Bridals and Bird Poop

Yesterday was a crazy day but so much fun.  All of us Johnson girls went with Kari to get her Bridal pictures taken.  She looked absolutely gorgeous in her wedding dress.  (I would put a picture up, but I can't risk the groom seeing it.)  We met the photographers at Memory Grove at 5pm last night and immediately started snapping pictures.  I cannot wait to see the pictures because I know they are going to be beautiful.  We walked all over Memory Grove and City Creek Canyon taking pictures.  About half way through the 3 hour shoot we were at a large stone staircase taking pictures.  Kari was sitting on the staircase and they were arranging her dress when out of nowhere a bird flies overhead and bombs us . . . . .

Want to guess where his disgusting bomb landed?  You got it right, it landed right on Kari's Wedding Dress.  I think we were all in shock when we saw this.  Kari then yelled "I got pooped on!"  and boy she was ticked (for a very good reason).  One of the photographers seriously was about ready to cry, it was sad.  We quickly got a rag and wiped up the poop off of her dress and tried to get as much as we could out of it.  And now Kari will be taking her dress to the dry cleaners today.  We did continue on with the shoot and Kari did a really great job of laughing it off and staying happy. 

All in all it was a lot of fun to go watch her get her pictures taken and help pack everything around.  The pictures are going to be beautiful and I cannot wait to see them.  Only one more week and my baby sister will be getting married.  I seriously cannot believe how fast it has come.  Last night as we were driving in the car and she was making me laugh I realized just how much I am going to miss having her around.  I really think I am going to struggle with having her gone.  Hopefully she will be ok with having me as a frequent visitor at her new home. 

Hope you all have a great Memorial Day weekend!!!!

A New Week and A New Attitude

First off I would like to apologize to all those that were around me last week.  Last week was seriously a week from He** and I know I was not a pleasant person to be around.  So if I did anything to offend you I am extremely sorry, I did not mean to take it out on you.  However, I have decided that this week, no matter how it goes, I am going to keep a positive and happy attitude about it. 

Although it is snowing outside and it is the end of May, I actually found it quite pleasant this morning.  I sat here at my desk at work and had a nice big glass of Hot Chocolate for breakfast while I watched it snow like crazy outside.  It made me very grateful to have a roof over my head and warm clothing to wear.  This small experience helped me realize that if I find a reason to be grateful for something in a negative situation it really does change my attitude.  So my goal this week will be to find a positive in everything, even if it happens to be a bad experience.

Also I cannot believe how rapidly my baby sisters wedding is approaching.  Every day seems to go faster and faster as we approach the BIG day.  With only 11 days until the wedding we are running around like chickens with our heads cut off.  Saturday was a very long day as we ran a ton of errands.  Even though we were busy we did have a lot of fun.  I am so excited for my Bridesmaid dress, which we took to get the alterations done.  It is a really cute dress and quite possibly the fanciest dress I have owned in my adult life.  I will have to post pictures of it later.

Oh and last of all, we found an adorable little kitten in our yard and caught him last night.  My mom is seriously in love with it already.  (I say "it" because we are unsure if it is a male or female.)  For the time being Mom is calling the kitten Tiger.  And I think my dad is even going to let her keep it, with the restriction that it live outside.  We have a little pet carrier however, and kept him in it all night last night so he would stay warm.  Here is a pic of him so you can see just how cute he is. . . .

Am I Good Enough?

I know that I posted earlier today, but I really just need to get this off my chest and this is the only way I really know how.  I have been struggling emotionally today.  I feel like I am never going to be good enough.  This day has just made me feel like I am not pretty enough, strong enough, skinny enough, nice enough, spiritually enough, friendly enough, happy enough. . . the list goes on and on.  I honestly wonder if I just have PMS which is highly possible.  But man it has been a rough day.  I have just felt like crying for the last several hours.  And as I sit here fighting tears I just keep wondering, Am I good enough? 

I know we all go through these emotions some times and that it is normal.  Usually I can cope with these feelings pretty well.  So since I am struggling with them tonight I thought maybe I would share some of the things that help pick me up when feeling this way. 

#1 - The best pick me up that I have experienced over the last few months has been the institute class I have been attending.  The teacher that I am currently taking a class from is truly amazing.  I absolutely love her, for being the kind of teacher that prays to give us what we need.  She has truly touched my life.  I can't believe how well I can feel my Heavenly Fathers love for me when she teaches.  It is amazing and I am truly greatful to her.

#2 - BYU Women's Conference.  I have attended the BYU Women's Conference every year since 2003.  I look forward to this every year because I love the spirit that you feel there and how much it lifts my spirit and strengthens my testimony.  This year I was extremely greatful for it and the strength that it gave me to continue on and press forward. 

#3 - A talk given by President Dieter F. Uchtdorf at a CES Fireside in November 2009.  The title of his talk is "The Reflection in the Water".  I absolutely loved this talk when he gave it and have read it several times since.  It gives me courage and makes me feel stronger just reading it.  I highly suggest looking it up if you haven't read it before, it is GREAT!!!

