is the way I feel about these people. They have been the ones that have been with me through my college years- which can be the most challenging yet most memorable experiences I will never forget. They feel like my family, and even treat me as such. With Kate being on a mission, I was left as the only girl with all these crazy boys. But don't worry, they didn't ever treat me differently because I was a girl. And I'm actually grateful for that. I was over at their house the year they got back from their missions literally every moment I was not at school, work, or sleeping. They were champs for putting up with me :)

Ok, enough of walking down memory lane. After being back in Provo for 2 months, (yes, sadly it took us that long) we all reunited at our favorite place, Red Robin! Ever since we went for Jared's birthday freshman year (the 1st picture) it is where we ALWAYS go for birthday celebrations. And this time we didn't celebrate a birthday, we just celebrated us reuniting! AND we sat in the same spot that we sat freshman year (if you can see from the picture taken then and now). We had such a fun time being together and catching up on things going on in our lives.

I really am grateful for these friends in my life. I know that even though I hardly see them, they are always there for me! It's weird to think that really soon our lives will be going in different directions and we all won't live within 5 minutes of each other. I hope that we can all stay in touch as that happens because they mean so much to me!

Seriously, I really do love these people with all my heart and soul. They are one of a kind friends and I will always remember our college years together!

i'm comin' home.

2011-11-03T08:02:00.000-04:00

thank you orbitz.com for having a flight for $187 ROUND TRIP to Atlanta!

I shall take it and shall be home to hang out with these wonderful people this afternoon!

Peace out Provo!

Baby Girl!

2011-11-02T01:41:00.000-04:00

IT'S MY BABY GIRLS BIRTHDAY TODAY!!!

However, Baby Girl isn't such a baby anymore. When in the world did that happen?! Oh ya, when I left home in 2006. dangit. Little sister is officially a teenager today! I decided it was appropriate to write 13 things I just LOVE about this girl! For those who know her, they know she is quite the fantastic little chica. And for those who don't know her, here is a little inside scoop of this cute sister of mine!

1. Lexie has such a sweet and loving heart. She cares so much about the people in her life and never wants anyone to be sad. I can always count on this girl for some sweet and reassuring words for me. Yes, I get advice from a 13 year old. But she's one of the best because she cares for me and will speak the truth. And I know that by the ways she will show it. I'm so lucky to have such a sweet baby sister.

2. Lexie is quite the comedian. She will act or say some of the FUNNIEST things! I wish I could just record her life. She will have the family constantly cracking up at the things she does or says. Like for instance, she wrote a "covenants of the house" sheet and wanted everyone to sign a piece of paper, even before we saw it! She wasn't tricking us. We were all a little smarter than that! We come to find out this "contract" is focused on her and her needs. Her are a few examples of what was put in there:

"thou shalt covet ye lexie"

"thou shalt present lexie with money"

"thou shalt burp insideth the mouth"

"thou shalt goeth outside to 'let one rip'"

"thou shalt not stealelth lexie's phone"

"Ashley shalt take pictures" - duh, i do that enough

Seriously, WHAT THE?! as you can see- she is the creative little girl and will continually have us cracking up.

3. Lexie is a good student. Just recently, I was talking to her about school and she is little miss smarty pants. I honestly don't know how she can keep up with school, friends, cheer, and everything else going on in her life. But she is a bright girl cause she does well in ALL of her classes. That makes me one proud sister! She definitely didn't get her smarts from me.

4. Lexie is a fun spirit. She is one of the most spunky and outgoing girls I know. I honestly don't know how she can have so much energy sometimes (wow, I sound like a grandma) But I can always count on her when I want to have a fun time and get a little crazy.

5. Lexie has some sass. I don't know where she gets her attitude, but when she is on one, she is on one. Sometimes it can be funny and entertaining though. We love her little sassy attitude. And we like to egg her on. She puts up with so much being the baby of the family.

6. Lexie loves her family (this includes the puppy). She is so happy and excited when we are all home at the same time during the holidays or summer time. Even though she still is warming up to liking all the sports (like watching them on TV) she'll try to appreciate them and we know one day she will grow to love them all with us! But she enjoys spending some fun, quality time with the fam bam. It's one thing I feel so lucky to have. My family is so fantastic. We all love and care for each other and LOVE being together. It brings out the best (or most annoying) attributes in us. We are quite the fam. I'm one lucky girl.

and she has the BEST siblings ever,,, duh.

7. Lexie is talented. She LOVES to sing (sometimes not seriously), she plays the piano, and will make up little dance routines with her amigas. She's always wanted to be an actress so we'll see where she goes in life.

8. Lexie loves this gospel. Even at such a young age, she knows this church is true and understands all the blessings we can recieve if we follow the commandments and listen to the words of the fantastic church leaders we have in this day. What an example she is to me just as a 13 year old. She may hate having 9 am church, but she will go because she knows it is the right thing to do and LOVES to learn

9. Lexie is Miss Fashionista. Seriously, why does she have better clothes than me?! Oh ya, cause I pay for my own and I'm poor. Sweet. But seriously, she looks SO cute and stylish every day. Maybe I should get some fashion advice from her? Sounds good.

10. Lexie has a cute laugh. (Cody may not agree with one certain laugh she has. But he gets mad when she does that one and we all just crack up at it.) Seriously though, her laugh can be contagious... as long as it isn't fake or obnoxious. But it's totes adorb.

11. Lexie is a babe! She has grown into such a gorgeous and beautiful girl. It's hard for me to keep all those boys away from her when I am so far from home. She has grown up SO much since I left for school it just blows my mind! But she has become such a gorgeous young lady! :)

12. Lexie is a Braves fan. yes, I say this EVERY time about EVERY family member. but honestly, it's one of the most important qualifications to be in our fam. We won't be too hard on Brandon cause he likes the A's. But he also supports us in our Braves obsession so it's okay. And who could blame a 13 year old girl who doesn't like watching baseball on tv or listening to it on the radio? She loves going to the games and she pretty much knows every key player on the team. That's my girl.

13. Lexie is one of my best friends. I am lucky enough to have grown up with 4 best friends. I can speak for all 4 of us when I say that we are so lucky and blessed our sweet baby sister was brought into our family 13 years ago.

I have hated that I have missed most of her growing up for the past 6 years, but I am so grateful I still get to see her every now and then and try to be a part of her life, at least just a little bit. Like I mentioned in Callie's birthday shout out, she is one of my sisters. And sisters hold a special place in my heart. I know that not everyone is lucky enough as I am to have even 1 sister, but I have 2! I know they will always be my best friends as we continue all the changes in our lives. I can't wait to see the adventures of this baby girl! She has so much in store for her!

So my sweet baby girl... on your 13th birthday, I just wanted to let you know how much I love you! I can't believe you are just growing up SO much and I am not there for it! I remember the day you were born and how excited I was to meet my new little sister! And now, you are growing into this beautiful, mature, loving, and fun sister!

You are an amazing sister and best friend. I am lucky to have you in my life!

I'm sad I can't be there on your day of birth, but guess what?! I can't wait to see you TOMORROW to celebrate for the weekend! :)

I love you forever Baby Girl!

Hope you have the happiest birthday EVER cause you deserve it :)

Happy Halloween!

