Leap Year

So I went and saw Leap Year yesterday at the dollar theater. Here are my thoughts on it:

I LOVED IT!!!

Okay, now for the reasons why:

-It is rated PG so it is a good, clean chick flick!
-The guy that she ends up with is not that cute. I get frustrated when all the main guys in chick flicks are drop-dead gorgeous. The movie producers might as well come out and say that you are never going to fall in love unless you have the perfect body and face to go with it. Mathew Goode is perfect! He is cute enough to fall in love but not too good-looking so that love seems to hopeless for the rest of us. He did such a good job in this movie and I love his character!
-The acting was amazing! Good enough that I almost cried at the very end even though I knew there was no reason to be sad. (I think I have only cried in two movies my whole life and Charly was NOT one of them)
-I love movies from different cultures. Especially Ireland. It reminds me that there is life outside of America and our American ways. I especially love how beautiful Ireland is. Not only the people and their culture but the nature found within it and the old stone castles. It is just so gorgeous!



If you are looking for a great, clean movie to go see, go see this one!

Somehow I Find the Time

Over the past couple years I have realized that college is a time of no time. I try to plan every semester more and more efficiently timewise and it just can't be done. Yet somehow this semester seems better than the rest. I don't know why because I am working more than ever and I'm in class more than ever. Yet somehow my life seems to be balanced. I don't feel like my life is all about school, or all about work, or all about friends. I'm happy and my life is balanced through and through. It's so great, in fact, that sometimes I forget how busy I really am. But I do have small reminders every once in a while, such as the weekends. I had a Friday night a couple weeks ago with absolutely no plans. With my busy schedule my weekends get booked fast. They are my only time for a social life, and so they tend to get filled up at least a week in advance. So there I was on a Friday night with no plans! I haven't had that in so long. I'm not good at last minute planning so I rounded up some friends and a little sister and went ice skating. We went to the ice rink here in Provo but it was WAY crowded, so we went up to the Gallivan Center in Salt Lake. It was almost completely empty! So even though it was smaller than the Provo one, it was a lot more fun. Side note: Teenage boys are so frustrating!!! The only other ppl on the rink with us were high school hockey players. Yeah, they were annoying! Also, the rink was super rough and needed to be smoothed out with that zamboni machine thing. But the h.s. boys working that night were too busy playing with the overhead mike to really care about the ice condition. I'm hoping that the zamboni was broken and that they weren't really being such goof-offs. Anyways, it was still way fun and definitely worth the trip up to Salt Lake!
Second reminder of my busy schedule: Saturdays are my day to get all my homework done, get in time with my horse, try to catch the BYU ballet club class, and spend some time with friends. Last Saturday was no different. My schedule started out needing to drop my car off in Orem so my dad could change the brakes (thanks dad!) then getting to my ballet class before 9:30, go shoppin with my dad for new riding boots and then study for and take a test before 2:00, take my roommate, Steff, out to lunch for a farewell celebration before 4:00, take Mailani out riding before it got dark, and then shower and get ready for Steff's farewell party before 7:00. I had my whole day planned out with no stopping inbetween. Then right as I got to my parents house to pick up my car, I found out that my family forgot to tell me my grandma and some cousins were in town for lunch and visiting the Bean Museum. I love my family and hate missing things with them, so I did some scheduling rearranging and somehow managed to study for AND take my test in an hour and half and make it in time to see the museum with them. I'm so glad I did! It was so much fun to spend time with my favorite people! I was able to get everything done on Saturday except go shopping with my dad and go riding with Mailani, but those things can be done at later times. It amazes how much the Lord helps me accomplish and still remain sane. I don't really get stressed out about time anymore and I know it is because Heavenly Father is right there beside me, scheduling my life for me. Just another blessing that comes from this amazing gospel that I am so blessed to have a knowledge of!

Tyson, Me, Steff, and Heather ice skating at the Gallivan's Center.
This rink is such a romantic place. When I get married, my
husband and I are coming here for date nights.


Marinda, Elizabeth, Andrea, and Nathaniel all posing in front of the butterfly
display at the Bean Museum. I forgot how much fun museums can be.
I'm so glad we have kids to remind us of the little wonders of life!


Andrea wanted to be a butterfly. Talk about butterfly overload :)

Early Sunday Morning

Steff, my roommate, went with her family to Hawaii on Sunday and I had the opportunity to drop her off at the airport early in the mornin'. Ever since our ward's meeting time got moved back to 12:00 I don't get up early on Sundays. (Usually not before 10:00 am!) Sunday is a whole new day when you get up early. You can get so much more done whith those extra hours. I was also really glad that Steff asked me to drive her up there. We have both been so busy lately that we don't get a lot of time to spend together anymore, so it was nice to have an hour with her to just enjoy being together. I am sure gonna miss her when she leaves on her mission in a month!