#4 - This quote by Elder Neal A. Maxwell: "Some of us who would not chastise a neighbor for his frailties have a field day with our own.  Some of us stand before no more harsh a judge than ourselves, a judge who stubbornly refuses to admit much happy evidence and who cares nothing for due process.  Fortunately, the Lord loves us more than we love ourselves.  A constructive critic truly cares for that which he criticizes, including himself, whereas self-pity is the most condescending form of pity; it soon cannibalizes all other concerns."

#5 - Service!!!  Service is a great way to forget about my problems and help someone else with theirs.  Performing small acts of service always helps me feel better about myself and always brings a smile to my face.  I love this quote from a message in the Ensign in 2007 by Elder David S. Baxter.  He says, "There is something about service that brings about a marvelous change in how we think and feel about ourselves.  As we stretch our souls in service, we begin to forget our own challenges, and we are blessed with good feelings--even joy."

Now I did not post this to make people feel bad for me or anything, I really just needed a release from the emotions that I have been battling all day.  I also thought that maybe if I shared some of the things that help me cope with these feelings that it might help others in the future.  After reading some of these quotes tonight I am already feeling better!

17 Days and Counting

My baby sister is getting married in 17 days.  I cannot believe how fast it is coming.  Our house sort of feels like a zoo trying to get everything ready in time.  It is weird how I never realized how much work it takes the family to pull off a wedding reception.  There are favors and chocolates to be made, 700 of each to be exact.  We are still waiting on our bridesmaid dresses to be delivered, which is making me a little nervous.  I am hoping that they aren't going to need altered but they probably will since we are all different sizes.

It is really weird how the time has gone by waiting for the wedding.  First it felt like it was far away and now it feel like it is rushing at us head on.  I think we are going to have a collision soon.  In some ways it makes me sad to think that my baby sister is going to be moving out and no longer living so close.  We have become really close over the last few months and I am really going to miss having her around to hang out with.  I will definitely miss her humor and fun personality around the house making all of us laugh.  But at the same time I am very happy for her.  I know she is extremely happy and loves Kelton with all of her heart.  They are a cute couple and very good for each other.

On Sunday we went up to Brigham City, where Kelton lives, for the bridal shower they had for Kari.  It was a lot of fun to be able to meet his family and see how big it is.  There are a ton of them.  I couldn't believe how many people were there and how many great gifts Kari got.  But after the shower we got to see the house that Kari and Kelton will be living in after they get married.  The house is a cute little farm house and is right next to the Calf Barn.  By the way Kelton lives on a Dairy Farm.  We had a blast going on a tour of the farm and seeing all of the cows.  We got to go through the calf barn and see the cows that are pregnant.  We also got to see them milking the cows and cleaning out the milk barn.  It was really fascinating to see how it all works.  I will have to go up to Kari's often so I can hang out with her and see all the cute baby animals.

"Reading is a basic tool in the living of a good life." -Mortimer J. Adler

As many of you know, I LOVE to read.  It is a rare occasion when I do not have a book with me.  Last night I found myself lying in bed staring at my bookshelf . . . reading the titles of the books I own.  I have read a lot of great books throughout my life.  Some weeks I can go through 3 books and other weeks I will only read a few pages.  Either way, I absolutely love to read, it helps me relax and just escape to another place and time.  So as I was lying in my bed reading over my book titles I thought I would share some of my favorite books.  Some of them have really touched me or taught me.  While others are just a great story that I like to read over and over again.

One of my all time favorites is

The Secret Journal of Brett Colton

By Kay Lynn Mangum

A Classic. . . 

Pride & Prejudice

By Jane Austen

I also love the Tennis Shoes Among the Nephites Series

By Chris Heimerdinger

(They have helped me learn a lot about the Book of Mormon and the Bible)

And one of my most recent favorites. . . 

The Hunger Games Series

By Suzanne Collins

I also really liked the Twilight Series 

By Stephenie Meyer

(But don't worry, I'm not overly obsessive about it like the Twi-hards)

And one other that I absolutely loved was the Jayson Wolfe Series

By Anita Stansfield

(If you are going to read them, let me warn you that the first three are great, the last two are good, but a little bit too much.)

These are just a few of my favorites, that I like to read over and over again. 

Currently I am reading a series by Josi S. Kilpack, they are Culinary Mysteries.  My Aunt gave me the first two for Christmas.  It took me two tries to get through the first book but it was good.  It also is taking me a bit to get through the second book as well.  And after I finish it I am going to re-read Eclipse, so that I can remember what is happening before the movie is released on June 30th.