2011-10-31T12:50:00.001-04:00

Hope it's full of candy, spook, Halloween Pandora, good friends, chili & cornbread, costumes, and hocus pocus!

i LOVE this holiday!

Birthday Girl!

2011-10-28T12:48:00.003-04:00

See this beautiful lady I am with?

TODAY is her 23rd birthday! And we haven't been together on her birthday in 3 years! So I am quite excited that I get to see her for at least a little bit on this special day! I am also glad that she is back from her mission and back as my roommate again! Oh, how I missed her for the last 2 years in Provo! So, so happy!

Kate is such a loving and caring friend. Although my life is crazy with a new job and hers is crazy with trying to adjust back to school, spending hours in the library, boys, and friends... there will be days where we will just sit and have really great conversations for a long period of time. I always love the advice she gives me because I know that it is from her heart because she genuinely cares for me and wants me to be happy. After knowing this girl for 5 years, she really knows me and knows my needs. I can always trust her with anything that goes on in my life. I even think sometimes she is speaking through the Lord to me. It's amazing how in tune with the spirit this woman is. She really is fantastic and can make me feel better or give me some great insights.

Kate is a hard worker! She graduates in April (YAY!) so she is busy trying to finish up her schooling and student teaching next semester! She spends so much time on her school work, I don't know how she has time for anything else! All I know is that once she graduates, she will be a FANTASTIC teacher!

Kate gets distracted SO easily (ya, I know I said she's a hard worker but when she puts her mind to it, she can do it) But guess what? I love this about Kate. For instance, she'll be saying one thing while trying to do another task (like cooking for instance) and she will totally space that she was cooking food and in the middle of an intense conversation she'll stop, freak out, and run to the kitchen. it cracks me up! although sometimes i need her to stay focused, i can't help but laugh every time.

Kate is hilarious! I have totally missed her sense of humor these past few years! But when she is on one, she totally cracks me up. She is just so random, spunky, and has a contagious laugh! I know that I can always count on her to put a smile on my face and make me laugh with her randomness! She is currently in an acting class so even though she is trying to be totally serious in her monologues she practices, she cracks me up!

Kate is so loving. When she meets new people, she instantly makes them feel loved. I love that about her. She isn't fake either. She genuinely loves people and I have never heard her talk poorly about anyone regardless of any situation (ok, besides the boys that are jerks to me, but she's just watching out for me) People just love her and she loves them. It's so easy for her to make new friends and instantly feel comfortable around them.

Kate has gotten me into loving plays. We just went to one this past week, but I LOVED it! And so I think she will be my play date. :)

Kate will be up for random, spontaneous activities like riding bikes around Provo one afternoon. And she'll be a total dork with me. We would be making noises like we were on motorcycles while riding on the sidewalks passing by people. But it's okay. We are children. And not embarrassed.

Kate is GORGEOUS. How many people do you know, that are red heads, who are just naturally and absolutely beautiful? Oh ya, that's my best friend Kate. Seriously, she is such a gorgeous girl!

Kate is an example to me. She is one dedicated girl in this gospel. She served an 18 month mission in Palmyra, NY and I know that she misses it every day! But she was a remarkable missionary! She loved all the experiences she had and loved the people she served. Those people in New York were SO lucky to have her in their lives. She loves this gospel so much! She gets up early every morning to study her scriptures and write in her journal. She continually is studying and learning and serving and loving everything this gospel has to offer in our lives and I look up to her for that. I only hope I can be like her someday.

Kate is part of the freshman crew. Those people hold special places in my heart in and of itself. I couldn't have survived my freshman year without them, and Kate was a big part of that. I love them with all my heart and soul. I hope we never loose touch with each other because they are like my family that has grown and developed over the years.

Last, but certainly not least, Kate is my best friend. 5 years, going on 6 years, she has been a part of my life. While it was so hard not to have her around for 2 years, we still kept in touch over emails weekly and she even was genuinely interested in what was going on in my life. She would even lift me up during those long and lonesome months when I first felt alone when she left. She has been the one solid friendship I have had since I started my life in Provo back in 2006 and words can't even describe how grateful I am for her. I know it was by no accident that the Lord put her in my life exactly at that time in my life. She has done so much for and has been there for me through any kind of situation. I can always count on her for anything I need, I know she would drop whatever she was doing if I really needed her. She has helped me grow and become the person I am today. I am so lucky and blessed to call Kate one of my best friends. I hope we can always stay close as our lives will go different ways and change within these next few years. She is one in a million. I love everything that makes Kate, Kate.

So my dear friend, I hope you have the most fantastic and special 23rd birthday ever! Thank you for being born and coming to BYU and being in my ward that year and becoming one of greatest friends! I feel so lucky to have you in my life! I love you! Have a happy birthday! :)

Dessert Nights and Weddings.

2011-10-27T12:37:00.000-04:00

I love these two things so why not combine them into one blog post? Good idea, Ashley.

So, if I haven't mentioned it yet, I am on the dating committee in my ward (yes, laugh it up. i was already laughed at when I got the calling. can't say that's ever happened to me before) However, I LOVE my committee! They are all so fun and have great ideas so our activities aren't awkward. It's great though. We decided to kick off this committee with a little dessert party one Sunday night. Here we are, as happy as can be, cause it was quite the success. Lots of people showed up, treats were good, and there was flirting involved. Point Dating Committee.

After that little shin dig, we headed our way to this little misses birthday celebration! I haven't seen Deidre in FOREVER so it was good to have a little catch up time with this cute lady! I love her lots.

Later that week, this GORGEOUS lady got married!! She seriously looked SO happy and so pretty that night when I went to her reception! Congrats Mrs. Heather Gines!!

And with EFY friends marriages, comes EFY mini-reunions. Only a few people were able to come, but one of the most important ones who showed up was Miss Kaycie Q Foster! It was fun to spend a little time with her and the hubby! I miss seeing her on a daily basis. Blasted SLC.

And of course, it's always a great time with these 2 pretty girls! Weddings are such a happy time so I love the chances I get to go to receptions with some great friends! Congrats to another friend on her happy marriage! :)

scary much?

2011-10-26T20:42:00.001-04:00

On a beautiful and sunny day in Utah, I ventured up to visit the Reeve's in Alpine to pick up the rest of my belongings I stored at their house over the summer. As I am going along on the freeway, just singing to the tunes on the radio, going about 65 mph, in the midst of construction and a fairly congested highway, I could not see what was in front of me all of a sudden! It took me a second to realize that the hood of my car slammed up and hit my window, leaving me with no sight of what is in front of me. freak out a little? ya. remind you of the movie Tommy Boy? ya, I've heard that too many times while telling this story. And let me tell you, it's a WHOLE lot funnier when it's in a movie and not happening to you. just saying. anyways, somehow I calmly and safely was able to cross one lane and pull to the side of the road. cue breakdown. and this sweet man pulled over with his huge semi truck to secure my hood and make sure I was okay.

honestly, i have never been so terrified in my life. i cried... ok, more like sobbed the entire way to the Reeve's house, just full of so many mixed emotions. all i had were my mirrors to look behind me and I hear this huge semi truck honking at me as he was coming close to my car because i was slowing down wayyyy fast. what else could I do?! It was honestly a miracle that I didn't hit anyone with how busy the highway was and how quick I had to slow down, not to mention the never ending construction going on. All I know was that I was definitely being watched over.

