Best trip ever!

This was the last break I will get while I am in school at BYU-Idaho and so I wanted to make the most of it. Seriously, I could not have asked for a better trip. It started in Utah and ended in Maryland but not without visiting California, Pennsylvania, Delaware, and Virginia. I saw SO many friends I love dearly. It reminded me that the thing that makes me the happiest is spending time with my friends and family. Every Monday my week was planned and filled full of fun plans. It was pretty amazing how fast my time filled up.

Some of the things I was able to do:
~Universal Studios with My fab Aunt.
~Lunch with my 3rd grade best friend (I just love her!)
~Visits to the DC monuments and Smithsonian
~Seeing Mary Poppins at the Kennedy Center (pretty much amazing!)
~Family trip to PA to watch a QVC taping and Marie Osmond. (I no longer think she is lame)
~Family trip to the beach
~Family paddle boating on the lake (did I mention I have the funnest family EVER)
~Getting my head banged around on the Roller coasters at Kings Dominion
~Playing in Richmond
~Seeing my two of my favorite seminary teachers
~Bowling with a fav MD high school friend
~Girls night out
~Nacho Nacho night
~Movies, movies, movies!
~Photo shoots and bathroom make up time with my fabulous little sister
~And so much more.....(its really late and I can't think anymore)

I didn't take nearly enough pictures of all the people I saw and the things I did but here are some for you.

Me and Margo after a ridiculous storm

Beautiful Rach at the beach

I love my mom. she is so funny. Paddle boating!

Visit to Richmond (seriously, the only picture I took there. Can you believe it?)
I love my Aunt Jan! She always gets all the hunks

In the QVC Audience

Playing in the bathroom together while I got ready. (my favorite thing to do at home)

What can I say? My life is goooood!

Six Boys

Yesterday we had our favorite family come over and play. I was so excited to see them and hear about all of their latest adventures. Our house is always a blast when they are over. Here are a few ways you can tell when the boys are over!

Oreos behind the vase

Yep, that's a cookie and microwave popcorn chillen on the stairs

He has a cookie in his hand that he completely devoured as soon as I took this picture


The is the immediate place all the boys go to either play in the play room or with the video games


These are some videos of one of the boys showing off for Tressa. (he loves tressa!)



And this is a video of him telling me about how he changed his name and now he's a super hero. It's a little shaky because I was trying to walk closer to him so the video would hear him better. He was telling me about all of his super powers. This kid makes me smile.




(Eve, I can't figure out how to email these to you because the file is too big. I may just have to come over to your house and download them to you computer. But I put them up here so you can at least see them again.....)

Hollywood's got nothing on the Elvis room

My Aunt Jan promised me that if I came to visit her this summer I could stay in the Elvis room and she would leave it all to me in her will. How could I pass up an opportunity like that? She has the best Elvis collection I've ever seen! (not to mention the only one I've ever seen). I went and had a fantastic time! She is one of my favorite aunts and I LOVED talking to her and hearing all of her stories about my grandparents who died before I was old enough to remember them and her life and all her experiences. She is just fantastic. We went to Universal studios the friday I was there. Here are some pictures of all the fun.

Oh the bonding moments Max and I had.......

So my uncle Craig is not the best photographer but this is the only picture I have of us together. This is one amazing woman!

Focus Deborah! Focus!

Of Course I have been dragging all day long and as soon as 11 pm comes around I can't fall asleep. I think I will write and hopefully it will wear me out a bit.

I have had a lot on my mind lately. Today I read a blog of a girl from my Relief Society last semester and it inspired me. It was almost as if it were tailored to me.

This girl had a quote in her blog that really exemplifies how I have tired to live my life. It said, Many people pursue their lives in search of happiness. The ones who truly have it are the ones who make their own happiness. I have always preached that happiness is a choice. It is about where you put your focus. If you focus on the things you don't have and the trials you do then you will always wonder when it is going to be your turn to be happy. As you sit and moan you will not be able to see the opportunities put in front of you to build happiness. But if you focus on the blessings you have (however small they might be), choose to serve others, and become proactive in living your life.....that happiness will come.

Today I found I need to redirect my focus. I literally asked myself when is it going to be my turn? Once I heard myself I stopped. I have been distracted by one thing right after another this year and have slowly let my focus slip to things I can not control.

What a blessing it is to be reminded by our loving heavenly father where I need to be focusing. I know that as I keep moving forward, choosing to be happy, and focus on the blessings that he has given me, my life will have a bit of balance again. Life is ALWAYS changing and is never certain, but if I am focusing on the right things I wont have time to notice what my life may be lacking.

Arco where?

Right after the semester was over Tressa and I went to go visit the Beautiful Devri Pope in her home town of Arco Idaho. We had a blast shooting off fireworks, falling asleep in the living room during PS I love you, boating with the girls, and eating on the tramp until we thought we were going to puke. Here are some pictures of our fun!

Dev and Tressa handling that boat like a pro

Tubing with Tressa Lee

This is Devri doing her "I'm amazing at EVERYTHING" bit

It's my turn to try to water ski. I've never tried before in my life!

I was already having a hard time and I wasn't in the water yet!

Getting ready to ski across this water

And this is my epic failure!

I love Devri Pope!

I don't think I have blogged much about My dear Devri, so here is a post dedicated to her.
I don't even know where to begin with Devri. I met this woman in the fall during my first semester living in Mountain Pine apartments. She has been my roommate ever since. She was my sanity among the other freshman fighting over apple sauce, yelling "take me to the temple" at anything male, and of course the craziness of the semester!

We have had so much fun together over the last couple semesters. She is very easy going and loves everyone. I appreciate how she always puts up with my crazy ideas and is always willing to have fun. She drove 30 minutes with me in my convertible in 8 degrees below zero weather just to go meet a boy. The top was broken a bit and we had snow blowing in our face as we drove in an ice cube down the freeway. I of course decided to wear thin flats without socks and so because she is so giving she let me wear her gloves on my feet so my toes didn't fall off like they felt like they were going to.

This is our roommate pitty party! Oh so much fun!
Showing of her gymnastics skills!

This girl is the best athlete I have ever seen! She and her family are pretty much good at everything they try. She was the champion winter semester in basketball.


Anyway the point is I love this girl! What a blessing she is to me! Every morning and night she can be found praying and reading her scriptures. Every morning she would get up early and work out and every evening she would say to me, "I love you and I will always love you!" (an inside joke we share and I love it!) Through her example she has taught me tolerance, patience, and that if you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all.

So much to say, so little time!

I FINALLY have my computer back with internet access (thanks Brad). I have been needing to blog for a very long time now. We will start with Tressa Lee's Birthday!

My baby sister turned the big TWO ZERO! She is no longer a teenager and it was time to celebrate!
This is how it was in the morning. All decked out for her princess party day!


The table had a fun little tiara for her to wear that every one told me she wouldn't. But I know my sister and she definitely did!
As you can see we decorated the bathroom for her with fun little messages every where. During the day I tried so hard to beat her to all of her classes so I could leave a yellow rose and a little present but alas I fail almost every time and caught me. There was one time she was sitting in her class room with a group of people and I walked in and started to set it all up. I had a little conversation with the group and then left. But I had no idea she was sitting there the whole time. I think it was all just to much of a blur for me to notice. After her classes we went to subway for lunch.
There was much more fun to the day and things that happened we will never forget. Happy Birthday Tressa Lee! I love your face!!!