When It Rains, It Pours

It has always frustrated me that life doesn't come at you in little trickles. It is either sunny and bright or it is a hurricane. Never in between. I have been enjoying sunshine for so long that I forgot what it was like to have a storm comin' through. But the storm came and there is more up ahead. What do I mean by this? In the past two weeks I have had a best friend get married, my best friend/sister move across the country, my best friend/roommate receive her mission call to leave in May, her departure date being moved up to March 10th, the stresses of trying to find a new roommate (I shouldn't be, but I'm picky), and I found out it will probably take an extra, unexpected semester in order to graduate. On top of that, my parents are getting upset with me for taking out student loans to pay for school. I know it doesn't sound like a big load to carry, and it probably isn't compared to everyone else's, but after life being so easy the last little while I'm not mentally/emotionally prepared for all this. Especially in such a short time period. Most of all, I think the last little while has just made me realize that it is time for me to be independent and face this world on my own. It is something that I have tried to avoid at all costs.
I'm going to look on the bright side though. So here goes: My best friend married her high school sweetheart who we are all good friends with so I will still get to do stuff with her a lot. I still get to communicate with my sister over the phone and through webcam so it isn't like she's been thrown off the face of the earth. Also, she is coming out in May for my brother's wedding! My roommate, Steff, has been planning on this mission since before I can remember so I am way excited for her. Also, her initial departure date was the same week as my brother's wedding and my other brother moving to Arizona. So now I only have to say goodbye to two people that week instead of three! As far as the extra semester of school, I'm still looking for the silver lining on that one, but hopefully it will come.

P.S. for those that didn't hear, Steff is serving in the Nauvoo, Illinois, sign language speaking mission!!!

The Perfect Purse

I hate purse shopping!!! It is so very frustrating for many reasons:

Reason #1: A girl's purse kinda defines who she is. They make a statement about who you are. There are just so many out different kinds out there. And you have to search everywhere to find the perfect purse that defines exactly who you are (Which requires some inner soul searching if you don't know who you are). Here are some examples found from this website. Just think about the different types of women that you would see wearing each one and you will know what I mean.


Reason #2: A purse goes with you everywhere. I mean everywhere! Therefore, it has to look okay with everything you wear. If you take a quick trip to the grocery store in your pajamas, it has to match. If you go to church all dressed up fancy, it has to match. If you go out with friends in jeans and a t-shirt, it has to match. Do you see why finding a purse is so difficult now?

I usually don't like to buy purses very often and I put it off as long as possible. A few weeks ago I realized that the dreaded time had come, and I needed a new purse again. My last one was small and trying to get my wallet in and out so many times had ripped it in a couple places. Also, since my wallet was so big, there was only enough room in my purse for my keys, phone, and wallet. Nothing else would really fit. I started the search a week ago and visited multiple different stores including Kohl's, Target, and a Boutique. I searched high and low and couldn't find anything. They were either too big, too small, too fancy, too plain, too many pockets, not enough pockets or the wrong color. Can you hear my frustration!?! When I was about ready to give up, my roommate, Steff, asked if she could come purse shopping with me and see if she could help me find one. I agreed and we set out one last time last night. We found one at a boutique that was acceptable but I wasn't really excited about it (I didn't really like the shape of it). So I got it in the hopes that I could return it because of a spectacular find somewhere else. We headed to Target real fast because I knew they had some pretty cheap ones. We found a couple that I liked but none that really made me optimistic. And then it happened. Steff came around the corner with a purse. Not just any purse, it was the purse. The more I looked at it, the more I fell in love with. It was just the right size, the color was perfect, it had just the right amount of pockets, and it was something I could dress up with or wear frumpies in. It was perfect and it was cheap! Alas, purse shopping is not impossible after all! Thank you Target for making my life a little easier :)

This is my new purse!

Christmas is Here!

It finally feels like Christmas!!!

It has been snowing since Sunday and it is beautiful! The world is all white and the coats, boots, and scarves have come out to play. I have been hesitant to play Christmas music so far this year, which is unusual for me. I am usually the one that starts playing it before thanksgiving even gets here. However, this year was different and I'm not sure why. I just wasn't in the mood for it. Then, Sunday came and with it came all this snow! It was like a switch flipped on inside me that said it was really time for Christmas now.
To boost this festive feeling, my roommates and I got ourselves a Christmas tree last night after FHE. If any of y'all are lookin for real trees, go to Sunriver Gardens on the corner of State St. and 1200 N in Orem. It is so pretty there and they have amazing trees for super cheap! Also, the people there are so nice. They helped us find, cut, and load up our pretty little tree. The rest of the evening was fantastic! Steff, Jessa, and I went up to Steff's house to get some extra lights from her parents. Then we got hot chocolate and headed home to set up our new tree. While setting him up, Lauren decided on a name for him. Our house is called The Peach Palace, so we named him James (like James and the Giant Peach) but he goes by Jimmy :) We strung lights all over the living room and now our home is so cozy and ready for Christmas!

Jessa and Steff bringing Jimmy into his new home

It took Jessa and me a while to get Jimmy set up straight

Jessa, Steff, and Lauren stringin' the lights :)
The finished product all lit and decorated. We are gettin' more decorations later, but this is all we had for now.

All snuggled up and excited for Christmas in our cozy little house.