And even though I wasn't hurt, my poor Dora (my car of course) was hurt. :( The hood had to be completely replaced along with my windshield since the hood just smacked it! Luckily, my window had a crack from the beginning of this spring that extended half way across the glass so I had to replace it anyways (there just wasn't as many cracks as I now had)

if you look close enough, you can see all the cracks... especially the one on the top in the middle.

But ya, it sucked and cost just a littttttle bit of money (ya right, it was a lot of money.) But Dora is fixed, I nor anyone else got hurt, and everything is great now!

It only took me a few weeks to get the courage to back on the freeway again. NBD.

dear little brother,

2011-10-26T20:35:00.001-04:00

you can stop growing up now.

no, you can't drive on the roads. i'm taking away your license.

no, don't talk to girls. they still have cooties.

and even though i know you have good looks cause we're related (duh), stop turning into such a stud.

But you can still crack me up with your temper in the sports you play. That's still fine. Just don't embarrass me too much.

and promise you'll stay my little brother forever, k?

love always,

Sister

Callie Cakers.

2011-10-23T12:47:00.000-04:00

after 22 years of life, I have only missed out on ONE of her days of birth [until this year.]

and i'll be honest with you, it makes me so sad that I am not with her today to celebrate! i LOVE celebrating birthdays so it's a little weird for me not to be with her for the first time in a long time.

Each year, I have played the role of the Mom. Decorating, making her breakfast, getting all the presents from the family back at home and wrapping those as well as mine, and making sure she has the BEST birthday ever.

This beautiful, caring, amazing, loving, funny, dedicated, talented, kind sister of mine is turning 22 today! I remember when just she turned 1 (well, thanks to our home videos, which are PRICELESS and I will ned to upload those bad boys some time.)

I just think this sister of mine is FABULOUS! I have watched her grow over the years and has become this amazing woman and an example to me. She has such a loving heart and I know I can always turn to her for anything!

Callie married her best friend, Brandon, back in May. She has sadly left Utah, but has begun a new adventure with her hubby out in Minnesota! Yes, I miss her every day, but I am so excited to see what the future will bring for these two lovebirds. I am so proud of my sister and so happy that she has married someone who is SO perfect for her.

Callie has been such a blessing in my life! I am so grateful to have a sister that I was able to grow up with and grow close with. She isn't only my sister, but my best friend.

Let me tell you just a few reasons why I love this girl so much:

Callie has been my support system. No matter what is going on in my life, she wants to know. Even in her new busy life as a married woman, she will be there for me when I need advice on anything. She is there to help, to listen, to provide direction, and most importantly, to love me. I couldn't ask for anything more than that.

Callie LOVES to have fun! She has always been this spunky girl that is full of life! She can bring a smile to your face just by being around her. But if you are ever in the mood to be spontaneous and random, she will be there to join along.

Callie will put up with my dumb jokes. Sometimes (if I'm lucky), she'll join in on them with me and then we become these annoying girls who can't stop laughing at something so ridiculous. But those are the greatest ones. Or she'll just laugh at what I say and make me feel better. Bottom line: at least she thinks I can be funny.

Callie is a dedicated girl! I think we get that from my Mom's side of the family. Since she's been married, she has started working full time! This girl knows when it's time to work and when it's time to be lazy. I know she has to be the best employee because she likes to be busy and to get things done.

Callie will be as immature as me. Even though we are the 3 oldest, I sometimes think we can still be the most immature. We aren't embarrassed though. There is always a time and a place for it, and she will always be there ready to join in.

Callie is a loving wife. Every time I talk to her, she will say the sweetest things about Brandon. Their wedding day was so magical. You could see by looking at the two of them just how in love and happy they are to be with each other for eternity. She wants to always be by his side to care for him. I am so happy they have found each other.

Callie LOVES the Braves. When we were both home this summer, we went to 3 games in a week. And, she and Brandon delayed going to Minnesota just one more day so they could go to one last game at Turner Field this summer. She will understand how I am feeling during a game, whether I am stressed, frustrated or excited. While watching the last game of the season, she called me towards the end because she "needed to be with me" during this stressful time. I'm glad she's as crazy of a Braves fan as I am.

Callie is part of my sister trio. I am so grateful and lucky to have 2 amazing and beautiful sisters in my life who are my best friends. I love spending time with these two.

Callie is GORGEOUS. I couldn't believe that was my baby sister walking out of the temple as a married woman! She is so beautiful inside and out!

Callie LOVES her family. It is always such a treat to be together these days so we like to make the most of it. She'll be there to support us in everything we do, whether it's at a swim meet, scrimmage football game, baseball game, or major events in our lives such as graduation. She loves to be with the family. You can tell it's one of the most important things in her life.

Callie loves to cook! I miss her around here because we would always make meals together. And now after being married, she has been cooking more than ever before! I can only imagine how good her food taste! Brandon is one lucky man!

Callie has good taste in clothing. But in all seriousness, this girl knows how to dress. She can pretty much pull of anything and look great. That takes skill.

A lot has changed since her last birthday. She got married and has moved to a new city! Although I miss her every day, I am so proud of the person she has become! I love that we still remain close to one another and will talk every day (sometimes thanks to email during work). But I am glad that she still keeps me in her life no matter how far away we live from each other or how busy her days will get.

I love you so much sister! I wish I could be there today to celebrate this happy day with you!

HAPPY HAPPY BIRTHDAY! :)

2011-10-18T01:12:00.000-04:00

just having one of those moments where i miss this incredible experience.

and, might I had, this is a pretty sweet photo huh? props to one of my boys for being quite the photographer.

time with the trio.

2011-10-16T19:13:00.000-04:00

let's just start off by saying that i love becky renae and nicole erin.

sometimes being a grown up stinks because we can't hang out as much these days with our busy lives.

but have no fear, cause there was actually one FULL week where we saw each other every day... and we LOVED it.

one night Becky, Nicole and I decided to invite ourselves over to my brothers to hang out and grill pizzas (clearly something we have never done before)

as we were driving, we thought the mountains looked really pretty so we stopped for the photo opportunity, but you can't even see it in this picture...i just like this one of the 2 of them.

my friends are so hot. duh.

we had fun pretending to be little chef's and pro pizza makers by tossing our dough up in the air. you can tell just by looking at our faces, it was a success.

and once we added all of our ingredients, we put those bad boys on the grill and patiently waited for them to be done.

and despite the weird bubbles coming from our pizzas, they were delicious! some of the best pizza i've ever eaten (but let's get real... I just love any kind of pizza)

And we got to spend a lot of time together over the weekend.

We decided last minute to go to the Rooftop Concert series in downtown Provo and it just so happened that Mindy Gledhill was performing too! We met up with their HC from EFY in Provo, Mr. Ross White (aka Ross Cat) and just became the greatest of friends. The music totally reminded me of the south and I was just soaking it all in! We all loved it!

The next night I went with these 2 to the BYU Football Game. Clearly, they have been converted to Cougars. And thanks to Ross, we also were able to enjoy a delicious cougar tail.

pretty much, i just love these two gorgeous ladies in my life.

in case you didn't know....