Of all the diversions of life, there is none so proper to fill up
its empty spaces as the reading of useful and entertaining authors.
~ Joseph Addison ~

Books are not made for furniture,
but there is nothing else that so beautifully furnishes a house.
~ Henry Ward Beecher ~

Bridal Showers = Sleep Deprivation

I have always loved going to bridal showers and celebrating the upcoming marriage with friends and family.  However this week it was my lovely privelege to join forces with my fabulous Aunt and throw one for my baby sister.  We had the shower last night at my Aunt's house at 6pm.  We decided that since the shower was going to be on Cinco de Mayo that it would be fun to have a mexican themed bridal shower.  So we ended up having Chicken Enchiladas and Tacos for dinner.  We also had mexican themed decorations as well, including a cow shaped pinata (which we did not break).  We played a couple of games, ate dinner, and watched the bride open all of her gifts.  It was great to be able to sit around and chat with the family and have a good time.  Everybody seemed to love the mexican theme and we ate a ton.  It was GREAT!!!!

However. . . . . due to combining forces to throw the shower, it was my job to make dessert and the tacos.  The tacos were most definitely the easy part.  The dessert however was a BIG job.  You know how bridal showers are, you have to have it all cute and wedding themed.  Well on Tuesday night I ended up staying up until 1:20am making chocolates to decorate the cupcakes with.  It was quite a task that I undertook and definitely took me a lot longer to accomplish then I had expected.  Lets just say that squishing melted chocolate out of a piping bag into the shape of a K is a lot easier said then done.  But I just have to say the final product turned out rather well.  I was pretty happy with how they turned out.

The funny thing is that I did not even feel the lack of sleep yesterday.  I thought for sure that I would be dead all day (due to the fact that I have to be at work at 6am and had gone to bed at 1:20am).  I was pretty happy with how energetic I was feeling yesterday.  However, today I am beyond feeling that lack of sleep.  Combined with staying up until 2:30am Saturday evening putting together Wedding Announcements, I have missed out on quite a bit of sleep within the last week.  I was so tired this morning that I fell asleep at work.  Luckily it was a slow day in our call center so I slept quite a bit this morning in between calls.  Now I am just trying to fight a losing battle of taking a nap.  I know if I take a nap now I won't be able to fall asleep when I go to bed tonight.  Lets just pray I can get to bed at a decent hour tonight!!!

Disneyland 2010 Trip

Here are some pictures of our Disneyland 2010 trip. . . .

Kari & Kelton on Dumbo

Lisa, Kelton, Kari, Me

Newport Beach Temple

Bride & Groom

Apparently they got confused. . . .

Las Vegas, NV Temple

Waters at the Bellagio

Weddings and Womens Conference

Life in my house has become pretty crazy lately.  With both of my sisters engaged and planning weddings it seems there is never a calm moment.  There are addresses to type, dresses and tuxedos to be measured for, flowers to order, decorations to be booked, guest books to be made, and the list goes on and on.  Needless to say, it is quite exhausting and somedays I wish it was all over.  However, a lot of the time it is fun and exciting and watching my sisters get happier and happier as the weddings get closer is a lot of fun. 

Last Saturday we had a family reunion and a triple bridal shower (triple because my cousin is getting married also).  The first time in over 8 years my mom and all of her siblings were together.  Plus all of us grandchildren were all in attendance as well.  We had a lot of fun getting to see all of our family and having a bridal shower with all of them as well.  It was pretty funny to see all of the presents stacked up on the table because there was three of everything.  But they all got some great gifts.  The shower was a couples shower, so all of the men were there too, it was a lot of fun. 

After all of the wedding stuff going on last weekend I was in need of a break, thankfully we had already booked our trip to BYU Womens Conference.  It is a tradition in our family for us to go to the conference every year.  So on Wednesday night we headed down to Provo for our girls only weekend.  We stayed at the Best Western Cottontree with my Aunt and Cousin for two nights and spent two days wandering the BYU Campus.  I absolutely loved the last two days, I was in serious need of the spiritual feeding that we received.  We heard a lot of great talks which concluded with Elder Dallyn H. Oaks and his wife Kristin Oaks.  I am so thankful that I had the opportunity to attend the conference and have a lot of fun with the girls and be spiritually fed.  It was also great to do some service while we were there, making things to go to Primary Childrens Hospital and Haiti. 

And before I finish my post I better update you on the Frozen Yogurt project.  My friends and I have all been so busy that since attending Red Mango, we have not all gone again together.  They went once without me while I was gone to Disneyland (oh right, I forgot to post about that, I'll put pics up soon) so I don't know where they went or how it was.  However, I did try a new Frozen Yogurt location while I was in Provo and it was pretty good.  My mom and sisters and I went to Spoon It Up, next to the Cafe Rio on University Parkway.  It was a self serve place, they had a ton of flavors and a lot of toppings.  I really liked it.  Plus the atmosphere of the store was GREAT!!!  They had couches and chairs and tv's which were playing Friends while we were there. 

I am going to try a lot better to keep this updated, I promise!!!  With 3 weddings coming up I am sure I will have plenty of great stories to share ;)