South Carolina with the Boys and Steph

I never thought the day would come when I could say it but I finally went on my first airplane! Joseph, my brother-in-law, graduated from basic training in Fort Jackson, South Carolina last week and Stephanie so graciously asked me to come along with her and help take care of the boys. Oh my gosh, it was so much fun!!! First of all, I absolutely love spending time with the boys! Unfortunately, now that they live at my parent's house, I'm the aunt that they spend the least amount of time with. This was such a great chance to catch up with them and do things with just me and them. Second, I was ecstatic to finally fly for the first time in my life. Also, I was really excited to have a break from school and life. Last of all I was really excited to go see Joseph and have a chance to see the kind of place he has been at for the last couple months.
There are a couple things I learned while on this trip:
1. I forgot how much fun Steph and I have when we are together. We had to navigate our way from the N. Carolina airport to our hotel in S. Carolina with only map-quest directions on a rainy night, in the dark, with two tired and cranky boys in the backseat of the car. Yes, we were ready to pull hair out by the time we finally found the freeway an hour later, but at the same time it was so much fun! We had jammin' sessions in the car with the radio full blast and Benjamin singing with us in the backseat. We also just had some good, deep conversations about life. I love sisters!
2. I've never really been outside of Utah without being near other LDS ppl (Most of my vacations have been to church historical sites) and so I haven't really had a chance to spend a lot of time getting to know and talking with non-LDS ppl. I think I have always secretly been scared to because most of the non-LDS ppl in Utah that I know are ppl that have left the church and are super bitter about the church and the ppl in it. My mind was completely changed! People in the South are sooo friendly and I love it! They talk to you like they really care about you and they are so kind and courteous! Makes me wish that out here in the West, we were more like that, instead of being untrusting and undfriendly of strangers we meet. Along these lines, my idea of the military changed as well. To be honest, ppl in the military scare me. Most of them seem so frightening and mean. I was wrong about that. They are so nice and friendly! For a small second I was jealous that Steph gets to live with these kind of ppl for the next 6 years. Don't worry Steph, it was only a momentary thought. :)
3. Being a mom is exhausting! Pretty much my job on this trip was to be a nanny for the little boys. I loved every minute of it, but I was ready for bed at 8:30 every night. Especially the days that we spent flying. I don't know why flying is so exhausting. All you do is sit there on a plane. But nonetheless, it made us all really tired. Also, trying to keep track of them and all the stuff that they need is exhausting. And let me just say that baby carriers are sooo heavy! Especially when there is a chubby 6-month old inside. Someday I'm going to patent one that is super lightweight. Even though the boys made me really tired by the end of the day, I still loved every minute I got to spend with them; even the times when they both decided to cry at the top of their lungs at the same time. It makes me so excited for the day that I get to take care of my own kids and run around with them all day long.

Here are some pictures from our adventure:

This is how we kept Benjamin busy and occupied on the plane ride.
Thank goodness for Cars and Finding Nemo!

Some really smart person came up with the idea to put a play area in the Cincinnati Airport. Thank you! It helped keep Benjamin occupied while we waited for our next play to take off.
Here are the precious little boys after they both finally crashed on mommy's lap after a long day of flying

My favorite part about flying was looking at the tops of clouds. How can you look at something so beautiful and not believe that God had a hand in creating it?
This was part 1 of Joseph's graduation. It was our first chance to see him but we couldn't find him til the end cuz everybody looked the same in their uniforms.

Once the above mentioned part of the graduation was over, we were able to go find Joseph (It took us a while) and once we found him, Benjamin clung to him like a magnet. He was so excited to see his daddy again. It was really cute to watch.
Here is the happy family finally reunited again after two and a half months.
One more picture of Benjamin not wanting to be put down by Joseph. At one point, Joseph was playing with Garrett and when Benjamin noticed he kept saying, "Daddy! Daddy! Look at me! Daddy, tickle me!" It was cute to watch but sad at the same time that Benjamin wanted so badly for his daddy to be with him all the time.
I love the look on Garret's face in this picture! It's just so him. I also love watching Benjamin try and tickle Garrett. It's one of his favorite things to do. He's such a great big brother.

This was at the last part of the graduation. It was cold and windy outside but nothing compared to Utah's cold, so I can't really complain.

This is Benjamin's happy face cuz he knew he was about to see daddy again.

Love Steph's facial expression for this one! It's just so her :) Joseph was finally a graduate at this point and was able to leave base with us.

Since he was able to leave base we took him to go eat, because that's what all guys want to do and because he hadn't been given more than 3 minutes to eat a meal in over two months. We went to Golden Corral and I was lucky enough to capture this picture. I know it's not very flattering but it makes me laugh :)

Okay, here's a better one of them together
Here are all the boys in the family so happy to be together again, even though Garrett doesn't really know what's going on

After lunch, we went and visited the temple in S. Carolina. It was really small but really pretty. I love the stone that they used to build it and the fact that it is surrounded by forests of trees on all four sides.

Last and final picture. Benjamin found a friend to play with at the airport before we headed home. This little girl was on her way to go see her daddy who was in the army too. She and Benjamin got along really well and had a lot of fun watching airplanes take off together.