2011-10-09T21:17:00.004-04:00

tennis is one of my most FAVORITE things to do.

Sadly it's not as popular out west so not many people play.

But Nicole was a good sport and decided to come play with me for a bit.

It was a good thing we decided to go on the last warm-ish day of the year. (better than never right?) i'm hoping I'll get a few more play times in before the weather really turns for the worst.

It's sad I haven't played in MONTHS, so I was extremely happy to get back on that court and play for a little bit before it got too dark for us to see. [Thanks Timp High School Track Meet for providing us with some light.]

bottom line: it was a good time.
if anyone ever wants to play some tennis, call me up.

Conference/Reunion Weekend.

2011-10-08T14:35:00.001-04:00

So I LOVE conference weekend!

Not only do I get to hear from some incredible leaders of our church today, but I get to see a lot of my EFY friends. Those people hold special places in my heart. Some drove the distance and flew the distance so it was great seeing a lot of my summer friends that I miss dearly.

While everyone gets excited for their mission reunions, I get excited for these nights.

We had a reunion Friday night with all these lovely people after the BYU game! We just sat, chatted, and ate some delicious cookies thanks to Miss Kendall.

I miss this married woman! Going from seeing her all the time to hardly at all isn't okay. I just wish SLC was a little closer so I could see her more often!

And the good thing about all these mission reunions? I get to some friends that come in for those, like this girl right here- MANDY GIBBONS! I have not seen this girl in over 2 years! It was so fun to spend a little time with her over the weekend. Seriously, I love her so, so much!

After conference, Kate and I decided to take a little stroll around Provo since the weather was GORGEOUS! And, we rode our bikes down to the old Provo Tabernacle where they are going to build the new temple! Seriously, we are so excited! Too bad I won't be living here probably when it is done, but I will come back to see it! So awesome!

And that night, while all the boys were at the Priesthood session, we had a girls night and went to Texas Roadhouse for dinner (of course). It was so delicious... as always. And did I mention that I love these girls? Cause I do.

Then we had an efy reunion part 2. Some people couldn't make it the night before so we came to my house and just did the same thing as the night before. Just talked it up for a bit and had a good time.

And a big thank you to EFY in the south for bringing this girl into my life.

Just sayin'.

I love these Florida girls! I'm so glad I got to work with them for a lot of this summer! I just wish they lived closer!

And I miss my efy brother, Jorden. He can always make me laugh.

A few more friends showed up so it was necessary to take another picture with them too. Seriously, I love these people. EFY has treated me well over the years.

I got to go to the conference Sunday afternoon and met up with Kate to give her some tickets before we walked in with all the madness! Parking was a nightmare and people were everywhere, but we were able to make it inside right before the opening song was done.

I got to go with this lovely girl, Suzanne! It was such a treat to spend some time with her! I miss her as my roommate.

As always, I just LOVE conference. I feel like it always comes right when I need it the most.

And then... the weekend was over and back to the big girl life of having a job.

Hope everyone enjoyed conference as much as I did :)

i miss these faces.

2011-10-07T01:11:00.001-04:00

why can't i be with them every day?
it's okay to be jealous... not every one can have amazing siblings like mine.

livin' the graduate life.

2011-10-06T19:51:00.000-04:00

okay, i'll admit... just working every day and then coming home to do whatever i want is great.

no stress, no worries, just getting to hang out with my friends at night.

one night we all ventured up to PG to support Shaun's family band having this little concert in a park.

It was fun to be with these old roomies of mine for the night as well. I miss those faces.

I got to go to my first BYU home football game this season with these friends- Austin, Amelia, and Tanner. We had some great seats and the game was a lot of fun! Go cougs.

Miss Heather Shepherd is getting married in just a few weeks so we had this mini efy reunion sesh at her bridal shower a few weeks ago. We are so excited for this lady! Congrats Heath!

And last, but certainly not least, we went to this guys farewell. I am so proud of Elder Ryan Anderson! I've known him since he was just a little 14 year old running the streets of EFY, and now he is in the MTC and going to rock it in the Philippines. I am so proud and happy for him! He is going to be such an amazing missionary and I can't wait to hear about all of his adventures!

So life with friends has been great.

The weather (up until today...yuck) has been great and I've had some fun times with friends.

This is the good life.

it smells like up dog in here...

2011-10-06T13:05:00.001-04:00

Dad:"What is up dog?"

Thank you Jim Halpert for that one. You had Callie and I uncontrollably laughing forever when I pulled that joke on my Dad.

Anyways....a couple weeks ago my Dad took me on his business trip to Chicago.

He has taken Taylor and Cody on trips before, but never the girls... so I was up! I had never been to Chicago either so I was super excited to go explore a new city! We landed around the same time, got in the limo services town car, and drove to the Trump hotel where they were paying for our stay for 2 nights. Let's just say Daddy-o and I got a kick out of this place.

Yours truly, Donald Trump, had a letter for each of us on our beds and had a box of little chocolates with it. Sorry Donald, I should have warned you that I didn't like chocolate. Could I get something else? But anways, since this is somewhat a picture of the bed, the bed was HEAVENLY. maybe it's just me cause I live on a twin size slightly uncomfortable mattress in Utah. oh well. I loved that bed and slept like a baby the entire weekend.

After Dad and I took a little stroll to the Navy Pier, we went to his business dinner. Holy, I have never seen or eaten SO much food. I couldn't even finish my dinner and then they bring out these bad boys. Clearly, I only ate the strawberry shortcake (which was TO DIE for). It was good. And I just had a grand time sitting with all these men my Dad worked with while they talked business.

Oh ya, we had a tv in our bathroom. nbd. it's how we roll at the trump hotel. obv.

I had Friday morning to late afternoon to myself while Dad was in meetings so I took a stroll around downtown. I realized I love destination cities! Atlanta is not like this at all. It's so fun to just walk around the streets, seeing all these great stores (Nordstrom Rack, H&M, a two story Forever 21) to go into as well as looking around at some cool architecture. I loved it!

Callie and Brandon drove in late Friday night to spend the rest of the weekend with us! And I was SOOO happy to see them. It had been since June so it was a sweet reunion. Callie and I stayed up so late the first night and had to be told by my Dad to be quiet cause we couldn't stop laughing. I felt like a little kid again and was so happy to be with my sister.

Saturday was a fun filled day with things we had to do in Chicago!

We first went to an afternoon Cubs game at Wrigley Field!

I can check that one off the list. I have ALWAYS wanted to go to Wrigley Field and it was such a cool stadium!

Of course we had to get some Chicago dogs while we were there to get the whole experience. They were delicious. And it was fun to be able to go to a MLB game. That's one thing I hate about Utah... no MLB. dumb.

Later that day, we took a stroll down the Navy Pier, which was so cute! i felt like I was walking into a movie scene. There was music playing, little food places everywhere, and just all around a happy place to be.

After dinner, we took an architectural cruise around the city on a boat on the Chicago River! Couldn't you tell we were just SO excited?! (but really, we were)

It was a lot of fun! We learned all about the different buildings here in Chicago and some amazing stories!

Definitely a trip worth taking if you are ever in Chicago!

It was an enjoyable ride.

Our last day, we went back into the City to look at the cool architecture they have around there. We first stopped at the "bean".

Correct term: "cloud gate" It is made up of 168 stainless teel plates welded together. It's 33 by 66 by 42 feet and weighs 110 short tons. (thank you wikipedia)

it's definitely a main attraction here in chicago. we enjoyed taking pictures of ourselves.

And look what happens to be right next to each other? Target and UBS! These two boys just happen to work at those places. Coincidence? I think not.

Aren't these two just so precious? I really enjoyed spending the weekend with them.

And we couldn't end our trip without going to get some Chicago pizza one last time!

It was sooooo delicious. And seriously so filling. I could barely eat one slice before I felt completely full.

Pizzeria Uno is one of the best places to go get some pizza in Chicago. yum, yum.

So, there you have it. My trip to Chicago was a good time. I was glad I got to go and spend some time with my Daddy and those two cute newly weds. I wouldn't mind going to Chicago again.

Thanks for a fun time Dad!

just been waiting 6 months...

2011-10-01T02:45:00.002-04:00

is it just me or do i feel like conference comes JUST when i need it most.

funny how that works out, huh?

anyways, I am super pumped and ready for a weekend of relaxation and getting great insights from leaders who are called of God to communicate with us on these days.

we are so blessed.

seriously, i love everything about conference weekend and getting recharged before I have to wait another 6 months.

Happy Conference Weekend! :)

note to self.

2011-09-27T22:34:00.001-04:00

whoever thought being a grown up was cool was seriously mistaken. oh wait, that was me once upon a time. oops.

don't get me wrong, there are definitely perks of still being in my early 20's and graduated.

and the whole not-going-to-school thing, well.... i'm kinda digging. i enjoy not having to take tests, write pointless papers till the wee hours of the morning, and study my brains out for hours on end in Harold B. The bright side of working is when I get off a stressful dayk, I'm done for the day and don't have to think about it till I get back the next morning or have a WHOLE weekend without stress. Now, that is nice.

Upside of still being in school? You don't have to face the real world quite yet and find a full time job (and with this economy, good luck to ya). I am grateful to have found a job though so i can make the dough and stay busy (cause let's get real, i went insane those first 3 weeks back to provo without a job).

i miss walking around a campus, seeing my friends randomly, and kindof living the easy life. And yes, I even miss Harold sometimes. We had quite the relationship during my college career. Starting with the oh-so-wonderful periodicals and escalating my way to the cool kids club on floor 5. yes, those were some fun days. staying with friends till the music came on and kicked us out, only to go outside and be so happy and full of life after a successful library sesh.

confession:about 90% of my time in the library was spent doing something more appealing than homework....distracting other friends, sharing earplugs to listen to some good tunes (john mayer of course), play games (geocache in the library was always an adventure), facebook it up (which included messaging the people you are sitting at the same table with, pathetic i know), but anyways you get the idea. anything seems a whole lot more appealing than doing homework no matter what. but i enjoyed going to Harold for the most part, and not meaning to mislead you, I was productive. But I always had a good time.

my brain is scattered and flustered. can't you tell?

i feel like this is a lose-lose situation. regardless of where you are, you want to be elsewhere. where you currently are, is not enough. does that make sense? it does in my head.

but ALL of that being said, life is good. it really is.

it will always be full of ups and downs so buckle down and enjoy the ride, right?

thanks for listening whoever does.

the latest and greatest.

2011-09-25T21:08:00.000-04:00

Well, it's now been a month since I have returned back to the land of Provo and I am STILL trying to catch up...kinda pathetic, huh? Even though I was sad to leave the South, I was excited to get back.

And I think maybe these 2 gems were as well who wanted to come pick me up at the PROVO airport, compliments of Frontier airlines. It was SO nice to get off the plane and not have to drive the 45 minutes back to Provo. But I was SO happy to see my two friends who I had been separated from for such a long time! Seriously, it was one of the happiest reunions ever! And, Daddy-o was still in town after driving cross country with Taylor so he showed up as well and took us to get some ice cream. It was a grand time. I was so, so happy to be with them again.

So here's what else has been occupying my time this last month:

Dad, Nicole, and I went glow in the dark miniature golfing and ate some delicious Texas Roadhouse (yum,yum,yum). It was fun to spend a day with my Dad before he went back to Atlanta.

We also drove up to squaw peak to look at the view and even went on this path for a mini hike to work off all that delicious texas food we partook of. I love the summer time in Provo because the weather is perfect. It's so nice, sunny, warm, and will cool off in the evenings a little bit but still be just as enjoyable. Too bad it's almost over and the snow will be coming. Yuck.

I stayed at Nicole's that whole week (bless her and her family for being so kind). In the mornings I'd wake up, apply for jobs for a few hours and then we'd hit up the local pool at Glenwood for some sun and swim time. We wanted to soak up summer as much as possible, and of course slurpees after a good pool sesh were a must.

We have also taken a couple trips to the Mt. Timpanogas temple to do some baptisms, which was great! I have never been in that temple till then and it is gorgeous!! Not many people go there so we get in and out pretty quick and the workers there are just so sweet.

That weekend we FINALLY go to move into our house and I FINALLY was reunited with Miss Katelyn Stone! It had been a few months and I only saw her for about an hour during that time so I was more than excited that I would see her longer than a few hours and we were going to be roommates again this year! Of course I had to go back to comedy sportz my first weekend back in town to laugh a little and support my good friend, Shaun.

Sadly, I missed out on one of the greatest things about the summer- movies at Rock Canyon Park on Monday nights. But don't worry, I was able to go to their last one before they ended for the year. We just invited a big group of people to come along so it was fun to be reunited with some friends I hadn't seen yet since I'd been back.

We had a ladies night and went to see Shaun perform in an impromptu musical at some piano place in Pleasant Grove. It was hilarious! I loved it and loved spending time with my friends, they are gorgeous huh?

Later that night I went to an EFY bonfire for the east coast, aka my Palmyra friends! I was so,so excited to be reunited with these friends! I was sad I was with them only for a week this summer, but I'm glad we are all in Provo and can hang out!

Nicole and I just had to white trash it up one Saturday morning because we had been without internet in our home for a few days and I needed to apply for some jobs. We just went up to BYU campus in our jammies and sat there glued to our computers. we're dorks.

I went to the Latin Festival in downtown Provo with these fun friends of mine one night.

And we had our first roommate picture after church! Seriously, these girls are so great and such fun people to be around. I got lucky another year in a row in having some awesome roomies!

Labor Day I went down to Park City with some girls and Shaun (what a champ) to walk around, do a little shopping, and go to have some pizza. I love Park City! It's such a cool town to spend the day in.

A hummingbird sadly hit our door and was left dead on our porch one day. RIP little birdy. Thanks to Nicole for taking care of that.

I love the random nights where we decide to walk to the sev with some friends to get some slurpees. They are some of my favorite nights.

My 2 dear HC's and friends from EFY this summer got engaged and I couldn't be more excited for these two!

I got to babysit this cute thing for the day. Seriously, she is adorable and has grown up so much!

There was a free concert outside of Sammy's and I got to hang out with some cute babes there.

We finally had an EFY reunion one night! We all went up the Provo Canyon, had a bonfire, and just had a great time catching up with each other.

Although some of our family is missing, it was so fun to be reunited with all of them! I miss EFY, lots.

While nights still aren't too cold, I love staying outside. Kate, Nicole, and I went to the park across the street from our house one night and just laid on a blanket. I don't know why I haven't done that every night!

After I had some yummy dinner with these two favorites, we went to the fireside where Elder Oaks spoke. I love being able to go up the street to see an Apostle of the Lord speak to us. Seriously, so lucky.

The roomies went out one night to the Olive Garden for some bonding time. Seriously, such a fun group of girls that make me laugh and smile. Love them.

And there you have it.

Yes, it seems pretty scatter brained, but I just wanted to get it all out in one post.

But I really have enjoyed being back in Provo, getting back into the swing of things, and being with friends again.

let me tell you about this girl i know.

2011-09-24T02:40:00.000-04:00

Today is my gorgeous, fun, exciting, energetic, hard working, spiritual, caring, thoughtful, insightful, smart, happy, loving best friend and cousins 23rd birthday! (really?! 23?! we are getting old)

and this past year, I was extra lucky to see her on many different occasions!

She came to visit conference weekend, i saw her briefly the weekend after in San Fran, saw her again a few weeks later in Colorado for her brothers mission farewell, and then got to see her for my sisters wedding in California this summer! So maybe it isn't as much as I wish I could see her, but it was better than the previous years so it was better.

But I love this woman for so many reasons, which some can be found here. So please take the time to read there just why I think this woman is SO great, amazing, and such an example to me.

But since I think she is so wonderful, I'll just repost a few things-

First off, these are my 2 best friends in life. I'm so grateful to have a cousin and sister so close in age. We've had a fun time growing up together, with lots of fun memories that I will always cherish. Callie would agree when I say Aubrey is the definition of a good friend. Not only that, but a best friend. She has been by my side through EVERYTHING. Whenever there is something going on in my life, she wants to know about it. I can turn to her for anything at any time of the day. I know she will always be there.

Aubrey likes to have fun. Call her up and you will pretty much be guaranteed a great time.

She loves to have cooking sessions in the kitchen with us at Grandma's house. Sometimes we may not fully understand what it is we need to be doing, but we'll laugh and have smiles on our faces. I love cooking in the kitchen with these fabulous ladies [even if we are clueless half the time]

She LOVES her family. And we all love each other too if you can't tell. I love us because we are all so close to one another and are always there to support each other. Even though all of our lives are going separate ways and being extremely busy, we remain just as close when we are apart. but it's always fun getting back together again. i love her and love the love she has for family. They always remain the first and most important thing in her life.

You are guaranteed a good time with this lady. She has quite the sense of humor and personality. Every time I'm with her or talk to her on the phone, she will almost always make me laugh. Most of the time, they are the most random things I have ever heard, but that's exactly why I love her. I love her for who she is. I love her "Aubrey-isms"

She is always my support system. Especially on a day when your other best friend gets married. But if you need her, she'll stay by your side. That's something I admire so much about her.

And, again, she is a hard worker! One of the most dedicated women I know! She just finished up Fashion Design School in San Fran and is now working at the corporate Nordstrom in Seattle. I'm so proud of this girl and pushing her limits to fulfill her dreams and desires in life.

She is a gorgeous girl, inside and out! The man who snatches her up will be one lucky guy because she is amazing.

I am so grateful to have this wonderful girl in my life and a part of my family forever. I know that no matter where we are and what may be going on in our crazy and different lives, we are always there for each other and have remained close.

Happy birthday to my favorite model.

I hope it's a fantastic day because you deserve the best, remember that.

I wish I could be there to celebrate with you.

I love you Aubrey Lynn!

Foster Wedding.

2011-09-10T16:22:00.001-04:00

The time had finally come for the two love birds to get married! Do you know what that meant? A party in Hilton Head Island, SC was about to begin.

We started off the fun wedding weekend getting some manicures at a salon and then Miss Kate Wessman (who I just miss dearly) was doing glitter toes! Well, since Kayc and I already had our nails done and we didn't want to mess them up, Alex was a champ & took off our old toe nail polish! What a gem he is.

That night the wedding group went on a sunset/dolphin watch cruise.

Sadly, we didn't get to go on a ride on the crabber j this time around, but a picture for memory sake was a must.

It was such a fun night surrounded by some of my favorite former roommates,

spotting a few dolphins (and being quick enough to capture that moment),

loving life as I look at the gorgeous view,

and having a grand time with these ladies all week!

Our bachelorette party consisted of going with this sweet bride-to-be to Rita's frozen custard and shaved ice place. It was a delicious treat.

Friday came. We prepped things in the morning and then made the 2 1/2 hour journey to the Columbia temple. We got to babysit these two cute babies while waiting outside. We were just loving on them the entire time!

Kayc did a good job picking out some cute bridesmaids dresses and shoes for her wedding. I have no complaints here... I will definitely wear it all again! Not to mention, these 2 ladies are pretty great and fun to be around.

Then Kayc and Alex came out! And they were GLOWING and sooooo happy and in love. I couldn't be happier for my sweet Kaycie.

This girl and I go wayyyyy back so I was super happy I got to share this important day of her life by her side. She was STUNNING!

And the wedding partay! Such a good lookin' group...but the boys were a little outnumbered, huh? lucky them.

There were so many great people who came to show love and support for these two.

Including this young man who came all the way from Arizona! So great to see Mr. Swindlehurst for a little bit that weekend!

The reception was a great time.

The cake was delicious,

and I got to spend some quality time with only some of my favorites from EFY just chatting and dancing away like we normally do.

The Foster wedding was a success! It was a fun time with some great people, in a beautiful location, celebrating the beginning for two people that I love very much.

Congrats Kayc and Alex! Can't wait to hear about your exciting adventures ahead :)

Saving the Best for Last- Elite EFY.

2011-09-08T12:33:00.001-04:00

After all the talk and excitement and been waiting for this moment for MONTHS... it finally came! Sadly, it flew by WAY too fast. But holy cow, I did not know what I was getting into.

It was named the Elite EFY group. Kids were coming from ALL over the country. It was a different session than all the other EFY sessions that had been going on this summer.

It started off with the airport...oh the excitement and joy that happened when I was reunited with Liz and Kaycie that day after a week of separation. We were also very excited to actually be there!

Sunday night we had dinner and a message from our session director at the Hill Cumorah. Yes, it was UNREAL. I was getting so excited for the week ahead and thinking about all the different things I will get to experience. I wanted to make it an amazing week for myself and the youth...and to "finish well" like our session director told us. And here I was... living, breathing, and experience CHURCH HISTORY.

I was pumped.

We got off to a great start Monday night when we had to do a mandatory fire drill from the Palmyra Inn. That was a treat. Real bonding moment with my girls, of course.

Every night we got to go somewhere cool for devotional. Our first night, we were outside of the Smith Log Home. It was awesome enough that I got to be a counselor that week and have my own kids to teach, but to teach at such a cool place? again, unreal.

This is how Tuesday went:

We started our morning going to the Sacred Grove for 2 hours just to have our own personal time as a group to walk around, study our scriptures, and write in our journals. It was a beautiful summer morning as I read The First Vision. I would just pause and look around at the pretty greenery and couldn't even believe I was here. All that I have read about, all that had happened ... I was right there. Incredible feeling. I've been to the Sacred Grove before, but this was a more special experience for me this time around.

Up next, we got a tour of the Smith Log Home and Frame Home.

Following that, we went to the Grandin building, the place where the first 5,00 Book of Mormons were published. It's amazing to see how much effort and time that took place just for ONE book to be published.

We then got to go to the Palmyra temple and perform baptisms. It will be an experience that I will never forget. I was surrounded by amazing youth that I have grown to know and love so much in just 2 days already. But to have all 24 of them in there with me plus the boys on the EFY team made it so personal and incredible.

We ended our night jamming to those good ol' efy tunes and dancing with some cuties.

Then Wednesday consisted of the following few items:

We started off the day, getting on a school bus and going to the Peter Whitmer Farm, where the church was first organized.

And had a little extra time there, and it was rainy, but we had a fun time. Clearly.

Then we came back and went to the Hill Cumorah/ Visitor Center.

There was a table of Book of Mormons that were translated in a lot of different languages. It was so cool to look through each of those books and see that we are spreading throughout the world!

And we got to watch the Joseph Smith Movie about how the church was restored... SO cool to be watching it in a place where Joseph Smith once lived and experienced some of those things that brought back the church. I may or may not have cried a little bit.
Oh ya, these two boys- you can tell they were quite the characters huh?

And sadly it was still raining so we couldn't sit on the hill for the last hour we had, but we walked up there, took some pics, hung out ,and had a good time all around. One of my kids may or may not have thought it was a good idea to start rolling down the hill.Ya, not smart.

That night was games night. And due to the rain, we held it inside the church. Quite the adventure. And I am proud of my kids cause we placed 2nd in cheer! And yes, our family name was Hale. You could only imagine the things they TRIED to pull off. Nope, didn't work. They were just being funny ones.

And did I mention what a joy it was that this Sweet Kaycie and I got to spend our LAST week as a counselor/at EFY together? And we got to be roommates? So fun. We've been on this grand adventure for 5 years together so it was sad it would be our last.

I love Pizza night! I especially loved this pizza night because I got to hang out with MY girls and get the juicy details on the boys/counselors they were crushin' on... and, of course, have a dance party. I did that stuff every week, but because I knew these girls a lot better, it made for a great time.

Thursday was yet another awesome day, and a little bit more like the regular EFY sessions. BUT, we did get to spend some more time in the Sacred Grove that morning before we went to the Church for the rest of the day. All 24 of my kids participated in the musical program that night. It was weird not worrying about them during free time and even right before the program started. I just had to walk in with my co, Jordan, and sit, relax, and enjoy. I felt like the proudest mama EVER when I sat down and tried to find all 24 of them up on stage. Even 11 of them had either speaking or singing parts. It was the best one I went to all summer. Not just because my kids were in it (okay, that has a lot to do with it) but also because of where we were and over half the kids in the entire session participated. It was powerful and very cool to experience that.

And, of course, another highlight was getting to spend time with these 2 ladies from my southeast team! Although I was having the time of my life as a counselor, I was missing being with them and our team all the time.But I wouldn't have exchanged this week as a counselor for anything!

And to end our incredible night, we got to go to the Hill Cumorah again with our session director. We walked up a path that wrapped around to the top in silence and without flashlights. It was a good time to just ponder and think about what Joseph Smith must have felt like as he went up to get the plates, knowing that his life would change forever and that people would be after him. He really was a remarkable man with so much faith and courage. Being there was a great way to end an awesome Thursday.

I couldn't believe Friday was already here! I have had some incredible experiences this week and have grown to know and LOVE these kids so much. Seriously, they were an elite group of kids I got to be with that week. They always wanted to be together and wanted me to be with them too! During lunch and dinner time, they would pull circle tables together so we could all sit together. They were so tender.
And obviously, comical.

And I loved getting to meet new friends that week! Yes, I meet new people all the time in the southeast sessions, but it was a little different. I was going up there only knowing Kaycie and Liz. I'm used to knowing at least 10-15 other counselors so I was a little nervous. These people have already bonded and have become close for the past 6 weeks, but they were all so open and loving to us newbies that week. Seriously, love those people up there. And some of them are even out in Provo so it's been fun to see them and hang out a few times!

And I loved my CUTE, ADORABLE, FUN girls! I feel like I had the best of the best! They were like my little sisters all week! I'm glad that they still like to keep in touch with me and give me any new and exciting updates from time to time. They were so loving and kind to each other from day 1 as complete strangers. It was like they all already knew each other from before because they got along SO well. I know it wasn't by accident that these girls came together.

And I had to put this picture in to show what he back of the church looked like. This is where our company spot was. I was obsessed with it!

And oh, my boys....can't you just tell how much trouble I had to deal with? Just kidding. These boys were like my little brothers that I got to boss around and get away with it. They always put a smile on my face and made me laugh. I miss those little trouble makers.

And we can't forget my awesome co, Jordan! He was the greatest. He was so nice and welcoming to me, and always kept me in the know with things that the east coast does different from the south. He has a strong testimony of this church and loved what he was doing. We had a pretty fun week.

But I did share some tender moments with my kids.

They wrote me sweet notes, made me flowers out of napkins, and loved me.

We grew strong together as a group that week.

We experienced amazing things together and would feel one another's happiness from this wonderful gospel. They strengthened me and lifted me up that week. And of course, kept me smiling.

Our group made a few goals at the beginning of the week and we completed ALL of them! The last on the list was to win the water challenge! The health counselors like the kids to stay hydrated so they give them somewhat of a bribe.

Well, I am happy to report, we won the water challenge and enjoyed our delicious treats at the end of the week! It was pretty cool to see the excitement on their faces and how they felt for completing their goals that week.

And these fine gentleman were the heart throbs of the week. BC's Jason and Dax, and Health Counselor Karl. My girls LOVED them. It was so funny and entertaining to listen to my girls talk about them all week. And just like every teenage girl at EFY tries to do with their counselor is set them up. I would constantly get comments from my kids all week about how I should date one of them. Sometimes it was entertaining, other times it was slightly on the embarrassing side. But let's be honest, I never really feel embarrassed at EFY.

I hate Saturday mornings, especially after an amazing, incredible session like this. I got up early to say bye to my kids only to find out that half of them had already left on a shuttle. I was so sad!

However, I get to the airport and got to see some of my kids! 3 of them were waiting on me because the airlines wouldn't check in a younger sister of there's unless there was someone 18 or older with them. (that's another long story) But I was such a happy Mom when I saw a few of them running over to us as I was checking in.

And then going through security with a few of them, I started counting them off again. Bad habit I guess? But I come through and see even MORE of my kids. I wish I got to see all of them, but I was happy I still got to see a few.

One of the cool things about having my 5 hour layover in Detroit was the cool tunnel!

Yep, that was about it.

But this week of EFY was incredible. It changed my life and strengthened my testimony more than I could have imagined. All week I kept thinking, how did I deserve this? how did I get selected to be a part of something THIS incredible?

I was a lucky girl that week, that's for sure.
That week was something I couldn't even put into words. Amazing, incredible, outstanding.. those words don't even come close to how I felt about that week.

I miss it. a lot.

It was my last week of EFY and I couldn't have imagined it ending any other way.

And so begins the EFY post depression. Ask any of my fellow EFYers, it exists.

Life in the Dirty South.

2011-08-31T11:21:00.000-04:00

Confession: I-Love-Georgia.

But I'm hoping people already know that by now because I just RAVE about it so much. Seriously, the South is the best place to live and I'm SO glad I got to spend some weeks there this summer during the crazy life.

After EFY ended, I got to hang out a lot with these two kids before they started school. So one time we went to the lake and I got to watch these kids ski like it's no big deal. I love the lake with all my heart. I'm sad I couldn't go as much this summer since I wasn't around too often.

One night we went to the Braves game during one of the HOTTEST games I have ever been to. Seriously, we had to leave early because it was so miserable out there.

For Cody's birthday, I got him a ticket for the Rascal Flatts concert! He was quite excited about it. My Dad and Lexie also got to join us because we got a few free tickets from my Mom's work. Like the night at the Braves game, it was miserable outside until...

the rain came. and it came for a while. but at least it cooled things down and stopped raining before Rascal Flatts came out.

and I wore a white shirt that night. bad choice on my part. but all was well.

I think it's safe to say he had a great time and I am his favorite sister :)

Mom and I talked about going to the Farmer's Market ALL summer, but it would never work out because I'd either be gone on Saturdays or something crazy was going on that day. So we finally got to go and enjoyed getting some pretty flowers for our kitchen and bought some delicious peaches.

Oh, and this one time my very good friend, Nick, decided to show up in Atlanta for the day! He actually had to change some flights going back home from New Hampshire and was able to connect in Atlanta for the night! We had a fun time catching up and showing him around downtown! I was so happy to this face!

Miss Rachel Leigh stayed at my house for a few nights after we went to Kaycie's wedding (post coming soon). So one night we were over at a family friends and celebrated the 4th of July a little late?

And my Florida EFY friends came up for a visit and to go to one of the best Braves Games I've been too! So much excitement happened so I'm glad they got to witness that! And I'm glad I got to see these awesome friends of mine.

The next night I went with my Mom to another great game!

Don't worry, this wasn't the next night although I almost went again that day. But I went with these 2 boys a few nights later for my last game of the season! It was a great game to end on though. Hopefully these boys can come nearby for playoffs again so I can see them!

This puppy became my best friend my last week home. The kids were in school, Dad was in Utah with Tay, and my Mom was at work. Therefore, I was by myself for the day. But don't worry, Becker and I had a fun time together. Every night when I came upstairs to get ready for bed, I'd turn around and there he was, just standing in my doorway. He loves me. I wish I could bring him to Utah.

And this brother of mine has turned into quite the stud. No braces, getting tall and buff.... WHO IS HE?! Seriously, love this baby brother of mine! I want him to visit Utah too! Besides my graduation, he hasn't been in forever so I think he needs to pay us a little visit out here.

I'll admit, I was super sad leaving home. Even though I don't have a life there anymore and I was excited for Utah again, I hate leaving the beautiful place I grew up in. And I hate leaving my family. I am so glad I got to spend some time there this summer. If you've never been, come visit. You will not be disappointed.

So long sweet Georgia, I'll see ya during the Christmas season!

The EFY Life [Week 5]

2011-08-30T14:07:00.001-04:00

Welcome to Kentucky. Only the HOTTEST place ever! We happened to be there during the oh-so-wonderful heat wave that decided to come our way so we were literally walking around and up BIG hills in what felt like 115 degrees. no lie. it was miserable.

However, if you put that aside- it was a fantastic way to end our southern sessions! I had a GREAT group of counselors for my last week as a BC. Seriously, these girls are fabulous and I love them dearly.

And have I mentioned how much I LOVED my team?! We were just this cute little family and had such a fun summer together! We all added a little quirkiness to the group and helped each other survive early mornings and late nights. I couldn't have imagined a better team than being with these fine people. I miss them all!

The majority of us joined in on FHE treat deliveries every week, which was one of our favorite things to do. We didn't drive around in a van that week, but we enjoyed walking around squirting people who weren't stayed hydrated (Jorden) and playing games with different groups. Fruit roll ups will forever hold a special place in my heart. They helped me survive some weeks when we had extras laying around the site office.

I had a fun summer with some great friends! It was the longest the south sessions have been so it was fun to spend SO much time with some incredible people who are huge examples in my life.

Due to the heat wave, we had to have games night in the WKU Areana. Ya, we felt pretty awesome.

And maybe I LOVED Kate and Daniel's kids that week! It's hard as a BC sometimes because you don't get to have your own youth and get to know them super well. But these kids became my friend on Day 1 and just loved me. I'm just glad Kate and Daniel shared them with me :) They were awesome kids.

Our goal is to have them in the handbook next summer so we got all the kids in the arena after games to form this and it was AWESOME! it took a little while to get it all organized, but once it was complete it was sweet.

We enjoyed our last pizza night together in the lobby. I would be lying if I said I didn't crave pizza every Wednesday now (or pretty much every day for that matter). I loved pizza nights. We just ran around to different counselors to party with their kids and ask who their counselor crushes were (since we didn't know the kids in their group too well). It was always entertaining.

On Thursday, there was this HUGE storm that lasted for about an hour where it was just pouring and the wind was blowing so hard. Trees were breaking and falling, and this one just happened to be right outside of our dorm. nbd.

We wanted to pretend that we went to the school so we all bought a little souvenir (matching t-shirts of course). And just danced in the streets. Definitely a highlight from the week.

And the slow, creepy elevator rides in our dorm were always a good time. I was always scared that I was going to get stuck.

I had some AWESOME fellow BC's to work with this summer. We had a lot of laughs, had lots of deep convos, jammed to the BSB CD every day thanks to Philip who purchased that bad boy at Walmart a few weeks back,and made quite a few food runs to Taco Bell. We were part of the Captain Planet crew and became super close over the past 5 weeks. I miss my brothers and sisters!

The ice cream there was to DIE for. Just soft served that up every day. I may or may not have had that every lunch and dinner.. okay maybe almost every time. Good thing I walked up a huge hill countless times a day.

Remember how I talked about Kate and Daniel's kids? Ya... I definitely tucked in these two gems EVERY night. They were a crack up. I love them.

We all wore our matchy new Hilltopper (yes hilltoppers is the mascot. what the?!) tshirts on Saturday morning. Shed a lot of tears that day and said bye to every one.

I couldn't believe the 5 weeks were over! It had been such a fun summer and I felt SO blessed to work with some amazing people! I'm not gonna lie, after the Friday night dance, I bawled like a little baby. Just tears constantly streaming down my face. I felt like a participant and I was getting pay back for making fun of the kids crying every week. I was so sad that EFY in the south was already done! 5 weeks. that's a long time. I have learned and grown so much and have met some incredible people that are now some of my great friends :)

I love EFY and feel so blessed that I have been a part of something so incredible for the past 5 summers.